and, having been pinioned, are, at this time of writing, 

 living on peaceable terms with eight young Great 

 Bustards recently received from Spain. These Skuas 

 are virtually omnivorous, and devour bread or buns with 

 almost the same avidity as offal, small birds, rats, mice, 

 frogs, or fishes ; they are perfectly tame and fearless, 

 and have held their own with two young Lammergeyers 

 and a Giant Heron (Ardea goliatli) that formerly shared 

 their yard with them. The Heron, on being approached 

 by human visitors, almost invariably vomited his last 

 meal, which was incontinently devoured by the Shet- 

 landers. The only notes that these birds utter are a 

 plaintive wail, and a feeble sort of twittering cry. 



