484 



4 



Von Middendorff found it common on the Lapland peninsula up to 67-§-° N. lat. ; and Messrs. 

 Sahlberg and Malmberg saw it on the tundras near the sea-coast at Devaatoi. Maklin obtained 

 young and old birds at Enontekis ; and Sahlberg observed it in June at Muonioniska. Mr. 

 Sabanaeff does not mention it in the list of birds inhabiting the Ural and Central Russia which 

 he sent to me ; but it is found near Archangel, and Messrs. Seebohm and Harvie-Brown inform 

 me that they found the present species in the Petchora river, in Northern Russia, north of the 

 arctic circle. It was generally distributed over the tundras in pairs or small parties ; but on one 

 occasion they met with a flock of over a hundred individuals. Dr. Theodor von Heuglin met 

 with it on Novaya Zemlya in flocks and singly, and says that it was tolerably common ; and 

 Professor Malmgren found it on the Isfjord, in Spitzbergen, and shot one in Advent Bay. It 

 occasionally visits the shores of Germany, and has been obtained inland ; but it is only met with 

 as a rare straggler. Borggreve says that it has occurred on the coasts of the North Sea, on the 

 Rhine, in Anhalt, Mecklenburg, and Silesia, and writes that it " occurs on the coasts of Prussia, 

 Mecklenburg, Holstein, and Friesland, though much less frequently than Richardson's Skua. It 

 has been met with now and again in Silesia, Mark, Saxony, into Central Germany, from West 

 Friesland into the Rhine country, and as far as Switzerland. On one occasion an old bird was 

 obtained at Brienz, whereas usually only young birds are seen far from the sea; and on two 

 occasions the same has happened in Anhalt." Mr. Alfred Benzon informs me that it is occa- 

 sionally met with on the west coast of Jutland, whence he has several specimens ; and Mr. Gatke 

 has obtained it in Heligoland. Baron von Droste Hiilshoff states that he only knows of one 

 instance of its occurrence on the island of Borkum ; but it is now and again met with on the 

 coasts of France near Dunkerque, off the Picardy coast, and has occurred near Lille, and off 

 Dieppe. It is stated to have been met with in the Straits of Gibraltar, but is of very rare 

 occurrence in the Mediterranean. Count Salvadori says that he is inclined to refer to the 

 present species a young example in the Turin Museum, obtained near that city, but he is not 

 aware of any other occurrence in Italy. Dr. Anton Fritsch says (J. f. O. 1872, p. 376) that, 

 according to Palliardi, a specimen was killed at Millesen, near Franzensbad, in August 1864, 

 which is the only instance of its occurrence in Southern Germany I find on record. 



It has been met with as far south as the African coast; for Colonel Irby says (Orn. Str. 

 Gibr. p. 216) that the present species is recorded by Favier as twice obtained near Tangier — in 

 1846, and in October 1858, the first being an immature specimen. 



In Asia it inhabits the northern portions of Siberia right across to the American continent. 

 Von Middendorff found both the present species and Richardson's Skua breeding on the Taimyr 

 and the Boganida ; but the present species was much the less numerous, and was the only one 

 which occurred above 74 J° N. lat. All the Skuas arrived on the Taimyr in 73J° N. lat. on the 

 5th June (old style), and were still common on the 4th of September, one being seen as late as 

 the 22nd September. On the 22nd June the present species had eggs ; and there were newly 

 hatched young on the 15th July. He mentions that Buffon's Skua was subject to as much and 

 similar variation as the Pomarine Skua on the underparts of the body. On the American 

 continent it is found in the Arctic regions, straggling southward on passage as far as to about 

 40° N. lat. Mr. Elliot, who met with it on the Prybilow Islands, says it is seldom seen there, 

 and he only obtained two specimens. Mr. Bannister speaks of it as being common at St. 



