NOTES FROM REDCAR. 253 



Swans passed at sea, half a mile away, flying N.W. I do not 

 think we had such severe frosts as were experienced further 

 south, nor was there much snow. The little which did fall 

 quickly melted on the coast-line, and throngs of Fieldfares, 

 Eedwings, Larks, Thrushes, and other small birds came down 

 to the sands and fields near the beach; 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. Eagle Clarke, of the 

 Edinburgh Museum, but afterwards procured two more, and 

 then, by the aid of Mr. Saunders' ' Manual,' discovered they 

 were Wood Larks (^4. arborea). Probably they composed a 

 family party, for there were only seven altogether. These are 

 the first I have met with. Is it not an extraordinary time and 

 place for birds of their nature ? A local taxidermist, who has 

 been in the habit of snaring song-birds 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 through his hands in the course of thirty-five years' 

 experience in the practice of taxidermy. 19th. A Scaup drake, 

 swimming near the shore, induced me to take a boat, and go in 

 pursuit. After winging the bird, which escaped by diving (though 

 I secured it afterwards), I shot a strange-looking bird flying past 

 the boat, and this proved to be a Great Crested Grebe ; shortly 

 after I obtained three Eed-necked Grebes, 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 the shooting, put off in their 

 boat, and shot a Mute Swan and three Eed-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 numbers of Grebes at sea; there must have been 

 some hundreds between the Tees and Huntcliffe. Two were 

 picked up alive on the beach, having been driven ashore by the 

 rough seas. 27th. An immature Black-throated Diver and two 

 Eed-necked Grebes were shot early in the morning. I went off 

 about 10 o'clock, and obtained a Eed-necked Grebe ; we saw 



