Ornithological Notes. By George Bolam. 363 



An attempt has this year, I believe, been made to introduce the bird as 

 a breeding species, at the Parne Islands, by having eggs, obtained from 

 other stations, placed in the nests of the Common or Arctic Terns ; but 

 how far the experiment has succeeded, I have not yet heard. 



Great Skua. Stercorarius catarrhactes, Linnaeus. 



A very large Skua, which was flying about amongst the Gulls in the 

 harbour at Berwick, during the gale and high tide on 21st September 1891, 

 must have been a bird of this rare species, but I was not so fortunate as 

 to see it. 



The day was exceedingly wet and stormy, there being two wrecks at 

 Berwick during the afternoon, and the tide in the river and along the 

 coast rose several feet above ' the highest previous record.' There was 

 also a vast flood in the Tweed, which did much damage to crops and water 

 dykes in the country, and washed away several bridges ; and at Berwick 

 it was quite a sight to behold the sheaves of corn, and cocks of hay, which 

 all day long were floating down the river, and being carried out to sea or 

 landed and made prizes of by people upon the look-out. It was amidst all 

 this destruction and floating debris that the Skua appeared, and regardless 

 of wind or weather, began pursuing some of the larger Gulls which had 

 collected in the harbour, until they had furnished him with a meal. 



PoMATORHiNE Skua. Sfercorarius pomatorhinus, Timminck. 

 Mr Peter Cowe has an immature bird at Oldcastles, which was shot at 

 Berwick about the end of January 1891. 



Little Auk. Mergulus alle, Linnaeus. 

 Very rarely occurs in the district in summer plumage, but I saw a bird 

 which had fully assumed this state, and which had been picked up dead 

 amongst the heather in the Duke of Northumberland's park at Alnwick on 

 7th May 1892. 



FuLMAE. Fulmarus glacialis, Linnaeus. 



After some stormy days, with high north and north-east winds, in the 

 second week of October 1887, several Fulmar Petrels were found in a 

 more or less disabled condition upon the coast. On the 15th of that 

 month my brother picked up two upon the sands at Goswick ; and on the 

 1st March following we found the remains of a thii'd, washed up upon Ross 

 Links. These are all now in my collection. 



One of the Goswick birds was still alive when found, but in a very weak 

 state, and quite unable to fly. The Ross specimen is rather dark in 

 plumage, and apparently nearly intermediate between the ordinary pale 

 form and the dark coloured northern examples. 



The Berwick Journal of 8th November last recorded a Fulmar which was 

 seen chased by a flock of Rooks, on the Tweed at Sprouston Dub, three 

 days previously, and was ultimately knocked down and killed by them ; 

 but no mention is made as to what became of the specimen, and its 

 identity may therefore be open to doubt. 



