AND NEIGHBOURHOOD. 169 



the birds in small flocks, as above mentioned, as late 

 as the second week in April. I may, however, 

 mention that these nests were in a district at least 

 two thousand feet above the level of the sea. In 

 one instance I discovered the nest by startling the 

 parent bird from it with a cut from my stick at a 

 viper, which lay coiled up within a foot of her as she 

 sat. The nest in this case was entirely composed of 

 dry grass-stalks, the finer of which formed the lining, 

 and contained four eggs, of a yellowish white, closely 

 spotted with light brownish lilac, the markings being 

 almost confluent at the larger end. Mr. A. G. Elliot, 

 of Stamford, informs me that he is acquainted with a 

 certain spot in North Northamptonshire in which a 

 pair of Wood-Larks may generally be found during 

 the breeding-season. This bird is not mentioned by 

 Morton. 



The only occurrence of this species in North- 

 amptonshire that has come to my knowledge since 

 the above article appeared in our county Nat. History 

 Journal, was communicated to me by the Rev. Henry 

 H. Slater, who informed me that he heard, and 

 clearly identified, a Wood-Lark singing in the Bedford 

 Purlieus near Thornhaugh, on April 24th, 1893. 



73. SNOW-BUNTING. 



Plectrophanes nicalis. 



I find at p. 427 of Morton's 'Nat. Hist, of North- 

 amptonshire,' " The greater py'd Brambling, or 

 Mountain Finch (Montifringilla calcaribus alaudee 

 major). Two of these were taken in Brixworth Field 

 in November 1708. They were catch'd in the common 



