204 A HAND-LIST OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



North Pole, winterinor south as far as north France, Lake Geneva 

 (once), British Columbia, Lake Ontario and Long Island in America. 



STERCORARIUS SKUA 



439. Stercorarius skua skua (Briinn.)*— THE GREAT SKUA. 



Catharacta Skua Briinnich, Orn. Bor., p. 33 (1764 — Faeroes and Iceland). 

 Stercorarius catarrhactes (Linnaeus), Yarrell, iii, p. 602 ; Saunders, p. 687. 



Distribution. — British Isles. — Resident in Shetlands, breeding on 

 Unst and Foula. Increased late years (over forty nests Hermaness, 

 1907) and nested Hascosay, 1907, and Burrafirth Voe, 1904. Else- 

 where winter-visitor (exceptional summer), seldom coming to land. 

 Seen various months at sea off south-west Ireland ; others obtained 

 Dublin, Down, and Tipperary. 



Distribution. — Abroad. — Breeds in Iceland and Faeroes, also 

 apparently on Lady Franklin Island (Hudson Strait). In winter 

 southward in north Atlantic to about Gibraltar, the fishing- 

 grounds off Newfoundland and Xova Scotia, and even (casually) to 

 Long Island. Replaced by allied forms in southern oceans. 



STERCORARIUS POMARINUSf 



440. Stercorarius pomarinus (Temm.) — THE POMA- 



TORHINE SKUA. 



Lestris pomarinus Temminck, Man. d'Orn., p. 514 (1815 — Arctic 

 regions, Holland and France). 



Stercorarius pomatorhinus (Temminck), Yarrell, iii, p. 668 ; Saunders, 

 p. 689. 



Distribution. — British Isles. — Passage-migrant and winter-visitor. 

 Tolerably regular autumn passage-migrant, especially east coast 

 England, less regular east coast Scotland, and still scarcer south and 

 west coasts Great Britain and coasts Ireland. Periodically great 

 numbers (e.g. autumn, 1879, 1880, 1886, 1892, 1901 Great Britain, 

 and Oct., 1862, Ireland). Sometimes stops winter, but rare on 

 spring-passage except seas of O. Hebrides, where recorded as frequent 

 in some years. Said to have bred but no proof. Sometimes blown 

 inland. 



Distribution. — Abroad. — "Arctic regions north of 70°, chiefly on 

 tundras during breeding-season " ; in winter southward as far as 

 Australia, south Africa, New Jersey, Galapagos Islands, and Peru. 



* Briinnich's name has two years priority over that of Linnaeus, who, in 

 fact, derived his description from Briinnich. — E.H. 



t The original spelling is pomarinus, and we have no right to alter it, as we 

 cannot absolutely prove that Temminck meant " pomatorhin'us.''^ Brehm 

 also called an Eagle pomarina. — E.H. 



