26o The Irish Naturalist, [Oct., 



October, 1890; and on the 8th of November same year, 

 the late Dr. Burkitt sent my friend, Mr. R. J. Ussher, of 

 Cappagh House, Co. Waterford, an adult bird that he had found 

 dead in a field close to his house, near BelmuUet, County Mayo. 

 Then, during the last week of November, 1890, Dr. Scott of 

 Bnniscrone gave me an immature specimen of the black 

 variety, that was shot by his nephew, as, in company of two or 

 three others, it was flying over a bog near Kilasser, twelve or 

 fourteen miles from the sea. And a fourth vSpecimen, a very 

 fine adult, with long tail and white under-parts, was found 

 lying dead (but quite fresh) on the Bnniscrone sands by Miss 

 Amy Warren on the 2nd October, 1892. 



Richardson's Skua (Lestris crepidat7is~) visits the ba}^ and 

 estuary much oftener than either of the other two species, 

 some being observed nearly every autumn, during the migra- 

 tory^ months of September and October. 



This skua first came under my notice in October, 1851, 

 when residing with my brother, Mr. B. H. Warren, on the 

 island of Bartragh. We observed the first of the skuas on the 

 8th, when, as we were returning from Killala to Bartragh, two 

 flocks of six and eight birds were seen at a great height coming 

 from the open bay, and passing across the country to the south- 

 west; but these were only the precursors of the large numbers 

 that followed on the 15th and i6th. . The wind had been blow- 

 ing in wild squalls, with heavy showers of rain on the morning 

 of the 15th, when my brother observed four skuas flying from 

 the bay ; about half-past nine o'clock, nineteen birds passed, 

 one of which I shot (an immature Richardson's). At eleven, 

 I saw twenty-two pass ; about twelve, I saw ten, and at one 

 o'clock, seventeen birds passed over ; all flying in the same 

 direction, up the river to the south-west These flocks, to- 

 gether with the stragglers that passed singly while we were 

 watching, altogether made up the number to seventy-two birds, 

 counted without mistake. On the morning of the i6th the 

 flight still continued, the birds passing in small flocks, and up 

 to eleven o'clock (we were unable to remain longer) upwards 

 of one hundred birds were seen. 



They appeared to be all Richardson's (I did not notice the 

 large Pomatorhine amongst them), and the greater part were 

 dark-coloured birds, and mostly immature, for very few long- 



