84 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



when it was shot by one of the professional wildfowlers of the Solway Firth. 

 This species is rare on the N.W. coast of England. — H. A. Macpherson 

 (Allonby Vicarage, near Mary port). 



Fulmar and Surf Scoter in Cos. Sligo and Mayo.— On Oct. 19th, 

 when driving to Ballina, I observed a dead Gull (as I thought) entangled in 

 a small thorn-bush on the side of the road near the village of Castleconnor, 

 Co. Sligo; but to my surprise, on examination, found it to be a very fine 

 fresh specimen of the light-coloured variety of the Fulmar. As we had a 

 continuance of northerly and north-easterly gales for some days before, the 

 poor bird had evidently been driven before the storm and blown into the 

 bush, from which, in its exhausted state, it was unable to extricate itself. 

 The place where I found the bird is at least two miles and a half from Killala 

 Bay, and nearly half a mile from the nearest part of the Moy Estuary. 

 Although I have found dead Fulmars washed ashore by the surf on the 

 Ennicrone Sands, and on one occasion found a pair alive, but too exhausted 

 to move above the edge of the surf, yet I never met one inland before. 



When out punt-shooting on Dec. 19th, I was fortunate in obtaining a 

 very fiue female specimen of one of our rarest American visitors, the Surf 

 Scoter. A smart frost the night before induced me to lauuoh my punt, and 

 look out for any Mallards driven down by the frost to the estuary, as they 

 usually are when the mercury in the thermometer falls below 26°. On 

 reaching the stony point where the Ducks rest at about 7.30 p.m., owing 

 to the faint light, I was unable to make them out lying amongst the brown 

 seaweed ; and, after waiting for some time vainly trying to see them, six 

 fine Ducks rose out of the wrack, going off without a shot. Letting the 

 punt drift down channel with the ebb-tide, I met seven or eight Wigeon 

 near Bannross, and fired, knocking down five out of the bunch, but picking 

 up only four, one cripple escaping by hiding in the seaweed. Loading in a 

 hurry, I hastened on to cross the flats to Moyue Channel before the tide 

 left the banks, and was barely able to do so, having to leave the punt and 

 push her before me in the shallow water for a hundred yards or so, until I 

 got into the channel. I found the sands on either side well covered with 

 Godwits, Curlew, some flocks of Dunlins, and Sanderlings, and on the 

 Bartragh side, a flock of forty Sheldrakes resting after their morning's feed, 

 but well out of shot. 



Meeting neither Wigeon nor Ducks, I still kept down channel, till, 

 reaching " Moyne Pool " (an expansion of the channel), I saw a large flock 

 of Godwits at the lower end, nicely placed for a shot. Seeing no chance of 

 Wigeon I sat down to the Godwits, but before coming within shot a pair of 

 heavy black Ducks flew past up channel for a short way, then turning, flew 

 down again, pitching about a quarter of a mile below me. Thinking them 

 to be Common Scoters (of which numbers are always in the bay just out 



