BIRDS. 95 



the ledges ou the cliff, for the yoimg I suppose. They were very shy 

 at Disko, and the greatest caution was required to shoot them. I shot 

 none, even in full plumage, that did not have some white on at least one 

 of the tarsi. They live to a great extent upon the labors of the kitti- 

 wake, though they do not hesitate to attack Lams leucoperuH and even 

 glaucus. They are destructive to young birds and eggs. It is a common 

 sight to see five or six after one gull, which is soon made to disgorge, 

 and then the jaegers fight among themselves for the morsel, Avhich often 

 gets lost in the melee. Eggs were procured at Clausha^^l, Greenland; 

 the nest contained three eggs. 



61. Stercorarius parasiticus, Briinu. 



"Isbiingak," Cumberland Eskimo and Greenlanders. 



This species seems to have the same general distribution as the fore- 

 going, but, so far as my observations went, far from as common. Eggs 

 were obtained from the Waigat Straits. They do not breed in Cumber- 

 land Sound ; in fact, I rarely saw one in the Cumberland waters. This 

 species seems to depend on Bissa tridacfyla for the greater part of its 

 food. 



62. Stercorarius buffoni, (Bole) Coues. 



"Islmngak," Cumberland Eskimo and Greenlanders. 



A very few of these birds visited the upper Cumberland waters in 

 June, and soon disappeared. I doubt if they breed there. I saw but 

 very few in all the localities I visited. Seems to be more common ou the 

 east than on the west coast of Davis Straits. One fine specimen was 

 found dead on the ice, with a lorouglit-iron nail three inches in length in 

 the oesophagus. The nail had probably fallen out of a whale-boat that 

 had been dragged over the ice, and the bird had mistaken it for a fish. 

 This species has probably the most northerly range of any of the jaegers. 

 Breeds in the Waigat Straits and about Omenak on the Greenland coast. 

 Said by the Eskimo to be the first to return in the spring. They cer- 

 tainly were the first to visit Annanactook. 



63. Larus glaucus, Briinn. 



"Kowgali," Cumberland Eskimo. "Naga," Greenlanders. 

 This gull is the first bird to arrive in spring. In 1878 they made their 

 appearance in the Kingwah Fjord by the 20th of April. It was still about 

 seventy miles to the floe edge and open water; still they seemed to fare 

 very well on the young seals. Many are caught by them, and those par- 

 tially devoured by foxes are carefully cleaned of every vestige of flesh. At 

 this season, the Eskimo dehght in capturing them in various ways. One 

 of the most popular is to build a smaU snow -hut on the ice in a locality 



