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Show 326 MR. H. SAUNDERS ON THE STERCORARIIN.&. [Mar. 21, the Boganida, in Siberia, and was the first to give a figure of egg; and it is said to breed in societies from Bjornenas, north of Egedesminde, to the northward (Newton, B. of Greenland). There must, however, be many other breeding-places within the arctic circle; for the species is abundant in the north, and is not uncommon on our coasts, principally on the west, in autumn. Passing along the coasts of Western Europe, it occurs as a straggler in the interior of the continent, and visits the Mediterranean as far east as Sicily and Malta; goes down the west coast of Africa, where Capt. Shelley obtained it off Fantee; crosses the equator, and reaches Walwich Bay in lat. 23° S., where Andersson shot two specimens, one of which, a bird of the year, is in m y collection. With this proof of its traversing the tropics it is no longer remarkable that it should have been obtained at Moulmein, on the coast of Tenasserim, in lat. 16° 22' N., by Major Tickell, as recorded by "Mr. Blyth; the singular thing was, that the specimen in question should prove to be an adult and not a bird of the year, like all the other visitors to the south which I have examined*. There is a specimen in the plumage of the first year in the collection of Messrs. Salvin and Godman, obtained by Mr. Cockerell off Cape York, the northern extremity of Australia. On the east coast of America it occurs from Labrador as far south as New York and Pennsylvania, beyond which it has not yet been traced. On the west coast there is no positive record beyond two instances on the Prybilov Islands ; but Mr. Gervase Mathew's description of a Skua observed by him at Valparaiso and Coquimbo seems to refer to this species, respecting whose winter range we must wait for further details. STERCORARIUS CREPIDATUS. (Richardson's Skua.) Stercorarius (Le St er cor aire), Brisson, type of genus Stercorarius. Catharacta cepphus, Briinn. Orn. Bor. p. 36 (1764). Catharacta coprotheres, Briinn. Orn. Bor. p. 36 (1764), dark form. The Black-toed Gull, Pennant's Brit. Zool. ii. p. 419, tab. 2 (1768). Larus crepidatus, Banks, Hawkesworth's Voy. ii. p. 15 (1773); Gmelin, Syst. Nat. p. 602(1788); Latham, Ind. Orn. p. 319 (1790); Meyer & W . Tasch. deutsch. Vog. ii. p. 493 (1810); Scoresby, Arctic Reg. i. p. 534 (1820). "Larus parasiticus, Linn." Boddaert, T^des Pl. Eul.no. 991 (nee Linn.). Lestris crepidatus, Tem. Man. d'Orn. p. 515 (1815). Stercorarius crepidatus, Vieillot, N. Diet. Hist. Nat. xxxii. p. 155 (1819). Lestris parasitica, F. Faber, Prodr. Is. Orn. p. 105 (1822); Brehm * Since writing the above I have had the opportunity of referring to Major Tickell's coloured drawing of this identical specimen, which proves it to be an immature bird after all! Mr. Blyth's error in stating it to be an adult was doubtless owing to the want of any specimens for comparison at that time. |
