334 



THE DATE OF THE OCCURRENCE 

 OF EMBERIZA CIOIDES AT FLAMBOROUGH. 



W. EAGLE CLARKE, F.L.S., 

 Natural History Department, Museum of Science and Art, Edinburgh; etc. 



In the Appendix to his ' Manual of British Birds,' just issued, we 

 note, under the head of Brandt's Siberian Bunting (p. 733), that 

 Mr. Saunders follows Canon Tristram (P.Z.S., 1889, p. 6; 'Ibis,' 

 1889, p. 293) as his authority for the date of the occurrence of this 

 bird at Flamborough. We, too, following the same authority, 

 quoted October 1887 in our preliminary notice of this species in 

 The Naturalist (1889, p. 79); but Mr. Chase, on seeing our note, 

 made an important communication, in which he not only furnished 

 •our readers with the most complete account of the occurrence that 

 has yet appeared, but, on the authority of Mr. Matthew Bailey, who 

 received the bird in the flesh, (and from whom Mr. Chase obtained 

 it) fixed the date as November 1886 {Naturalist, 18S9, p. 113). 

 Recognising the source and nature of this communication, we think 

 it is not too much to claim for it due consideration, even if it is 

 denied the official status we attach to it. Under these circumstances 

 we read, with some surprise, Mr. Saunders' concluding sentence : 

 ' As a mere detail, it may be mentioned that in The Naturalist for 

 1889 (p. 113) the date of capture is given as November 1SS6.' 



This note is published in the hope that Mr. Bailey, who alone 

 can afford the information, will remove the doubt which appears to 

 rest upon the date of occurrence of the latest addition to the British 

 and, it is believed, European avifauna. 



NOTES AND NEWS. 



A new work on European Birds, which from its plan is calculated to be of great 

 service to ornithologists, is announced for publication by subscription during the 

 autumn or early spring. It is to be from the pen of Mr. James Backhouse, jun., 

 F.Z.S., etc., and will be entitled ' A Handbook of European Birds for the use of 

 Field Naturalists and Collectors.' Intended mainly for a handy reference-volume, 

 it is to consist of a series of short general descriptions and brief notes as to distri- 

 bution and habitat. It is to be 7/6 (plain cloth) or 10/6 (limp calf with flaps for 

 pocket use) to subscribers, the prices being raised immediately on publication. 



>oo< 



Local palaeontologists will be specially interested in the forthcoming 'Catalogue 

 of British Fossil Vertebrata ' by Messrs. A. Smith Woodward and C. U. Sherborn 

 (London : Dulau & Co.). References are given to the original specimen and 

 description of each British species, as well as its geological horizon and localities. 

 The authors, whose names are a guarantee of thoroughness, have not only con- 

 sulted the publications of all provincial societies, but visited most of the public and 

 private museums, and such valuable collections as those at York and Newcastle- 

 on-Tyne figure largely in the records of type-specimens. The work, consisting 

 of about 350 pages, will be published at 12s. 6d. ; subscription price (before 



1st December), 10s. 6d. 



Naturalist, 



