THE BIRDS OF CUMBERLAND. 179 



S. Parasiticus. Buffon's Skua. 



BufFon's Skua is a rare casual visitant. An 

 example was obtained on RocklifFe marsh in the 

 autumn of 1879, by A. Smith. An adult male was 

 shot near Kirkandrews-on-Eden on June 3rd, 1885, 

 having, no doubt, strayed westward on its passage to 

 the breeding grounds. It was killed by a fisherman, 

 and was kindly presented to us in the flesh by 

 Dr. Macdougall. Its slender shape, and the long 

 central rectrices, combined with the black cap and 

 delicate grey mantle, render it a most interesting 

 specimen. Though in very perfect plumage, the 

 body was indiflerently nourished, and only contained 

 the remains of three earthworms. The tarsi were 

 bluish-grey in the fresh specimen, a narrow stripe of 

 black extending for about one inch up the inside of 

 the tarsi, toes and webs black, irides dark brown, 

 interior of mouth pale flesh-colour. The central 

 tail feathers extend seven and a half inches beyond 

 the next. Tarsus one and a half inch, middle toe 

 one and two-fifths of an inch, wing twelve inches. f 



Family PROCELLARIIDiE. 



Genus PROCELLARIA. 



P. Pelagica. Storm Petrel. 



The Storm Petrel is a winter visitant, occasion- 

 ally blown far inland by severe gales, and picked up 

 dead or in an exhausted state. A few years since, 



+ Mr. Armistead states (Naturalist, March, 1886) that another waa 

 obtained near Allonby some years since. 



