172 THE OENITHOLOGIST. 



The birds displayed little alarm, and the white one, which I 

 followed as before, soon settled, remaining on the spot chosen 

 a short time, then, rising, alighted directly on the nest again. 

 We were now perfectly certain of the spot, and I watched her 

 as before, bobbing her head above the grass and finally resting 

 quietly. Arranging a code of signs with Baxter, I lay still 

 with my glass on the spot and guided him to the nest, knowing 

 by the way he threw up his hands on reaching it that he had 

 found the eggs all right, and I then rushed wildly across the 

 intervening ground to reach his side. The birds settled on 

 a small knowe bordering the hollow, and from it they watched 

 our proceedings without any attempt to attack us. The nest 

 was situated on one of the small mounds that rise so profusely 

 all over the moss, and was a very simple structure, composed 

 of the dry stalks of a slender sedge, placed upon a depression 

 formed by the bird's breast. No sign of prior preparation was 

 visible, as underneath the nesting material was the flattened 

 heather. The nest measured five inches across, and was barely 

 over half-an-inch in depth. On retiring from the spot we saw 

 the black bird flying enquiringly over the moss, and the white 

 one standing on the ground, and as we departed both were 

 standing together not far from us. 



Several hours afterwards we reached another moss that 

 seemed suitable for this bird, and clapping our hands sharply 

 on entering were delighted to see a black Skua rise from the 

 hollow. By a repetition of the tactics adopted before we found 

 the nest in a few minutes, which, like the last, contained two 

 eggs. The Skua was alone, and acted quite differently from 

 the former birds. She flew straight towards us, and behaved 

 in a most threatening manner, though she passed over our 

 heads without touching. In great excitement she passed and 

 repassed above us, the whirring of her wings being distinctly 

 audible as she approached, and she caused us to keep a 

 constant look-out lest she should strike. She then alighted 

 quite near to us, and raising her wings beat them once or 

 twice and ran along the ground, the white shafts of her 

 primaries showing plainly as she raised and lowered her wings. 

 She would disappear in a depression and emerge again, and 

 flutter and toss about in full view, then rise and swoop close 



