A HAND -LIST OF BRITISH BIRDS. 205 



STERCORARIUS PARASITICUS* 



441. Stercorarius parasiticus (L.) THE ARCTIC SKUA. 



LARUS PARASITICUS Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., ed. x, i, p. 136 (1758 Europe, 

 America, Asia. Restricted typical locality : coast of Sweden). 

 Stercorarius crepidatus (Gmelin), Yarrell, in, p. 674 ; Saunders, p. 691. 



DISTRIBUTION. British Isles. Summer-resident and passage- 

 migrant. Breeds many places Shetlands, a few Orkneys and I. and 

 O. Hebrides, and very sparsely Caithness and Sutherland. Else- 

 where passage-migrant chiefly autumn (Aug. -Oct.) in varying 

 numbers ; rare spring. Most regular east coast Great Britain, less 

 frequent south and west coasts, and Ireland. Sometimes inland. 

 Occasionally summer. 



DISTRIBUTION. Abroad. Circumpolar and subarctic regions, breed- 

 ing as far south as about 55 45', and in America to Aleutian Islands, 

 Great Slave Lake and central Keewatin. In winter along coasts 

 of Europe and Africa south to Cape of Good Hope, Persian 

 Gulf, Australia, New Zealand, and in America to California and 

 Brazil. 



STERCORARIUS LONGICAUDUSf 



442. Stercorarius longicaudus Vieill. THE LONG-TAILED 

 SKUA. 



STERCORARIUS LONGICAUDUS Vieillot, Nouv.Dict. d' Hist. Nat., nouv. ed., 

 xxxn, p. 157 (1819 Northern regions). 



Stercorarius parasiticus (Linnaeus), Yarrell, in, p. 680 ; Saunders, 

 p. 693. 



DISTRIBUTION. British Isles. Irregular autumn-migrant (Sept.- 

 Oct.), occasional spring and summer. Most frequent (but rather 

 rare) east coast England, usually small numbers, occasionally many, 

 as in 1879, rare south and west coasts (except 1891) and rare Scotland 

 and Ireland. 



DISTRIBUTION. Abroad. Circumpolar regions of Northern Hemis- 

 sphere. Winters south to Straits of Gibraltar and Japan, and in 

 America on New England coasts, casually to California, accidentally 

 in Manitoba, Iowa, Illinois, and Florida. 



* Gray, Dresser, Saunders, and (following these authorities) other British 

 and Continental ornithologists, have shifted the name parasiticus from this 

 species to the Long-tailed Skua. It is rather surprising that Saunders should 

 have at length recommended this transfer, as he otherwise would not accept 

 " violent transfers even when justifiable." In this case the change is not 

 justifiable, as fully explained by Stejneger (Proc. U.S. Nat. Museum, v, 

 pp. 40-42), whose view has now been generally accepted. E.H. 



f As explained under the Arctic Skua, the name parasiticus must not be 

 used for the Long-tailed Skua ; the next oldest name is Vieillot's longicaudus, 

 which corresponds with the English name. E.H. 



