194 BRITISH BIRDS. [voi.. vi. 



UNRECORDED GREAT SKUA IX MEATH. 



On October 2nd. 1908, when walking with my wife along the 

 beach from the mouth of the Boyne to Layto^\'n, 1 saw for 

 the first and only time a Great Skua {Stercorarius s. shua). 

 It approached veiy near us in chase of an Arctic Tern, and 

 the dark brown ])lumage and hooked l)ill left me no doubt 

 as to its identity. This occurrence should go to the credit 

 •of CO. Meath, which I do not find included in my friend 

 Mr. Ussher's list of appearances of this rcmaikablc l)ird. 



Charle.s W. Benson. 



Cuckoo reared by Rock-Pipits. — I\Tr. C. Kirk, in the 

 Scottish Naturalist 1912, p. 235, states that he saw a young 

 Cuckoo {Cuculus c. canorus) on July 14th, 1912, on Ailsa 

 Craig, which was only able to make short and unsteady 

 flights, and was attended by the foster parents, which were 

 Rock-Pipits {Anthus spinoletta obscurus). This appears to 

 be the seventh recorded instance of the Rock-Pipit being 

 used as a foster parent by the Cuckoo {supra, p. 156). 



Little Owl in Forth. — A Little Owl {Athene n. noctua) 

 was shot on November 9th, 1910, at East Grange, near 

 Dunfermline, Fifeshire, and is now preserved in the 

 Dunfermline Natural History Museum. With the exception 

 of one obtained near Aberdeen, M'hich is believed to have 

 escaped from confinement, this appears to be the first 

 recorded occurrence in Scotland (R. Somerville, Scot. Nat.. 

 1912, p. 225). 



I White variety of the Heron in Wigtownshire.— The 

 Duchess of Bedford records a Heron {Ardea cinerea), which 

 appeared to be almost wholly white with some very pale 

 buflf markings on the feathers, and dull chocolate-brown 

 primaries, secondaries and tail-feathers, as seen on September 

 14th, 1912, on a moor in WigtoAvnshire {Scot. Na'., 1912, 

 p. 236). 



Ruff in Herefordshire. — A Ruff {Machetes piignax) 

 was shot by Mr. J. D. Hatton at Holmer, near Hereford, on 

 September 12th, and a Reeve near the same place on the 

 14th. Both specimens have been given to the Hereford 

 Museum. According to Mr. J. Hutchinson, who records 

 these occurrences in the Field of September 28th, 1912, the 

 last record of this species for the county was that of one 

 shot at Garnstone on August 29th, 1894. 

 t" Sabine's Gull in Forth. — Mr. W. Evans observed a young 

 Sabine's Gull {Xema sabini) on September 13th. 1912. just 

 outside Leith Harbour {Scot. Nat., 1912, p. 237). 



Buffon's Skua in Herefordshire. — Mr. E. Cambridge 

 Phillips, writing in the Field of September 21st. 1912, states 



