ANDREWS — ON MERLANGTJS ALBUS. 9 



birds had abandoned the sea and were carrying on their course up the 

 River Shannon, in a direct line for Sligo Bay, and, curiously enough, 

 Mr. Warren remarks, one was killed in Donegal the day after they 

 were seen on the Shannon. All the specimens quoted by Thompson 

 (the majority of which were adult birds) occurred from August to Sep- 

 tember, except one which occurred in March; they must, then, have been 

 stragglers from the autumn flight. 



In the paper just read, Mr. Warren has established the migration 

 across our coasts of the fourth species (Z. pomarinus), the Pomarine 

 Skua. This might have been guessed at before, as all the specimens 

 (save one) which had previously occurred were immature, just the very 

 birds likely to become weak and be left behind in migrations. 



The conclusions to be drawn from these observations, then, are, all 

 of the Skuas found in this country are migratory, as follows : — 1st. The 

 common Skua (L. catarrhactes) is a southern species, and a regular visi- 

 tant in summer and autumn, following the shoals of mackarel aud her- 

 rings into our bays, the British Isles being nearly its northern limit, 

 the species breeding annually in the Orkneys, though not as yet known 

 to breed in Ireland. 2nd. That the three other species, viz., Buffon's 

 (or the long-tailed) Skua, Richardson's Skua, and the Pomarine Skua, 

 aU occur as annual migrants, through an annual migration of these birds 

 northward and southward past our shores taking place regularly, both 

 in early summer and in autumn. 3rd. Of these, Richardson's Skua 

 alone has bred in this island ; its autumnal migration occurs annually 

 in the month of October. 4th. That Buffon's Skua {Lestris Buffonii) 

 has been seen, and specimens procured on its migration north, in the 

 month of June. 5th. That the Pomarine Skua (L. pomarinus), at 

 present our rarest species, has been once, at least, met with on migra- 

 tion south in October. 6th. That the specimens of the Pomarine Skua 

 hitherto procured have been for the most part immature birds of the 

 autumnal flight, being stragglers unable to keep up with the flock ; but 

 that the long-tailed Skua have been mostly mature birds on the autumnal 

 migration, which have probably used this island merely as a resting- 

 place. 



In conclusion, I would congratulate the Society on the valuable ad- 

 dition which has been made to the history of this little-known group of 

 birds, and I think the thanks of the meeting are due to Mr. "Warren for 

 his careful notes, the collating of which has led to it. 



The President then read the following paper : — 



On the Occurrence of Merlangus Albtjs, new to Irish Ichthyology. 



Records which lead to a more extended knowledge of the Fauna or the 

 Flora of a country are always of interest, more especially when bearing 

 upon the local influences that affect geographical distribution. We have 

 not unfrequently brought to notice, either from the inland portions of 

 our country, our shores, or from the deeper water, some new forms of 



c 



