77-2 The Zoologist — June, 1867. 



neither this gull nor L. argentatus breeds so high in the North. As 

 regards the construction of their nests, the gulls in East Finmark 

 always use grass straws for the scanty foundation of their nests when 

 such is to be got, and not sea-weed or sea-grasses. 



65. Leslris catarrhacles. — A specimen of this bird was shot at 

 Svserholt, and brought to Lebesby Assizes, where the man who shot 

 it demanded head-money for it, as both there and at Tanso it had done 

 great injury amongst the eggs and young birds. 



66. L. pomarina. — Is seen every spring and autumn in the fjords, 

 and about the end of July I have seen them flying down the Tana 

 Valley. The fell Lapps insist that it breeds on Varanger Naesset 

 (Varanger Promontory), some little distance up from the sea, partly 

 on tussocks in the mosses and partly in the fells (?). 1 have received 

 an egg from Gamvik which is precisely like an egg of L. pomarina 

 which Noidvi has received from Hiilbolt from Greenland. It is not 

 improbable that my egg is of this bird, as it is seen at Gamvik the 

 whole summer. 



67. L. parasitica. — Breeds on the sea-coast, but not so far in the 

 fjords as at Varanger. At Vardo and Svartnacs single pairs breed 

 yearly. This bird, as well as L. crepidata, varies in colour, but to 

 suppose that the difference of colour is in consequence of difference 

 of age or sex is scarcely right: anyhow, I have seen pairs of L. crepi- 

 data light-coloured alike, and pairs where the one was dark-coloured 

 far forward on the breast, and the other almost entirely light-coloured 

 underneath. Mr. Wolley noticed the same in several pairs of L. para- 

 sitica near Vardo. Some pairs were almost entirely gray underneath; 

 in another one was light and the other dark, and in a third both were 

 light- coloured underneath. 



68. L. crepidata. — Occurs in the fjords, but is also seen on the sea- 

 coast. Its commoner or rarer occurrence seems partially to depend 

 on the lemmings ; anyhow, in 1853 and 1854, it was found in numbers, 

 and during the summer subsisted chiefly on these animals: since that 

 it has occurred rather seldom. In East Finmark it does not breed in 

 company with others, and it is seldom that more than one pair are 

 found on the same moss. It lays one or two eggs, which are highly 

 polished and tapering towards the pointed end. In the spring it pur- 

 sues the kittiwake as eagerly as L. pomarina, in order to steal its prey 

 from it, but is itself a diver, and therefore is often caught in traps; 

 however, it seems to prefer pursuing others to seeking its food by 

 diving. With regard to the nesting-places of the several skuas in 



