. An illustrated manual of British birds. Birds. STERCORARIIDiT,. 687. THE GREAT SKUA. MEGALfeTRIS CATARRHACTES (LinnSUs). This is the largest European representative of the group of Parasitic Gulls, the members of which obtain their food chiefly by robbing the smaller sea fowl. In the British Islands the only breeding-places of the Great Skua or 'Bonxie' are in the Shetlands, where a well-known colony on Unst, and another on Foula may be mentioned, at both of which the bird is protected. It seldom visits the Orkneys or the Outer Hebrides, and is decidedly scarce along the west side of Scotlan
. An illustrated manual of British birds. Birds. STERCORARIIDiT,. 687. THE GREAT SKUA. MEGALfeTRIS CATARRHACTES (LinnSUs). This is the largest European representative of the group of Parasitic Gulls, the members of which obtain their food chiefly by robbing the smaller sea fowl. In the British Islands the only breeding-places of the Great Skua or 'Bonxie' are in the Shetlands, where a well-known colony on Unst, and another on Foula may be mentioned, at both of which the bird is protected. It seldom visits the Orkneys or the Outer Hebrides, and is decidedly scarce along the west side of Scotland, though occasionally met with on the east during the colder months ; and the same may be said of Wales and England, down to and throughout the Channel; but it seems to be rarer than is really the case, because it frequents the fishing-grounds far out at sea, where the Gulls, which it robs, are plentiful. Exceptionally, after severe weather, it has been met with inland. It has rarely been obtained in Ireland. The Great Skua breeds in the Faeroe Islands, though diminished in numbers by the ' neb-toll' to which rapacious birds are subject;. Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readability - coloration and appearance of these illustrations may not perfectly resemble the original Saunders, Howard, 1835-1907. London, Gurney and Jackson
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Keywords: ., bookauthorsaun, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectbirds
