ALASKA. 197 



"I have seen but four or five examples of this species, wliicli 

 may be rated as au infrequent visitor. It may be found upon 

 the grassy uplands, where it will alight and stand dozing in an 

 indolent attitude for hours. No one of the three species of 

 Stercorarhis was observed to breed here.'' 



Numerous eggs of this species from the barren grounds of 

 the Anderson River region, and the arctic coast to the east- 

 ward, offer the following characters : The ground color is as 

 various, and of the same shades, as that already mentioned 

 under head of Numcnius horealis, and in fact the whole aspect 

 of the egg, markings included, is quite similar. But although 

 pointed, they have not the peculiar pyriform shape usual among 

 Limicokv, I find no specimens heavily marked at the butt, 

 though the tendency is to a wreath by confluence around 

 the larger end. In some specimens the markings are all small 

 and scratchy, and distributed with "uniform irregularity "over 

 the whole surface. A certain proportion of stone-gray shell- 

 markings always appears to accompanj- the various chocolate 

 and other browns of the surface. Specimens range from 2.40 

 X 1.70 to 2.00 X 1.50, averaging nearer the former dimension. 



The eggs of the next species cannot be distinguished from 

 those of the present with certainty, since, though they average 

 less in size, the larger specimens overlap the measurements of 

 >even average parasiticus. A fair specimen is 2.10 x I.-jO ; the 

 smallest examined measured only 1.90 x 1.10. 



542. Stercorarius biiflToiii, (Boie.) Covv:s.—Lo)i[/-faUed Jciger. 

 ? Catlmracta ce2)j)luis, Bi:rxx. Oru. Bor., 36, (17(54.) 

 Lesbis cepphtts, Keys et .Blas. Wirb. Eur., i, 240, (1840.) 

 Stercorarius apphus, Gkay. Geu. of B., iii, 652, (1849.) — L.vwi:. 



B.N. 

 A., 840, (1858.)— CoUES. Proc. Pbila. Acad., 243, (1861.) 

 ? Hams parasiticus, Lath. Ind. Oru., ii, 819, (1790.) 

 Lestris parasiticus, Temm. Man. Oru., iv, 501, (1840.)— Sw. & 



Rich. F. B. A., ii, 430, (1831.) 

 Stercorarius lomjicandatus, Bkissox. — Yieill. Xouv. Diet., 



xxxii, 157, (1819.) 

 Lestris loufjicaudatns, Tiiomp. Nat. Hist. Ireland, iii, 399, (1851.) 

 Cataractis hngicauilatus, Macoill. Man. Oru., ii, 258, (1842.) 

 Lestris iuffoni, Boie. Isis, 502-576, (1822.) 

 Stercorarius buffoni. Coves. Proc. Pliila. Acad., 136, (1883,)— 



Dall et Banx. Traus. Chic. Acad., i, 304, (1869.)— CoUES. Key 



N. A. Birds, 310, 1872. 

 Lestris lessoiii, Degland. Mem. Soc. Roy. Lille, C1838.) 

 Lestris crepidata, Bkehm. Niiturg. Eur. Yog., 747, (1823.) 



■"Seldom seen. The specimen in my collection is one of 



