606 BrrHAGi's skua, the ttKiw. 



isli ; tlioir vliixohiilos wliite. oxoojit towanl tlio rtpiors; tlio nnHigvs and iictiiioa wliito 

 for somo ilistnnot' tVoin tlio b:>sos. This wliito on tlio tMil is rouoonlod l'\ I ho Kuij; liiil- 

 oovorts, bnt appoai's on tho outov viriuiarios as a lonsiiiciionsspot. Tlio bill ami claws 

 aiv blaokish lunu ; tho feet j>mt> black. Kill, from baso to ti\>, 0.10; to oiul ol' loro. 

 l.--'0: jiapo, ;!,00: heishtat base, O.T,">: width a littlo less: raitii. l.iiO: goiixs, tl.olt; w iug, 

 lo.OO ; tail, ti.OO ; tarsus, -J.Tt) ; mi Ullo too niul olaw. ;!.10. 



i"0H«9-i/-()it-i/iiii- (Spi'O. No. •.'•J','ii(i, Mils. S. 1. iVoiii Ki'hmd, shot 8optombor 1, 1S:;'.>1. — 

 The si/.o is mnrh U\ss thau that ol' tho adults: tlio bill o\oiy \\a.\ woiikor and slon- 

 doivr : tho ooro illy dovelopod ; strift^ are not yot apuaront, and its ridf;os and aiiijlos all 

 want sharimoss of'dotiniiion ; the sonys is oxtroinoly short. Wiiii^s oxooodiiiL^ly slunr 

 and roiiiuU'd, tho ipiilU having voVy diffoi-eut proportional Uniiith tVoin those of tho 

 adnlts; tho soooiul boiuo longost. tlio third next ami bnt littlo slunter; tlio lirst about 

 oipial to tho tbnrth. I'ho inner or lonnost sooondarios roaoli, when tho wiiii;- is I'oldod, 

 to within an inoh or so of tho tip of tho lonijost primary. The oontral rotrioos are, if 

 anythins;, «. littlo shortor than the next. The oolors jionoraJly are ns in tho adult, but 

 ovoryw horo dnllor and more blended, having tow or no white spots; an<l though the 

 reddish spots are numerous and ooonpy a largo sjiaoo on oaoh I'oathoi', yot. in oolor thoy 

 are very dark and dull. Those dull reddish spots are ospooially numorons along tho 

 edge of tho forearm and on the least and lessor ooverts. l>n the nndor parts the oolors 

 are lighter, chiller, and still moio blended than iibovo. Tho prevailing tint is a light, 

 dull rnfoiis, most mnrkod on tho abdomen; but tlioio and olsow hero more or loss ob- 

 sonrod with an ashy or plnuibeons hue. Tho primaries, sooondarios, and tertials, 

 together with the reotrioos, are dull brownish-blaok: tlu-ir shafts yellowish-white, 

 darker terminally. At tbo bases of tho primaries there exists tho ordinary largo white 

 space, bnt it is more restriotod than in the adults, and so mnoh hidden by the bastard 

 Unills that it is hardly appai'ont on tho outside of tho wing, though very oonspii'uous 

 on the inferior snrfaoo. 'l"ho logs and foot .ii'o parti-i'olovod — brownish-blaoK, varie- 

 gated with yellowish. Hill, along onlnien, 1.7.">: along gape, .'.T."!; height at basi-, tl„''ill ; 

 length of gonys. O.lvi ; tarsus, '.'.(111 : middle too and olaw tho same. \Ving, from llie 

 lloxuro. VJ.-Jfi. Tail, :"i.7ri. 



This .s)iooios ro(|nii'os eomparison with no other of Noitli .Vnu-rioa. H. aiiliiivliciis, 

 tVoin the soa-ooasts of tho ."^unlhorii llomisphere, ditVors somewhat iu the shape of tJie 

 bill. This ia shorlor, deeper, and more obtuse at tho tip. 



Although this spooios is luuthonod with an extensive synonymy, yot in eonsocpieneo 

 of its marked oharactoi- Iho list is \irotly dolinito. It is one of the very oldest spooios, 

 being well known to pro-l.innoaii writers. It is well do.soribed by both Itnssou and 

 Briiunioli, the former oonsidering it as a Gull, the latter inakiu<; it tho type of his 

 genus Ciitlt(fr<fclu. The l.itnis kreask oi' Latham is stated to be 'JO inelios, with a bill of 

 o inches, and ils habitat is given as " Hudson's llay." Tlioi'o ia no one of tho /.< ,s/n'rf i/ift) 

 inhabiting North Amorioa but tho prosont, which is of snob huge dimensions. The 

 plate which MoiUot ((.ialoi io dos Oi.si'aux) givi's of his SUnvruriiis jioiiutriinirs show s cou- 

 spionously tho largo white al:ir spot, which is diagnostic <if the pri'sent spooie.s. Vioill- 

 lot had previously i'coogiiizo<l the characters of tlio species with prooision. 



8ubgeni(s Stercouaiuus, Briss. 



= Sla-roniriii!), liuiss., Oi'n. v, 17(50. 149. (Type 7.,inis paratiiiicim, Linn.). — Covi's, Tv. 



rhila. .\ead. If^d:!, I'Jf^ ; and of many autliois. 

 <CCiiUhu-(icla, liiitlNN., Orn. Bor. 17lil, :'.'->. 



■^I.arii.i, p. LiNN., Syst. Nat. 17(i(i. Alsa of (!in., Lath., Meyer. 

 = ttiilriti, li.i.,, rrod. 1811, '-'7'.'. (Typo L. piirasitiviin, Liiiii,). And of most authors. 

 = I'r<r(lniri.r, Vimix., Aual. 181(1, (!'.'. 

 = l.iibtiiis. K'Ai,'., 181(1. 

 "^Cojnvlluirs, K'f.icii., ISM. 



Gkn. Cum;, — Bill o(|ual to middle too without (ho olaw, moderately robust, tll(^ height 

 at base more than a third the length of the enlineii ; stria' and siilei few and sliglitlv 

 marked. Kneroachniont of foathors on bill very great, especially on tho nppiT niiuidf- 

 bio, where it gr<-ally exceeds that on the lower, and ia of a dilU'ront outline from tliat 

 of Jliiiihiirfiis. Occiput decidedly siibercstod. \\'iiigs exeoedingly long, the primaries 

 narrow, tapering, with (|nito ;ioulc lips. Tail long; tho lali'ial foalhers more or loss 

 graduated; the central pair considcraldy, sometimes excessively, elongated, laperlng, 

 and aoniiiinato. Foot, rather slender, the tarsi equal to or slightly longer than the 

 middle l<io and cla-w. 8izo moderate or small. l'\)i'm loss robust, genenil oiganizatioii 

 much less powerful than in Uiijtliiri/iiH. Nearly bieolor when aduK ; passing t hrongh vari- 

 ous stales of plumage before arriving at, iiiatuiity. 



Tho preceding paragiaiih expresses the ehief diagnostic features of this anbgenns. 

 A comparison with ItiqilKKiiis has already boon instilulod, and an aualylieal table of 

 its species given on a preceding page. It only roiiiaius to uotioe its" bibliography. 



