THE SKUA 
family meal, the Skua will chase him, demanding in 
dumb show : ‘‘Your fish or your life.” Then the 
Gull, thoroughly terrified, drops the herring, which 
the Skua cleverly catches in mid-air. 
There is no reason why the Skua cannot fish 
for himself, but he will rarely take that trouble. He 
prefers to steal from other birds, and he will devour 
half-rotten fish thrown up by the sea, or he will 
swoop down on herrings that have been thrown 
overboard from fishing-craft. 
Strangely enough he is a great favourite with 
fishermen in the Northern Seas. They do not mind 
his thievish ways, and think it a sign of good luck 
when he accompanies their boats. They give him a 
liberal share of the fish that they catch. 
The Skua has another habit, even worse than 
that of taking other birds’ fish. He devours the 
eggs and young of the smaller Gulls who inhabit the 
rocky coasts. A writer on birds tells us — 
“ In Shetland I saw a Skua — or Bonxie, as it is 
called — tearing a young Herring Gull to pieces, while 
the frantic parents screamed above, but did not dare 
to come near the robber.” 
He is a big bird, much larger than his wife. 
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