346 BIRDS OF NORFOLK. 



Pycraft took the remains of a small bird wliicli he 

 believed to be a lark. 



Mr. Booth mentions having seen this species several 

 times off Yarmouth, and once on Hickling Broad, in 

 immature plumage, but only on one occasion did he ever 

 meet with it in mature dress ; this was on the 27th 

 October, 1872, off the entrance to Yarmouth harbour; 

 the example being in perfect adult plumage, but too 

 wary to admit of his getting within range for a shot."^ 



STERCORARIUSt CATARRHACTES (LiDnseus). 

 GREAT SKUA. 



This species, which is decidedly rare on our coast, 

 appears accidentally quite independent of weather, 

 but its visits, few and far between, are almost in- 

 variably in the autumn months. Sir Thomas Browne, 

 in his manuscript " Account of Birds found in Norfolk," 

 says : " In hard winters I have also met with that large 

 and strong-billed fowle wch Clusius describeth by the 

 name of Skua Hoyeri, sent him from the Faro island by 

 Hoierus, a physitian, one whereof was shot at Hickling 

 while 2 thereof were feeding upon a dead horse. "f 



Sir W. Hooker's MS., presumably referring to S. ca- 

 tarrhactes, records the occurrence of " four skua gulls " 

 shot off Yarmouth, on October 7th, 1827. Hunt, in his 

 *' List," speaks of this species under the name " Larus 



* A gull purchased by Mr. Gurney at the sale of the Miller 

 collection, and long believed to be an ivohy gull, proved, Mr. 

 Gurney tells me, on careful examination to be a wliite-plumaged 

 glaucous gull. 



f The name Lestris, used by Yarrell, has to give place to the 

 older term Stercorarius, bestowed by Brisson. 



J There can be no doubt from the description given by Clusius, 

 though his figure is very rude (" Exotica," p. 367), that Hoier's 

 " Skua" was the bird which the Fseroese still call by the same 

 name, though in modern times spelt " Skiiir " (See " Zoologist," 

 X872, p. 3290). 



