OTES 



SISKINS IN DEVONSHIRE. 



As the Siskin {Carduelis spinus) is of such uncertain appear- 

 ance in Devonshire it may be of interest to give its known 

 occurrences since 1892, the date of pubHcation of The 

 Birds of Devon. One was shot by chance out of a flock of 

 small birds in Dodbrooke Parish, near Kingsbridge, about 

 Christmas 1903, but although Mr. E. A. S. Elliot, a well- 

 known ornithologist there, kept a sharp look-out he saw no 

 flock. 



A flock of about twenty on December 20th, 1905, feeding 

 in the alders by the River Yeo near Ivybridge. 



A flock of Siskins with a few Lesser Redpolls November 

 26th, 1905, feeding in the alders at Venn Quarry, near Barn- 

 staple (B. F. Cummings, Zoologist, 1906, p. 237). 



Some were also seen daily at Exwick in March 1908 by 

 Mr. A. H. Rousham. 



Mr. W. S. M. D'Urban himself has not seen any in Devon- 

 shire since 1866, though he has been on the look-out for them. 



On January 15th, 1920, I saw four Siskins feeding among 

 the debris left by a flood by the side of the Exe at Countess 

 Wear village, just south of Exeter. They were very tame. 



T. P. Backhouse. 



LAPLAND BUNTINGS IN NORTHUMBERLAND. 



On the afternoon of April ist, 1920, during a strong easterly 

 wind, I had an excellent view at close quarters at Bamburgh, 

 Northumberland, of a male Lapland Bunting {Calcarius I. 

 lapponicus) in full breeding plumage. The bird was feeding 

 by the roadside, a few hundred yards from the sea, and 

 showed a complete absence of fear, so that I was able to 

 observe its plumage in detail. Seton Gordon. 



On April 3rd, 1920, at 6 p.m. Mr. Hodgkin and I saw a 

 flock of Buntings whose identity puzzled us. They answered 

 the description of the Lapland Bunting. They were feeding 

 on the links above Budle Bay, one mile north of Bamburgh. 

 The day had been wild and stormy with east wind and ceaseless 

 rain. The birds were busy feeding, and very tame : little 

 groups kept flying on, as we walked them up. The light was 

 very bad in the mist, but we got close to the birds. There 

 were at least thirty of them, possibly more, in the flock. 



Catharine Hodgkin. 



