ESTIMATE OF THE NUMBER OF GANNETS 331 



suggesting that there is a good deal to be learnt from the market returns 

 which are sometimes kept in large towns. Very remarkable statistics 

 might, I believe, be compiled about Woodcocks, by any one who had leisure 

 to seek them, but the undertaking would be a work of labour. Already 

 some of value have been collected by Mr. L. Ternier of Honfieur, who says 

 that in 1902-3 24,247 Woodcocks were brought to the poultry markets 

 of Paris, in 1903-4 23,090, and in 1904-5 30,200 (" Proc. 4th Intl- Con- 

 gress," p. 660). Unfortunately no returns are obtainable from the markets 

 of London. As is well known. Thrushes have long been an important 

 article of consumption in many countries of Europe ; in some cities they 

 have been annually sent to market in incredible quantities, and particularly 

 used this to be the case in the South of France, where, in consequence, they 

 have now decreased in numbers. From the authors of " Richesses ornitho- 

 logiques du Midi de la France " (1859), p. 208, we learn of 315,000 Song- 

 Thrushes (T Urdus musicus) having been captured in a limited extent of 

 coimtry in a year, together with 35,000 Blackbirds and Mistle-Thrushes, 

 but they are not any longer taken in such abundance. Then again, 

 there is the trade in Larks. Professor Newton quotes (Yarrell's " British 

 Birds," 4th edition, I., p. 621) J. M. Bechstein's statement that 404,000 

 Larks — presumably all Alauda arvensis, L. — were brought into the city 

 of Leipzig in one month (probably October) of the year 1720 (see 

 " Gemeinniitzige Naturgeschichte Deutschlands," 2nd Afl., Bd. III., 

 p. 779). Stupendous as is this number, it finds confirmation in 

 Naumann's remark that the excise lists still showed that 500,000 were 

 being supplied annually to Leipzig when he wrote, while even more were 

 sent to other towns (" Naturgeschichte der Vogel Deutschlands," 1824, 

 IV., p. 185). In France also the trade in Larks was, and still is, very large. 

 To Mr. L. Ternier I am indebted for a great deal of information about this 

 industry, and for statistics of the numbers sold in the markets (Halles 

 Centrales) at Paris. In 1898 the number returned as sold was 1,419,891 ; 

 in 1899 1,179,142 ; in 1900 927,806 ; in 1901 1,238,277 ; in 1902 961,905. 

 Since then the figures have been rather lower, and in 1909 Mr. Ternier is 

 informed the supply had dropped to 355,000. But this is only for Paris, 

 every other market town, as Mr. Ternier observes, receives its supply 

 also, and a very large supply in some cases ; for instance, Mr. Ternier 

 states that in the market of Argenton, which is a small town in the 

 Department of Indre, about 168,000 Larks, believed to be nearly all 

 Alauda arvensis, are sold in a season. Again, there is Mr. Robert 



