SKUAS. 399 



with rusty feather shafts; under grey-brown; wings 

 black, with a white spot (as the bird becomes older, the 

 rusty tinge, especially on the sides of the head and 

 breast, becomes deeper) ; beak and legs black ; in the 

 young pale blue ; iris grey-brown in the young, in the 

 older birds dark brown. 



Is rare in the south of Scandinavia. Never seen in the 

 Baltic or the Sound, but more common on the west coast of 

 Norway. 

 239. L. POMAEINA, Tern. Bredstjertade Labben. The Poma- 



rine Skua. D. F. 



Tail nearly even at the end, 5 in. 4 1. long; the 

 middle tail feathers broad, even to the tip ; tarsus 2-|-, 

 as long as the middle toe with claw ; wing brown, never 

 with a white spot. Length about 18 in. ; beak 1^-in. at 

 the root, 5 1. high, and 4 1. broad ; wing feathers black, 

 the front ones with white shafts, and the inner fan 

 white at the root ; iris dark brown ; beak blueish, with 

 a black tip ; cere greenish ; legs and toes in the old 

 birds black, in the young blue-grey. In the full sum- 

 mer dress the neck, breast, and middle of the belly are 

 pale yellowish white, the first with smaller, the latter, 

 especially on the sides, with broad dark transverse 

 bands; crown of the head and mantle uniform dark 

 brown; neck and throat feathers shiny gold yellow; 

 across the breast a band of brown spots. The young 

 birds have rusty feather edges on the mantle and head ; 

 neck brown, with a rusty tinge; under parts grey- 

 brown, with irregular rusty yellow wavy spots. 

 In the summer is rarely seen on the Scandinavian coasts 

 below the Polar circle. Breeds on the coast of Finmark, 

 but is nowhere so common as the next. Late in autumn, 

 however, is occasionally seen in the Cattegat and Baltic. 



I consider this egg one of the rarest to obtain. I have, 

 I believe, authentic specimens from Greenland. The eggs 

 of all the skuas have much the same appearance ; pale olive 

 green or yellowish grey ground colour, irregularly blotched 

 and spotted with two shades of reddish brown. That of the 



