Notes from norts Lincolnshire. 185 



fear of injuring the specimen. The gizzard was quite crammed 

 with small red worms and many minute stones. This, excepting 

 a Black Redstart, seen by Mr. Wm. Eagle Clarke, was the only 

 rarity we obtained at Spurn in the autumn. On the 24th I 

 found the remains of a young Cuckoo, killed some time pre- 

 viously, against the telegram wire which extends for several 

 miles along the sand-hills to the Point, against which fatal thread 

 many a rare immigrant has dashed in the night migration. 



An interesting capture for Lincolnshire was that of the 

 Roller, shot on October 27th, at Muckton, near Louth. I saw 

 this bird shortly after at Mr. Kew's, the birdstuffer's, and con- 

 jecture from the generally dingy appearance of the plumage that 

 it was a bird of the year. 



The first flight of Woodcocks arrived at Spurn on the night of 

 October 21st; the great flight on the night of the 28th. Both 

 these flights correlate with their passage across Heligoland. On 

 the east coast sportsmen hold that it is a south-east wind which 

 brings large grey or light coloured cocks, a north wind bringing 

 small red-coloured birds. All our Woodcock shooters on the east 

 coast — I mean those who have any experience in this matter — 

 recognise the difference between the two, the former doubtless 

 coming from more southern localities than the little red 

 Scandinavian bird. 



The past autumn was singularly deficient in rare and 

 interesting visitants. Mr. Philip Lawton, of Easington, had 

 three Wood Sandpipers brought to him about the middle of 

 September, and Mr. Clarke received one, shot on the south-sand 

 Bridlington, about the middle of August. These were 

 immature birds. 



During the first week in December great flights of Snow 

 Buntings arrived in the east coast marshes with north winds and 

 snow-squalls, and for some days the accumulated flocks quite 

 crowded the stubbles. Hundreds and thousands rose on being 

 disturbed, and with much twittering flitted heedlessly past the 

 intruder, settling again immediately. I found it almost impossible 

 to keep them on the wing. The proportion of old to young was 

 about one in forty. 



Pied Wagtails and Stonechats have remained with us all 

 through the winter, and I have seldom visited my sheep folded 

 on turnips without seeing either one or the other. The Stone- 



