﻿S56 
  Transactions. 
  — 
  Zoology. 
  

  

  crepidatus 
  ; 
  and 
  be 
  expressly 
  states 
  that 
  the 
  shafts 
  of 
  the 
  primaries 
  are 
  

   ivJdte, 
  the 
  characteristic 
  wliich 
  particularly 
  serves 
  to 
  distinguish 
  it 
  from 
  

   Buffon's 
  Skua, 
  witli 
  which 
  he 
  has 
  identified 
  it. 
  At 
  the 
  time 
  that 
  I 
  

   examined 
  the 
  specimen 
  in 
  question, 
  I 
  was 
  not 
  aware 
  of 
  this 
  distinctive 
  

   feature; 
  the 
  skin, 
  also, 
  had 
  been 
  badly 
  preserved; 
  and, 
  to 
  make 
  matters 
  

   ■worse, 
  the 
  plumage 
  was 
  so 
  worn 
  and 
  abraded 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  a 
  marvel 
  that 
  the 
  

   bird 
  was 
  able 
  to 
  fly 
  at 
  all." 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Saunders 
  has 
  evidently, 
  in 
  this 
  case, 
  trusted 
  more 
  to 
  his 
  memory 
  

   than 
  to 
  the 
  notes 
  which, 
  we 
  may 
  assume, 
  he 
  would 
  make 
  on 
  examining 
  a 
  

   novel 
  specimen 
  — 
  one 
  which, 
  in 
  fact, 
  he 
  took 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  "a 
  new 
  and 
  hitherto 
  

   undescribed 
  species." 
  It 
  will 
  be 
  seen, 
  at 
  a 
  glance, 
  that 
  the 
  specimen 
  now 
  

   before 
  the 
  meeting 
  (wdiicli 
  passed 
  through 
  Mr. 
  Saunders' 
  hands 
  in 
  the 
  

   same 
  condition) 
  instead 
  of 
  being 
  a 
  "badly 
  prepared 
  skin 
  " 
  is 
  a 
  first-class 
  

   cabinet 
  specimen, 
  and 
  that, 
  instead 
  of 
  having 
  " 
  the 
  plumage 
  so 
  worn 
  and 
  

   abraded 
  as 
  to 
  make 
  it 
  a 
  marvel 
  that 
  the 
  bird 
  could 
  fly 
  at 
  all," 
  the 
  wings 
  are 
  

   in 
  perfect 
  plumage, 
  the 
  only 
  abraded 
  feathers 
  being 
  about 
  the 
  head 
  and 
  

   neck, 
  which 
  could 
  not 
  well 
  affect 
  the 
  flying 
  capabilities 
  of 
  the 
  bird. 
  

  

  It 
  would 
  almost 
  seem 
  that 
  Mr. 
  Sauuders 
  has 
  not 
  the 
  courage 
  of 
  his 
  

   opinion, 
  although, 
  as 
  it 
  turns 
  out, 
  his 
  first 
  expressed 
  conviction 
  on 
  seeing 
  

   my 
  specimen 
  is 
  not 
  unlikely 
  to 
  prove 
  the 
  true 
  one 
  after 
  all. 
  

  

  Of 
  Stercorarius 
  crepidatus 
  Mr. 
  Saunders 
  says: 
  — 
  "Dr. 
  Coues 
  follows 
  

   those 
  authors 
  who 
  have 
  chosen 
  to 
  divert 
  Linnteus's 
  name 
  of 
  L. 
  parasiticus 
  

   to 
  this 
  species 
  — 
  a 
  supposition 
  utterly 
  negatived 
  by 
  the 
  description 
  in 
  the 
  

   Syst. 
  Nat., 
  p. 
  22G, 
  which 
  is 
  based 
  upon 
  tbat 
  in 
  his 
  'Fauna 
  Suecica,' 
  p. 
  55, 
  

   No. 
  15(5. 
  Nothing 
  could 
  w^ell 
  be 
  clearer 
  than 
  this 
  statement: 
  — 
  'Eectricibus 
  

   duabus 
  intermediis 
  Io)iijimiiiis,' 
  which 
  can 
  only 
  apply 
  to 
  Buffon's 
  or 
  the 
  

   Long-tailed 
  Skua 
  ; 
  but, 
  as 
  if 
  to 
  make 
  assurance 
  doubly 
  sure, 
  Linnaeus 
  adds 
  

   ' 
  remiges 
  nigrse, 
  rachi 
  1. 
  2. 
  nivca.' 
  The 
  natural 
  inference, 
  from 
  drawnng 
  

   especial 
  attention 
  to 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  shafts 
  of 
  tbe 
  first 
  and 
  second 
  primaries 
  

   are 
  ivhite, 
  is 
  clearly 
  that 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  other 
  primaries 
  are 
  not 
  white. 
  Now 
  

   the 
  particular 
  characteristic 
  by 
  which 
  Eichardson's 
  Skua 
  may 
  be 
  dis- 
  

   tinguished, 
  at 
  any 
  age 
  beyond 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  nestling, 
  is 
  that 
  the 
  shafts 
  of 
  the 
  

   other 
  primaries 
  are 
  conspicuously 
  lighter 
  than 
  in 
  those 
  of 
  Buffon's 
  Skua, 
  in 
  

   Avhich 
  uiiJy 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  first 
  and 
  second 
  primaries 
  are 
  white, 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  

   third 
  and 
  successive 
  primaries 
  being 
  dark. 
  I 
  am 
  indebted 
  to 
  Mr. 
  R. 
  

   Collett, 
  of 
  Christiania, 
  for 
  pointing 
  out 
  to 
  me, 
  some 
  years 
  since, 
  this 
  

   excellent 
  distinction. 
  The 
  Lcstris 
  parasiiievs 
  of 
  Linuasus 
  is 
  therefore 
  not 
  S. 
  

   crepidatus, 
  but 
  the 
  Buffon's 
  Skua 
  ; 
  and 
  so 
  is, 
  according 
  to 
  m}^ 
  view, 
  

   Catharacta 
  parasiticvs 
  of 
  Briinnich, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  needless 
  to 
  discuss 
  the 
  latter 
  

   name 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  out 
  of 
  date." 
  

  

  If 
  Mr. 
  Saunders 
  is 
  right 
  in 
  making 
  this 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  shafts 
  a 
  specific 
  

  

  