1518 The Zoologist — January, 1869. 



it is decidedly larger tlian a male liening gull, particularly in the beak. Flying it 

 appeared a much darker or smokier colour than ihe young of the blackhacked and 

 herring gulls; in fact, the breast and belly appear of a uniform clove-brown, like 

 a skua — an extraordinary thing, considering it lo be so delicately pale a bird in adult 

 years. I could recognize it by its dull colour far oftener than by its white primary 

 quills. The Iceland >;ull appeared a very pale bird, the wings frequently appearing 

 snowy white. — //. Bluke-Knox ; Dalkey, County Dublin. 



Lillle Gull near Yarmouth. — A specimen of the little gull was shot in the neigh- 

 bourhood of Yarmouth on the 4lh of October. It answers the description by Yarrell 

 of a younj; bird of the year, and is doubtless a male bird : the sex, unfortunately, was 

 not noted, it having been ^kinncd by an amateur. — T. E. Gunn. 



Kitliwake Gull near Faversham. — A kittiwake gull was caught alive in a horse- 

 pond, about four miles from the coast, early this autumn. — J. Hunter. 



Pomarine Skua at Exmouth. — On the 30th of September last I shot a specimen of 

 the pomarine skua on the beach at Exmouth. When I first observed it the bird wi!S 

 in company with a flock of gulls at some little distance from the shore, but it after- 

 wards left its companions ami bcjrati circling over my head within easy range. It is a 

 male specimen and in immature plumaije. When shot it was blowing a heavy gale 

 from the south-east, and had been for a day or two previously. — M. S. C. Richards ; 

 Clifton, November 24, 1868. 



Pomarine Skua and Forklailed Petrel near Faversham. — A specimen of the 

 pomarine skua, in fine plumasre, was shot on this coast on the 14th of November, ami 

 is now in my collection. The bird is an immature female, and answers very closely 

 to Yarrell's description, excejiiing in the colour of tlie bill, cere and legs, which latter 

 in my specimen is a clear chalk-blue, and the base of the bill and cere greenish white ; 

 nearly the whole of the fore toes and webs are black, but the hind toe and claw aie 

 the same colour as the legs. The tarsus measures in length two inches and three- 

 eighths, which I think may make a good distinctive maik of species, as Yarrell gives 

 the tarsus of Richardson's skua as one inch and three-quarters only. My specimen 

 •was very poor in flesh, and its stomach and intestines quite empty of food: its weight 

 before skinning was only eighteen ounces. A specimen of the forktailed petrel was 

 shot at the same place on the 3rd of October. — J. Hunter. 



Fulmar Petrels at Scarhorough. — Mr. Roberts, ofScaviiorou^lh, sent me four fulmar 

 petrels in the flesh on the 24th of November. They had been taken on board a (ishing- 

 yawl at sea, the men having caught some with hooks, others by the hand (on the deck 

 of the vessel), while they were swallowing herrings. These birds are unusually 

 plentiful on the Yorkshire coast tliis autumn: at Flamborough the fishermen say they 

 have seen scores of them about thirty miles from land. On opening the stomach of 

 one some semi-transparent seed-like substances were detected, such as are commonly 

 found in the storm petrel, but larger, supposed to be tbe air-bladders of some species 

 of sea-weed. — J. H. Gurn<y,jun. 



Fulmar Petrel at Whitby. — On the 21st of November some fishermen caught a 

 fulmar petrel at Whitliy, which I had the pleasure of skinning. With regard to the 

 fulmars windpipe Professor Newton writes, "So far as I can judge from the examina- 

 tion cf these dried sperimens I think it is incorrect to speak of the structure as a 

 ' double trachea' — at least to my mind that term does not give an accurate notion of 

 it, and I should prefer calling it a ' divided trachea,' the windpipe being divided by a 



