;si78 Correspondence. 



OCCURREiXCE CF I'HE RED-THROATED PIPIT IN DEVON. 



Sir,— It may nterest readers of " B.N." to learn that I saw a fine 

 specimen of the Red-throated Pipit {Aiithiis ccrviiiiis, Pallas) on September' 

 22nd last, on one of the higher creeks of the River Dart, S. Devon. 

 It was a cock bin in full plu:ii;i,L;c and excellent condition, and was so 

 tame that I was al Iq to study it for some time. 



Or referring to my edition of Morris' British Birds, published in 

 1870, I find his plate of this bird most accurate in colouring, and ati 

 that date he writes : 



I have much satisfaction in giving for the first time a figure of this 



bird as a British one " and states, ' that it had been seen in the 



neighbourhood f)f Dunbar and Edingburgh- but this species inli.ibits 



" principally the South and East of Europe. It is also found m the 



" American and .Asiatic Continents and likewise in Japan." 



I shall be interestel to learn if any of your readers have seen 

 the bird in their districts, or if it is still a rare bird in Great Britain. 

 Pahbacombe , October 3i-'i6. THEO. FOSTER. 



[Howard Saunders in his Manual of Brit. Birds (1809 I'^ditio.i:, 

 gives the following occurrences: March 13, 1884, a bird-catchor ')rought 

 to the late Mr. -Swaysland, of Ilrighton, a specimen of this species — 

 —it was examined in the flesh by Mr. J. H. Gurney, and duly recorded 

 in the Zoologist. In the Zoologist, 18S4 (p. 272), Mr. ^^■alter Prcntis 

 stated that in Ap"il, 18.S0 he shot an example of th's species at. 

 Rainham in Kent, while it was feeding and singing among the freshly- 

 turned furrows behind his plough— both these specimens were later examined 

 by the late Dr. R. B. Sharpa, and the former was exhibited by him at 

 a meeting of the Zoological Society, April i, 1S84. Up to that year no 

 thoioughly authenticated British-killed example was known, although to the 

 late Mr Bond possessed a genuine specimen of th^ bird labelled " Unst., 

 May 4, 1854," pu ihased at the sale of the collection of the late Mr. 

 Troughton. Subsequently, as recorded by Mr. F. Coburn (Zoologist, 1896, 

 p. loi), an example was obtained near St. Leonard's, Sussex, on Nov. 

 13, '895- 'ind thi i was exhibited at a meeting of British Ornitholo- 

 gists' Club in the ollowing December. There have probably been many 

 latC'- occurrences.— Ei).] . 



