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nest with considerable celerity and hide in the surrounding bog. They show their courage at 

 an early age. A young bird, that could not have been hatched more than a few hours (there was 

 still an unhatched egg in the same nest), showed fight in a most plucky manner, biting viciously 

 at my hand when I took it up. For a nest this Skua forms a considerable hollow in the mossy 

 ground ; this it lines with a few particles of moss and dry grass. The average size of the nests is 

 12 inches in diameter by 3 inches in depth. I found a curious variety of the egg; the ground- 

 colour is entirely of a light blue, the only markings a few, almost obsolete, brown spots." 

 Captain Feilden, writing on the breeding-habits of this species in the Faeroes, says (B. of the 

 Faeroe Isl. p. 43), " the breeding-places now occupied by the Skua in these islands are : — Little 

 Dunon, where two or three pairs nest ; Great Dunon, four pairs ; on the high ground above the 

 village of Sands, ten pairs ; a small colony of two or three pairs nest on the hill of Flatinum, in 

 the Island of Sandoe. To meet with them again one has to go to the north isles ; there, on 

 Svinoe, I found some seven pairs nesting on the 7 th of June ; but, owing to the backwardness of 

 the season, we only found two eggs, and those in separate nests. In Videroe four or five pairs 

 nest on the hill of Mealingsfiald ; and I received two eggs from there on the 5th of June, also 

 taken from different nests. In Bordoe they also breed, as I received the eggs from there ; but 

 during my stay on that island it was so foggy I never was able to visit their haunts. On the 

 22nd of May we visited the breeding-place of the Skuas near Sands, in Sandoe, in company with 

 Sysselmand Winther, who informed me that John Wolley visited this place in 1849, and then 

 about forty pairs were nesting ; they are now reduced to ten pairs. When we had ascended to the 

 elevated tract where the birds breed, each pair on our approaching their nest came sailing round 

 our heads with vigorous and stately flight, suddenly swooping towards us with the rapidity of an 

 arrow shot from the bow ; as we neared the nest the circles became smaller, their darts more 

 rapid, and their harsh tones of anger louder. When we found the nest and touched the eggs 

 their boldness increased, and they dashed at us apparently with every intention of striking ; but 

 just at the instant one involuntarily ducked the head to avoid the threatened blow the bird 

 changed its course, though more than once my head was grazed by the outspread pinions. 

 Here the Skuas nested in the moss, which covered many acres between the grey boulder rocks 

 with its green carpeting ; the nest, a hole about the size of a soup-plate including the rim, was 

 trodden down to a depth of about four inches, and lined with pieces of moss and a few of the 

 bird's feathers; the birds, however, appear to prepare several nests before they decide on 

 using one. 



" We found here six nests with two eggs each, the full complement, and one with a single 

 egg. When we had robbed a nest and placed the eggs in a basket, the birds left off dashing at 

 us, and alighted together on one of the mossy hillocks near at hand, which are their favourite 

 perching-places ; these hillocks are covered with their droppings and their castings, which 

 consist of the feathers and small bones of the birds they have devoured. I examined many of 

 them, which were made apparently of Kittiwakes' feathers and bones. I do not suppose they 

 can kill an adult Kittiwake ; but, from the constant firing of the inhabitants at this species, there 

 can be no lack of wounded ones about, which fall an easy prey to the Skuas. Before leaving 

 the breeding-place I got permission from the proprietor to shoot a pair, the stomachs of which 

 were full of flesh." 



