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Show 18/6.] MR. H. SAUNDERS ON THE STERCORARIIN.E. 319 (or robber) is undoubtedly far preferable, so far as its meaning goes, and it has been very freely adopted ; but the laws of priority compel us to reject it, if we would avoid perpetuating confusion. I have deemed it advisable on the whole to give the references to those prae-Linnaean authors upon whose descriptions those of writers subsequent to 1766 are based, marking by a line the division between them and the available nomenclature. The synonyms are given in order of date ; and I have also inserted those references which appeared to m e to have any real value. It is impossible to avoid some errors; but at least I have taken every precaution, and with some few exceptions, where the original works were not accessible, I have personally verified every reference. STERCORARIUS CATARRHACTES. Larus fuscus, Briss. Orn. vi. p. 1 Go (1760). Catharacta skua, Briinn. Orn. Bor. p. 33 (1764). Larus catarractes, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 226 (1766), ex Briinn. Larus catarrhactes, Gmelin, Syst. Nat. i. p. 603 (1788). Cataracta skua, Retz. F. Suec. p. 161 (1800). Lestris catharractes, Illiger, Prodromus, p. 273 (1811). Lestris catarractes (Li), Tern. Man. d'Orn. p. 511 (1815)- Faber Prod. Island. Orn. p. 102 (1822); Macgill. Brit. Birds, v.'p. 4/9 (1852). Catarracta fusca, Leach, S. Cat. M . & B. Brit. Mus. p. 40 (1816). Stercorarius catarrhactes, Vieillot, N . Diet. H. Nat. xxxii. p 15-1 (1819); Gray, Gen. Birds, iii. p. 653 (1849); Dresser, B. of Eur pt. xii. (Sept. 1875). Cataractes vulgaris, Fleming, Hist. Brit. An.p. 137(1828)- Selbv 111. Brit. Orn. ii. p. 514 (1832). Lestris cataractes et Lestris skua, C. L. Brehm, V6'°- Deutsch p. 715 (1831). I Stercorariuspomarinus, Vieillot, Gal. Ois. p. 220, pl. 288 (1834) fig. excell. (!) h Lestris cataractes, Naum. Vog. Deutsch. x. p. 471 ol 270 (1840). H ' P ' Stercorarius cataractes, De Selys-L. Fne. Belg. p. 155 (1842). Megalestris catarrhactes, Bp. Cat. Parzudaki, p. 11 (1856). Stercorarius catarractes, Bp. Consp. Av. ii. p. 206 (1857)- Laurence, Ann. Lye. Nat. H. N. York, Ls53, p. 7; Baird's B N* Am. p. 838 (1860); B. Ross, Nat. Hist. Rev. 1862, p 289- Feilden, 'Zoologist,' 1872, p 3290. Buphagus skua, Coues, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sc. Phil. 1863 n 125 B. of N . W . A m . p. 604(1874). F" There was no particular variation observable in the plumage of sixteen specimens from the Faroe Islands, and in many others sent to me from time to time for examination; the older the bird the wider are the chestnut markings which occupy the centre of the feathers on the upper parts, and the longer and the more yellow |