356 



THE DATE OF THE OCCURRENCE 

 OF EMBERIZA CIOIDES AT FLAMBOROUGH. 



W. EAGLE CLARKE, F.L.S., M.B.O.U., 

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



From the information furnished me by Mr. R. W. Chase and 

 Mr. Matthew Bailey it would seem to be quite inexplicable as to 

 how the date October 1887 ever came to be quoted for the 

 occurrence of this bird. 



Mr. Chase tells me that he sent Mr. Bailey's original letter — 

 which I have had the advantage of perusing, and wherein the date 

 is stated to be November 1886 — to Canon Tristram, and this makes 

 the confusion that has arisen the more surprising. 



Mr. Matthew Bailey has kindly furnished the much desired 

 information respecting the true date of this rare bird's occurrence at 

 Flamborough. He says : — 



' All I can say respecting the date for the rare Bunting is that 

 October 1887, is a mistake; November 1886, is the correct date. 

 It was caught alive on the beach, at the foot of the cliffs south of 

 the headland, near to the Flamborough Head Light House, by 

 William Gibbon, fisherman, of Flamborough. I bought it at the 

 same time, and, thinking it something very rare, I preserved it. 

 When caught, a gale of wind was blowing from the east.' 



NO TE— ORNITHOL OGY. 



Nightingales near Knaresborough. — I have pleasure in being able to put 

 on record the occurrence and nesting of two pairs of Nightingales in some woods 

 within a short distance of Knaresborough. I am not at liberty to be more 

 precise as to the locality, as I have given an undertaking not to do so. — E. P. 

 Knubley, Staveley Rectory, 21st August, 1889. 



NO TES— FISHES. 

 Muller's Topknot off the Yorkshire Coast. — I obtained from our fish- 

 mongers to-day (November 4th) a very fine example of this rare fish {Rhombus 

 punctahts Bl.) taken in a trawl-net off the Yorkshire coast. Messrs. Clarke and 

 Roebuck, in their ' Handbook of Yorkshire Vertebrata,' have recorded several 

 occurrences at Redcar, and the last at Bridlington taken May 27th, 1881. — ■ 

 John Cordeaux, Great Cotes, Ulceby, Lines., November 7th, 1889. 



The Porbeagle Shark on the Cumbrian Coast. — I have much pleasure in 

 recording an occurrence of the Porbeagle Shark {Lanuia cornubica) on the coast 

 of Cumberland. The example in question was captured in a trawl-net about 

 four miles off St. Bees, on October 30th. When being hauled up on the beach, 

 it disgorged a quantity of plaice and other flat-fish, some of them being alive. 

 It measured 7 ft. 9 in. in length, and from its dentition appeared to me to be 

 immature. The heart struck me as rather small for so large an animal. Future 

 research will probably prove that this species visits the north-west coast 

 of England every year, and that it is by no means uncommon in our waters. 



— H. A. Maci>herso.\, Carlisle, November 8th, 1889. 



Naturalist, 



