Y 



(32 E. LÖNNBERG, CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE FAUNA OF SOUTH GEORGIA. 



ning of September the Great Skuas were returning, but not all of them. Only a 

 few were then seen, here and there. A month låter when Sörling left South Geor- 

 gia they where not yet numerous. On the sea none were seen before at lat. 47° S., 

 long. 46° W. then several specimens were seen every day. Von den Steinen (12) 

 observed the first Skuas at South Georgia already at the end of Aug. 1882, and says 

 that their number increased especially after the 15 of Oct. According to the same 

 authority, all Skuas had disappeared the following year in the låter part of June, and 

 the first returning one was seen the third of Sept. The migration is thus perfectly 

 stated, although it appears to be somewhat irregular different years. This stånds 

 probably in connection with the weather different years, if the winter is severe 

 or not. 



Concerning the migration of the Great Skua from the South Orkneys the Scot- 

 tish Expedition (21) made the observation that the last specimen of this kind had 

 disappeared the 28th of April and »the first spring immigrants were noted on Oc- 

 tober 16th.» 



Lams dominicaims Lichtenstein 1823. 



J 1 ad. Boiler Harbour, Cumberland Bay, the 16 of Marcli 1905. »Iris liglit brown». 



$ juv. the same locallty and date. »Iris brown». 



j* juv. the same locality, the 28th of Aug. 1905. »Iris straw-yellow with a periplierical black ring». 



pull. the same locality, caught in a suowdrift during a gale with snow the 22 of Dec. 1905. 



J 1 (skeleton) Moraine Fjord, Cumberland Bay the 23d of Dec. 1904. 



2 eggs (of 31 taken on top of a tussock-hill a few meters from the sea, Moraine Fjord, Cumberland 

 Bay, the 21t of Nov. 1904. 



3 eggs from the same locality. the 24th of Nov. 1904. »The nest was on top of a about meter-high 

 stone among some tufts of grass growing there.» 



The axis of the eggs was resp. 70, 70 and 75, 74, 73 mm. the diameter 51, 

 51 and 50, 51, 51 mm. The colour of the eggs may be termed light olive buff, one 

 a little more brownish, with rather evenly, although irregularly scattered dark brown 

 small spöts which only in one specimen show any tendency to aggregate towards the 

 large end. The underlying spöts are ashy. These eggs are of medium size, to judge 

 from the measurements published in Cat. of Eggs B. M. (Vol. I p. 213), and the 

 colour may a] so be regarded as normal, although it is observed in the work quoted 

 that in the eggs of this species the markings of ten form »a very irregular cap or 

 zone at the large end. » 



Sörling describes the nest as fairly large and »consisting of tussock-grass, algse, 

 möss and such material.» The nests on the South Orkneys are described in a si- 

 milar way (21). It is situated on the terraces of high rocks or on large stones on 

 which tussock-grass grows. On the rocks small colonies are formed as several pair 

 nest at the same place. Sörling found, »as a rule, 3 eggs in each nest», he says. 

 Von den Steinen (12) had a similar experience on South Georgia, and K. A. An- 

 dersson (8) on Graham land, but Hall (13) found on Kerguelen Island most nests 

 contain only two eggs. 



