﻿BuLLEE. 
  — 
  On 
  a 
  Species 
  of 
  Lestris, 
  867 
  

  

  test, 
  it 
  is 
  sufficiently 
  evident 
  that 
  our 
  bird 
  is 
  not 
  Stercorariiis 
  parasiticus, 
  

   as 
  Dr. 
  Fin 
  sell 
  and 
  mj-self 
  had 
  supposed 
  ; 
  for 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  seen 
  that 
  in 
  all 
  

   tlie 
  specimens 
  now 
  exhibited 
  the 
  whole 
  of 
  the 
  primaries 
  have 
  white 
  shafts. 
  

  

  The 
  next 
  point 
  to 
  be 
  considered 
  is 
  whether 
  Mr. 
  Saunders 
  is 
  right 
  in 
  

   referring 
  it 
  to 
  Stercorarias 
  crepidatus. 
  He 
  says: 
  — 
  "Dr. 
  Coues 
  considers 
  

   that 
  the 
  Lams 
  crepidaivs 
  of 
  Gmelin 
  is 
  in 
  all 
  probability 
  based 
  upon 
  the 
  

   young 
  of 
  the 
  Pomatorhine 
  Skua, 
  to 
  which 
  Brisson 
  gave 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  

   Stercorariiis 
  striatiis. 
  It 
  is 
  true 
  that 
  Gmelin 
  (who 
  translated 
  from 
  Latham) 
  

   identifies 
  S. 
  striatus 
  of 
  Brisson 
  with 
  his 
  L. 
  crepiidatus 
  ; 
  but 
  although 
  S. 
  

   striaius 
  is 
  certainly 
  a 
  young 
  Pomatorhine, 
  it 
  was 
  by 
  no 
  means 
  easily 
  

   recognizable 
  by 
  the 
  naturalists 
  of 
  that 
  day. 
  * 
  * 
  * 
  On 
  referring 
  to 
  

   Hawkesworth's 
  Voyages 
  (1773) 
  Vol. 
  II., 
  p. 
  15 
  (not 
  Vol. 
  I., 
  p. 
  15, 
  as 
  

   erroneously 
  cited 
  by 
  Latham, 
  and 
  of 
  course 
  duly 
  copied 
  by 
  Gmelin, 
  

   without 
  reference), 
  we 
  find 
  in 
  the 
  narrative 
  of 
  Lieut. 
  Cook's 
  Voyage 
  in 
  the 
  

   ' 
  Endeavour 
  ' 
  that 
  " 
  on 
  the 
  8tli 
  Oct., 
  1768, 
  when 
  a 
  little 
  to 
  the 
  South 
  of 
  the 
  

   Cape-Verd 
  Islands, 
  Sir 
  Joseph 
  Banks 
  shot 
  the 
  black-toed 
  gull, 
  not 
  yet 
  

   described 
  according 
  to 
  Liunteus's 
  system 
  ; 
  he 
  gave 
  it 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  Lams 
  

   crepidatus. 
  The 
  black-toed 
  gull 
  is 
  described 
  in 
  Pennant's 
  British 
  Zoology 
  

   Vol. 
  II., 
  p. 
  419 
  (1768) 
  ; 
  and 
  plate 
  2 
  is 
  an 
  excellent 
  representation 
  of 
  

   Eichardson's 
  Skua 
  of 
  the 
  year, 
  the 
  feet 
  of 
  this 
  species 
  at 
  that 
  ar/e 
  having 
  the 
  

   ■upper 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  ivcbs 
  yelluicish, 
  and 
  the 
  posterior 
  portion 
  black, 
  givmg 
  the 
  

   bird 
  the 
  appearance 
  of 
  being 
  ' 
  shod 
  ' 
  or 
  ' 
  sandalled,' 
  whence 
  Bank's 
  some- 
  

   what 
  quaint 
  Latin 
  rendering." 
  (The 
  italics 
  are 
  mine). 
  

  

  If 
  this 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  coloured 
  feet 
  is 
  reliable, 
  then 
  it 
  is 
  pretty 
  evident 
  

   also 
  that 
  our 
  bird 
  is 
  not 
  Stercorarias 
  crepidatus 
  ; 
  for 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  seen 
  that 
  in 
  

   the 
  young 
  examples 
  exhibited, 
  the 
  feet 
  are 
  similar 
  to 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  adult— 
  a 
  

   uniform 
  greyish-black 
  — 
  if 
  we 
  except 
  a 
  dull 
  spot 
  of 
  yellow 
  at 
  the 
  inner 
  angle 
  

   of 
  the 
  toes. 
  There 
  is 
  nothing 
  of 
  the 
  ' 
  sandalled 
  ' 
  appearance 
  described 
  by 
  

   Sir 
  Joseph 
  Banks, 
  though 
  possibly 
  a 
  still 
  younger 
  bird 
  might 
  exhibit 
  more 
  

   of 
  the 
  yellow. 
  

  

  I 
  do 
  not 
  care 
  to 
  pronounce 
  any 
  distinct 
  opinion 
  till 
  I 
  have 
  received 
  

   specimens 
  of 
  the 
  European 
  bird 
  for 
  comparison 
  with 
  oiu's 
  ; 
  but 
  it 
  seems 
  

   to 
  me 
  that 
  the 
  nearly 
  adult 
  example 
  of 
  the 
  New 
  Zealand 
  bird, 
  now 
  

   exhibited, 
  is 
  readily 
  separable 
  from 
  the 
  adult 
  of 
  .S\ 
  crepidatus 
  as 
  described 
  

   in 
  the 
  books 
  of 
  reference. 
  The 
  "burnished 
  acuminate 
  feathers" 
  on 
  the 
  

   nape 
  are 
  wanting 
  in 
  our 
  bird, 
  and 
  the 
  points 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  narrow, 
  over- 
  

   lapping 
  tail-feathers 
  extend 
  only 
  two 
  decimal 
  parts 
  of 
  an 
  inch 
  beyond 
  the 
  

   re^^t, 
  as 
  shown 
  in 
  the 
  accompanying 
  sketch 
  (fig. 
  1) 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  