THE ARTIST'S BIRDS. 197 



uniform brown colouration, and only slightly pro- 

 longed central tail feathers, which do not project 

 more than an inch beyond the outer ones ; Richard- 

 son's Skua (Stercorarius richardsoni) is distinguished 

 by its long central tail feathers and lighter under- 

 parts. These two -Skuas are the only ones that 

 breed in the British Islands, but two other species 

 occur here on abnormal migration. Then we have 

 the various species of Petrel, all possessing well- 

 marked characteristics, which may be effectively 

 introduced into suitable marine paintings. The 

 tiny Stormy Petrel (Procellaria pelagica), with its 

 square tail; the Fork-tailed Petrel (Procellaria 

 leachi), with the tail forked ; whilst in both species 

 the white basal half of the upper tail coverts is 

 very conspicuous during flight. The Shearwater 

 (Puffinus anglorum), with its strong contrast of 

 black and white plumage, short tail, and narrow 

 scythe-shaped wings, is a familiar object of the open 

 sea. Nor must we fail to notice the many species 

 of Sea Ducks and Geese that enliven our low-lying 

 coasts in winter, all of which may be readily por- 

 trayed and endowed with individuality by the artist 

 who carefully studies them. Wild Swans and 

 Geese are grandly effective birds, say when stand- 

 ing alert and watchful on the low sand-banks at 



