187G.] MR. H. SAUNDERS ON THE STK RCORA KI IN .E. 319 



(or robber) is undoubtedly far preferable, so far as its meaning goes, 

 and it has been very freely adopted ; but the laws of priority compel 

 us to reject it, if we would avoid perpetuating confusion. 



I have deemed it advisable on the whole to give the references to 

 those prse-Linn?ean authors upon whose descriptions those of writers 

 subsequent to 1766 are based, marking by a line the division between 

 them and the available nomenclature. The synonyms are given in 

 order of date ; and I have also inserted those references which appeared 

 to me to have any real value. It is impossible to avoid some errors; 

 but at least I have taken every precaution, and with some few 

 exceptions, where the original works were not accessible, I have 

 personally verified every reference. 



Stercorarius catarrhactes. 



Larus fuscus, Briss. Orn. vi. p. 165 (1/60). 



Catharacta skua, Briinn. Orn. Bor. p. 33 (1764). 



Larus caturractes, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 226 (1766), ex Briinn. 



Larus catarrhactes, Gmelin, Syst. Nat. i. p. 603 (1788). 



Cataract a skua, Retz. F. Suec. p. 161 (1800). 



Lestris catharractes, Illiger, Prodromus, p. 273 (1811). 



Lestris catarractes (L.), Tern. Man. d'Orn. p. 51 1 (1815); Faber, 

 Prod. Island. Orn. p. 102 (1822); Macgill. Brit. Birds, v. p. 479 

 (1852). 



Catarracta fusca, Leach, S. Cat. M. & B. Brit. Mus. p. 40 

 (1816). 



Stercorarius catarrhactes, Vieillot, N. Diet. H. Nat. xxxii. p. 15 1 

 (1819); Gray, Gen. Birds, hi. p. 653 (1849); Dresser, B. of Eur. 

 pt. xli. (Sept. 1875). 



Cataractes vulgaris, Fleming, Hist. Brit. An. p. 137(1828); Selby, 

 111. Brit. Orn. ii. p. 514 (1832). 



Lestris cataractes et Lestris skua, C. L. Brehin, Yog. Deutsch 

 p. 715 (1831). 



! Stercorarius pomarinus, Vieillot, Gal. Ois. p. 220, pi. 288 (1834), 

 fig. excell. (!) 



Lestris cataractes, Naum. Vog. Deutsch. x. p. 471, pi. 270 

 (1840). 



Stercorarius cataractes, De Selys-L. Fne. Belg. p. 155 (1842). 



Megalestris catarrhactes, Bp. Cat. Parzudaki, p. 11 (1856). 



Stercorarius catarractes, Bp. Consp. Av. ii. p. 206 (185/); 

 Laurence, Ann. Lye. Nat. H. N. York, lb53, p. 7; Baird's B. N. 

 Am. p. 838 (1860); B. Ross, Nat. Hist. Rev. 1862, p. 289; 

 Feilden, 'Zoologist,' 1872, p 3290. 



Buphagus skua, Coues, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sc. Phil. 1863, p. 125, 

 B. of N. W. Am. p. 604 (1874). 



There was no particular variation observable in the plumage of 

 sixteen specimens from the Faroe Islands, and in many others sent 

 to me from time to time for examination ; the older the bird the 

 wider are the chestnut markings which occupy the centre of the 

 feathers on the upper parts, and the longer and the more vellow 



