STERCORARIUS. 713 



1416. Stercorarius asiaticus, Hume, Sir. F. i. p. 268; v . p. 294. 



istris parasiticus (Lin.), Gould, B. Eur. pi. 448 ; And. Birds Amer. vii. pi. 

 ; Murray,Hdbk.>ZooL, 8fc. t Sind, p. 244; id., Vert.ZooL,Sind, p. 314. 

 SKUA. 



This is not uncommon off the Manora headland, and along the Sind and 

 [ekran Coasts. There is some difference of opinion in regard to the identity 

 this bird, under the synonyms given of it above. Mr. Hume, in vol. i., p. 

 J8, refers it to Z. parasiticus, but in his observations on the species states 

 may not improbably hereafter turn out that both his specimens and those of 

 Major Tickell's belong to a distinct species intermediate between pomarinus 

 and parasiticus, in which case he says it may stand as Stercorarius asiaticus, 

 nobis, In vol. v. of the same journal he points out the differences between 

 Z. parasiticus and his Stercorarius asiaticus. 



The following is the description of the species from specimens obtained by 

 him at Pusnee on the Mekran Coast : 



" The central tail feathers are manifestly imperfectly developed, one pro- 

 jects 075 and the other 0*25 beyond the rest of the tail; the bird is obviously 

 in a state of change of plumage, as the two first primaries in each wing are 

 old, and comparatively pale brown, with conspicuous white shafts only tinged 

 brownish for about 0*5 immediately above the tips, while all the other pri- 

 maries are new and very dark brown, almost black, with only the basal half 

 of the shafts white, and even that slightly tinged with brown ; some of the 

 secondaries, scapulars, coverts and feathers of the back are brown ; the same 

 dull pale umber as the first two primaries, and so are two of the tail feathers, 

 while the whole of the rest of the wings and tail are of the same deep blackish 

 brown as the third to the tenth primaries. What is noticeable is, that on the 

 back and scapulars the paler brown feathers have no white tippings, which 

 most probably have worn off, these feathers being the old ones, but all the 

 dark feathers of these parts have narrow brownish white margins. The upper 

 tail coverts are conspicuously tipped with white, and the longer ones have two 

 very broad slightly rufous or fulvous white bars. The forehead, crown and 

 occiput are dull, pale, wood brown, here and there faintly tinged rufescent, 

 the feathers with pretty broad blackish brown central streaks ; the lores are 

 greyish white, the feathers narrowly dark centred ; the cheeks, ear coverts and 

 nape are white, more or less tinged with fulvous or buffy, with very narrow 

 dark brown shaft-stripes; the chin and throat white ; the feathers of the base of 

 the neck all round and the breast white, tinged in places fulvous, in places 

 slightly rufescent, with a broad dark brown subterminal transverse band ; the 

 sides, flanks and lower tail coverts are white, with broad brown transverse 

 bars, which in some of the lower tail coverts have a slight rufescent aureola ; 

 the abdomen and vent are white, but on the sides of the abdomen there are 

 faint traces of barrings similar to those of the breast and flanks ; the axillaries 

 Vol. II. 92 



