1896] Warrkn, — The Skuas of Killala Bay. 259 



I had an excellent opportunity for observing those that 

 passed on the 22nd, and have little or no hesitation in con- 

 sidering the greater part, if not all, to have been Pomatorhines ; 

 the first flock that passed v^ere undoubtedly of that species, 

 their great size and clumsy-looking tails clearly pointing them 

 out as such, and all exhibiting white underneath, and long 

 tails which proved them to have been adults. 



When seen during flight the Pomatorhine Skua's tail pre- 

 sents a very clumsy, awkward appearance, in contrast to the 

 elegantly pointed tails of the smaller skuas ; this is caused by 

 the two elongated tail-feathers being bluntly rounded at the 

 ends and twisted for nearly half their length at almost right 

 angles to the plane of the short tail-feathers, so that when a 

 side view of the bird is taken the full breadth of the long tail- 

 feathers is shown, giving the tail that thick, clumsy appearance 

 which so easily identifies this species of skua on the wing. 



Very few dark- coloured birds were seen on either day — 

 probably not one to ten of the white-breasted ones. 



I could not be quite certain as to which species the birds 

 seen on the second day belonged, for they passed at too great 

 a distance for me to judge of their size and appearance ; but 

 as the first day's flight was undoubtedly made up of Pomato- 

 rhines, it niaj^ be safely inferred that the second day's was a 

 continuance of the first, and therefore was of the same 

 species. 



A very interesting letter from J. C. Neligan, of Tralee, was 

 read at a meeting of the late Dublin Natural History Society, 

 in March, 1863, describing his meeting with a large flight of 

 skuas (many of them Pomatorhines) in Tralee Harbour on 

 the 25th of October, 1862, just two days after the last of the 

 skuas left this on the 23rd, and, I think, almost satisfactorily 

 proving that the skuas after leaving this bay, and crossing 

 the island, continued their flight along the coast to Tralee 

 Harbour, where they took shelter and remained while the 

 stormy weather lasted. 



Since the above date, this skua, so far as I am aware of, has 

 only occasionally occurred in this and the adjoining County 

 of Mayo: four specimens only having come under my notice. 

 An adult bird of the black variety was shot on lyough Conn by 

 my friend, Mr. John Garvey, of Ballina, on the 24th of 



