110 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



Coward nor I have ever been able to see or hear the bird in 

 Lleyn. I have also Mr. Coward's authority for saying that the 

 record of Ray's Wagtail is doubtful. He has again referred to 

 his notes, and he finds that he only included the bare name of 

 this species in his list of birds seen at Abersoch in 1887, with no 

 particulars ; and that with regard to the Nevin bird in 1895, 

 there is a note of interrogation against the name. In the light 

 of our later investigations, we have therefore decided to strike the 

 name out of the list. 



Pennant, in his 'Tours in Wales,' mentions that the Rev. 

 Hugh Davis, of Beaumorris, was witness to "a very uncommon 

 wreck of sea-fowl" in 1776. He saw the beach near Criccieth 

 for miles together covered with dead birds, especially those kinds 

 which annually visit the rocks in summer, such as Puffins, Razor- 

 bills, Guillemots, and Kittiwakes ; of the last there were many 

 thousands. Other birds mentioned were Tarrocks [the Kittiwake 

 in immature dress] , Gannets, Wild Geese, Barnacles, Brent 

 Geese, Scoters, and Tufted Ducks. The frost from Jan. 6th 

 until Feb. 2nd in that winter had been very severe. In October, 

 1884, I saw thousands of Scoters off the Merioneth coast. 



I do not think that Lleyn, as an ornithological district, should 

 be considered to extend further east than about the mouth of the 

 Afon Dwyfawr on the south, and perhaps the headland called 

 Trwyn y Tal on the north coast. Further east the country 

 becomes more luxuriant and wooded on the south towards 

 Criccieth, and more mountainous on the north. And at Trema- 

 doc I have met with birds, such as the Blackcap and Pied Fly- 

 catcher, which belong to the avifauna of Eastern Carnarvon and 

 Merioneth, but not to that of Lleyn, so far as I know. I have 

 often wondered that the Sheld-drake does not breed among the 

 sand-hills between Llanbedrogg Head and Penrhyn Du, but I 

 have never seen it there. It may, however, turn up between 

 Criccieth and Pwllheli. At and near Portmadoc I have seen 

 pairs in the middle of May. 



