280 THE BIRDS OF SUSSEX. 



" with the hair-like yellow streaks appearing on the sides of 

 the neck, and one of the central tail-feathers extending 

 about three inches beyond the rest ; the other was missing." 

 (See ' Zoologist/ p. 3823, s. s.) 



LONG-TAILED ok BUFFON'S SKUA. 

 Stercorarius parasiticus. 



This is the rarest of the Skuas found on our coast. I have 

 one which was shot on a flooded meadow in the Adur Level, 

 near Henfield, in October 1862. It was swimming about 

 alone, and was very tame. This example is in full adult 

 plumage. Mr. Jeffery mentions that in the beginning of 

 October he saw a Buffon's Skua which was killed at Don- 

 nington while flying over some fields ; it was in the mottled 

 plumage, the central tail-feathers projecting about an inch. 

 This was in December 1873. He also says that one was 

 obtained in the Manhood, a part of Chichester, in October 

 1879. This Skua feeds on fish, Crustacea, insects, lemmings, 

 and small birds, and on the berries of several plants found 

 on the mountains. 



The nest is a mere depression in the ground, with a very 

 slight lining of grass. Mr. Booth says that it probably 

 passes to its breeding-places in April, and that in 1875 he 

 was frequently out in the Channel from six to twelve miles 

 off the Sussex coast, and on several occasions, between the 

 11th and 23rd of that month, fell in with single birds as well 

 as small parties. A few obtained as specimens were in full 

 breeding-plumage, and others in plumage otherwise the 

 same, but without the long tail-feathers, all being mature. 



