Richardson's skua. 395 



Dr. Farran of Feltrim, exhibits characters much ia unison with what are considered 

 to be two species, the Lestris Richardso7iu, and the Stercorar'ncS cepphiis, Leach, 

 {' Fauna Bor.-Amer., vol. ii. \>. 432), agreeing with the ktter in dimensions, and with 

 the former in colouring. At the same time it in size apjiroaches the L. Ricliardsonii 

 as described by Jenyns (' j\Ian. Brit. Vert. Anim.,' p. 282) as nearly as his does the 

 original description in the 'Fauna Bor.-Amer.' (p. 433). The following table con- 

 tains the comparative measmements : — 



L. Richardso)iu, L. Richardsonii, Sterc. ceppJms, Lestris, Irish 



Swainson 





in. 



lin. 



mgth, total 



22 



8 



„ excluding central 







tail feathers . 



19 



6 



„ of wing 



13 



6 



„ of bill above . . 



1 



1 



„ of bill to rictus . 



1 



10 



„ oftai-sus .... 



1 



10 



„ of middle toe and 







nail 



1 



9i 



Jen 



^ns. 



Leach. 



specimen. 



in. 



lin. 



in. 



lin. 



in. lin. 



21 



. 



. 19 



. . . 



19 9 



18 



. 



. 16 



. . . 



16 9 



13 



. . 



. 13 



. . . 



12 6 



1 



2i . 



. 1 



2 



1 3* 



1 



•^2 ■ 



. 2 



. . . 



1 10 



1 



9 . 



. i 



8 . . . 



1 9 



. 1 8i . . . . . . . 1 7i 



Two longest tail-feathers veiy much acuminated, the others increasing gradually in 

 length from sides to centre ; those next in length to the two central ones exceeding 

 the outer feathers by one inch ; breadth of bill at base six lines. 



Top of head, back, upper surface of wings and tail blackish-brown, vaiying in some 

 places to bl."ickish ; entire under surface likewise dark-coloured, except the tail-fea- 

 thers, which show a little white beneath ; patch from tlie eye downwards pale straw- 

 colour. This colouring is in accordance with that of the L. Richardsonii. of the 

 ' Fauna Bor.-Amer.' Mr. Jenyns remarks that the species is subject to considerable 

 variation of colour in the adult state : — his description of its plumage accords tolerably 

 well with that of S. cepphus. 



I should have set down the Irish Lestris simply as a small individual of L. Ri- 

 chardsonii, had not its general accordance with S. cepphus at the same time suggested 

 whether it might not as well be considered this bird, and consequently whether these 

 terms apply to two really distinct species. An examination of specimens would at 

 once decide the question. f 



On the 14th of August, 1838, Mr. R. Davis, jun., of Clonniel, 

 obtaiued a fine adult bn-d of this kind, which was found in a 



* Following the cm've ; the others may have been measured in a straight line. 



t Since the above was written, the 4th part of Temminck's ' Manuel ' has been 

 published, and here S. cepphus (J. Ross, and not Leach or Richardson, quoted for it) 

 .appears as a synonym of L. parasiticus (p. 502). The description of S. cepphus would 

 iudced seem about equally applicable to a small L. Richardsonii, or a large L. para- 

 sitiras (1840). 



Ill Dcgland's work, publislied in 1849, Z. cepphus and L. Richardsonii arc made 

 identical. 



