﻿430 
  

  

  THE 
  NATIONAL 
  GEOGRAPHIC 
  MAGAZINE 
  

  

  OF 
  ITS 
  BURROWED 
  

  

  A 
  GAPE 
  HEN 
  SUNNING 
  ITSELF 
  IN 
  FRONT 
  

   NEST 
  ABOVE 
  THE 
  SEA 
  

  

  "The 
  colonies 
  of 
  the 
  subterranean 
  breeders 
  furnish 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  

   music 
  of 
  South 
  Georgia, 
  for 
  at 
  night 
  the 
  incubating 
  birds 
  pipe 
  up 
  

   in 
  a 
  tinkling 
  chorus 
  which 
  often 
  can 
  be 
  heard 
  far 
  out 
  over 
  the 
  

   fjords" 
  (see 
  text, 
  page 
  432). 
  

  

  This 
  rapacious 
  bird, 
  the 
  skua, 
  well 
  

   named 
  Megalcstris, 
  or 
  the 
  "big* 
  pirate 
  

   ship," 
  is 
  a 
  fair 
  subject 
  for 
  a 
  whole 
  vol- 
  

   ume 
  on 
  faunal 
  relationships 
  To 
  all 
  ef- 
  

   fects, 
  the 
  skua 
  is 
  a 
  sea-gull 
  which 
  has 
  

   turned 
  into 
  a 
  buzzard-hawk. 
  Along 
  with 
  

   its 
  supposed 
  change 
  of 
  habits 
  it 
  has 
  as- 
  

   sumed 
  a 
  hawk-like 
  plumage, 
  a 
  heavy 
  car- 
  

   nivorous 
  bill, 
  and 
  long, 
  sharp 
  claws. 
  It 
  

   is 
  the 
  enemy 
  of 
  every 
  living 
  creature 
  it 
  

   can 
  master, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  probably 
  responsible 
  

   for 
  a 
  greater 
  destruction 
  of 
  bird 
  life 
  at 
  

   South 
  Georgia 
  than 
  any 
  other 
  agency. 
  

  

  One 
  wonders 
  indeed, 
  on 
  seeing 
  the 
  va- 
  

  

  riety 
  and 
  abundance 
  

   of 
  the 
  skuas' 
  food 
  sup- 
  

   ply, 
  why 
  these 
  birds 
  

   do 
  not 
  increase 
  in- 
  

   definitely 
  and 
  overrun 
  

   the 
  island 
  even 
  more 
  

   than 
  they 
  do 
  at 
  pres- 
  

   ent. 
  An 
  answer 
  is 
  

   found 
  in 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  

   they 
  sometimes 
  eat 
  

   their 
  own 
  offspring, 
  

   and 
  perhaps 
  this 
  is 
  Na- 
  

   ture's 
  strange 
  method 
  

   of 
  maintaining 
  her 
  

   balance. 
  

  

  Whatever 
  liberties 
  

   the 
  skuas 
  themselves 
  

   may 
  take 
  with 
  their 
  

   progeny, 
  they 
  are 
  

   averse 
  to 
  allowing 
  any 
  

   other 
  creature 
  within 
  a 
  

   couple 
  of 
  hundred 
  

   yards 
  of 
  their 
  nest. 
  

   Often 
  while 
  walking 
  

   unconcernedly 
  over 
  the 
  

   tundra 
  of 
  the 
  coast 
  hills 
  

   I 
  have 
  been 
  savagely 
  

   attacked 
  by 
  a 
  pair 
  of 
  

   these 
  birds, 
  which 
  fly 
  

   at 
  one's 
  head 
  with 
  such 
  

   force 
  that 
  they 
  some- 
  

   times 
  kill 
  themselves 
  

   by 
  striking 
  against 
  a 
  

   stick 
  or 
  gunbarrel 
  

   raised 
  up 
  in 
  defense. 
  

   If 
  warded 
  off 
  for 
  a 
  

   while 
  they 
  will 
  alight 
  

   on 
  the 
  ground 
  near 
  by, 
  

   raise 
  their 
  white- 
  

   banded 
  wings 
  straight 
  

   up 
  over 
  their 
  backs 
  

   and 
  hold 
  them 
  there 
  

   while 
  they 
  scream 
  

   lustily 
  at 
  the 
  intruder. 
  When 
  I 
  first 
  saw 
  

   the 
  skuas 
  in 
  this 
  beautiful 
  pose 
  I 
  realized 
  

   at 
  once 
  that 
  the 
  upright 
  wings 
  on 
  the 
  

   helmets 
  of 
  the 
  old 
  Norse 
  heroes 
  were 
  

   copied 
  from 
  the 
  wings 
  of 
  kindred 
  spirits, 
  

   the 
  skuas 
  of 
  Iceland 
  and 
  Scandinavia. 
  

  

  SKUAS 
  WATCH 
  FOR 
  HOURS 
  FOR 
  A 
  CHANCE 
  

   TO 
  STEAE 
  

  

  About 
  the 
  penguin 
  rookeries 
  skuas 
  

   squat 
  on 
  their 
  bellies 
  hour 
  after 
  hour 
  

   waiting 
  patiently 
  for 
  a 
  chance 
  to 
  steal 
  an 
  

   egg 
  or 
  chick. 
  I 
  sometimes 
  made 
  good 
  

   use 
  of 
  them 
  by 
  allowing 
  them 
  to 
  trim 
  the 
  

  

  