210 On the Occurrence of some of the Barer Species of Birds 



to its heart's content^ with crest erected and quivering wings. I 

 think this rather unusual with them. 



Alauda Arborea. "The Wood Lark.''-' This is a scarce bird amongst 

 us compared with the Sky Lark, but is to be found in suitable 

 localities in many places round us. This species, also, is a very sweet 

 songster, and will continue its song for a considerable length of 

 time, wheeling round and round in wide circles in the air, both as 

 it ascends and descends. Mr. Norwood tells me it is far more 

 numerous in Devonshire than in this district, while Mr. Baker says 

 it is to be found round Mere, though sparingly. Champion, the 

 bird-catcher, whom I have before referred to, tells me that one 

 evening in 1868, a lovely autumn evening, as he was returning home 

 from a bird-catching expedition on the borders of the New Forest, 

 he put up about sixty of these birds in a wheat stubble altogether, 

 not far from Trafalgar — the seat of Earl Nelson. He immediately 

 laid down his pack, and setting his nets with his call-birds, they 

 soon pitched again, and he caught nine of them. He has never 

 seen so many of this species together before or since. Last year he 

 heard one singing on the borders of the Forest, but he has not 

 observed many of them of late years. 



Alauda Alpestris. " The Shore Lark." Six of these pretty birds 



were killed at Christchureh in 1875, two of which Mr. Hart still has 



in his own collection. This is the only notice I am aware of within 



reach. And, as its name implies, when they do occur amongst us, 



they are generally to be found on the coast. There are several other 



rare species of Lark, which are occasionally met with on the downs 



which border our sea coast, but I have no local notice concerning 



them. 



Embeeizid^. 



Plectrophanes Nivalis. "The Snow Bunting." We now come to 

 the Bunting tribe, to be at once distinguished from the Larks by 

 the peculiar sinuous notch in the lower mandible, over which the 

 upper one nicely fits. The Snow Bunting only occurs very occasion- 

 ally amongst us in this district, one or two being seen now and then 

 in very hard winters. In 1868, ]\Ir. Norwood informs me a pair of 

 these birds were seen some seven or eight miles from here, between 



