The Zoologist— April, 1871. 2557 



more to describe, the splendid appearance, on a beautiful moon- 

 light night, at this time. Then the vast surface of the bay is 

 completely covered with myriads of fishes, of various Icinds and 

 sizes, all actively engaged, either in pursuing or avoiding each 

 other. The whales, alternately rising and plunging, throwing into 

 the air spouts of water; the codfish, bounding above the waves, 

 and reflecting the light of the moon from their silvery surface ; the 

 capelins, hurrying away in immense shoals to seek a refuge on the 

 shore, where each retiring wave leaves multitudes skipping on the 

 sand, an easy prey to the women and children, who stand there 

 with barrows and buckets, ready to seize upon the precious and 

 plentiful booty ; while the fishermen in their skiffs, with nets made 

 for that purpose, are industriously engaged in securing a sufficient 

 quantity of this valuable bait for their fishery." 



Cod-fishing may be said to be at its height during the capelin 

 season. Like the smelt, the capelin possesses, although in a less 

 degree, the cucumber smell. Large quantities of capelin are dried 

 in Newfoundland and exported to England and elsewhere. 



American Herring [Clupea elongata). Abundant all along the 

 shores, and spawns, in " countless thousands," in many of the bays 

 and harbours. Thousands of barrels of spring and fall herrings are 

 annually exported from Newfoundland, and form the chief means 

 of subsistence of the settlers. 



Henky Reeks. 



Thruxton, Andover, March 3, 1871. 



On the Occurrence of the American Meadow Zor^- (Alauda magna 

 of Wilson) in Great Britain. By Edward Newman. 



On the 1.3th of February I received from that excellent naturalist 

 Mr. J. W. Lloyd, of Kington, the description of a bird which 

 I could not make out: after some little correspondence, he most 

 obligingly sent it to the 'Field' office in London, when it was 

 immediately recognized by my friend Mr. Harting as the American 

 meadow lark [Alauda magna of Wilson) a bird that had only once 

 before been obtained in the British islands. This well-known bird is 

 also the Stuinus ludovicianus of Linneus, the Cacicus alaudarius of 

 Daudin's ' Traile Elementaire,' the Sternella ludoviciana of Swain- 

 son and of Gray's ' List of Genera of Birds,' and the Sternella 



SECOND series — VOL. VI. V 



