90 
allen’s naturalist’s library. 
feathers is a feature of the genus. The tarsus is a little shorter 
than the middle toe and claw. 
1. THE GREAT SKUA. M I'GALESTRIS CATARRHACTES. 
Larvs caiarrhactes, I.inn. .Syst. Nat. i. p. 226 (1766). 
Lestris cafarrhactes, Macgill. Brit. B. v. p. 479 (1852) ; Lilford, 
Col. Fig. Brit. B. part xxvi. (1893). 
Stercorarhis catarrhactes, Dresser, B. Eur. viii. p. 457, pi. 609 
(1S75); B. O. U. List Brit. B. p. 194 (1883); Saunders, 
ed. Yarrell’s Brit. B. iii. p. 664(1884); Seebohm, Hist. 
Brit. B. iii. p. 346 (1885); Saunders, Man. Brit. B. p. 671 
(1889); id. Cat. B. Brit. Mus. xxv. ji. 315 (1896). 
Adult Male, — General colour above dark umber-brown, mottled 
with rufous, the feathers being sub-terminally of this colour, and 
varied with whitish where the ends of the feathers have worn 
pale ; feathers of the neck rather more pointed, and showing 
pale straw-coloured shafts ; wing-coverts dark umber-brown, 
slightly mottled with white marks near the ends of the 
feathers; bastard-wing, primary-coverts, and quills blackish, 
the outer primaries with yellowish-white shafts, the first quill 
white towards the base of the inner web, the next five white 
at the base of both webs, decreasing in extent on the inner 
primaries, but forming a conspicuous wing-speculum; tail 
blackish ; crown of head nearly uniform, dark umber-brown 
very slightly mottled with reddish-brown centres to the 
feathers ; lores and region of the eye dusky umber-brown, the 
ear-coveits more rufe.sccnt brown ; under surface of body pale 
chestnut rufous, varied with ashy grey bases to the feathers, 
some of the flank-feathers streaked with white shaft-lines and 
whitish at the ends; the under tail-coverts deeper rufous, with 
white shaft-streaks ; under wing-coverts and axillaries dark 
umber-brown, the latter slightly rufous near the ends ; “ bill 
black, the cere with a greyish tinge; tarsi and toes black; iris 
dark brown ” (Zfl Saunders). Total length, 21 '5 inches; cul- 
men, 2-2; wing, i6-o; tail, 6-4; tarsus, 2-8. 
Adult Female.— Similar to the male in plumage, though Mr. 
Saunders is inclined to believe that she is a little larger than 
her mate. 
