
64 THE NATURAL HISTORY 
heath. When difturbed, it flies about like a Lap- 
wing, but foon alights. The female makes a 
neft with grafs and mofs, ona hillock, in a marfhy 
place, and lays two eggs. It does not often fwim ; 
but the ArGtic Gull, and the Wagell Gull, fly 
after other Gulls, and frighten them fo much 
TE oxen up (through fear) the fifh which ~ 
. & 
they have taken, and thefe Gulls catch them be- 
fore they reach the fea. 
But of all the Gulls, the Skua is the largeft, 
RS a 
The bill is very hooked at the end, and very 
{harp : it has a cere over more than half the bill. 
(The Artic Gull too has a cere.) Its legs are 
covered with black {cales,. and its talons are 
ftrong and crooked. It feeds on fifh, and on all 
the fmaller kind of water-fowl. The Skua Gull 
is very bold; for it will fly after Eagles, and_ 
drive them away. In the Orknies, the inhabi- 
tants are: very fond of them, becaufe they prevent 
Eagles from deftroying the poultry.. It not 
only preys on the lefler Gulls, and on other birds,, 
like the Hawk, but it often attacks them on the 
wing, like the Arétic Gull,. to make them throw 
up the fifh which they have fwallowed, It will 
fly with great fury upon thofé who are fo cruel as 
to attempt to rob it of its young. It builds its 
neft amongf dry grafs ; and whilft building, it is 
very 
