THE WATER-PIPIT AS A VISITOR TO ENGLAND. 465 



would know, or even notice, the birds in question if they came 

 across them. 



The Water-Pipit (A. spipoletta) was first noticed as occurring 

 in Britain in 1864, when one was obtained at Brighton and one 

 at Worthing (Borrer, ' Birds of Sussex,' p. 102), and these two 

 specimens were recorded by Mr. John Pratt, of Brighton, and 

 sent to Gould for determination. The Brighton specimen passed 

 into the collection of the late Bishop Wilberforce, while Mr. 

 Boynton, of Ulsonie Grange, in Yorkshire, purchased the other 

 (Borrer). 



In 1868 one, shot at Shoreham, passed into the collection of 

 the late Mr. Borrer, as did another obtained at the same place 

 the following year. Subsequently — i. e. between 1869 and 1895 

 — two were obtained, one at Lancing and one at Shoreham. One 

 of these, I fancy, is the bird now in the British Gallery of the 

 Natural History Museum at South Kensington, labelled, " ad <? , 

 Sussex, April, 1873." This bird is in full winter plumage. 

 There is also a skin in the British Museum from the Seebohm 

 collection, labelled " Anthus obscurus, England," but bearing no 

 date. This example, however, was obviously obtained in the 

 spring, as the fresh pink colour is just appearing on the neck. 



On April 5th, 1895, Mr. Caton Haigh shot a Water-Pipit at 

 Tetney, Lincolnshire, and on April 5th, 1897, he shot another at 

 the mouth of Glaslyn, Carnarvonshire ; while he obtained yet 

 another in Carnarvonshire on Dec. 3rd of the same year, 1897 

 (Howard Saunders, ' Manual of British Birds,' 2nd ed. pp. 141 

 and 755). 



In 1900, Feb. 19th, a male (in winter plumage) was shot on 

 the marsh between Hollington and Bexhill by a boy, who took 

 it, in company with some Bramblings, to Mr. Bristow, of St. 

 Leonards. It was subsequently recorded by my friend Dr. N. F. 

 Ticehurst (Zool. 1900, p. 278). I saw the bird after it had been 

 stuffed. 



On Oct. 29th, 1902, I shot an adult female (one of two) at Bye 

 Harbour (Howard Saunders, Bull. B. O. C. xcii., November, 1902). 



On Oct. 26th, 1904, I obtained a young male at Bye. On this 

 date, as on the day (Oct. 29th, 1902) when I obtained my first speci- 

 men, there had been a great arrival of Bock-Pipits (.4. obscurus). 

 On Nov. 14th I obtained one of two seen near Pevensey, and on 



