192 Zoological Miscellanea and Extracts, by James Hardy. 



Occurrence of the Wood-lark (Ahuda arborea), in North- 

 umberland. — I have intended for the last month offering a con- 

 tribution to your interesting " Notes on Natural History," in the 

 Club's Transactions, and as I find I shall be unable to attend the 

 meeting of the members to-morrow, I shall now send it you in 

 writing. It is about the Woodlark. After midnight, on the 18th 

 June, I heard one singing opposite to my own house. The bird 

 was not on the wing, but whether it was on the ground or 

 perched I cannot say, as I did not see it. I went out on the 

 three following nights (19th, 20th, and 21st) about midnight, 

 and heard it on each occasion in full song. On the morning of 

 the 22nd, we had a severe thunderstorm, and again in the even- 

 ing heavy rain, and that night my friend was silent. The next 

 time I heard it was, I think, the next day, from the opposite side 

 of the house whilst sitting at dinner — of course much earlier in 

 the evening. Two or three times I could- distinguish it whilst 

 the other birds were still in full twitter, but it was at night 

 when it alone was singing that every note of its charming song 

 could be distinguished. The first night I heard it, I was almost 

 deluded for a minute with the belief that I was listening to a 

 Nightingale. Yarrell says "they are said" occasionally to sing 

 during fine summer nights, so I presume he had never heard 

 one. He adds that Mr Selby calls it a scarce bird in Northum- 

 berland, but Mr Selby does not specify Northumberland in 

 particular, and merely says it is confined to the south and west, 

 but I do not fancy they are by any means so rare as he would 

 imply. I heard it once or twice besides the occasions I have 

 specified, but it is either now silent or has left the locality. — 

 Thomas Tate, Belvedere, Alnwick, 25th July, 1876. 



Chaffinch. — In June, on the public road near Flodden, I re- 

 marked a female Chaffinch seize a black beetle, and then let it 

 run, and capture it again, for a young bird chirping for food, 

 that accompanied it. 



Goldfinch. — Mr Ferguson, on the 9th February, 1877, ob- 

 served a few Goldfinches at Thornydykes, near Westruther ; and 

 Mr George Bolam, in the end of December, 1876, came on a 

 small flock near Weetwood Hall. 



Siskin. — Mr George Bolam saw several in December in a 

 small plantation between Weetwood and Horton. A flock of 

 Siskins again this winter visited the Alder trees on the Lillburn. 



