OTES 



. WOOD-LARK BREEDING IN SOMERSET AND 

 ;: DESCRIPTION OF NESTLING. 



The impression left by Mr. Stanley Lewis's interesting note on 

 this species {antca, p. 91) might be that the Wood-Lark (L. a. 

 arhorca) is almost absent from Somerset, but this is fortunately 

 not the case. Though possibly there may be no printed record 

 with full data of the discovery of eggs or young, the species 

 has certainly nested for some considerable time in several spots 

 in the county. I have watched the birds and listened to the 

 song in several localities in west Somerset, in the breeding- 

 season, during the last twenty years, and I have also a good 

 many records of the occurrence of the bird in the breeding- 

 season from other observers. The bird is not generally 

 distributed in the county, but is present in certain localities, 

 and doubtless often overlooked. The only Somerset-taken 

 eggs I have seen are a clutch of four in Taunton Castle Museum, 

 taken near Milverton on April 28th, 1900. As no description 

 of the nestling of this species is given in A Practical Handbook 

 of British Birds, the following notes I once made on four 

 nestlings about three days old may be of interest : Down 

 grey, almost having the appearance of lavender-grey, long 

 on head and plentiful. Mouth inside orange-yellow, two 

 black spots at base of tongue and another at tip, externally 

 flanges, yellowish-white. According to the Practical Hand- 

 book, in the Sky-Lark of same age the down is very pale straw 

 colour, the mouth inside dull yellow and the flanges externally 

 white. F. L. Blathwayt. 



LATE NESTING OF THE SPOTTED FLYCATCHER. 



I WAS in Wiltshire on Septeuiber 6th, 1920, and noticed 

 a brood of Spotted Flycatchers {Mnscicapa s. striata) being 

 fed, the young birds being distributed on the various ledges 

 of a church. 



It seemed fairly clear that they had left the nest not more 

 than about two days before. This was, no doubt, a second 

 brood, but I have not previously found this species nesting 

 so late. D. W. Musselwhite. 



[The above is the latest date of which I have any note, 

 but young are occasionally found in the nest up to mid- 

 August. I have seen fresh eggs on July 23rd in Derbyshire, 



