32 i Ornithological Visit to Shetland and Orkney^ 



the rocks. As soon as this is the case, the gulls leave, and 

 quietly return to the mountain. 



Snuge being the highest mountain is usually chosen by the 

 skua gull as his retreat in the breeding season. The female, 

 M^hich is somewhat smaller than the male, makes her nest in 

 the long coarse herbage of the mountain ; and generally lays 

 four eggs, of a dirty greenish colour, very faintly and obscurely 

 blotched with spots of a brownish cast, principally at the larger 

 end. When the young are hatched, the old ones are then 

 very savage, and will unhesitatingly strike either man or beast 

 that attempts to molest them by approaching too near to their 

 nests. Their mode of attack is always from behind ; never, by 

 any chance, in front. Probably, the reason for this caution 

 is to avoid any blow which they would naturally receive if 

 their intentions were discovered ; as they would be, if the birds 

 approached in any direction but behind. It is surprising how 

 dexterously they will avoid an attempt to strike them, by a 

 rapid and almost perpendicular ascent, even if they have ad- 

 vanced within a foot of your shoulders. To avoid them, it 

 merely requires to be on your guard ; and, when a bird stoops, 

 to face him immediately, or you are most likely to suffer for 

 your neglect by a good smart blow on the shoulders. 



Bewick has given a not very clear description of this bird ; 

 therefore, the following one may, possibly, not be disagreeable 

 to your readers : — 



In dimensions and weight, Bewick's is tolerably correct. 

 His head is of a dark brown, each feather margined with 

 dull white ; the auriculars and cheeks are covered with fine, 

 narrow, pointed, hackle-like feathers, the points of which are 

 of a yellowish colour ; as is also the back of the head, extend- 

 ing almost to the shoulders. The neck is of a darkish brown, 

 each feather sharply pointed with yellowish rust-colour, until, 

 gradually extending, they form vt^aving bars of the same colour 

 across the breast. The belly is of a rusty colour, waved and 

 obscurely marked with ash ; under tail-coverts the same. 

 The back, greater and lesser coverts, and tertials, are dark 

 brown, dashed and freckled with ash and rust colour ; the 

 tertials more so than the rest. The roots of the primaries 

 white, extending along the inner webs ; extremities nearly 

 black ; bastard wing dark, each feather sharply pencilled with 

 dull white. Tail, consisting of twelve feathers, dark ashy 

 brown. Bill and claws hooked, the inner claw more so than 

 the rest; eye dark. 



On the southern side of the island is one of the most mag- 

 nificent and stupendous cliffs or faces of rock that I ever 

 beheld ; it consists of a lofty mountain, entirely isolated, re- 



