STERCORARIID.E — THE SKUAS AND JAEGERS — MEGALESTRIS. 329 



Hab. Coasts and islands of the North Atlantic, chiefly northward. In America, south to 

 coast of New England (Massachusetts ; spec, in U. S. Nat. Mus.). 



Sp. Char. Adult : Prevailing color di;ll brownish, the interscapulars, scapulars, and winc- 

 coverts striped centrally with pale cinnamon ; feathers of the head and neck marked with narrow 



mesial streaks of the same ; lower parts mixed reddish cinnamon and grayish brown, in ill-defined 

 stripes laterally, but nearly uniform on the breast and abdomen. Remiges, primary coverts, and 

 aluliB brownish dusky, the former white basally ; this white concealed on the secondaries, but form- 

 ing an extensive exposed patch on the primaries. Tail uniform dusky Ijrown. Bill dusky ; iris 

 brown; legs and feet black. Young: Head, neck, and lower parts uniform grayish brown, the 

 lower surface tinged ^\^th cinnamon ; up- 

 per parts darker grayish brown, lightest on 

 the back and lesser wing-coverts, where 

 very indistinctly spotted with rusty cin- 

 namon. Bill and feet brownish. 



Win'j;, 15.75-16.15 inches (average, 

 15.95) ; culmen, 2.05 ; depth of bill 

 through base, .80 ; tarsus, 2.40-2.70 

 (2.55); middle toe, 2.15-2.45 (2.32). 

 (Three specimens.) 



Having six specimens before us for 

 comparison, we find the Antarctic repre- 

 sentative ^ of this species to be easily dis- 

 tinguishable, the colors being appreciably 

 different in all, and the measurements 

 all much greater. The series in question 



gives the following as the results of care- ,, , , . , 



" '^ ^_ megalestns skua. 



ful measurements : AVing, 16.05-16.90 



inches (average, 16.28) ; culmen, 2.20-2.85 (2.37) ; depth of bill through base, .95-1.00 (.98) ; 



1 Megalestris skua ANTARCTICA. — Antarctic Skua. 



Lcstris antnrcticus. Less. Tiaite, 1831, 606. 



Stcrcorarius antarcticus, Bon.ap. Consp. II. 1856, 207. 



Buphagus antardicus, CouES, Pr. Ac. Nat. Sci. Philad. 1863, 127. 



Buphagus skua, b. antardicus, Coues, B. N W. 1874, 605. 

 Hab. Antarctic seas. 

 VOL. II. — 42 



