78 
it has been met with as far north in Europe as Lapland, and has been on many occasions recorded 
from various parts of the British Isles. According to Professor Newton it has been obtained at 
least thirty times in Great Britain and four times in Ireland. The first recorded example was 
exhibited to the Linuean Society by Sir J. E. Smith, and was shot at Mattishall, in Norfolk, in 
June 1793, and was ( fide Latham, Syn. Suppl. ii. p. 149) shot out of a flight of about twenty, 
some survivors of which were observed at the same spot in the following October (Trans. Linn. 
Soc. iii. p. 333). The specimen was figured by Lewin (Br. B. pi. 43), whose plate is dated Nov. 7, 
1793, and having been given by Smith to Lord Derby, is now with the rest of his collection at 
Liverpool, as its curator, Mr. T. J. Moore, believes. Professor Newton (in Yarr. Br. B. ed. 4, p. 436) 
recapitulates the records of its occurrences in Great Britain as follows : — “ Taking the maritime 
counties and beginning in the west, Drew states (Hist. Cornwall, i. p. 585) that four were seen 
and two shot, at Madern near the Land’s End, in 1807 ; while, according to Couch and Bellamy 
(Nat. Hist. South Devon, p. 202), a flock of twelve, of which eleven were shot, was observed near 
Helston in the same county in May 1828. In Devon, Dr. Moore in 1837 wrote (Mag. Nat. Hist, 
ser. 2, i. p. 180) that one was shot at Leigham in April 1818, another at Ivyhridge in 1822, and 
that a third was in Mr. Howe’s collection, while Mr. Nicholl records (Zool. p. 6143) a male killed 
at Kingsbridge in May 1858. One was shot at Chideock, in Dorset, and preserved in the Bridport 
Museum, as stated in the first edition of this work. In the Isle of Wight one is said (Zool. 
p. 4870 ; Nat. 1855, p. 264) to have been obtained near Freshwater in June 1855. In Sussex, 
Mr. Knox mentions one shot at Chichester, May 6th, 1829, and Mr. E ll ma n in 1850 recorded 
(Zool. p. 2953) one killed at Icklesham, now in Mr. Borrer’s collection. As regards Kent, the 
bird here figured was shot at Kingsgate in May 1827, and another, killed at Lydd, was in 1844 in 
Dr. Plowley’s collection (Zool. p. 623). In Essex, one was killed about midsummer 1854, at 
Eeeting (Zool. p. 4478). Two examples, according to Sheppard and Whitear, were obtained in 
Suffolk, one at Beccles in the spring of 1825, and the other at Blyburgh in the month of May ; 
while one is supposed to have been seen at Gleneham in June 1868 (Zool. p. 1696). In Norfolk, 
besides the flight in the last century already noticed, Sheppard and Whitear mention one obtained 
near Yarmouth ; Lubbock, in 1845, recorded one from the same neighbourhood more lately, and 
Mr. Stevenson, in 1866, one killed at Gisleham many years before, in addition to a pair (which 
there is some reason to suppose had a nest) shot on the river between Norwich and Yarmouth, 
June 3rd, 1854 (Zool. p. 4367). In Lincolnshire, Mr. Cordeaux notices a specimen without locality 
or date some years before 1872, and (Zool. 1880, p. 511) a second, shot at Tetney Haven, August 
16th, 1880. Eurther northwards in England there is no satisfactory evidence of this bird’s 
appearance ; but Mr. G. H. Gray says he has seen an example obtained in Eorfarshire, and one 
killed in June 1852, at Kinmundy near Peterhead, is recorded (Nat. 1852, p. 204), while 
Mr. Edward mentions (Zool. p. 6672) a supposed specimen killed about the same time between 
Hindley and Dufftown. Mr. R. Gray also states (B. of W. of Scotl. p. 513) that a bird believed 
to be of this species was seen at the close of August 1869 on the river Black Cart in Renfrew- 
shire; and Thompson recorded (Mag. Nat. Hist. ser. 2, ii. p. 18) an example killed October 6th, 
1832, near the Mull of Galloway. Mr. Dix, in 1869, mentioned (Zool. s. s. p. 1675) one obtained 
in Pembrokeshire. Four are said (Zool. s. s. pp. 271 and 561) to have appeared at Stapleton, near 
Bristol, in April or May 1866, on the 1st or 2nd of which latter month three of them were shot ; 
and forming part, probably, of the same visitation, was a male killed at Bishopstowe in Wilts, 
May 4th, 1866, as also, according to Mr. Sharpe’s information to Capt. Kennedy (B. Berks, &c. 
pp. 180, 181), one seen for some days in the same year at Dropmore. One shot at Godaiming, 
