78 U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 217 



1952, one on May 23, 1954, and one on June 1, 1954. In the 1950 

 camp near Imaiginik it was the most commonly seen jaeger, whereas 

 usually long- tailed jaegers are more numerous. 



As a dark pair were approached while feeding at the carcass of a 

 dog on the river bank July 14, 1950, two small gray birds the size of 

 large sandpipers ran into the willows nearby while the old birds 

 waited about and then flew only a short distance as if they had young 

 to look after. We could not find them. 



On June 14, 1951, Eaymond Paneak showed me two eggs which his 

 mother and he had found the day before. They were situated in a 

 slight depression of the vegetation among small, marshy pools on the 

 tundra near Kiminiaktuk. A single bird left the nest at some distance 

 from us, but it could be clearly distinguished. 



Their ISTunamiut name, Mirgiaksyooh^ means "go after vomit." It 

 is much better than our name, jaeger, for it refers to the common 

 habit of these jaegers along the coast which is to harry gulls until they 

 disgorge their food, which the jaegers then seize. They also feed 

 greedily upon carrion. They regularly frequent Anaktuvuk Valley, 

 commonly searching the tundra in twos and threes. Young birds are 

 occasionally seen, and nesting is considered to occur regularly. 



There appeared to be two dark and one or two in light plumage 

 searching the tundra regularly in the vicinity of Tuluak Lake in 1950 

 during the sumaner. In spring a few more are usually seen, either 

 in pairs or small groups. On June 5, 1952, a group of 17 was seen 

 flying northward. They are seen at Point Barrow as early as our 

 records in the Pass, and from the dates they might as well have come 

 south to Anaktuvuk from the Colville Valley as from the southern 

 interior. 



Stercorarius longicaudus Vieillot 



1 male, in 2d year June 30 weight 216 g. 



1 male weight 305 g. • 



2 females May 26, June 20, weight 347, 353 g. 



1949 



Long-tailed jaegers have been earliest recorded as four live cap- 

 tives received June 1, 1948, and caught a few days earlier. Other 

 early dates are May 20, 1949, May 11, 1950, May 27, 1951, May 24, 

 1952, May 22, 1953, and May 28, 1954. 



The new tail feathers of the second-year male are only the length 

 of those of a parasitic jaeger. The bill is small and not distinguish- 

 ing. The gray feathers of the ventral area are barred as in immature 

 birds, although the throat is faintly yellowish, indicating transition 

 from immature to adult state. The identification is based upon the 

 light coloration of the tarsi as compared with the black feet. The 

 other birds are clearly distinguished. 



