The Zoologist — November, 1870. 2367 



between the 7th of November and the I4th of December, 1869. 

 These, it would seem, were part of a considerable flock which had 

 reached our shores, and become scattered, by the persecution of 

 gunners, into small parties of five or six, as between the 12th and 

 15th of January of this year no less than twelve specimens were sent 

 up to Norwich for preservation from the neighbourhood of Salt- 

 house, and two others, I understand, were too much shot to be worth 

 preserving. 



A gunner at Salthouse, who obtained most of the examples killed 

 there, informs me that he saw the first one during th& frosty weather 

 which began about Christmas Day, and after the weather broke up 

 he never saw more than five together. They frequented the low 

 marshes that are occasionally flooded by the sea, but were then dry : 

 they kept by themselves, and did not consort with other small birds 

 on the beach. All had left by the 18th of January. The stomachs 

 of three birds (one male and two females), sent me on the 12th, were 

 filled with black seeds, minute pebbles and grit. 



Of this species, at one time considered a great rarity in Norfolk, 

 upwards of thirty-eight specimens have been killed since the first 

 example was procured in 1830, and many others have been killed in 

 Suffolk, which scarcely agrees with the statements made in recent 

 letters in the 'Times' as to the very rare occurrence of the shore 

 lark in England. 



In all cases these birds have been met with in close proximity 

 to the coast, during the months of November, December and January, 

 or on their return northwards in March and April. It is noticeable 

 also that of eleven specimens shot between 1830 and 1862 all proved 

 to be males but two; whilst of those more recently obtained by far 

 the larger number have been females, and most of them young birds. 

 This would almost seem to indicate that the sexes feed in separate 

 flocks in winter, although four pairs killed in the winter of 1866-7 

 were undoubtedly male and female respectively; but these were all 

 old birds. 



Early in April last an adult female was also killed at Yarmouth, 

 which probably marks the time of the passage northward of the 

 remnant of the flock that had visited us during the previous winter 



months. 



Henry Stevenson. 

 Norwich, September 27, 1870. 



