OF S-OETHIJMBEELAIs^D AND DUEHAM. 137 



easy to determine the parents of a nest, and to ascertain tlie 

 colour of their plumage ; and it was yery obyions that these 

 variations of colour had no relation to sex or age. 



In my collection there are three or foiu' specimens of, ap- 

 parently, an accidental yariety ; these are pied with white on the 

 throat, pinions, margin of the wings, and belly. Three are 

 adult, and are from Iceland, and belong to the dark yariety; one 

 is immature, and was taken in our district ; but it is remarkable 

 that they are symmetrically pied, and all exactly in the same 

 manner. 



12. Abctic Skita. »S. lojS^gicatjdus, Brisson. 



Lestris Buffomi, YarrcU, Hist. Brit. Bii-ds, Ed. 2, III., 616. 



Stercorarius longicaudm, Gould, Bii'ds of Grt. Britain, Part 

 VIII. 



This is the rarest of the Skuas, and a mere casual visitant. 

 An adult specimen was shot at Whitburn on the 24th of Octo- 

 ber, 1837; another, a young bird, was shot on the 1st of Sep- 

 tember, 1840, at Newbiggin-by-the-Sea ; two others, immatiu^e, 

 were shot, one at Blyth, and one at Tynemouth, on the 30th of 

 September, 1841. These are all in my collection, as well as two 

 individuals killed in the county of Durham, one of which is 

 adult. 



The nest plumage of this species resembles closely that of 

 Eichardson's Skua ; but can always be distinguished by the two 

 central caudal feathers, which in this are obtuse in the young 

 state, while in Hichardson's Skua they are always pointed. 

 Bewick's second figure of Richardson's Skua has the two central 

 tail feathers obtuse ; it, therefore, probably represents the young 

 of the Arctic Skua. 



137. PAGOPHILA, Kaup. 



13. IvoEr Gtjll. P. ebitenea, {Gmelin.) 



Lanis elurneus, Bewick, Hist. Brit. Birds, Ed. 1847, II., 201. 



,, ,, Yarrell, Hist. Brit. Birds, Ed. 2, III., 567. 



A specimen of this rare casxial visitant, said to have been shot 



