164 
BIRDS OF LEICESTERSHIRE AMD RUTLAND. 
Bridge,” and was sold by him to “ Old Mansfield,” a Birmingham eye-maker 
since deceased. He particularly noticed “ its chubby little head,” and I should 
think it probable he was not mistaken in the species. 
Sub-family STERCORARIINjE. 
COiNDlON SKUA. Siercorarius catarrhactes (Linnaeus). 
An autumn and spring visitant to Britain, but of rare and accidental 
occurrence inland. — Mr. Babington (Appendix ‘ Potter,’ p. 70) said : — “ One 
shot near M'ymeswold, December, 1841. Communicated by Mr. Potter,” and 
Harley wrote : — “ This species of Lestris has been captured in the county, but 
the visit of the creature must ever be considered unusual and irregular. The 
bird appeared in the month of October, 1846, during the prevalence of a heavy 
gale from the N.M^.” The occurrence in the county of Leicester of the “ Com- 
mon ” Skua, probably one of the rarest of the Skuas, must stand or fall upon 
jMr. Babington’s note, as, in October, 1846, Harley evidently could not dis- 
criminate between this bird and the Pomatorhine Skua, from the fact that, in 
November, 1846, he admitted that he had mis-named the one recorded by him 
(see following specie.s) which he had wrongly pronounced to be the Common 
Skua. 
POMATOIHIINE SKUA. Siercorarius pomatorhinus (Teniininck). 
Pomarine Skua” (by error). 
A spring and autumn visitant to Britain, of irregular occurrence, but, inland, 
a rare straggler from the coast. — Harley related that one was shot near Leicester, 
in November, 1846, and, being merely wounded, was kept some time in a state 
of captivity.* Another, an immature bird, killed near Hinckley in the autumn 
of 1879, and secured for the collection of Mr. R. W. Chase, of Birmingham, 
has since been presented by that gentleman to the Leicester Museum, for 
which I also purchased an immature specimen (mounted), almost identical in 
plumage with that last mentioned, said to have been shot at Somerby in 
November, 1881. 
RICHARDSON’S SKUA. Siercorarius crepidatus (Gmelin). 
A rare straggler from the coast. — In the autumn of 1880 I saw, in the 
possession of a man named Donnell, a nearly adult specimen, said to have 
been shot at Enderby. 
* Mentioned also in the late Rev. Arthur Evans’ ‘ Miscellaneous Bird Notes,’ in the 
possession of Mr. Sebastian Evans. 
