5 o THE SCOTTISH NATURALIST 



Feathers, likewise some Feathers with whitish edges on the 

 Belly. The Legs, Feet, and Claws were of a dirty yellow. 

 This Lark was taken with a Clap Net by one of the Bird- 

 catchers in a field near Highgate, and brought to me by 

 Mr Davenport, which I have taken care to draw exactly 

 from the Bird, neither adding or diminishing in the Draught 

 or Colouring. This being a Curiosity, I was desired by one 

 of my Subscribers to make a Plate of it." The figure, like 

 all Albin's plates, is crude, but, taken in conjunction with the 

 text, leaves no doubt that the bird was a male Black Lark. 



The date of the occurrence is not given, but the Plate 

 has the year 1737 inscribed upon it, a feature not common 

 in Albin's pictures, and probably indicates the year of 

 capture. 



The next and only other British record of the Black 

 Lark (the now accepted English name for the species) 

 relates to a small party observed on the coast of Kent and 

 Sussex, in January and February 1907, from which several 

 specimens were obtained. 



Albin's account is also interesting since it antedates 

 what has hitherto been regarded as the original description 

 of the bird that of Forster under the name of Alanda 

 yeltoniensis which was published in the Philosophical 

 Transactions (lvii., p. 350) in 1767, and was based upon a 

 specimen from La*ke Elton, S.E. Russia ; which latter locality, 

 along with Turkestan and Western Siberia, form the bird's 

 native land. In winter it wanders, and at that season has 

 visited Galicia, Italy, Belgium, and Heligoland. 



Hawfinches and Goldfinches near Musselburgh. It may 



be of interest to record that there are, at the present time 

 (February 191 7), a pair of Hawfinches in the neighbourhood of 

 Musselburgh. They have been seen several times during the past 

 month. I have also noticed a small party of Goldfinches, five 

 in number, and very large flocks of Linnets, Skylarks, ami Meadow- 

 pipits, the first in greater numbers than I ever remember, and the 

 last more numerous than they have been for several years. Crossley 

 Sykes, Musselburgh. 



