ON THE ORNITHOLOGY OF LAPLAND. 359 



ledge in the only place where it is to be obtained — 

 in the grand temple *of * nature" I cordially agree 

 ■with this latter remark of "Wilson's, The young 

 that I killed much resembled in plumage the 

 young of the common skua (L. cattaractes, 111.); 

 the tail was perfectly green, no one feather longer 

 than the others. 



On carefully comparing specimens of the eggs 

 of Buffon's skua wi^h those of Richardson's skua 

 (L. Richardsoni, Sw.) I could see no very apparent 

 difference in the size. Those of Buffon's skua 

 may perhaps be a trifle the smaller, but they vary 

 in size, and I have seen them quite as big as those 

 of Richardson's skua; while in one nest which I 

 took, the two eggs were at least one-third smaller 

 than any I had ever seen. One thing I remarked, 

 that the egg of Buffon's skua is generally thicker 

 and blunter at the large end than Richardson's. 

 As to colour it is much the same in both, and 

 subject to the same variations ; but the oologist 

 should be very careful how he admits the egg of 

 Buffon's skua into his collection without a careful 

 identification. 



I could never detect the pomarine skua 

 {L. pomarina, Tern.; u ave haskil," Lap.) breeding 

 in this district. But many of the Norwegian Laps 

 knew and described the bird well, and it is my 

 opinion that this species breeds more on the north- 



