The Zoologist — December, 1867. 1013 



flock whose appearance, both to the north and south of this county, 

 has been already recorded in the ' Field' and other journals. 



Skuas. — About the same time with the little storm petrels, we have 

 had a somewhat unusual influx of skua-gulls, and those chiefly of the 

 rarer kinds. The appearance of these birds, however, may be accounted 

 for indirectly by the extraordinary abundance of herrings off the coast, 

 the parasitic gulls following in the wake of others, at this season, wher- 

 ever food is more particularly abundant. On the 4th of October a very 

 fine adult male of Buffon's skua and a young bird of the year were shot 

 at Salthouse,* and a second old bird with a young one were seen at the 

 same time. The adult specimen resembles the birds figured by Mr. 

 Gould, in his ' Birds of Great Britain, 1 having the bright yellow tinge on 

 the sides of the neck ; but unfortunately one of the long tail-feathers was 

 shot away and the remaining one is shortened by an inch or two. 

 Singularly enough, another adult bird of this species, killed on Yar- 

 mouth beach, about the same date, is similarly injured. In the 

 stomach of the old bird from Salthouse were a few fragments of 

 feathers, apparently taken from its own breast, but no food of any 

 kind, and with the exception of one small beetle, entire, the stomach 

 of the young one was equally empty. On the 4th, as I learn from 

 Mr. Wilson, of Lynn, a female Richardson's skua, apparently, by his 

 description, in immature plumage, was shot on the river-bank near 

 Lynn; and on the 12lh, as recorded in 'Land and Water,' an adult 

 male of Buffon's skua was shot by Mr. Dugmore's gamekeeper, at 

 Beachamwell, on land which was formerly warren, and more than a 

 mile from any water. On the 12th also an immature pomariue skua 

 was killed at Yarmouth, the under parts becoming gradually white, and 

 the tail-feathers projecting nearly three inches ; and on the 17th a still 

 younger bird of this species, in its first plumage, was shot near Acles 

 Bridge, on the Bure. Besides these I have heard of another Buffon's 

 skua shot at Blakeney about the 20th of September. 



Litlle Auk. — A few storm-driven birds of this species occurred, in 

 different localities, about the same time as the petrels. On the 11th 

 of October I was shown one which had been picked up dead, a few 

 days before, some miles from the coast, and Mr. H. M. Upcher informs 

 me that he received one, on the 5th, which had been picked up in a 

 small running stream at Lower Sheningham, where another was seen 

 but not taken. 



* 'These were stuffed for a gentleman residing at Beeston Regis, but not killed 

 there, as slated by Mr. Gunn (Zuol. S. S. 992). 



