126 EXPEDITION TO .POINT IJAHUOW, ALASKA. 



The first stragglers appear in the spring, about the first of June. An adult male, in full 

 bleeding plumage, taken in .June, KSSl', had the under parts as rosy as in the lloseate Tern. 



687. STERNA MACRURA Naum. 



' ARCTIC TEEN ( Utyntalcin). 



The Tei us appear about the 10th of June, but are never plenty about the station till the month 

 of August, when they appear in good-sized flocks, fishing about the lagoons and among the broken 

 ice, especially in the neighborhood of the saudspit at Point Barrow. 



Dining the breeding season we only saw stragglers from the breeding grounds, which are 

 probably the same as those of Sabine's gull, the sandy islands east of Point Barrow. None of 

 our party succeeded in finding the nest, as wo were unable to reach these islands, but CL 

 brought us by the natives, who said they got them there. 



The Terns leave early. None were see.n after the end of August. 



697. STERCORARItrS FOMATORHINUS (Temm.) VieUl. 



PC-MARINE JAEGER (f'snfiu). 



This is perhaps the least common of the three species of Skuas, although a regular summer 

 visitor. They are to be seen flying about the tundra and occasionally lighting during the months 

 of June, July, and August. 



None of them breed anywhere near the station. The natives make no distinction between this 

 and the two following species. 



693. STERCORARIUS CREPIDATUS (Banks) Vieill. 

 IvICHARDSON'S JAEGER 



This appears to be rather more plentiful than the last species, but is nowhere to be compared 

 in abundance to the following. They are occasionally to be seen during the summer, both before 

 and after the sea opens, flying about with the other Skuas. 



None breed anywhere near the station, and from the looks of the sexual organs of some taken 

 early in July, they are late breeders. 



699. STERCORARIUS PARASITICUS (Linn.) Saundcrs. 



LONG-TAILED JAEGER (1'sufiti). 



This is by all means the commonest of the Skuas at Point Harrow and is rather abundant, 

 though none breed. They arrive in the spring, about the end of May, and are tolerably plenty 

 from that time till the end of August. 



Before the sea opens they are to be found on the tundra, where they have a habit of walking 

 about in small parties, feeding on Hies. At such times they are not at all shy, and if one be shot 

 down the others are apt to fly back within gunshot, sometimes coming straight at the shooter. 



They are sometimes to be seen traveling about in large, straggling parties, fifty or more to- 

 gether, moving slowly up or down the coast, occasionally alighting and then taking wing again. 



The natives say they are "bad" and eat birds' eggs, and they point out the broken egg-shells 

 which are to be found scattered over the tundra as the work of this bird. We never happened to 

 see them eating any eggs, but they certainly act as if they were searching for nests, and they have 

 been seen in suspiciously close proximity to ducks' nests which were found broken up. 



Their bad reputation is probably well deserved, as the natives of the Norton Sound region are 

 said to tell the same story. 



After the sea opens they are rather less abundant, but are still seen occasionally both on land 

 and at sea. 



