A HISTORY OF DURHAM 



226. Pomatorhine Skua. Stercorarius poma- 



torbinus, Temminck. 



Occurs not unfrequently, especially in the 

 estuary of the Tees. 



227. Arctic or Richardson's Skua. Sterco- 



rarius crepidatus, J. F. Gmelin. 

 Frequent on the coast, chiefly in early 

 winter. 



228. Long-tailed or Buffon's Skua. Sterco- 



rarius parasitictu, Linn. 

 Occasionally in winter. At Whitburn in 

 1837. Several off the Tees in 1879. I know 

 of five other specimens trken in the county, 

 dates uncertain. 



[Great Auk. Aha impennis, Linn. 

 Though we have every reason to believe 

 that the great auk was taken in Northumber- 

 land in the early part or middle of the 

 eighteenth century (Hancock, Birds of North- 

 umber land and Durham, p. 165), yet there is 

 no trace of it in Durham in historic times. 

 But it may claim a place here, from the dis- 

 covery in the spring of 1878, in one of the 

 seaworn caves in the face of the Whitburn 

 Lizards, of the remains of the great auk. The 

 birds had evidently been eaten by man, for 

 many human bones, including five skulls, 

 were found in the caves, as well as those of 

 all our domestic animals, and of the red deer, 

 roe, badger, marten-cat, and many others. 

 The bones are now in the Newcastle Museum. 

 See Nat. Hist. Trans,, Nortbumb., vii. 361, 



Mff.] 



229. Razorbill. Aha torda, Linn. 

 Common on the coast throughout the year. 



230. Common Guillemot. Una troile, Linn. 



Abundant at all seasons, but, like the razor- 

 bill, not breeding in our limits. 



231. Black Guillemot. Uria grylle, Linn. 

 Occurs only in winter. Not uncommon. 



232. Little Auk. Mergulm alle, Linn. 



An uncertain winter visitor, sometimes 

 arriving in great numbers. One of these 

 irruptions was in October 1841, when hun- 

 dreds appeared off Hartlepool and the Tees, 

 and many were picked up far inland. An- 

 other invasion was on 5 December, 1895 

 to January 1896, when between thirty to 

 forty specimens were brought to Mr. Culling- 

 ford, Durham Museum, of which one at least 

 was picked up dead in the city. 



233. Puffin. Fratercula arctica, Linn. 

 Common on the coast. Resident, but has 



no breeding stations. 



234. Great Northern Diver. Coiymbus gla- 



cialis, Linn. 



Occasional in winter. Seldom a season 

 passes without one or two being taken at 

 Teesmouth. Its occurrence in summer plum- 

 age is very rare. 



235. Black-throated Diver. Colymbus arcticus, 



Linn. 



More frequent than the last. One was 

 captured on the Wear, near Durham city, in 

 full summer dress. 



236. Red-throated Diver. Colymbus septen- 



trionalis, Linn. 



Not uncommon in winter, and occurs at 

 other seasons. I have had three specimens 

 from Cowpen Marsh in nuptial dress. 



237. Great Crested Grebe. Podicipes cristatus, 



Linn. 



A rare straggler, only on the coast. One 

 at Elton, another taken at Teesmouth, 

 12 January, 1901. 



238. Red-necked Grebe. Podicipes griseigena, 



Boddaert. 



An occasional winter visitor. There are 

 specimens in all our local museums, but with- 

 out dates. Off the Tees, 19 November, 1892. 



239. Slavonian Grebe. Podicipes auritus,l,mn. 



Not uncommon in winter. Hogg mentions 

 one near Stockton in 1823, but of late years 

 it has been frequently taken. 



240. Eared Grebe. Podicipes nigricollis, Bre. 



A very rare visitor. I only know of one 

 Durham specimen, in Mr. Sutton's collection. 



241. Little Grebe or Dabchick. Podicipes 



fluviatilis, Tunstall. 



Still breeds on the Tees, and occasionally 

 on tarns and ponds throughout the county, 

 generally distributed. 



242. Storm-Petrel. Procellaria pelagica, Linn. 



Not unfrequently found after a storm, and 

 has been picked up dead some distance inland. 

 In December 1895 and January 1896 many 

 were taken. One was picked up dead in an 

 inn yard in the city of Durham. 



243. Leach's Fork-tailed Petrel. Oceano- 



droma leucorrhoa, Vieillot. 



Accidental. One specimen washed ashore 

 north of Hartlepool, date uncertain. 



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