A FEW AUTUMN NOTES. 577 



In Eastern Bohemia I shot, on November 26th, a Jack 

 Snipe (Scolopax gallinula) in the middle of a wood of Scotch 

 firs, where thesoil was sandy and the nearest water was a 

 long way off. The poor bird must have been driven there by 

 the storm of that day and the previous night, for it lay quite 

 exhausted on a sandy path, and allowed me to approach within 

 a few yards of it. 



The Lapwing ( Vanellus cristatus) also remained remarkably 

 long with us ; on November 10th, a few days before the 

 snow, I saw many on the great ploughed fields near Prague, 

 a locality frequented by large flocks of these birds every 

 autumn. During the time that the fields were covered with 

 deep snow I saw none ; but on the 23rd, when a strong south 

 wind freed the district from its white mantle in a few hours, 

 I observed in the afternoon a large flock of Lapwings flying 

 towards the south-east. 



The Coot (Fulica atra) as well as the Moorhen (Stagnicola 

 chloropus) stayed on a pond near Prague up to November 

 12th, and only left their summer-quarters a day or two before 

 the water was entirely frozen over. At the same time a 

 large flock of Mallards (Anas boschas) appeared there, and 

 were afterwards joined by some Garganey Teal (A. quer- 

 quedula] . 



I have now for several years observed this advent of fairly 

 large flocks of ducks on these small sheets of water before the 

 winter has quite begun ; and this time the cunning birds did 

 not allow themselves to be frightened away by the first snow 

 and frost, for on November 22nd, as I was walking past a much 

 smaller pool near the one above mentioned, I saw a large 

 flock of Mallards on its perfectly frozen surface, and three 

 days afterwards they were again contentedly swimming about 

 among the rushes. 



The Sky-Lark and the Starling both left us in the middle of 

 November. 



