LESTRIS CATARRACTES. 
Skua Gull. 
Larus Catarractes, Lath. Inch Orn., vol. ii. p. 818. — Linn. Syst. Nat., yoI. i. p. 226. — Gmel. Edit., vol. i. p. 603. 
Lestris Catarractes , Temm. Man. d’Orn., p. 511. — Id. 2nd Edit., p. 792. 
Larus fuscus, Briss. Orn., vol. vi. p. 165. 
Catharacta Skua, Brunn., No. 125. Retz. Faun. Suecica, No. 123. 
Le Goelandbnm, Buff. Hist. Nat. des Ois., tom. viii. p. 408. 
Port Egmont Hen, Hawks. Voy., vol. ii. p. 283. — Cook’s Voy., vol. i. pp. 44, 272. — Forst. Voy., vol. i. pp. 109, 
118, &c. 
Skua Gull, of British authors. 
Every voyager to and from Australia, whether hy the Cape of Good Hope or Cape Horn, will observe that 
in all the higher latitudes the ship will be frequently visited by solitary examples of this Gull, which may be 
distinguished from the Albatroses and Petrels by its more flapping and heavier mode of flight, and by the 
white mark on the wing, which shows conspicuously when seen from beneath ; it appears, however, to be 
attracted to the ship more from curiosity than from aught else, for after passing round it two or three 
times, it wings its way again over the expansive ocean until lost to sight ; it is as often seen in the open 
ocean a thousand miles from land, as it is near the coast, and as all the other Gulls frequent seas 
studded with islands on which they can alight at pleasure, I was for a long time surprised how a bird of 
this family could exist so far from any apparent means of repose, until the difficulty was at last solved hy 
my seeing the bird settle on the masses of sea-weeds which here and there float about in all seas, and on 
which it rested with as much ease as if standing on a rock. Its predatory habits enable it to get food in 
abundance by chasing the Albatroses and Petrels and compelling them to disgorge their food, and hence 
its common name of Great Parasitic Gull or Skua. So little difference is observable between the examples of 
the Southern Ocean and those found in our own seas, that I have been compelled to consider them to belong 
to the same species. It was nowhere more abundant than off the coast of Van Diemen’s Land, and may be 
frequently seen in Storm Bay at the mouth of the Derwent ; it may also he seen off New Zealand and all 
similar latitudes round the globe ; and that it also visits higher latitudes is evidenced by a note with which 
I have been favoured by R. McCormick, Esq., Surgeon R.N., wherein he states that it is found as far south 
as Kerguelen’s Land and Campbell Island. 
I may mention that all the specimens from the southern hemisphere are rather darker in colour and 
somewhat larger in size than those from the northern. I observed no difference in the colouring of the 
sexes, which may he thus described : — 
All the upper surface blackish brown, the feathers of the hack with whitish shafts and tips ; all the under 
surface chocolate-brown ; base and shafts of the primaries white ; bill and feet black. 
The figure is about three-fourths of the natural size. 
