4700 THE ZOOLOGIST—NOVEMBER, 1875. 
the flight came under our notice. Although some of the skuas 
appeared fatigued by their long flight, and would occasionally rest 
on the water for a few minutes, then rise and pursue the course of 
their companions, yet none of them appeared in want of food, for 
although there were numbers of gulls on the sands while they were 
passing, we did not see any of the skuas attempt to chase. We 
remarked a good many adult birds, with light-coloured throats and 
bellies and long tails; but the greater part of the flight consisted 
of dark-coloured immature birds. One of the latter I shot as a 
small flock passed over me; and at the time, being doubtful of the 
species, I sent it for identification to my friend the late Mr, William 
Thompson, of Belfast, who pronounced it to be Richardson’s skua. 
My brother, during his five years’ residence at Bartra, from 1851 
to 1855, has observed skuas on their passage to south-west every 
month of October, but never in such numbers as the flight of 
1851. 
The pomarine skuas I first met with in 1862. For several days 
previous to the 22nd of October the weather had been very stormy, 
blowing in wild squalls, with heavy showers from the south-west : 
on that morning I was standing at the parlour window of Moyview, 
looking down the river towards Bartra, and just thinking that some 
skuas might appear (as the weather was similar to that when the 
great flight of Richardson’s skua appeared in 1851), when I sud- 
denly remarked a flock of ten or twelve dark-looking birds flying 
slowly up the river from the sea. I immediately took my gun and 
ran down to the shore, but only reached it in time to see the skuas 
pass out of shot. My disappointment, however, did not last long, 
for in a few minutes after a flock of five birds passed, out of which 
I was so fortunate as to obtain a fine specimen of the pomarine 
skua in almost perfect adult plumage. This bird is now in the 
collection of the Dublin Natural History Society. Several flocks 
passed on afterwards, and I was able to secure a second bird, also 
a Pomarine, ina like stage of plumage. Shortly after obtaining 
the second bird I was called away to attend to some business 
matters, and when I returned to the shore I found the flight had 
ceased for that day. 
On the morning of the 23rd the gale still continued, but had 
changed round to the west-north-west, and consequently the skuas 
in their flight up the river kept close to the western or Mayo side, 
and none came within shot of the Sligo shore of the river, upon 
