RICHARDSON'S SKUA 441 



EICHAEDSON'S SKUA. 



Stercorarins crepidatns (Grmelin). f^.N., i., p. G0"2 



(1788). 



Richardson's Skua is more often seen on the coast of 

 Kent than obtained. It is a winter visitor to the shores 

 of the county and ascends the River Thames, keeping 

 generally to the estuaries. 



Morris states that " in the winter of 1800 one was 

 shot at Greenwich, another at Sandwich." From this 

 period, strange to say, until 1863, nothing appears to 

 have been noticed of this bird. 



Mr. E. Young, of Sittingbourne, writing on July 1, 

 1863, says : " I had a beautiful specimen of this bird 

 brought me this morning." In 1867 Mr. A. H. Smee 

 says : " On October 3 I saw two specimens of the 

 Common Skua, the first just opposite Greenhithe, the 

 other by the Chapman Light. The latter when observed 

 was chasing a Common Gull, which it soon compelled to 

 disgorge its food." 



A specimen in the Maidstone Museum was killed by 

 Mr. H. Payne, October 17, 1895, at Stoke, Kent. A 

 young or immature bird in the British Museum was 

 obtained at Gravesend in Septbmber. 



Mr. W. Prentis mentions that " the mature bird with 

 a long tail is extremely scarce, one was shot out of the 

 bounds of my district, October, 1865, on the Swale 

 River." 



Mr. R. J. Balston also observed it in the mouth of 

 the Medway. 



