POMARINE SKUA. 2C5 



said to attack man when he enters upon their pre- 

 cincts. Mr. Thompson has noticed it on the Irish 

 coast. Mr. Yarrell has occasionally procured speci- 

 mens in the London market. The more proper 

 territory of the Skua is, however, northward ; it 

 is found in the Faroe Islands, Norway and Ice- 

 land,* Nova Zembla and Spitzbergen. t On the 

 opposite hemisphere we have several authorities for 

 it being found in the Straits of Magellan and the 

 Falkland Isles ; we have not, however, seen speci- 

 mens from these latter regions. 



The Skua is a powerfully made bird, little inferior 

 in size to the lesser black-backed gull, but of a 

 thicker and stronger make. The ground colour of 

 the plumage may be said to be shades of clove- 

 brown, the feathers in the centre yellowish and 

 reddish brown ; on the head and neck the feathers 

 are pointed and the yellowish brown prevails on 

 the sides and auriculars; on the lower parts the 

 ground tint is paler, and in the centre the reddish 

 brown prevails ; the secondaries, quills, and tail 

 are nearly brownish black, the base of the quills 

 with their shafts white; the tail is rounded; legs 

 and feet black, front of the tarsi irregularly scaled, 

 the other parts with small prominent rounded or 

 oval scales, rough to the touch, and reminding us of 

 the fish-hawks. 



THE POMARINE SKUA, LESTRIS POMARINUS. 

 Lestris pomarinus, Stercoraire pomarine^ Temm. 



* Selby. f Yarrell. 



