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 goliath) 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 Shetlanders.
The only notes that these birds utter are a
plaintive wail, and a feeble sort of twittering cry.
