366 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



horizontally across the breast, with, it seemed to me, nearly square ends. 

 I should thiuk the band was l£ io. by £ in. The bird was shortly joined 

 by another, presumably the female, the general colour of which was light 

 brown upper, and very light grey or dusky white under parts, but, so far as 

 I could see, with no dark pectoral baud. In endeavouring to approach the 

 birds from the other side by going round a deserted building, I lost sight 

 of them. The meadow on the laud side sloped into marshy ground, which, 

 covered with high reeds, &c, extended some distance up a narrow valley. 

 Several people were walking on the sands, and though I was so near the 

 bird it betrayed no shyness. My view of the female was imperfect and 

 brief. Considering that the Shore Lark has hitherto been only known as 

 a winter visitor to the British Isles, this occurrence, if referable to no other 

 species, will, I think, be of great interest. — H. M. Evans, Hon. Curator of 

 Birds (Athenaeum, Plymouth). 



Alpine Pipit in Carnarvonshire. — The early part of April was marked 

 by cold unsettled weather, with much snow c the mountains and easterly 

 winds approaching a gale on the 3rd and the morning of the 4th. On the 

 afternoon of that day the wind dropped considerably, and I observed a 

 strong immigration of Pied Wagtails and Meadow Pipits on the marshes 

 along the Carnarvonshire side of the river Glaslyn. Among a party of the 

 latter, which were feeding on the side of a muddy pool, I observed one con- 

 spicuously larger and lighter coloured than the rest. This bird I watched 

 for some time through a glass at a distance of about thirty yards. On the 

 following morning most of the Wagtails had departed, and the Pipits were 

 less abundant, but the stranger still remained in the same place. It was, 

 however, very wild, and I had some difficulty in shooting it. It proved to 

 be a male of the Alpine Pipit, Anthus spinoletta, in nearly complete 

 summer plumage, and is the first occurrence of this species on the west 

 coast. The specimen was exhibited by Mr. Howard Saunders on April 

 21st at a meeting of the British Ornithologists' Club. — G. H. Caton 

 Haigh (Penrhyndeudraeth, Merionethshire, North Wales). 



Quails in Sussex. — A pair of Quails have agaiu taken up their 

 quarters in our valley. Their visit has become almost an annual occur- 

 rence, and it is interesting to note that they are geuerally first detected 

 within an area limited to three small fields. — H. Marmaduke Langdale 

 (Thorneycroft, Comptou, Petersfield). 



Appearance of Migrants in Aberdeenshire during 1896 and 1897. — 

 The first was an early and the second a late season. Jau. 1st, 1890, about 

 a dozen Tree Sparrows feeding on the fields here along with the common 

 birds, but not seen again; Jan. 2nd, a Magpie, which now seldom appears 

 here. 1896, Lark singing, Feb. 6th; in 1897, Feb. 15th. 1896, Lap- 



