COMMON SKUA. 



^15 



cetaceous animals than the Jagers, thus paving the 

 way towards the Petrels. 



These are also natives of the Arctic regions, and 

 their plumage is of a dingy hue. 



COMMON SKUA. 



(Cataractes Skua.) 



Ca. tarsi postice subrugosi. 



Skua with the tarsi slightly rugose behind. 



Larus Catarractes. Linn. S^st. Nat. 1. 226. Gmel, Si/st. Nat. 



1.603. Lath. Ind. Orn. 2. S\8. 

 Catharactes Skua. Brun. Orn. Boreal. 125. 

 Catarractes et Catarractus. Raii Syn. A. 

 Larus fuscus. Briss. 6. 165. 

 Le Goeland brun. Buff. Hist, Nat. Ois. 8. 408. 

 Stercoraire cataracte. Temm, man. d'Orn. 511. 

 Lestris cataractes. Temm. man. d'Orn. 2 Edit. ii. 794. 

 Skua Gull. Penn. Brit. Zool. 2. 243. Penn. Arct, Zool. 2. 



531.^. Lath. Gen. St/n. 6.385. Leiv. Brit. Birds, 6. pi. 211. 



Wale. Syn. \. pi. 117. Mont. Orn. Diet. l.andSupp, Beuo. 



Brit, Birds, 2. 233. Lath. Gen. Hist. x. 161. 



Length about twenty-one inches : the head and 

 space round the eyes are deep brown : the neck, as 

 well as all the under parts, are reddish-grey shaded 

 with clear brown : the back and scapulars are dull 

 red, laterally bordered with deep brown : the wing- 

 coverts, secondaries, and tail-feathers brown, the quills 

 white for half their length ; the rest deep brown : 

 the shafts of the quills and tail-feathers white : the 



