252 BRITISH BIRDS. 



of several clutches of blue eggs in a colony of Common Terns 

 where such an occurrence Avas previously unknown must be 

 due to some other cause, and the absence of variation in some 

 colonies of the Black-headed Gull and its presence in others, 

 seems to show that there is a variable factor in the case, such 

 as the existence or non-existence of protection, though of 

 course it is not necessarily due to this cause. — F. C. R. 



JOURDAIN.] 



POMATORHINE SKUA IN NORTH LANCASHIRE. 



It may be interesting to note that I received in the flesh on 

 November 13th, 1911, a specimen of the Pomatorhine Skua 

 [Stercorarius pomatorhinus) which had been shot on November 

 10th, 1911, in the Lune Estuary, north Lancashire, close to 

 the place where Mr. Smalley's specimen was killed with a 

 stone on November 28th, 1908, as mentioned in British 

 Birds (Vol. II., p. 313). My specimen is an immature female, 

 but not a bird of the year, being, I take it, in its third plumage, 

 for its throat is pure white, as are the under-parts with the 

 exception of the abdomen — which is sooty-black with some 

 of the feathers tipped with grey — and the pectoral band, 

 which is formed by small irregular broA^m blotches at the 

 extremities of some of the feathers. The flanks also bear a 

 few similar markings, whilst the straw-coloured acuminate 

 feathers are just making their appearance on one side. 



H. W. Robinson. 



LITTLE AUK IN SHROPSHIRE. 

 On December 26th, 1911, a Little Auk {Mergulus alle) was 

 found dead on Hatton Farm near Church Stretton, Shrop- 

 shire, and sent to me for examination. The weather at the 

 time was not particularly stormy. Several others have been 

 recorded in the county in winter, the last previous occurrence 

 being on one of the EUesmere lakes in November, 1884. 

 Strange to say, the visitation of Little Auks to this country 

 during 1895-6 did not affect Shropshire, not one, apparently, 

 wandering thus far westwards. H. E. Forrest. 



MADEIRAN FORK-TAILED PETREL 

 IN HAMPSHIRE. 



My friend the Rev. J. E. Kelsall has sent me a specimen 

 of the Madeiran Fork-tailed (or Harcourt's) Petrel {Oceano- 

 droma castro), which was picked up dead on the beach at 

 Milford, Hampshire, by Mr. Roland Follett on November 

 19th, 1911. 



Mr. W. R. Ogilvie-Grant has kindly named the specimen 

 for me. 



