4240 The Zoologist — November, 1874. 



Unfortuuately it arrived without its important character of two middle tail- 

 feathers, the clongatiou of which beyond the lateral tail-feathers I should 

 have been greatly interested in observing, and also whether these feathers 

 graduated to a point from the roots, or were of equal width throughout, 

 a character which the late Mr. Yarrell thought essential to the true Buffon's 

 or arctic skua. In the specimen which I have, and which is half the size of 

 a Richardson's skua in the same case, the middle feathers exceed the others 

 by five inches, but they graduate towards the tips : this was reported, with 

 a general description of the bird, to Mr. Yarrell, and he regarded this 

 feature as fatal to its being Buffon's skua. I believe I have mentioned 

 this, or something hke it, to you before, but I mention it again, as I think 

 there is some uncertainty, and therefore inviting discussion whether there 

 may not be a still smaller species, and with still longer tail-feathers, and of 

 equal width to the end. — Edward Ilearle Eodd ; Penzance, October 6, 1874. 

 Pomarinc Skua in North Deron. — The occurrence of the pomarine skua 

 upon our coasts in the adult state, although perhaps not so unusual an 

 event as it would formerly have been considered, is yet doubtless one 

 of sufficient infrequency to justify its being placed upon record. An 

 instance has recently fallen within my own experience, and inasmuch as it 

 furnished an opportunity for observation of the habits of this species, with 

 which British ornithologists have so few chances of becoming personally 

 acquainted, I think a somewhat detailed account of the occurrence in 

 question may prove interesting to the readers of the ' Zoologist.' Being at 

 Northam Buitows on the 7th of October, I strolled along the coast in the 

 afternoon, about high-water time, and during the prevalence of a strong 

 south-westerly wind. I had not gone far before I observed a large bird 

 swimming, or rather resting, on the water close to the shore, which I at 

 once conjectured to belong to the skua tribe. I observed that it had much 

 more of the body visible above the water than in the case of either gulls 

 or divers when in that position, and the breast seemed unusually full and 

 protuberant. I noticed a peculiar habit which the bird appeared to have of 

 jerking up its head and throwing back its neck at regular intervals of a few 

 seconds between each other. When I had got to within about fifty yards of 

 it, it rose rather heavily, and after sailing about in a slow and stately 

 manner for a short time, pitched upon the shore of a creek some distance 

 off, where it remained for some little time, repeatedly extending and 

 flapping its wings, and I think (although of this I am not certain) con- 

 tinuing the movement of the head and neck before referred to. Having 

 approached it from behind some neighbouring sand-hills, I put it up, and 

 having observed the peculiar hawk-like air with which it looked around it 

 as it rose, I fired, and it dropped winged into the creek ; there it sailed 

 about, apparently otherwise uninjured, with its tail elevated after the 

 manner of a moorhen, until I at length secured it. It proved to be a male 



