176 VOMERINE SKUA.
The two middle feathers are three inches longer than the others, but
of an equal breadth throughout; the tips rounded; under tail coverts,
white, dashed with greyish brown. Legs, bluish black; the toes black,
the hind one very short, and with a strong nail.
The young of the first year have the bill bluish, the upper mandible
rounded, and bent down at the p o i n t , which is black; a groove runs
along the cere to the base of the bill, and there is also a groove from
the base of the lower mandible f o r half its length; iris, hazel. Crown,
neck on the back, and nape, brown, tinged with grey, the feathers
margined with pale brown. The feathers of the breast are while at
the base, the remainder mottled with brown and yellowish brown—as
the bird gets older the white prevails. Back, deep rufous brown, the
tips of the feathers yellowish brown, looking like a spot on each side
of the shaft.
The wings, when closed, reach an inch beyond the cud of the tail;
greater and lesser wing coverts, deep rufous brown. The primaries
have their shafts and inner webs at tin' base white, the outer webs
and tip-, black: the secondaries are lipped with yellowish brown. The
tail has part of the shafts and the base of the inner webs white, the
rest black, the two middle feathers about three quarters of an inch
longer than the others, but of the same breadth throughout, and rounded
at the ends; upper and under tail coverts, barred across with pale
brown and reddish white. Legs and toes, bluish black; the claws
much hooked and black.
I n another stage the bill at the base is greenish brown, the point,
which is curved, black; cere, greenish brown; iris, very dark brown.
Head on the crown, the neck, and nape, brown, the feathers margined
with lighter brown; chin, throat, and breast, brown, with narrow
transverse waves of paler buff-coloured brown. .Back, umber brown,
with broad margins to the feathers of a lighter shade, broadest on
the lower part. 1'rhnaries, blackish brown, the shafts and a considerable
portion of the inner webs white; tertiarics, umber brown, broadly
margined with paler brown. Upper tail coverts, umber brown, each
feather broadly margined with a lighter shade, the middle feathers about
half an inch longer than the next to them; under tail coverts, broadly
margined across with two shades of brown. Legs, yellowish; Sir
WOliam Jardine remarks that the legs of this species arc sometimes
pied black and yellow; toes, black, yellowish at their bases; webs,
black.
So again the bill is dull black, the point the darkest; cere, dull
black. 11 cad. crown, neck, and nape, dull rusty black; chin and
throat, rusty black, but paler. Breast, with narrow alternate stripes
POMEK1NE SKUA. 177
of dark and light brown; back, rusty black, the feathers margined
with brown, which markings gradually become broader as they go
down to the tail coverts, whereon they are darkest. The primaries
have the shafts white. Tail, rusty black, the central feathers elongated;
underneath, whitish at the base, increasing to dark lead-colour;
under tail coverts, mottled with broad bars. Legs, dark lead-colour,
with a tinge of vivid blue; toes, black.