Page:The Zoologist, 4th series, vol 4 (1900).djvu/172

144 hood, and were seen repeatedly throughout the summer.— (Bayston Hill, near Shrewsbury).

'''The Great Lapwing Year. A Correction.'—I beg to correct an error in my notes on Golden Plover and Lapwings (ante'', p. 40), in eleventh line from top. The words "more numerous than in any year since 1878 (the great Lapwing year"); it should be 1879.— (Moyview, Ballina).

Land Birds at Sea.—With reference to the interesting communication on this subject by Surgeon Hurlestone Jones (ante, p. 51), I am able to add two species to his list of land birds observed straggling out to sea. On February 24th, 1891, on S.S. 'Wordsworth,' bound for Brazil and the Plate River, a small unfamiliar Warbler settled upon the deck, and was seen several times during the day. We had last sighted land at Cape Finisterre, and the observations for noon of that day (24th) showed that our position was lat. 40° 12' N. by long. 12° 48' W., so that at the time we were a considerable distance from the coast of Portugal. The little bird followed the vessel the whole day, but was not seen the following morning when we arrived at Madeira about six o'clock. I was unable to identify the species, but a conspicuous yellowish stripe over the eye led me to believe it was Phylloscopus superciliosus. Whether our little visitor reached land in safety or was drowned I am unable to say. Upon the previous day, in lat. 44° 23' by long. 10° 24', a Sky-Lark (Alauda arvensis) flew close to the ship, but was not observed to settle, and soon disappeared. At about the same position, on April 29th, in the middle of the Bay of Biscay, two others accompanied the vessel for some distance. Another species which I have observed under similar conditions is the Wheatear (Saxicola œnanthe), which flew on board the Orient steamer 'Garonne' on Aug. 27th. 1892, off the coast of Norway, long out of sight of land, but unfortunately my notes do not give the exact position. We were, however, about a day's journey from the land. A Turtle-Dove (Turtur communis), Starling (Sturnus vulgaris), and House-Sparrow (Passer domesticus) accompanied us for nearly a day between Harwich and Hamburg on Oct. 1st, 1899. At the time the birds were observed we must have been nearest to the coast of Holland or Friesland, and I have no doubt that they all reached the land in safety.— (New College, Oxford).

Sea-Lamprey at Shrewsbury.—On June 13th a boy caught a Sea-Lamprey (Petromyzon marinus), thirty inches long, in the Severn, below the Welsh Bridge, at Shrewsbury. It rarely occurs so high up the river, though formerly common in the estuary.— (Bayston Hill, near Shrewsbury).