THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 
single bird agrees generally with the Falkland Islands form and at present 
may be included under the name Catharacta skua antarctica (Lesson). 
The New Zealand birds are uniformly very dark-coloured when adult 
but show slight tips of lighter coloration in the autumn through wearing, 
and rarely do the neck-feathers have yeUow streaks. The young however 
are much darker, and more uniform both above and below, with absolutely 
no light edgings. These are much larger in every dimension than Falkland 
Islands birds, as was pointed out by Saunders as long ago as 1876. There is 
no reddish coloration apparent in any stage so that I have concluded that these 
must be recognised as specifically distinct, and not regarded as subspecies of 
the Northern Skua. As the earliest name available is the one I proposed, 
it follows that the subject of the present article must be known as 
Catharacta lonnbergi lonnhergi Mathews. 
The trinomial is necessary as the South Orkneys bird is referable here while 
I also attach temporarily the Kerguelen breeding bird. 
As shown above the nestling of the South Orkneys bird agreed in lacking 
aU the rufous coloration of the Falkland Islands bird and is closer to the New 
Zealand bird in every detail, so that it is better to class it with the latter than 
the former. 
I therefore propose for the South Orkneys breeding form the name 
Catharacta lonnhergi clarkei, subsp. n. 
This form though much larger than C. s. antarctica (Lesson) is less than 
C. 1. lonnbergi Mathews, the wing-measurements averaging 400 mm., while the 
former gives about 380 and the latter 430. 
The Kerguelen Island breeding form I also associate with this species on 
account of the similarity of the adults, as I have no juveniles at hand. 
In size it is intermediate between the New Zealand and the South Georgian 
forms, and I would call it 
Catharacta lonnbergi intercedens, subsp. n. 
The wing averages about 410 mm. and the bill is noticeably longer. 
It seems necessary to refer to the interesting relationship of McCormick’s 
Skua with the preceding, as they seem to show another somewhat parallel 
case to Macronectes giganteus (Gmelin) and Phoebetria palpebrata (Forster) 
and Phoebetria fusca (Hilsenberg). The history of McCormick’s Skua has been 
related by Saunders, and Wilson {National Antarct. Exp., Vol. II., Aves, 
pp. 63-76, pis. XII. -xm., 1907) has given a splendid account of its life- 
history and beautiful figures of its growth-stages. It was discovered at 
Victoria Land somewhat south of New Zealand, and Wilson’s grand series 
are preserved in the British Museum. These are most interesting as they 
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