708 THE POMARINE JAEGER. 
No. 287. 
POMARINE JAEGER. 
A. O. U. No. 36. Stercorarius pomarinus (‘Temm.). 
Synonyms.—POMATORHINE JAEGER. POMARINE SKUA. GULL-HUNTER. 
Description.—Adult, light phase: Top and sides of head, upperparts (ex- 
cept back of neck) and crissum brownish slate or dusky; rest of head and neck and 
underparts white; the region of ear-coverts and around on hind-neck tinged with 
straw-yellow ; central feathers of tail projecting three or four inches beyond most 
of the others, their breadth sustained to the abruptly rounded tip; bill horn-color 
tipped with black; feet and legs black. Adult, dark phase: Entirely brownish 
slate, except sides of head and hind-neck often tinged with straw-vellow as before. 
Young, light phase: Upperparts brownish dusky, the feathers of the back spar- 
ingly tipped with whitish or dull buffy; those of the rump and upper tail-coverts 
spotted and barred with the same; head, neck and underparts dull buffy, every- 
where barred with dusky. Young, dark phase: Entirely brownish slate, the 
underparts more or less barred with whitish or dull buffy. In the young of the 
year the central tail-feathers do not project beyond the others more than half an 
inch or such a matter. The light and dark phases described above do not repre- 
sent actual dichromatism, such as exists in the case of the Screech Owl, but only 
extremes of coloration within which every intermediate condition may be found. 
The commonest form is one in which the chest is sparingly, and the sides of the 
breast, hind-neck, and sides are heavily barred with dusky and buffy. Length 
22.00 (558.8); wing 13.75 (349.3); tail 8.25 (209.6); bill 1.55 (39.4); tarsus 2.10 
(53.3). 
Recognition Marks.—Large Crow size (size of California Gull) ; uniform 
dusky or dusky-and-white coloration; central tail-feathers elongated, not taper- 
ing; bill rather small for size, sharply hooked, and provided with thin “cere.” 
Predatory in habit; oftenest found harassing other birds of same family. 
Nesting.—Does not breed in Washington. Nest: on the ground, of grass 
and moss. Eggs: 2-3, pale olive-green or deep olive-drab, sparingly spotted with 
slate-color and two shades of umber, chiefly at the larger end, where they become 
confluent (Brewer). Av. size, 2.30 x 1.67 (58.4 x 42.4). 
General Range.—Seas and inland waters of northern portions of the north- 
ern hemisphere ; south in winter to Africa, Australia, and probably South America. 
Range in Washington.—Rare migrant,—two records only. 
Authorities.—Dawson, Auk, XXV. Oct. 1908, p. 484 (Dr. A. K. Fisher in 
epist.). 
Specimens.—(P. Alaskan). 
FISHER-FOLK, because of their exposed situation, have ever been at 
the mercy of pirates and free-booters: and the same rule obtains in the bird- 
world as among men, The Bald Eagle stands ready to relieve the Fish Hawk 
of his hardly-won prey, and the Man-o'-War Bird sweéps the southern main 
on a perpetual quest for fish-laden Gannets and Pelicans. In the northern 
waters the gentlemen of the sea are the Jaegers—hunters. Here upon wings 
