NESTS AND EGGS OF AUSTKAIJAN BIRDS. 



867 



both attacked me as usual. I succeeded iu killing the male, but 

 emptied my revolver at the female without success, and was kept 

 standing for cei-tainly twenty minutes, pelting the enraged bird with 

 stones as she swooped down at my head, mtli the two eggs in plain 

 sight, but not daring to pick them up. A lucky throw finally disabled 

 her, and I secured the eggs, which were veiy much paler than those 

 gathered theretofore, and quite fresh." Eggs were first found by 

 Dr. Kidder's party on the 17th November. 



659. — Stercor.\rius pom.\torhinus, Teniniinck. 

 POMARINE SKUA. 



Figure. — Gould : Birds of Great Britain, vol. v., pi. 79. 

 Reference. — Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., vol. xxv., p. 322. 

 Previous Descriptions of Eggs. — Various. 



Geographical Distrihution. — Northern Tenitory (probably), and 

 North Queensland (Cape York) ; also as far south as the coasts of South 

 Africa and South America, ranging up to the Arctic regions north of 

 70 deg., chiefly on the Tundras diu'ing breeding season. 



Nest. — A mere depression in the ground in moss-covered moorland 

 (Butler). 



Eggs. — Clutch, two usually; colour, deep olive-drab, sparingly 

 spotted with slate and light and dark raw umber marldngs and black 

 dots, cliiefly at the larger end, where they become confluent. 

 Dimensions in inches : 2-25 x 1-7 (Brewer). 



Observations. — Tliis other Arctic species of Skua, after breeding 

 chiefly on the Tundras, travels southward to winter, occasionally 

 touching the northern shores of Australia. 



The beautiful plate of two pairs of Pomarine Skuas' eggs taken on 

 the Yenisei, and figiu-ed in " The Ibis," pi. xi. (1900), under the name 

 of Mr. C. Boyce Hill, show that the eggs of each pair are differently 

 colom-ed one from the other, like those I mentioned in the case of the 

 Southern Skua. 



660. — Stercorarius crepid.a.tus, Banks. 

 RICHARDSON SKUA. 



Figure. — Gould: Birds of Great Britain, vol. v., pi. So. 

 Reference. — Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., vol. xxv., p. 327. 

 Previous Descriptions of Eggs. — Various. 



Geographical Distrihvtio/i. — Seas of New South Wales, Victoria, 

 and Tasmania ; also New Zealand and other localities in the Southern 



