594 Mr. A. Trevor-Battye on the 



neighbourhood, some of them in immature plumage ; and we 

 could have obtained almost as many as we pleased when we 

 were lying off Low Land*. They are scarce on the western 

 coast of Spitsbergen ; only one was seen by us in Magdalena 

 Bay, and that was on the 6th of September or thereabouts. 

 On the 13th and the 15th of September I saw a few on and 

 near Hope Island. '^ 



Mr. Eaton was singularly fortunate. With the exception 

 of a doubtful one in Sassen Bay, referred to by Prof. 

 Newton, I cannot find any other references of any moment. 

 On Bear Island the bird is abundant enough ; and I can 

 only suppose it is a sporadic visitor to Spitsbergen. I 

 passed the points to which Mr. Eaton refers without seeing 

 a specimen, and this was not for want of a constant and 

 keen look-out. I may observe, too, that the " lumpy " 

 appearance of this bird's twisted tail is easily noticeable even 

 at a considerable distance, as I have elsewhere repeatedly 

 proved; so that no observer of even average experience 

 could fail to identify the species. 



/ 22. Stercorarius crepidatus (Gmelin). Arctic Skua. 



This bird is quite common in Spitsbergen. Dr. Malmgren 

 distinguishes it from the Scandinavian form by '^ a notably 

 smaller bill, a blacker back and head, with a broad ashy-grey 

 band across the upper part of the breast'' (see Newton, Ibis, 

 1865, p. 510), This must be true, on so good an authority. 

 I have no Norwegian specimens by me; but I have several 

 from Kolguev Island which do not differ in the above respects 

 from those I obtained on Spitsbergen. 



I may mention that I obtained from Axel Island, where 

 it was nesting, the first example of the dark form known 

 as '^ Richardson's Skua" recorded from Spitsbergen. It is 

 now in the National Collection. 



> 23. Stercorarius parasiticus (Linn.). Buffon's Skua. 



Buffon's Skua is, I think, quite as abundant upon Spits- 

 bergen as the last species. The birds were astonishingly 

 bold, hanging round the camp for chance morsels. We caught 



* By this be means, I take it, the coast of New Friesland, 



