6 BULLETIN 113, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



newcomer in undisturbed possession of tlie spoil. Over his shoulder the skua 

 gazes at the steamer, making only now and then a tentative pull at the body 

 of his prey, until it has floated to a safe distance, when he begins to rip and 

 tear it with his powerful beak. To lose all interest in that particular morsel, 

 hag or gull that comes near the spoil needs to look but once at that lowered 

 head with its bristling crest, and the powerful wing upraised to strike. 



Whiter. — The status of the skua as an American bird is based 

 largely on its occurrence on the fishing banks off the coasts of New- 

 foundland and New England. Probably the birds which occur 

 there in winter are of this species, but the following notes by Mr. 

 Rich suggest the possibility that the birds seen there in summer may 

 be of one of the Antarctic species : 



In the main, the " sea hen " seems to have been considered a winter visitor 

 to our coasts, somewhat unusual during the summer months, yet my records 

 show its presence here from June 19 to November 5, with its period of greatest 

 abundance from August 12 to September 10 (this in the "South part of the 

 channel," 3-5 miles east; south from Sankaty Head, 68° —42' W. ; 41° —20' N.), 

 with numbers diminishing thereafter until the last appearance therein noted 

 on November 5, 1913. The writer remained upon the fishing grounds 21 days 

 later, but did not again note its presence there. 



These facts have suggested to Mr. Norton that the " sea hen " of the sum- 

 mer months may have come from the Antarctic with the shearwaters, returning 

 thither to breed among the penguin rookeries of that little-known continent on 

 the underside of the world; while the skuas of the winter months may come 

 from the northern breeding grounds of the species. 



It is regrettable that I was unable to collect any spc^cimens with which to 

 make comparisons and to go deeper into this matter. There would have been 

 very little difliculty in getting material, as the " sea hen," while more careful 

 than the " gull-chasers," was not very shy, and shots at 30 yards or even less 

 would have been frequent. 



DISTRIBUTION. 



Breeding range. — Islands of the North Atlantic Ocean, Greenland, 

 Iceland, the Faroe and Shetland Islands, Said by Kumlien to breed 

 at Lady Franklin Island north of Hudson Strait. 



Winter range. — The North Atlantic Ocean, occasionally reaching 

 land. From the Great Banks, off Newfoundland, and Georges Bank, 

 off Massachusetts, to New York (Long Island) . In Europe from the 

 British Isles and Norway south to Gibraltar. Occasional in the 

 Mediterranean Sea and on inland waters. 



Spring migration. — Migration dates in North America are so few 

 as to appear little more than straggling records. Labrador: Straits 

 of Belle Isle, June 22. 



FaM migration. — Birds reach Georges Bank in July. Massachu- 

 setts dates : Ipswich, September 17 ; Woods Hole, August 30 and Sep- 

 tember 19; Pollock Rip, September 10; and Nantucket Shoals, Octo- 

 ber 17. Recorded from New York (Long Island) as early as 

 August 10. 



