124 
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF 
Family LARIDJE. 
Subfamily LESTRIDIMb 
Of this, the first subfamily of the Laridce, there are at present known to 
exist eight species, belonging to two genera. Of these, five inhabit the 
northern, and three the southern hemisphere. The five northern species are 
all represented in North America. The following analytical table will represent 
the characters of the species and genera sufficiently well for our present 
purposes. The diagnoses are purposely made as brief as possible, only the 
most prominent features being noticed. 
§ Analytical Table of the Genera and Species of the Lestridinoe. 
I. Statura maximi, et forma robustissimi. Pedes et rostrum 
validi. Tarsus brevior quam digitus medius cum ungue. 
Rectrices mediae latae vix ultra caeteras porrectae. Genus Buphagus. 
a. Rostri longitudo poll. 2, et ultra; altitudo *75. Ad 
angul/ oris 3*00 poll. Ex mari/i arctidl B. skua. 
b. Rostrum brevius, crassius. Ex marift antarctic^ B. antcircticus . 
II. Statura minores, et forma graciliores. Pedes et rostrum 
graciles. Tarsus non brevior quam digitus medius cum 
ungue. Cauda longior, et rectrices mediae valde ultra caeteras 
porrectae Genus Stercorarius. 
1. Tarsi postice asperrimi. Rectrices mediae latae in 
apices ipsas. 
a. Rectrices mediae caeteris 4 pollices longiores S. pomarihus . 
2. Tarsi postice subasperi. Rectrices mediae longae, rigi- 
dae, acuminatae. 
a. Rectrices mediae caeteris 4 poll, longiores S. parasiticus. 
b. Similis S. parasitico ; sed major, cauda tota longiore, 
plus rotundata.. S.Richardsoni. 
c. Similis S. plrasitico ; sed minor, rostro magis com- 
presso, rectricibus mediis elongatis, apitib-is rotun- 
datis (Bp.) S. Hardy i. 
d. Similis S. parasitico. Sed etiam minor S. Buffono ; 
rectricibus mediis lineari-acutis, rachide denudata 
rigida, pollice et ultra caeteras superantibus (Bp.) S. spinicauda . 
3. Tarsi postice subasperi^. Rectrices mediae longissimae, 
flexibiles, filiformes. 
a. Rectrices mediae caeteris 8 ad 10 pollices longiores.... S. Buffoni. 
Genus BUPHAGUS Moehring. 
Buphagus , Moehring, Genera Avium, 1752, page 66, No. 71. Typus Larus 
catarractes, Linn. 
Stercorarius, “Brisson,” Vieillot, Nouv. Diet. d’Hist. Nat., 1817, 153. Typus 
idem. (Sed non verus Stercorarius , Briss. cujus typus Larus parasi- 
ticus, L. est.) Gray, Genera of Birds, 1849, 651. Degland, Ornith. 
Europ. 1849, ii. 287. Bonaparte, Conspectus Avium, 1856, 206. Law- 
rence, Gen. Rep. Birds N. A. 1858, 838 ; et aliorum auctorum. 
Catharacta , Briinnich, Orn. Bor. 1764, 32. Typus Oath, skua Briinn. Bona- 
parte, Comparative List, 1838. 
Larus , (partim) Linnaeus, Systema Naturae, 1766. Gmelin, Systema, Natu- 
rae, 1788. Latham, Index Ornithologicus, 1790. Meyer et Wolf, Tassch- 
enbuch deutsch. 1810. 
Catarractes , Pallas, Zoog. Rosso-As. 1811, ii. 308. Typus C. skua. Steph- 
ens, Shaw’s Gen. Zool. xiii. 1825, 214. 
Lestris , “Uliger,” Temminck, Man. Orn. 1820 — 40. Typus L. catarractes. 
(Sed non verus Lestris 111. cujus typus L. parasitico, L. est.) Faber, 
