282 BRITISH BIRDS. [vor . vi. 



Oldbury in October, 1879 (McAldowie's Birds of Staffordshire, 

 p. 138). On October 30th, 1912, however, Lord Lichfield 

 kindly wrote to me from Shugborough to say that " a 

 Pomatorhine Skua (a male) flew over at a considerable 

 height, saw some wild duck on a pool near Cannock Chase, 

 and was killed Vvhile hovering over them, regardless of the 

 presence of several people Avho approached the pool. He 

 had, however, spent about an hour from the time of his 

 first arrival in eating the remains of a dead duck already 

 well decomposed — extreme expanse of wdngs 45 inches." 



John R. B. Masefield. 



[There is also a reference to a Skua " with twisted tall 

 feathers," but which has since been destroyed, in the Rep. 

 North Staffs. Field Club, 1909-10, p. 108.— F.C.R.J.] 



RAZORBILL IN STAFFORDSHIRE. 



On November 11th, 1912, during the course of a gale from 

 the north-west, a Razorbill {Alca torda) ^^'as picked up alive 

 but injured on the Sandwell Golf Course at West Bromwich, 

 Staffordshire, and^sent to^ Messrs. Spicer & Sons, Birmingham, 

 for preservation. Mr. Spicer, Jimr., informs me that he dis- 

 sected it and found it to be a male. Geoffrey Leigh. 



POST-MORTEM EXAMINATIONS OF BIRDS. 



At the suggestion of several subscribers, the Editors have 

 now made an arrangement with an eminent veterinary 

 pathologist to carry out post-mortem examinations of any 

 birds (other than cage-birds) which may be sent for that 

 purpose, at a fee of five sliillings per examination. Should 

 any subscriber desire to avail himself at any time of this 

 arrangement it would be necessary to despatch the bird 

 immediateh^ to the Editors of " British Birds," 326, High 

 Holborn, and by the same post to send the fee of five shillings 

 for the pathologist's report. The pathologist's report would 

 then be despatched as soon as possible direct by post to the 

 subscriber, but in no case can an examination be imdertaken 

 or reported u^wn imless the fee is sent in advance. The 

 Editors reserve the right to publish in " British Birds " 

 any information concerning such birds should they think it 

 of interest to their readers. 



Red-breasted Flycatcher at the Pentland Skerries. 

 — The occurrence of an adult male Muscicapa p. parva at 

 the Pentland Skerries (Orkney) on September 30th, 1912, is 

 recorded by IMi-. J. Bain {Scot. Nat., 1912, p. 278). 



