THE POMARINE JAEGER. 543 



time is the signal for all the birds _ near to come circling about, though not 

 within easy gun-shot. By a careful approach one may now and then find a 

 small party swimming about in some secluded pool. 



"The charming grace of movement exhibited at such times, combined 

 with their tasteful elegance of attire, form one of the most pleasing sights 

 one could witness as they swim buoyantly from side to side of the pool, grace- 

 fully nodding their heads, now pausing for an instant to arrange a feather 

 or to daintily gather some fragment of food, and now floating idly about, 

 wafted by the slight breeze, which at intervals ripples the surface of the 

 water. A more common, but scarcely less pleasing sight, is presented when, 

 unconscious of observation, they walk sedately along the border of the water, 

 never departing from their usual grace of movement. Their food is generally 

 found in such places, where the receding water furnishes a bountiful supply. 

 The only demonstrations I have observed during the pairing time consist of 

 a kind of solemn bowing of the head and body ; but sometimes, with the head 

 lowered and thrust forward, they will run back and forth in front of the 

 object of their regard, or again, a pair may be seen to salute each other by 

 alternately bowing or lowering their heads ; but their courtship is characterized 

 by a lack of the rivalry and vehemence exhibited by birds. 



"The nesting is usually in some thin tuft of grass on a level spot, but 

 often in an open place concealed by a few straggling blades of small carices. 

 The male scratches a shallow depression in the soft earth, which is usually 

 lined with a thin layer of fragments of old grass blades, upon which the eggs, 

 numbering from three to four, are deposited about the last of May or first 

 of June." 



No. 257. 

 POMARINE JAEGER. 



A. O. U. No. 36. Stercorarius pomarinus (Temm.). 



Synonyms. — Pomatorhine Jaeger; Pomarine Skua; Gull-hunter. 



Description. — Adult, light phase: Top and sides of head, upper parts (ex- 

 cept back of neck, and crissum brownish slate or dusky ; rest of head and neck and 

 under parts white ; the region of ear-coverts and around on hind-neck tinged with 

 straw-yellow; central feathers of tail projecting three or four inches beyond most 

 of the others, their breadth sustained to the abruptly rounded tip ; bill horn-color 

 tipped with black; feet and legs black. Adult, dark phase: Entirely brownish 

 slate, except sides of hind and hind-neck often tinged with straw-yellow as before. 

 Young, light phase : Upper parts brownish dusky, the feathers of the back spar- 

 ingly tipped with whitish or dull bufify; those of the rump and upper tail-coverts 

 spotted and barred with the same; head, neck and under parts dull bufify, every- 



