^*l89i!^'] PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 417 



36. Stercorarius pomariiius (Teiumiuck). Pomariue Jaeger. 



In June, 1863, an Esquimaux brought iu one jaeger, and in June, 

 1864, another man traded a male and female si)ecimen, which he killed 

 near the outlet of Anderson River. On 11th July, 1805, we shot a male- 

 bird iu Franklin Bay. The first- mentioued is inadvertent!}' staled iu 

 the aforesaid History of North American Birds to be the only exami)le 

 of the species procured, although the receipt of all of them was duly 

 acknowledged by the Smithsonian Institution. We did not have the 

 good fortune to become acquainted with its eggs. 



37. Stercorarius parasiticus (LiuD.). Parasitic Jaeger. 



A more numerous bird than the former, especially in the Barren 

 Grounds, where several nests were annually discovered on our collect- 

 ing ex[)editions from Fort Anderson to Franklin Bay (1862 and 18G5). 

 A few specimens were also obtained from the Esquimaux of tbe Lower 

 Anderson River. There is, of course, no darkness for several months 

 iu summer within the before defined Anderson section of the Arctic 

 regions, while in June the sun at midnight is several degrees above the 

 horizon. During the period, however, answering to the night in south- 

 ern latitudes, we often observed in the "Barrens" and on the sea coast 

 as many as twenty or thirty birds of the genus Stercorarius :^itting or 

 standing on the ground, each bird at the distance of a few yards from 

 its fellow. They probably reposed at such times, as they never moved 

 excei)t when closely approached, while no eggs were ever discovered in 

 the vicinity of these resting pkces. During the day, also, iwo or more 

 birds were frequently noticed quietly rei)osiug or moving very slowly 

 along the ground, and this, too, where no nest actually existed. 



38. Stercorarius longicaudus (Vieillot^. Loug-tailed Jaeger. 



This handsome jaeger is quite abundant aloug the Anderson, in the 

 *' Barrens," and also on the Arctic coast. It lays two eggs in a depres- 

 sion in the soil, scantily lined with withered leaves and grasses, etc., 

 and as their eggs greatly resemble their surroundings the nest is fre- 

 quently very difficult to discover. The parent birds, by angry screams 

 aud hostile demonstrations, invariably resent the presence of intruders, 

 and in more thau one instance t»liey became so savage iu their attacks, 

 especially the female, that she had to be shot at once iu order to pre- 

 Tent actual injury. Over thirty nests were taken, or double as many 

 as that of the foregoing. The several species of jaeger doubtless de- 

 stroy a large number of other birds' eggs auuually. 



42. Larus glaucus IJriinn. Glaucous Gull. 



Altogether some twenty nests were gathered by our collecting par- 

 ties, chietly on sandy islets iu the bays of Franklin and Liverpool, and 

 a few of these were also found ou islands on the Lower Anderson ; but 

 Proc. X. M. 91 27 



