NELSON : ORNITHOLOGICAL NOTES FROM REDCAR. 123 
the shore. Unusual quantities of Scaups (Fudiguia marila) were 
obtained. during December and January ; many of them being drakes 
in perfect plumage. The oid wildfowlers say that, 40 or 50 years ago, 
these birds were numerous every winter, and they hardly considered 
them worth shooting, but they are by no means common now. 
1891. JANUARY. 7th.—A Whooper (Cygnus musicus) was shot 
near Stockton-on-Tees. Several Swans were killed by a puntsman, 
on the Tees, in December and January. 8th.—Hard frost. A great 
tush of Larks (4. arvensis) took place, all flying to the N.W. 
gth.—Fine, S.W. light wind. Three Swans passed, about half-a-mile 
off at sea, flying N.W. I do not think we had such severe frosts as 
were experienced in places further South, nor was there much snow. 
The little which did fall quickly melted on the coast-line, and throngs 
of Fieldfares (7. pilaris), Redwings (Z. rliacus), Larks, Thrushes 
i musicus), and other small birds came down to the sands and 
fields near the shore, but the ground was frozen so hard that they 
could find but little sustenance, and many perished from starvation. 
16th.—My attention was attracted by the notes of some birds of the 
Lark tribe, at high-water mark, near the sand-hills ; on shooting one 
I saw it was a ‘stranger,’ and forwarded it to Mr. W. Eagle 
Clarke ; however, I afterwards procured two more, and then, by the 
aid of Mr. Saunders’ ‘Manual’ discovered they were Wood Larks 
(Alauda arborea). Probably they comprised a family party, for there 
were only seven altogether. These are the first I have met with, 
and it is, surely, an extraordinary time and place for birds of their 
nature. A local taxidermist, who has been in the habit of snaring 
song-birds ever since he was a boy, informs me that although he has 
often looked for the Wood Lark he never saw one until this winter ; 
and Mussell has had only one specimen through his hands in the 
course of the past 35 years. 1gth.—A Scaup Drake swimming near 
the shore induced me to take a boat and go in pursuit ; I winged the 
Drake, but it escaped, by diving, at the time, although I secured it 
afterwards. I then shot a strange-looking bird, which was flying 
past, and which proved to be a Great Crested Grebe (P. cristatus), 
and shortly after obtained three Red-necked Grebes (P. griseigena), 
besides seeing eight or ten others, and a Great Northern Diver, which 
I could not follow, owing to the cold snow showers and darkness 
coming on. ‘Two fishermen, who had heard me shooting, put off in 
their boat, and shot a Mute Swan (C. olor) and three Red-necked 
Grebes, They told me they had seen at least twenty. The weather 
became too rough for boating for some days after the 19th ; between 
that date and the 27th the fishermen reported most surprising 
quantities of Grebes at sea; there must have been some hundreds 
April 18or. 
