190 



CHAPTERS ON THE NATURAL HISTORY 



The word skua is of Fseroese origin, and jaeger, or more prop- 

 erly jaeger, is the German word for hunter, having reference, as 

 we shall soon see, to the habits of the bird. Their technical 

 names are equally well chosen, and we have but to remind the 

 reader that Stercorarius is from the Latin and signifies "a scav- 

 enger," while pomarinus is derived from the Greek and refers to 

 I he large horny "cere" surmounting the external narial aper- 

 tures of the superior mandibles in these birds — a character quite 

 unique among marine forms. The presence of this structure there 

 is interesting from another point of view, for the jaegers are dis- 

 linctly rapacious in habit, as are I he cered-beaked raptores 



Fig. 51. The Long-tailed Jaeger. 



among the terrestrial birds of prey. Skuas or jaegers have pow- 

 erful beaks, as a rule, and strong feet, that are full webbed, with 

 the claws all large and curved. Another peculiarity is seen in 

 the tail, the main part of which is not especially long, being 

 square, with the two central feathers more or less elongated. 

 This character is particularly well developed in the Long-tailed 

 jaeger, of which I present a drawing. There are some good 

 mounted specimens of this species in the collections of the Smith- 

 sonian Institution, and upon examining them I find the plumage 



