244 BRITISH BIRDS. [vol. viii. 



DAMAGE TO TAIL-FEATHERS OF POMATORHINE 



SKUA. 

 On October 22nd, 1912, an adult male Pomatorhine Skua 

 {Stercorarius pomarinus) was shot by the Light-keeper and 

 forwarded to me in the flesh from Mutton Island, Galway. 



The ends of the two long tail-feathers were broken off 

 about an inch shorter than the others. This defect I 

 attributed to the Light-keeper's anxiety to make the bird 

 " look tidy "—for the quills had not the appearance of 

 being shot away. 



In reply to a letter the Light-keeper wrote that he had 

 not broken them off. Mentioning the subject to a well-known 

 taxidermist, he said that in two or three instances he had 

 received Skuas injured in the same way, and that he had 

 heard this injury attributed to the Great Skua, which, while 

 chasing the Pomatorhine, nipped off the long ends of the 

 tail-feathers. 



This explanation is a remarkable one, which without 

 corroboration I hesitate to accept. 



Since writing the above I remembered another adult Poma- 

 torhine Skua shot November 1st, 1908, on Tory Island, co. 

 Donegal, whose two central tail-feathers were similarly broken. 

 Can the vertical twisting weaken the shafts so much that 

 winter gales break the ends off ? Both specimens are in 

 my collection. Richard M. Barrington. 



[There is evidence that the Pomatorhine Skua will snip 

 off the ends of the tail-feathers of its companions and also 

 the tips of the tail-feathers of Buffon's Skua. Mr. A. Roberts 

 observed several at Scarborough in October, 1879, pursuing 

 the Buffon's Skuas and snipping off their elongated tail- 

 feathers, as well as acting in a similar way to their OAvn 

 species {B. of Yorks., II., p. 701). Mr. T. H. Nelson also 

 notes that this defect was noticeable in several specimens 

 examined by him [loc. cit.). — F.C.R.J.] 



Black-headed Buntestg in Yorkshire — Correction. — 

 In our July issue {antea, p. 55) we referred to a Black- 

 headed Bunting {Emberiza melanocephala) which was exhibited 

 at a meeting of the British Ornithologists' Club by Mr. A. F. 

 Griffith, who stated that the bird had been presented to the 

 Booth Museum at Brighton and that it was said to have 

 been caught near Halifax, Yorkshire, in December, 1910, 

 and subsequently kept in an aviary at Hove by Major 

 Johnson until its death in 1912. Since the publication 

 of the record in the Club's Bulletin, the editors of the 

 Naturalist have been inquiring into its authenticity and 



