i io AN EAST COAST NATURALIST 



mostly males, were obtained. Stevenson says, " The 

 first recorded specimen of the Shore-Lark in Norfolk, 

 and probably the first ever recognised in England, 

 is the one (thus) referred to" (quoting Yarrell). 

 This specimen was obtained at Sherringham in 

 March 1830. Several were obtained before the 

 publication of The Birds of Norfolk-, these 

 Stevenson takes pains to enumerate and attach 

 dates, considering the occurrences sufficiently rare 

 to warrant this. 



An arrival of Mealy Redpolls in November 1893 

 was a marked feature of that year, when scores were 

 netted. The Brambling occurred in large flocks in 

 the winter of 1885, and again in that of 1894-95, 

 when many dozens were trapped. A bird-catcher, 

 who discovered the bird's partiality for certain 

 districts, cleared the ground of snow, and daily 

 baited it with various seeds. So many poor little 

 things were taken that they were sold alive at a 

 penny and twopence apiece in the open market. 

 Unusual quantities of Siskins arrived in the winter 

 of 1900. A bird-catcher, observing a number fre- 

 quenting an old lettuce-bed, borrowed a tame 

 Siskin for a decoy bird, and laid his nets early in 

 the morning. By breakfast time he had netted 90, 



