buffon’s skua. 
to3 
Eange in Great Britain. — An irregular migrant to our waters, 
principally occurring on the east coasts, more rarely in the 
Channel and on the west coasts. It has never occurred in 
Scotland, according to Mr. Saunders, in any numbers, during 
the cold season, and in Ireland it has been noticed in autumn, 
and, sparingly, in spring. 
Range outside the British Islands. — “ High circumpolar regions, 
seldom breeding south of the Arctic Circle, unless on lofty 
fells ; in autumn and winter migrating southwards as far as the 
Stmits^ of Gibraltar, as well as to about 40° N. lat. on the 
Atlantic side of America, and a little farther on the Pacific 
side ” {Saunders). 
Habits.— For a good account of the habits of Buffon’s Skua 
we are indebted to Mr. E. W. Nelson’s “Report,” a work which I 
have had much pleasure in introducing to English readers in the 
course of the present work. He writes “ This graceful and 
handsome bird is the most common of the Jaegers on the 
Alaskan coast and vicinity, and especially about Saint Michael’s. 
They arrive in this vicinity about the 1 2th or 15th of May, but are 
not numerous until ten days or more later. They are first found 
quartering the marshes in small parties of from two to six or 
eight. They have a shrill phm-pheu-phm-pheu, uttered while 
they are flying, and while the birds are quarrelling or pursuing 
one another the ordinary note is often followed by a harsh qua. 
At another time they have a rattling kr-r-r-r, kr-r-r-r, kr r-r-r, 
kri-krlkri-kri, the latter syllables shrill and querulous, and 
sometimes followed by the long-drawn pheu-pheu-phhi in the 
same tone. 1 hey appear to be much more playful than the 
other Jaegeis, and parties of six or eight may be seen pursuing 
one another back and forth over the marsh. The long, slender 
tail-feathers and extreme grace on the wing of those birds render 
them very much like the Swallow-tailed Kite. The mating 
occurs with a great amount of noisy demonstration on the part 
of several rivals, but once paired, the birds keep by themselves, 
and early in June deposit their eggs in a depression on the 
mossy top of some knoll upon rising ground. 
( instance, on June 16, while I was securing the eggs 
ot a Macrorhainphus, a pair of these Jaegers kept circling 
about, uttering harsh screams and darting down within a few 
