22 
Field Note. 
On approaching the nests the birds would fly full tilt at the intruder’s 
face, but swerved aside at the last moment if the arms were raised above 
the head. On the nest they were very stolid, and the lecturer found it 
difficult to induce them to change their position, even when shouted at. 
One bird alighted on his tent, where its whole weight had to be carried 
by his head. 
Photographs were shown of the young, which are quite unlike young 
Gulls. The manner in which this bird obtains its food by robbing the 
Gulls of their catches of fish was also described. 
The Arctic or Richardson’s Skua is a smaller and more active species, 
it will also attack an intruder, but prefers to do so from behind. An 
instance was given when one o;f these birds stunned a dog and broke its 
own neck in the process. They are always on the look out for predatory 
birds and chase them far from the vicinity of the nest. The nest is easy 
to find as the birds ’ efforts to decoy one away from the vicinity of the nest 
diminish rapidly once the nest has been passed. The pale and dark forms 
of this species were present in about equal numbers. 
Mr. Fowler confirmed most of the observations made by Mr. Chislett, 
and stated that he was only able to find one pair of Great Skua nesting 
in Orkney in 1921, though they found many pairs of the Arctic Skua 
nesting, the light and dark varieties being also in about equal numbers. 
Mr. Riley Fortune gave a paper entitled ‘ Some Notes on the Fame 
Islands,’ illustrated by slides. He pointed out the damage that had 
been done in past years by visitors to the Knoxes, where the Terns 
formerly chiefly nested. 
The lecturer described their progress as a trail of death and suffering, 
as they unknowingly trampled eggs and young birds underfoot. As a 
result people were not allowed to visit the Knoxes, but most unfor- 
tunately the birds had this year deserted the Knoxes and taken up their 
quarters on the Brownsman, where numerous visitors had done in- 
calculable harm. This was greatly intensified by the fact that one 
motor boat can bring over in one day many times the number of pas- 
sengers that could be rowed oyer in cobbles. Immediate action was 
necessary if the bird life on these Islands was to be preserved. 
It was pointed out that this had been a very bad year for the Terns, 
chiefly because of the failure of the Herrings to arrive, consequently the 
adult birds had been driven to feeding their young on unsuitable food, 
with the result that many had died. The lecturer also dealt on the harm 
done by the Lesser Black-backed Gulls, and the need for further measures 
to be taken in this connection. He described how he had seen young 
Eider Ducks throw themselves over a cliff 50 ft. high into the sea, without 
in any way injuring themselves. — E. Wilfred Taylor. 
: o : 
FLOWERING PLANT. 
Cephalanthera Damasonium Druce (Syn. C. grandi - 
flora Gray; C. pallens Rich., etc.). — The creamy-white 
flowered, larger Helleborine, according to Dr. Druce’s know- 
ledge, not previously recorded for Yorkshire, has turned up in a 
most natural habitat— a calcareous wood — near Brough, E.R. 
Yorks. The information, with fresh specimens, was first 
communicated to the writer by Mr. W. S. Bisat, of North 
Ferriby, in June, 1921 ; but this beautiful orchidaceous 
species had been first discovered in this station by Miss 
Burnett and Mrs. Bisat in the early summer of the previous 
year, 1920. — J. Fraser Robinson. 
Naturalist 
