Page:The Zoologist, 1st series, vol 4 (1846).djvu/96

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1262
Birds.

One was shot at White Mate Pool near Sunderland, and is in the col- lection of my cousin, Edward Backhouse, Jun. of that place.

Black Tern, Sterna nigra. I have two specimens in the young plumage from a collector at Stockton, who informed me they were got in the Tees mouth.

Arctic Tern, Sterna arctica. Not so abundant as the common tern, but frequent in the Tees bay.

Roseate Tern, Sterna Dougallii. Occurs in the Tees bay, but rare.

Lesser Black-backed Gull, Larus fuscus. Common about the Tees mouth.

Arctic Skua, Lestris parasiticus. A specimen in the young plu- mage was obtained at Seaton by Edward Backhouse, Jun., it is much smaller than Richardson's Skua, and has a different cast of plumage to any of the numerous specimens of that species I have seen, the two middle-tail feathers which are partially elongated, are rounded at the end like the Pomarine Skua, though in the old state, they are very long and finely pointed.

The above fourteen birds, added to those already in the catalogue, makes the total number observed in the district 224. Selby has only 214 species, but since his list was published, many fresh species have been observed in the two counties. The only birds in Hogg's list which cannot be added to Selby's, as inhabitants of Northumberland and Durham, are the Black Woodpecker observed at Yarm, and the Rock Pigeon, if these latter are really the true wild species, and not escaped from dove-cots ; of the Great Plover, which is not enumerated by Selby, I have seen a specimen which I was assured was shot in the high parts of this county, near the Moors. The following birds are in Selbys's catalogue, but I am not aware of their having been ob- served in this district.

Snowy Owl, Noctua erminea. Rothbury and Elsdon, Northum- berland, 1823.

Tengmalm's Owl, Noctua Tengmalmi. Near Morpeth, 1812.

Golden Oriole, Oriolus galbula. A female at Tynemouth, 1821.

Blue-throated Warbler, Curruca suecica. Newcastle Town Moor.

Grasshopper Warbler, Salicaria Locustella. Near Durham and western parts of that county.

Rose-colored Pastor, Pastor roseus. Near Durham and Chester- le-Street.

Roller, Coracias garrula. Near Howick and South Shields ; 1 have a fine specimen shot near the Tyne.