THE LONG-TAILED SKUA. 403 



the two is similar, except in mere shade ; the grey of the adult being lighter and 

 handsomer and the blackish plumage of a darker tint. It proved on dissection a 

 male, as its plumage denoted ; the stomach was empty. 



The late Mr. G. Matthews, distinguishing this bird as the 

 " smaller long-tailed skua " (and satisfying me of his correctness 

 as to the species), remarked that he saw many in 1843 at ditferent 

 parts of the coast of Norway, but not farther nortli than the 

 Vaagsfiord. There were numbers at the eiitrance of the Salten- 

 fiord in August, but not so many during wdnter. 



In 1849 this species was met with by Captain May along the 

 coast of that country from the commencement of the Arctic 

 Circle to the north of Alten — towards and about the 70th degree 

 of latitude it was quite common, and seemed more so than any 

 other of the genus Lestris ; it was the most accessible of them all. 

 Several were killed : one on the top of a mountain about 2,000 

 feet above the sea, when the party were in pursuit of rein-deer ; it 

 was believed to be a haw'k at first sight, and w^as a fine adult male. 

 About the Salten Maelstrom, where there were a great many fish 

 and consequently great numbers of gulls, skuas were particuLirly 

 frequent ; it depended on the presence of gulls whether or not 

 any skuas would be seen. 



During his sporting tour of 1850, Capt. May remarked that " the 

 long-tailed skua seems to travel very far inland, as we shot one 

 on the mountain in Lapland fully a hundred miles from the sea." 



Although skuas frec[uent the coast pretty commonly, a few gene- 

 ral notes on their occurrence may be added. They are, with tlie 

 exception of the L. caiarrhactes, whose dimensions mark its 

 species, the most difficult of all our birds to be determined on 

 wing, unless when adult, in which state unfortunately they are 

 very rarely met with. This is owing to the three other species 

 passing through much the same stages of plumage from youth to 

 maturity, which, being attained, the comparative length of the two 

 central tail-feathers is an admirable mark of distinction. On a 

 close examination, the superior size of L. pomarinus to that of 

 the other two always marks it at any age, but we must sometiines 



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