330 MR. H. SAUNDERS ON THE STERCO RARIIN.E. [Mar. 21, 



Returning to the Atlantic, we find it along the North-American 

 coast ; and Solander, in his MS., describes, under the names of L. 

 fuliginosus and L. nigricans, two specimens of this species obtained 

 in the harbour of Rio de Janeiro on December 4, 1768, thus giving 

 it a claim to be included in the list of the Neotropical Laridte so 

 ably worked out by Messrs. Sclater and Salvin (P. Z. S. 1871, 

 p. 564). South of Rio there is no record of its occurrence on the 

 east coast of America ; but I can only refer to this species the 

 example obtained by Mr. Buller at Horowhenua in the Province of 

 Wellington, New Zealand, on April 30, 1864. His general descrip- 

 tion suits S. crepidatus ; and he expressly states that the shafts of 

 the primaries are white, the characteristic which particularly serves 

 to distinguish it from Buffon's Skua, with which he has identified it. 

 At the time that I examined the specimen in question I was not 

 aware of this distinctive feature : the skin also had been badly pre- 

 served ; and, to make matters worse, the plumage was so worn and 

 abraded that it is a marvel that the bird was able to fly at all. 



On the west coast of America it is only recorded as occurring at 

 the Prybilov Islands and in Alaska ; but Mr. Gervase Mathew, R.N., 

 informs me that when at Callao in April 1873, in H.M.S. 'Reso- 

 lute,' he observed many small Skuas in various states of plumage, 

 and attributed them (correctly no doubt) to this species, which he 

 had often observed previously on the English coast. 



Stercorarius parasiticus. (Long-tailed or Buffon's Skua.) 



Le Stercoraire a longue queue, Buffon, PI. Enlum. 762. 

 Stercorarius longicaudus, Brisson, vi. p. 155 (1/60). 

 Cathar acta parasitica, Briinn. Orn. Bor. p. 37 (1764). 



Larus parasiticus, Linn. Syst. Nat. p. 226 (1766), Fauna Suec. 

 55. no. 156 ("rectricibus duahus intermediis longissimis.") ; 1 Miil- 

 ler, Zool. Dan. Prod. 166 (1774); Phipps, Voy. N. Pole, p. 187 

 (1774) ; Gm. Syst. Nat. p. 601 (1788) ; Scoresby, Arctic Regions, 

 i. p. 534 (1820)*. 



Catharacta parasitica, O. Fab. F. G. p. 103 (1780). 



Catarracta parasitica, Retz. F. Suec. p. 160 (1800). 



Catarractes parasita, Pallas, Z. Ros.-As. p. 310 (1811). 



Lestris parasitica, Uliger, Prod. p. 273 (1811); Sw. & Rich. 

 F. Bor.-Am. p. 430 (1831) ; Macgill. Brit. B. v. p. 503 (1852). 



Lestris parasiticus, Temm. M. d'Orn. p. 512 (ed. 1815), p. 796 

 (ed. 1820), p. 501 (ed. 1840); Jenyns, Brit. Vert. An. p. 283(1835); 

 Gould, B. of Eur. v. pi. 442 (1837); Audubon, B. Am. vii. 192, 

 pi. 452 (1844) ; Meyer, 111. Brit. Orn. vii. p. 174, pi. 314 (1857). 



Stercorarius longicaudus, Vieill. N. Diet. Hist. Nat. xxxii. p. 157 

 (1819); Newton, Ibis, 1865, p. 511 (Spitzbergen) ; Degl. & Gerbe, 

 Orn. Eur. ii. p. 399 (1867). 



Lestris crepidata, Brehm & S. Beitrage z. Vogelkunde, iii. p. 861 

 (1822) ; Naum. Vog. Deutsch. x. p. 534, pi. 274 (1840). 



Lestris buffonii, Boie, Meyer & W. Tasch. iii. p. 212 (1822); 

 Middendorff, Sib. Reise, ii. p. 241, taf. xxiv. fig. 2 (1853). 

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