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a dull buffy white or pale ochre-colour ; quills blackish brown, with a metallic gloss and broadly edged 

 with pale fulvous buff; secondaries and wing-coverts broadly tipped with pale buffy white ; tail very 

 short, blackish brown, with a metallic tinge, the outer feather with the outer web yellowish buff, the 

 remaining rectrices bordered with fulvous buff; chin and throat buffy white, slightly marked with 

 blackish; through and behind the eye an indistinct buffy white streak; breast and flanks blackish 

 brown, marked with yellowish buff; abdomen and under tail-coverts white. 



This species, commonly known by the somewhat inapt name of Shore-Lark, as it is by no means 

 a shore-bird in its habits, is found throughout Northern Europe, Asia, and America, migrating 

 into the central districts only when driven down from its northern home at the approach of 

 winter. It appears to be one of those Asiatic, or at least eastern, species which are gradually 

 extending their range further westward into Europe, as, in many localities where some years ago 

 it was an exceedingly rare straggler, it is now by no means so uncommon. In Great Britain, as 

 in other parts, this is the case ; and it has during the last few years been tolerably often observed 

 and killed in the winter or spring. Yarrell only enumerates four occurrences, viz. one near 

 Sherringham, in Norfolk, in March 1830, one near Yarmouth, one in Lincolnshire, and one 

 near Redcar. Mr. G. Dawson Rowley states (Ibis, 1862, p. 88) that three were caught near 

 Brighton in November; and Mr. Stevenson (B. of Norfolk, i. p. 171), referring to the first 

 occurrence recorded by Yarrell, adds that " a second example, purchased by Mr. Gurney some 

 few years ago, but in what year I am not certain, was also procured at Sherringham ; and an 

 adult male, in Mr. Newcome's collection at Feltwell, was shot at Yarmouth in November 1850. 

 Next in order of date are two fine specimens killed on Blakeney Beach, near the Preventive 

 Station, about the first week in March 1855 ; these were brought in the flesh to the Rev. E. W. 

 Dowell, of Dunton, who presented one to the Earl of Leicester, and retained the other in his 

 own collection. Both, I believe, were male birds. Lord Leicester's certainly was, as I examined 

 it at the time when sent to be preserved in Norwich. A further interval of seven years now 

 elapsed without any more examples being observed in this district, when in the winter of 

 1861-62, between the first week in November and the 11th of January, no less than five were 

 obtained at Yarmouth, Sherringham, and Blakeney, and about the 24th of April a sixth, also 

 on the coast of Yarmouth. Of these birds, which singularly enough proved to be all males, the 

 first was killed at Yarmouth on the 7th of November, the second at Sherringham on the 9th, 

 the third near Yarmouth (belonging to the Rev. F. J. Lucas, of Burgh) on the 12th, and two 

 more at Blackeney (I believe, in the possession of Mr. Upcher, of Sherringham) on the 11th of 

 January, 1862." In 1870 it appears to have occurred much more frequently than heretofore — 

 so numerously that, Mr. Stevenson informs me, about fourteen were shot at Salthouse in January 

 and some forty specimens in the months of October and November in the same locality, and 

 about twenty more in January 1871. Mr. Cordeaux (B. of the Humber District, p. 45) says that 

 it has been shot in the winter and spring both at Spurn Point and Flamborough ; and he states 

 that two were killed out of a flock of twelve near the Speeton Cliffs in the spring of 1866, and 

 three were shot at Spurn on the 19th February, 1870. It has only comparatively lately been 

 recorded from Scotland, the first having been obtained in 1859. Mr. R. Gray (B. of W. of Scotl. 

 p. 118) states that three were obtained out of a small flock in Haddingtonshire in January that 

 year, and in the winter of 1865 two were obtained near St. Andrews, in Fifeshire. He further 



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