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Show 1876.] MR. H. SAUNDERS ON THE STERCORARIINiE. 331 Stercorarius cepphus, Steph. in Shaw's Gen. Zool. xiii. pt. i. p. 211, pl. 23 (fig. nee descrip.) (1826); B. Ross, Nat.-Hist. Rev. 1862, p. 289, Blakiston, Ibis, 1863, p. 152 (Mackenzie River). Lestris lessoni, Degl. Mem. Ac. R. Lille, p. (1838); Schinz, Eur. F. p. 392 (1840). Lestris cephus, Keys. & Bias. Wirb. Eur. p. 240 (1840); Bp. Consp. Av. ii. p. 209 (1857). Stercorarius longicaudatus, De Selys-L. F. Belg. p. 156 (1842) ; Degl. Orn. Eur. ii. p. 298 (1849); Newton, B. Greenland, p. 107 (1875). Stercorarius cephus, Gray, Gen. Birds, iii. 1849, p. 653 ; Schlegel, Mus. P.-B. Lari, p. 49 (1863); Gray, Hand-List, iii. p. 110 (1871). "Lestris longicaudatus, Briss.," Thomps. Nat. Hist. Ireland, iii. 399 (1851). Lestris hardyi, Bonap. Tabl. d. longipen. Compt. Rend. xiii. 1856, p. 770; Consp. Av. ii. p. 210 (1857). Stercorarius biffoni, Coues, Proc. Phil. Acad. 1863, p. 136 ; Dall & Bann. Tr. Chic. Ac. i. p. 304 (1869) (Alaska) ; Coues, Prybilov Isl. (1874); Irby, Orn. Str. Gibraltar, p. 216 (1875). Lestris longicaudata, T. v. Heuglin, Ibis, 1872, p. 65 (Novaya Zemlya). In treating of the preceding species I have already shown that Linnaeus's description of his L. parasiticus can only apply to this species, which may always be distinguished by its very long central tail-feathers and by having, even in immature plumage, the shafts of only the first and second primaries white, those of the others being dusky. In its adult state, the Long-tailed Skua has also the under tail-coverts, abdomen, and flanks of a sooty brown ; the tarsi also are yellowish olive, whilst in adult S. crepidatus the legs are black. I have seen but few immature specimens, all birds of the year, obtained on their autumnal migration; they are of a nearly uniform sooty colour, with the usual pale edgings to the feathers characteristic of the first plumage. This species is found from Novaya Zemlya to Spitzbergen, and, south of these points, throughout the whole circuit of the arctic regions. Von Middendorff first discovered its breeding-places on the Taimyr and Bogonida, in Siberia ; the late John Wolley found it nesting on the Lapland fells; Sir John Richardson obtained nestlings in Melville Peninsula; Mr. Bernard Ross observed it at the mouth of the Mackenzie River; it occurs in the Prybilov Islands ; and Dall and Bannister found it in Alaska, the extent of its recorded range on the Pacific coast. By far the rarest of the family as an autumnal visitant, it ranges along our shores and those of Western Europe as far south on the Straits of Gibraltar and Morocco, beyond which there is no trace of it, whilst on the east coast of America it does not seem to go south of lat. 40° N . I have already pointed out that Mr. Buller's supposed example of this species from New Zealand must be referred to S. crepidatus. Professor Peters, of Berlin, has kindly informed me that the type specimen in that Museum of Lestris hardyi, Bonaparte, has the shafts of all except the first two primaries dusky ; and on that ground I presume it to be a young bird of this species. |