KUNGL. SV. VET. AKADEMIENS HANDLINGAR. BAND 40. N:0 5. 59 



anterior börder of the feathered tract on the culmen is 23,5, 22,5, 23 and 22 mm. 

 in the former against 16 mm. in the latter. 



The length of wing is 387—400 mm. and the length of the tail about 165—170 

 mm. In both cases it is difficult to give exact measurements in consequence of the 

 greatly worn state of the feathers. The same condition also makes it rather diffi- 

 cult to describe the eolour of the plumage, as it might have been different when 

 freshly moulted. The general eolour is dark brown, but the feathers of the mantle 

 have whitish shaft-streaks and are partly edged by the same eolour. All feathers 

 of the neck, behind as well as in front, are also provided with light shaft-streaks. 

 On the lower part of the neck these streaks are whitish but towards the nape the}^ 

 get a stitch in yellowish, a kind of very much bleached straw-colour, but quite dif- 

 ferent from the golden yellow of C. maccormichi and C. falklandica in the corres- 

 ponding parts. The under wing-coverts are very dark blackish brown. The brown 

 of the under parts. has a tinge of grey, which is quite pronounced on the inner parts 

 of the feathers. The young bird in its beginning first plumage is éverywhere darker 

 than the adult bird, being uniformly dark sooty brown, almost black. The remain- 

 ing down is grey with a tinge of rusty at the tips. 



With regard to the measurements the Great Skua of South Georgia appears 

 to be intermediate between the true C. antaretica and C. maccormicki. Especially, 

 the short but stout bill resembles that of the latter. With regard to the plumage 

 the Great Skua of South Georgia does not agree with any of the two others and it 

 seems probable that a separate subspecific race inhabits this island, although more 

 material is needed to settle this question definitely. 



The halfgrown young collected the 17th of Febr. has the feathers of the back 

 uniformly slaty black and those of the under parts which are visible through the 

 down, lighter, brownish grey on the belly, more slaty brown on the flanks and brest. 

 The down is brownish grey becoming more yellowish grey on the head. 



The downy youngs are light brownish grey. 



One set of eggs is light olive grey with rather light brown blotches scattered 

 över the surface. but somewhat more numerous at the small end. The underlying 

 blotches påle grey with a shade of purple. The dimensions of these eggs are resp. 

 72 x 55 and 73 X 55 mm. The eggs of the other set is rather dark olive brown with 

 darker brown spöts more numerous at the large end. Underlying markings greyish. 

 The dimensions are 78 x 53 and 78,5 x 53 mm. 



At the end of Nov. and beginning of Dec. 1904 Sörling found the Great Skua 

 quite numerous and breeding on the plains round Cumberland Bay. The first eggs 

 were found by von den Steinen the 20th of Nov. and by Sörling the 24th of 

 Nov. On the South Orkneys the eggs were not laid before the 2nd of Dec. (21). 

 The nest is situated on the ground but the birds prefer to build on top of a tussock- 

 hill or on grass-covered, raised beaches (Pl. XII fig. 52). The nest is according to 

 Sörling's observations made of tussock-grass and rather large and deep. He found 

 usually 2 eggs, sometimes 3, but more seldom only 1 egg. Von den Steinen (12) 

 found also the nests provided with a bedding of tussock-grass. 



