ALAUDID^. 103 



Peckham (Zool, 1890, p. 394). The Short-toed Lark has occurred once 

 on the Scilly Islands. 



When we visited the Zoological Gardens this last summer we saw in 

 the \Yestern Aviary a Short-toed Lark, probably one of these very birds, 

 labelled " Devonshire. Presented by Com^ W. M. Latham, October 28, 

 1889."' This small species of Lark is a summer migrant to the South of 

 Europe, being abundant in some parts of Southern Prance and throughout 

 Spain and Portugal, and is only a very rare and accidental straggler to 

 higher latitudes. We are convinced that we saw one of these little Larks 

 one day in early autumn on the Braunton Burrows. We followed it for 

 some time, but did not succeed in shooting it. 



The example obtained by Mr. Jenkinson on Scilly was also reported as 

 " rather wild." It was observed among some bents growing on the sand 

 a few yards from the beach, and attracted attention chiefly by uttering a 

 note that was unusual, as well as by its general appearance.] 



[Calandra Lark, Melanocorypha calandra (Linn.). 



This fine species of Lark, well known in Spain and in Southern Europe, 

 where it is as favourite a cage-bird as our own Sky-Lark is in England, 

 has been twice obtained in South Devon, and although it may be objected 

 that these birds were probably escapes, yet this applies to so many birds 

 now admitted into the " British " list, that we need not scruple to record 

 these Devonshire examples, although with the reservation mentioned 

 beneath. Writing from Plj-mouth on 15th August, 1863, Mr. J. Gatcombe 

 says : — " A short time since, when looking over the collection of Mr. Pin- 

 combe, taxidermist, of Devonport, I recognized a specimen of the Calandi*a 

 Lark, which he assured me had been killed in the neighbourhood, but that 

 he had hitherto considered it to have been a specimen of the Shore-Lark " 

 (J. G., Zool. 1863, p. 8768). Commenting upon this, Mr. J. H. Gurney, 

 Jnr. (Zool. 1869, p. 1599), adds that Mr. Gatcombe had detected another 

 of these Larks in the possession of Mr. Byne, which that gentleman had 

 procured from Truscott, the Exeter bird-stuffer, who said it was a Lapland 

 Bunting, and killed near Exeter. Subsequently, in the 'Zoologist' for 

 1876 (p. 4835), Mr. J. H. Gurney writes, " the Calandra Lark is said to 

 have occurred once at Plymouth and once at Exeter. With regard to the 

 latter specimen I have my doubts ; nor is the former entirely without 

 suspicion, though the specimen, which is in my collection, has not the 

 appearance of having been a foreign skin. When I purchased it I ob- 

 tained, through Mr. Gatcombe's intervention, the following certificate : 

 'I certify that this Calandra Lark was killed by St. John's Lake (Ply- 

 mouth), and I had it in the flesh, and mounted it myself. — Abraham 

 PincomVjc.' This bird is said to have been killed by a man named Ken- 

 dall, now dead. It agrees very well with specimens obtained by mo in 

 Spain and Algeria." But, after this, we must quote from Mr. Brooking 

 Kowe : — " No reliance is to be placed on anything Pincoml)o says, and 

 that the specimen was obtained hero is to be received with caution. The 



