THE BIRDS OF HELIGOLAND 565 



passes the island in tolerable numbers during the course of the 

 autumn, but often remains entirely absent for a long series of years. 

 It is not a sea-bird like the majority of its congeners, but nests near 

 fresh water at a greater or less distance from the sea. 



Its range extends from western Europe to central Asia, and from 

 the Mediterranean to southern Scandinavia. A form which so 

 closely resembles Sterna nigra that it is doubtful whether it can 

 really be separated from the latter, occurs as a breeding species in 

 America from the south of Canada to the south of Alaska. 



Skua Lestris. This interesting genus consists of only six 

 species, of which four belong to the Northern and two to the 

 Southern Hemisphere ; the former of these are represented on the 

 bird-list of Heligoland. 



371. Common Skua [GROSSE RAUBMOWE]. 

 LESTRIS CATARRACTES, Illiger. 1 



Heligolandish : Groot Skeetenj eager = Great Skua. 



Lestris catarractes. Naumann, x. 470. 

 Common Skua. Dresser, viii. 457. 



Stercoraire catarade. Temminck, Manuel, ii. 792, iv. 495. 



This stately bird is of such rare occurrence on this island that 

 it was thirty years before I could get an example shot here for my 

 collection. At last, on the 6th of November 1885, one was brought 

 me, a fine old male, remarkably strong and heavy. This much- 

 coveted species had been seen several times in the course of 

 previous years : shot at, but missed, on one occasion, and killed by 

 a ' Badegast ' on another. The latter, however, was too proud of 

 his spoil to resign it to me. 



This species seems to be altogether not very rich in numbers, 

 for its breeding range is limited to a very narrow circle which does 

 not extend beyond Iceland, the Faroes and Shetland Islands. 

 English observers who have visited the nesting stations of these 

 birds have reported an alarming decrease in their numbers hi the 

 course of about sixty years, so that we are only too well justified in 

 apprehending that, at no very distant time, this large and beautiful 

 bird may share the fate of Alca impennis. 



1 Stercorarius catarrhactea (Linn.). 



