^m THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE From an Oil Painting by \V . Woodhouse. Cliff Climbing at Bempton, on "Old Mosey." Frontispiece, Vol. II. THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. BEING A HISTORICAL ACCOUNT OF THE AVI-FAUNA OF THE COUNTY, BY T. H. NELSON. W.B.O.U. WITH THE CO-OPERATION OF W. EAGLE CLARKE. F.R.S.E., F.L.S. AND F. BOYES. IN TWO VOLUMES. VOL. II. LONDON : A. BROWN & SONS, LIMITED, 5 FARRINGDON AVENUE, E.G. ND AT HULL AND YORK. 1-907 B1OLOGX LIBRARY G CONTENTS VOL. II PAGE Genus PHALACROCORAX (Cormorant, &c.) . . 375-381 SULA (Gannet) 381-384 ARDEA (Heron, &c.) ..... 384-395 NYCTICORAX (Night Heron) . . . 395-396 ARDETTA (Little Bittern) .... 396-398 BOTAURUS (Common Bittern, &c.) . . 399-403 CICONIA (Stork, &c.) . . 403-405 PLEGADIS (Glossy Ibis) . . 406 PLATALEA (Spoonbill) ... . 406-408 ANSER (Grey Lag- Goose, &c.) . . 408-422 CHEN (Snow Goose) . . . 422 BERNICLA (Red-Breasted Goose, &c.). . 423-427 CYGNUS (Whooper Swan, &c.) . . . 428-432 TADORNA (Common Sheld-Duck . . 432-434 ANAS (Mallard, &c.) . . . . ' . 434-437 ,, • 450-451 DECOYS . . . 437-449 Genus SPATULA (Shoveller) ..... 451-452 DAFILA (Pintail) .... . 453-454 NETTION (Common Teal, &c.) . . . 454-456 QUERQUEDULA (Garganey) .... 457-458 MARECA (Wigeon, &c.) .... 458-462 NETTA (Red-Crested Pochard) . . . 462 FUVIGULA (Common Pochard, &c.) . . 462-470 CLANGULA (Golden-Eye, &c.) . . . 470-472 HARELDA (Long-Tailed Duck) . . . 472-474 COSMONETTA (Harlequin Duck) . . . 474-475 SOMATERIA (Eider Duck, &c.) . . . 475-477 OEDEMIA (Common Scoter, &c.) * . 477-482 355313 VI CONTENTS Genus MERGUS (Goosander, &c.) .... 482-487 COLUMBA (Ring-Dove, &c.) . . . 487-495 TURTUR (Turtle-Dove, &c.) . . . 495-498 SYRRHAPTES (Pallas's Sandgrouse) . . 498-503 TETRAO (Capercaillie, &c.) .... 503-509 LAGOPUS (Red Grouse) . . . 510-522 PHASIANUS (Pheasant) .... 523-524 PERDIX (Partridge) • . .. . . . 524-527 CACCABIS (Red-Legged Partridge) . . 527-531 COTURNIX (Common Quail) . . 531-533 CREX (Corn Crake) . . 534~536 PORZANA (Spotted Crake, &c.) . . . 536-540 RALLUS (Water Rail) .... 540-543 GALLINULA (Moorhen) .... 544-545 FULICA (Coot) . . 545-547 GRUS (Crane) 547-548 OTIS (Great Bustard, &c.) . . . 548-560 CEDICNEMUS (Stone Curlew) . . . 561-564 GLAREOLA (Collared Pratincole) . . . 565 CURSORIUS (Cream-coloured Courser) . 566-567 EUDROMIAS (Dotterel) .... 567-573 ^GIALITIS (Ringed Plover, &c.) . . 573-577 CHARADRIUS (Golden Plover) . . . 577-579 SQUATAROLA (Grey Plover) „ . . 579-581 VANELLUS (Lapwing) 581-585 STREPSILAS (Turnstone) .... 585-586 H^EMATOPUS (Oyster-Catcher) . . . 586-588 RECURVIROSTRIS (Avocet) .... 588-590 HIMANTOPUS (Black- Winged Stilt) . . 590-591 PHALAROPUS (Grey Phalarope, &c.) . . 591-595 SCOLOPAX (Woodcock, &c.) . . . 595-601 ,, ,, . 605-606 GALLINAGO (Great Snipe, &c.) . ..* . 601-605 LIMICOLA (Broad-Billed Sandpiper) . . 607 TRINGA (Pectoral Sandpiper, &c.) . . 607-620 CALIDRIS (Sanderling) . 620-622 CONTENTS vi i PACK Genus MACHETES (Ruff) 622-626 TOTANUS (Common Sandpiper, &c.) . . 626-638 MACRORHAMPHUS (Red-Breasted Snipe) . 638 LIMOSA (Bar-Tailed Godwit, &c.) . . 639-642 NUMENIUS (Common Curlew, &c.) . . 643-648 HYDROCHELIDON (Black Tern, &c.) . . 648-651 STERNA (Gull-Billed Tern, &c.) . . , 651-662 XEMA (Sabine's Gull) ...... 662-665 RHODOSTETHIA (Ross's Gull) .. . ^ 665-667 LARUS (Little Gull, &c.) . . . . 667-688 RISSA (Kittiwake) . . • 689-693 PAGOPHILA (Ivory Gull) . . 693-694 MEGALESTRIS (Great Skua) . . . 694-696 STERCORARIUS (Pomatorhine Skua, &c.) . 696-708 ALCA (Razorbill) .... . 708-710 LOMVIA (Guillemot) ...... 711-724 URIA (Brunnich's Guillemot, &c.) . . 724-727 FRATERCULA (Puffin) ..... 727-729 MERGULUS (Little Auk) . .. .. . 73°-732 COLYMBUS (Great Northern Diver, &c.) . 732-738 PODICIPES (Great Crested Grebe, &c.) . 738-748 PROCELLARIA (Storm Petrel) . , . 748-749 OCEANODROMA (Leach's Fork-Tailed Petrel, &c.) , . . 750-752 PUFFINUS (Great Shearwater, &c.) . . 752-761 BULWERIA (Bulwer's Petrel) . . . 762-764 FULMARUS (Fulmar) ...•<. 764-765 APPENDICES WILD BIRDS' PROTECTION ..... 767-773 EXTRACTS FROM ANCIENT RECORDS . . . 774-775 LITERATURE CONSULTED 776-777 INDEX OF BIRDS ....... 779-808 INDEX OF PERSONS AND PLACES .... 809-843 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS VOL. II Cliff Climbing at Bempton, on " Old Mosey" Frontispiece TO FACE PAGE Nesting place of Cormorants, near Whitby High Lights, Hawsker ........ 376 Young Cormorants at Whitby High Lights . . . 378 Nesting site of Cormorants, near Filey . . , 380 Herons' nests at Hornsea Mere 388 Humber mud flats, Spurn 426 Faith, the Decoy man, taking Ducks out of the net at Coatham Decoy ....... 448 Wild Duck's nest at Harrogate 452 Nest of Shoveler, near York ...... 452 Widgeon's nest, near Scarborough .... 454 Nest of Common Teal, Washburn Valley . . . 454 View, near Filey, nesting place of Stonechat, Red- Legged Partridge, and Teal . . . . . 456 Pochard's nest, Hornsea Mere 462 Tufted Duck on nest ....... 464 Pheasant on nest . . ... . . . 464 Nest of Tufted Duck, Nidderdale . . . . .466 Site of Coatham Decoy, 1887 . . ... 470 Island in Swinsty Reservoir, where the Golden Eye is reported to have nested . . . . . . 470 Snowden Sleights in his Punt on the Derwent, near the place where the Hooded Merganser occurred . 486 Ring Dove's nest ........ 488 Regular nesting place of Stock Dove .... 490 Nesting place of Barn Owl, Jackdaw, and Kestrels . 490 Nest of Turtle Dove, at Wykeham . . . . 496 Nest of Black Grouse, north-west Yorkshire . . 508 Grouse sitting on the roof of a moorland cottage in Teesdale, as mentioned by Tunstall . . .510 x LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS TO FACE PAGE A flight of Grouse 518 Nest of Red Grouse . . . . . . .518 Pheasant's nest with twelve eggs in spruce fir, 22 feet from ground, near Harrogate, 1906 . . . 524 Partridge's nest 526 Nest of Red-Legged Partridge, near Filey . . . 530 Nest of Land-Rail in the Nidd Valley .... 534 Nest of Water-Rail in the Nidd Valley .... 534 Ivy-covered tree in which a Waterhen has had her nest for many years ....... 542 Waterhen going on to its nest ..... 544 Coot's nest with flags interlaced as a bower, Hornsea Mere » 546 Macqueen's Bustard, the first of the two Yorkshire examples. Shot at Marske-by-the-Sea . . * 560 Stone Curlew on nest, near Pickering .... 562 Stone Curlew's nest ....... 562 Stone Curlew's nest from a Wold plantation, under a small spruce fir with spreading branches . . 564 Nest of Ringed Plover on edge of sand-hills, Redcar . 572 Nest of Ringed Plover on slag-heap at Teesmouth . 572 Nest of Ringed Plover, Spurn 574 Nest of Ringed Plover amongst plants of "sentry," Teesmouth ......... 574 Nest of Golden Plover, north-west Yorkshire . .. 578 Nest and Eggs of Lapwing, Towthorpe, York . . 584 A Teesmouth Shore Scene * 586 The first known British example of the Grey Phalarope, shot near Halifax. Described and figured by George Edwards in Feb., 1757 .... 590 Woodcock on nest ....... 594 Nest of Woodcock, near Selby ...... 596 Nest of Common Snipe ...... 604 Heads and bills of the large and small races of Dunlin. The latter is sometimes called the " Drain Dunlin " in East Yorkshire ........ 606 Nest of Dunlin, north-west Yorkshire . . , 608 Nest of Dunlin, Teesmouth ...... 608 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS xi TO FACE P4GK Nest of Dunlin, Teesmouth . 610 Nest of Redshank amongst heather, north-west York- shire .... . 634 Nest of Redshank, Teesmouth ..... 636 Large flights of Godwits and other shore-birds at the Teesmouth in September 1895 .... 640 Curlew on nest ........ 642 Curlew's nest on Skipwith Common, near York . . 644 Young Curlews just hatching ..... 644 Curlew perching on a post, on a moor near Harrogate. 646 Nest of Little Tern at Spurn ..... 660 Nest of Black-Headed Gull, north-west Yorkshire . 606 Nest of Black-Headed Gull's eggs destroyed by Crows. 666 Nesting place of Black-Headed Gull, on the moors near Whitby 668 Nest of Black-Headed Gull in North Yorkshire . . 670 Mediterranean Black-Headed Gull .... 672 Herring Gull at nest 674 Herring Gull's nest and eggs, Filey . 676 Herring Gull's nest and young, Hawsker . . . 676 Cliffs near Whitby High Lights, haunt of Herring Gull. 678 Herring Gulls nesting in Captivity at Redcar .. . 680 Nest of Herring Gull at Kettleness .... 680 Kettleness, the nesting place of Herring and Lesser Black-backed Gulls 682 Kettleness, the nesting place of the Herring and Black- backed Gulls 684 Nest of Lesser Black-backed Gull at Kettleness . . 686 Pomatorhine Skuas, Redcar 1879 • 7°° Ringed Guillemot and Razorbill at Staple Neuk . . 708 Razorbill newly hatched ...... 708 Young Razorbill ...«...« 708 The Glimmer going over the cope of the cliff, and laying the rope over the pulley . . . . . .710 A dangerous corner .712 J. Hodgson seeking Razorbill's eggs . . . - 714 The Glimmer at work . . ... . . .716 xii LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS TO FACE PAGE The Glimmer ascending. ...... 718 The Glimmer ascending, having taken up the pulley . 720 Cliffs near Hateley Corner 722 J. Hodgson descending the cliff ..... 724 The Glimmer with his outfit . . . . . . 726 After the ascent . . . . . . . 728 Sharing the spoil ........ 730 W. Wilkinson on Jubilee £ orner . . . . . 732 Guillemots on Hateley Shoot. ..... 734 Guillemots newly hatched ...... 736 Young Guillemot with sand-eel ..... 736 Guillemots on Staple Neuk ...... 738 Eggs of Guillemot, Razorbill, and Black Guillemot, showing comparative sizes ..... 740 Bempton and Speeton Cliffs, looking west . * . 742 Bempton Cliffs, looking east. ..... 744 Puffin newly hatched ....... 746 Young Puffin ......... 746 Great Northern Diver ....... 748 Nest of Great Crested Grebe, Hornsea Mere. . . 750 Hornsea Mere ........ 752 Little Grebe swimming to its nest ..... 754 Little Grebe's nest (eggs covered) 756 Little Grebe's nest (eggs uncovered) .... 756 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. COMMON CORMORANT, j"* £ : :rr Phalacrocorax carbo (Z.). Resident, breeding on the cliffs between Whitby and Scarborough, and near Filey ; formerly nested in several other localities. The majority retire southward in winter. The earliest allusion to the Cormorant in Yorkshire was made by Pennant, who, on his journey to Scotland in 1769, visited Flamborough on July 3rd, and remarked of the birds there : — " Multitudes were swimming about, others swarmed in the air, and almost stunned us with the variety of their croaks and screams ; I observed among them Corvorants." (" A Tour in Scotland," 1771, p. 15.) Thomas Allis, 1844, wrote : — Phalacrocorax carbo. — Common Cormorant — Frequent off Scar- borough ; a specimen of this bird was taken at Kexby, six miles from. York, by a person who was angling for pike ; he had left his line for a few minutes fastened to the banks of the Derwent, on his return he saw the bird sitting on the bank, and, on reaching it, found it had dived, swallowed the bait, and was held fast by the line. A. Strickland says that it breeds upon the cliffs at Flamborough, but appears greatly to have diminished of late years. Although designated as resident in the county, the majority of our Great Cormorants leave the Yorkshire coast and move southward as winter approaches, returning in spring to their nesting quarters. In the north a colony formerly existed on Huntcliffe, near Saltburn, and the late C. C. Oxley informed me that, when he lived at Redcar, he could, in a good light, and by the aid of a powerful telescope, recognise the birds sitting on their nests, although fully five miles VOL. II. B 376 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. distant. The formation of the railway, passing near the edge of the cliffs, caused the birds to leave and join another colony between Boulby and Staithes, above a smugglers' cave locally known as " Gin Hole " (a large boulder on the beach below still retains the appellation of " Lintie Cock Stone," from the faqt that the Cormorants used it as a favourite perching jpisUe) ; there they bred until 1867, when some mischievous youths lowered a lighted tar barrel at night on to the nesting 'edges',; and so terrified "the occupants that they forsook that locality,* and established themselves nearer Whitby on Kettleness Point, where I saw about thirty pairs nesting in 1880. In May 1887, there were upwards of twenty pairs, but again persecution followed, many were shot from the nests, and the opening of the Loftus and Whitby Railway, which runs near the Point, finally banished them from that spot ; in 1889 only one pair was seen and they did not nest ; a few returned to the Boulby site where odd pairs bred until 1900 ; in 1901 a nest was reported between Boulby and Hummersea, and on one occasion a young bird was seen with two old ones on the boulders on the beach ; in April 1902, I saw a Cormorant sitting on " White Stone," a perching boulder, but could not detect any signs of a nest, though during the summer months since the year 1904, two pairs of old birds passed Redcar daily, going to and from the Tees- mouth, where they obtain food for their young, and I am of opinion that they were nesting at Boulby. The bulk of the Kettleness Cormorants have evidently gone still further south, and about thirty or forty pairs now nest near the Whitby High Lights, two miles from that town. When they bred at Boulby and Kettleness, long strings, sometimes numbering from twenty to thirty individuals, might be observed passing Redcar regularly in the early morning to fish in the Tees estuary, returning to the cliffs in the afternoon, and some* * At Staithes a humorous story is related that, on the morning following the episode of the tar barrel, an old fisherman was on the beach near " Lintie Cock Stone," and heard two Cormorants conversing. One said to his companion, " What's thou think o' that performance last neet ? " " Why," replied the other, " Ah'm gaine tae flit fra'« this place I " f I I V CORMORANT. 377 times I have watched these birds taking a " short cut " behind the town. At Peak, on the north of Scarborough, a colony of some fifty pairs was in existence before the railway was opened, but they decreased in numbers afterwards. Several years ago a Scarborough man shot eighteen out of twenty nesting birds with a rifle ; the following year none were noted, but a few pairs have since returned. Between Scarborough and Filey several pairs find nesting places ; Mr. Thomas Carter in 1884 observed Cormorants there, and was told by a fisherman that he had seen a nest and three eggs at Scout Nab (Zool, 1884, p. 446). I am informed by Mr. J. Fountain of Filey that he had a clutch of five eggs brought to him in the year 1902 ; in 1906 there were eight nests. Concerning its connection with Flamborough, Pennant's remarks are quoted above. The Cormorant used to be a familiar object near the Headland until the " sixties," but there again senseless persecution has banished it as a nesting species. The breeding sites were near the Lighthouse, the Danes' Dyke, on the Bempton range, and also on Raincliffe, where Charles Waterton found it breeding in 1834, and descended to examine the nests. Mr. M. Bailey remarks that one or two pairs returned in 1873, and in 1880 there were two nests ; the Bempton climbers say that some four or five birds frequent a certain portion of the cliffs, but there is no proof of their nesting there now. The above mentioned constitute all the natural breeding stations of the species, though on the Holderness coast, as Mr. T. Petch and the Rev. A. Donovan inform me, an unusual site has been appropriated on the wreck of a sailing ship, the " Earl of Beaconsfield," that went ashore near Aldborough in 1887.* One of the masts is left standing to warn fishing cobles of the danger to navigation, and on the crosstrees of the main mast several pairs of Cormorants have established themselves ; in 1893 it was reported that a pair had nested and brought off young, and since then they have been regularly observed ; sixteen were seen on 3ist August 1900, and nestlings * See Naturalist, Feb. 1903, p. 42. 378 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. have been recognised. In winter some return to the ship at sunset, but in early autumn they are " at home " after the tide begins to flow, when contests frequently take place for the post of honour. As previously remarked the majority of the breeding birds retire southward in winter, returning to their nesting resorts early in spring, though some remain in the Teesmouth neighbourhood during the winter months, and the numbers of those wintering appear tfl have increased of late years. On 26th December 1887, one came on board the Tees Light Vessel. At Whitby, Scarborough, Flamborough, and the Humber (at which latter place the late J. Cordeaux considered they were increasing), they are noted in limited numbers, in winter coming at times to fish close inshore and in the harbours. In spring I have seen Cormorants sitting on the rails at the head of Coatham Pier (now demolished), drying their wings, and sometimes they allowed an approach within thirty or forty yards before taking flight ; occasionally they alight on Salt Scar at low tide, and in March 1899 some used to- perch on a portion of a wreck standing out of the water. The Cormorant has been caught on fishing lines and in nets shot in deep water ; two were captured at Bridlington on hooks when five fathoms of line were out, and in the Tees Bay they have at times been entangled in the salmon fishing nets. This ocean-loving species has been noted at places far removed from salt water and in most parts of the county, an enumeration of which is needless, though one or two instances may be cited : first is that mentioned by Marmaduke Tunstall of Wy cliff e-on -Tees, as " shot close to my house (in September 1782), though nearly thirty miles from the main sea " (Tunst. MS. p. 100) ; it is noted in Fothergill's list in Whitaker's " Richmondshire " in 1823 ; Charles Waterton's residence, Walton Hall, was often visited in winter by Cormorants, and, after fishing in the lake, they would preen their feathers on the terrace, within ten yards of the win- dows. Near York one was taken on a fishing line at Kexby (before 1844) ; at various times individuals have been killed from the turrets and walls of Beverley Minster ; at Hudders- SHAG. 379 field an example occurred in November 1870, and another was shot whilst sitting on the church top at Mappleton, near Hornsea, as recorded by Mr. Barchard in the Field, 9th August 1890. Formerly small parties occasionally ascended the river Hull for some miles above Beverley, where they are said to have been taken on night lines baited with roach and set for pike, but they have not been noticed of late years ; in March 1903, Mr. W. Morris saw one on the Lune at Sedbergh. The nests at Whitby High Lights are much lighter in construction than those I have examined elsewhere, being usually not more massive than Gulls' nests, and in the year 1903, amongst the materials used by one pair of birds, was found a child's toy whip. Variations in plumage are seldom reported, though, in October 1879, I obtained an example at Redcar having three of the tail feathers partially white from the tips for a space of about two inches. The local names are : — Lang Crane at Redcar ; Lintie Cock or Liltie Cock at Staithes ; and Ralphie or Dykie at Whitby ; these last terms from one Tom Langlands who had a couple of tame birds, called by these names, which fished in the harbour, and so the fishermen came to know them thus. SHAG. Phalacrocorax graculus (L.). Bird of passage on the coast, when on its way to and from its breeding stations. Used formerly to nest at Flamborough. Pennant was the first to make mention of the Shag in Yorkshire, for we find that he visited Flamborough on his journey to Scotland in 1769, and thus alluded to the subject under notice : — " Multitudes [of birds] were swimming about, others swarmed in the air, and almost stunned us with the variety of their croaks and screams ; I observed among them .... Shags in small flocks." (" A Tour in Scotland," 1771, p. 15.) And in his " British Zoology " (1770, IV. p. 27), 380 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. under the heading of " Shag," he stated that, at Flamborough Head, " this variety with a crest is very rare." Thomas Allis, in 1844, wrote : — Phalacrocorax cristatus. — Shag or Green Cormorant — A. Strickland reports that " This bird used, some years ago, to breed in considerable numbers on the rocks off Flamborough, but now seems quite banished from there ; I do not believe a single pair is now to be found there." This bird, sometimes called the Crested Cormorant, is not so abundant as the preceding, and, though it formerly nested on the Yorkshire cliffs, it is now but a periodical visitant on its passage to and from its breeding quarters. The allusion contained in Pennant's " British Zoology," quoted above, shows that the Shag was not unknown to that author in 1770. Bewick's figure was drawn from a specimen belonging to Marmaduke Tunstall, who had a Crested Cormorant out of Holderness in 1775, which was full of eggs (Fox's " Synopsis," p. 100). Charles Waterton, in his " Essays on Natural History " (p. 408), stated that it inhabited Rain- cliffe ; Arthur Strickland also referred to it as formerly breeding in considerable numbers at Flamborough, but there is no evidence that it has done so, except in isolated instances, within the memory of living man. Odd pairs visit the cliffs in spring, and would, doubtless, breed if unmolested ; their latest appearance at this period was in 1892 when two birds arrived, but they were promptly " acquired " by the fisher- men. At Kettleness, in 1878, J. Kitching saw a pair flying in and out below the Great Cormorants' nesting colony, and lower down than the Herring Gulls' ledges, which points to the possibility of their having nested there. With reference to its connection with Cleveland, J. Hogg (Zool. 1845, p. 1181), mentioned the Shag as " Common on our rocky coast " ; though my experience leads me to believe that, generally speaking, the bird is rare on the York- shire seaboard. In the Redcar district I have known only four occurrences, viz., in the winter of 1874 ; on I4th February 1889 ; on loth January 1896, three being seen and two killed near Coatham Pier ; and on 4th February 1905, when one was reported from the Teesmouth. At Whitby a specimen is Nesting site of Cormorant, near Filey. See page 378. ' R. Fortune- GANNET. 381 in the Local Museum, and two others are chronicled ,one on 23rd January 1894, and the last on igth May 1895. At Scarborough the late Alfred Roberts (op. cit. 1855, p. 4631), in recording the occurrence of an adult female, mentioned it as a rare bird there, while Mr. W. J. Clarke expresses a similar opinion when informing me of one being obtained at Scalby Ness, on 24th February 1900, and another seen the following day near the Pier. As mentioned before, it is now but an occasional visitant at Flamborough ; several specimens occurred there between 1865 and 1875, and Mr. Thomas Boynton states (MS. 1880), that it was occasionally obtained in Bridlington Bay. One instance only is noted near Spurn, on 22nd November 1893, when, as recorded by the late J. Cordeaux (Nat. 1894, p. 41), an example was taken at Kilnsea, which had an eel in its mouth. This species is less often found on inland waters than its congener, preferring its oceanic habitat, though it was noted by Fothergill of Carr End, Askrigg, as having occurred at Hawes about 1820 ; near Boroughbridge one is mentioned in October 1849, by J. C. Garth (Zool. 1849, P- 2353) 5 on tne Hambleton Hills, according to the late J. Harrison, a specimen was found in a snowstorm in 1853 ; and at Thainston-on-Don one is reported as having been shot in March 1877 (Field, I7th March 1877), but it may be well to observe that inland records, as a rule, should be received with caution. GANNET. Sula bassana (Z.). Bird of passage on the coast. Has occasionally occurred inland as a straggler. The first mention of the Gannet in Yorkshire appears to refer to the specimen taken near Halifax in 1831, and noticed by Thomas Allis in his Report in 1884, thus : — Sula bassana. — Ganuet — Occurs at Flamborough and Scarborough ; it has been taken at Thorne, also one near Doncaster ; they are picked up on the Wolds and sea borders every now and then when gorged with food ; one has been taken near Huddersfield ; near Halifax it has 382 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. been taken alive in Booth Deane, October 1831 ; on Norland Moor. December 6th 1844, and a young specimen on Illingworth Moor, Sep- tember 2ist 1836 ; a first year's bird of this species fell exhausted on Staincross Moor, near Barnsley, which passed into the hands of Dn Farrar, who forwarded it to the aviary at Wentworth House, where it lived many months and at last, as he says, had the supreme pleasure of dying of repletion, the result of an experiment to test its powers in that accomplishment ; a few years since a specimen was sent to Henry Chapman of York, which had been picked up dead a few miles from the coast ; in descending on its prey (a garfish), in its accustomed and well-known manner, the sharp upper mandible of the fish passed obliquely through the eye and entered the brain through the optic nerve ; the end of the mandible had broken off and caused the death of the bird. A. Strickland says that after the breeding season, and when the herring sprats and other fish are numerous, these birds are generally found on the coast, and occasionally later in the winter. The Gannet cannot with accuracy be termed a resident, though it is seldom absent from some part of the sea off Yorkshire, and it is perhaps best described as a periodical visitant to the coast on its passage to and from its northern breeding stations, being most abundant in autumn, when old and young birds, the latter predominating, may be seen diligently employed amongst the herrings and other fish. As a rule a few appear soon after the nesting season in early August, whilst in September and October they are often quite numerous in the neighbourhood of the herring shoals, some- times inshore, and at others several miles away in the offing, especially near Flamborough Head, where large numbers have frequently been noticed, and they were particularly abundant in October 1895. In the late autumn it would appear that the Gannets which are then off the coast keep far out at sea, as they are only observed when driven in by gales. During the prevalence of a storm on I2th-i3th November 1901, several adults were found on Redcar beach and in the Tees estuary, and an immature bird was caught asleep during a " north-easter " on 25th November 1904. I have rarely noted it in winter ; one occurred at Redcar in December 1874, and in January 1876 three adults were killed, one being stunned with an oar ; on 2nd January 1894 twenty or thirty were seen flying up and down the Humber side at Spurn. GANNET. 383 In spring the old birds return northward along the coast on their way to their nesting quarters, and come under observa- tion in April and May ; a singular and unaccountable return movement was noticed off. Redcar on I2th April 1887, many pairs being seen flying south. In some seasons mature examples are found washed in by the tide, having apparently died from the effects of a disease, which at this period attacks many pelagic species. In the summer of 1895 seven Gannets were captured in a weak and dying condition, the taxidermist who preserved them discovering the bones to be quite soft and crumbly. This species is sometimes driven by stormy weather to inland localities, and has been met with in most parts of the county, on reservoirs, lakes, and the most remote fells and moorlands. It would be tedious to recapitulate all these instances, but one may be mentioned, on 22nd April 1838, after a two days' hurricane from the north-east, when an adult specimen was picked up on Swainby Moor, in Cleveland, which had evidently been blown in by the gale and flown, blinded, as long as strength lasted. When found it was scarcely stiff, and had about 2j in. of the beak of a garfish forced into one eye, leaving only J in. visible. It was taken to the Rev. G. J. Marwood of Busby, who had it preserved, and the eye and piece of garfish beak preserved in spirits.* The present keeper at Swainby, Thomas Whitwell, captured a Gannet on the same moor in 1900. The method of fishing adopted by the Gannet is too well known to need any description here, though it may be of interest to mention that, in the autumn of 1905, I was witness of a departure from the bird's ordinary habit. On the 1st September an immature Gannet flew past Redcar Pier head and settled on the water about two hundred yards away ; it then dived from the surface in the same manner as a Cormorant or Red-throated Diver. With the aid of powerful binoculars I saw it twice repeat this process, on one occasion bringing up a fish, or food of some kind, which it swallowed ; after the * This is the specimen referred to in Allis's Report. 384 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. lapse of two or three minutes it rose and flew out beyond the rocks, where it continued its fishing as before. A story is related at Flamborough of a narrow escape the late Thomas Leng, a well-known seabird shooter, had from serious injury, if not death itself. While off at sea he shot a Gannet, and, without lowering his gun, turned to fire the second barrel at another bird. The first one was already falling, and its pointed beak pierced the brim of Leng's " sou- wester," knocking him down into the bottom of the boat. Leng used to say this was the "closest shave" he ever had. The local names are Solan Goose, Gant, and Mackerel Gant. COMMON HERON. Ardea cinerea (Z.). Resident ; common but local. An influx of migrants from the Continent in autumn and winter. The earliest allusion to this species in Yorkshire appears to be in the Selby Abbey accounts for 1431-32, where an entry runs to this effect : — " Paid to . . . . ; to a certain servant at Fryston bringing two Herons to the lord abbot, 2od. ..." (Morrell's " Selby," 1867, p. 101.) Thomas Allis, in 1844, wrote as follows : — Ardea cinerea. — The Common Heron — Not infrequently seen, wanderers from the Heronries in the county, for a list of which see Yarrell's " British Birds " ; to which list Scarthingwell may be added, on the authority of my friend H. Denny. Arthur Strickland observes " Few countries have undergone greater change in their ornithological features than the East Riding, the drainage of the Carrs in the low grounds and enclosing the Wolds in the chalk districts have of late years made great alterations, and in the low countries the total disuse of decoys, and the Herons no longer resorting to the ancient Heronries, mark this change. The most important and best known Heronry, and the largest resorted to was Scorborough, near Beverley, but that has for many years ceased to be the breeding place of any of them, and I believe no Heronry now exists in the East Riding. Since the disuse of the ancient Heronries a few pairs have occasionally bred on some trees on one of the islands of Hornsea Mere, but I believe COMMON HERON. 385 Manby. in the north of Lincolnshire, the nearest ancient Heronry that still continues to be resorted to. Mr. Yarrell has stated, in his list of Heronries, Hutton the seat of R. Bethell, Esq. ; but Hutton, or Hutton Cranswick, adjoining the Carrs, never was the property of the Bethells, or as far as I can learn, the seat of a Heronry ; but the adjoining parish of Watton or Watton Abbey has long been the property of the Bethells of Rise, but it is not now the site of a Heronry, nor can it have been so for some time, as I can find no one in the parish or country who can remember a Heronry there. At the same time it must be observed that it is a very likely situation to have been one." The discontinuance of the noble and ancient sport of Falconry has resulted in the dispersal of large Heronries and the establishment of small settlements, the status of the Heron having, in consequence, considerably changed in York- shire. Formerly Heronries were maintained and encouraged both for the purposes of sport and also in order that young birds might be taken and used for the table. Thus we find that at the great banquet, given at Cawood in 1466, by Earl Warwick "the King Maker," in honour of the enthronement of his brother George Nevell as Archbishop of York, amongst the items of the feast were " Heronshawes, iiiic." Again in the Earl of Northumberland's Household Book, in 1512, at his castles of Wressill and Lekinfield, near Beverley, the price of " Hearonsewys " was fixed at I2d. ; and in 1526 and 1530 at the marriage feasts of the daughters of Sir John Neville of Chevet, near Wakefield, " Heronsewes " figured in the list of edibles. We naturally infer from these old statements that extensive colonies were then in existence, but of these no records remain ; thus we are dependent upon comparatively recent information respecting the Yorkshire stations. The bird, however, is still resident in fair numbers ; its distribution in the nesting season is very local, though during the rest of the year, and especially in autumn and winter, it is more generally diffused, and it may be well to give in detail the particulars regarding its present status. Commencing with the West Riding, ancient Heronries were in existence at : — Hemsworth, near Pontefract. Major Arundel, writing on 4th June 1903, informs me that, from investigations he has 386 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. made, it appears the Heron bred at Hagg Wood up to 1850, though not after that date. Kirby Hill, near Boroughbridge, the seat of Mr. R. Thompson. Deserted about 1856. Scarthingwell, near Ferrybridge, a seat of Lord Hawke. (In Denny's Leeds Catalogue (1840), it is stated that there were eighteen or twenty nests, but they were abandoned " two or three years ago.") Dob Park Wood, Fewston. Owing to the trees being cut down, about 1830, the birds left (W. Storey MS.). Walton Hall, the residence of the celebrated naturalist Charles Waterton. This Heronry was founded in 1827, the year after Waterton had completed a wall round his park, built for the purpose of protecting bird-life there. At first there were six nests on Scotch firs, and the new establishment throve until some of the trees were thinned in winter ; the following spring the Herons abandoned their former nests and built afresh on oak trees ; the colony gradually increased until it numbered thirty-six nests, which continued during Waterton's lifetime ; after his death in 1865, some of the trees were felled and the birds at once abandoned the place as a breeding station. A pair attempted to nest in 1872 at Haw Park, near by, but was destroyed. Wetherby Grange, owned by the late Sir R. Gunter. Long abolished. Nostell Priory ; in 1826 there were five or six nests on a willowed island in the lake. Charles Waterton in his " Essays/' remarked that they were reduced to one, or at most two, before the middle of the past century. Soon after the Heronry was deserted. Azerley Hall, the seat of Mr. R. S. Crompton. There were eight nests in 1844. Browsholme, near Clitheroe, Mr. Parker's residence, on the Yorkshire side of the Hodder. There was a large Heronry which was deserted for several years and re- occupied in 1877 ; in 1880 there were fifteen nests, but the birds left about 1890, and established a colony at Harrop Hall, near Slaidburn, which, however, was soon abandoned. COMMON HERON. 387 Odd pairs have also at times nested at Wooley Park, Wils- trop, Ripley, Gouthwaite Hall, Bishop Thornton, Goldsborough (near Allerton), Burnsall in Upper Wharf edale, Ingmanthorpe, Bramham, and in Cockett Wood in Upper Ribblesdale. The existing colonies are at : — Harewood, the seat of the Earl of Harewood, where there used to be a large Heronry. Mr. Moorsom Maude informed me, in 1902, that in 1866 there were from twenty to thirty nests in Piper's Wood, and about 1884 a terrific gale blew down many of the trees, thus disturbing the nests. From that date they gradually decreased, and in 1902 I saw only seven, which were in tall fir trees in a different part of the wood to where the old Heronry was situated. In 1903 only five pairs nested, and young were hatched on Good Friday. Flasby, near Gargrave, on Capt. Preston's estate. There was a Heronry until 1865, when, owing to the cutting down of two big oak trees in which some of the nests were built, the birds, intolerant of being disturbed, emigrated to Eshton Hall, Sir M. W. Wilson's property, about a mile distant. In 1881 they numbered twenty pairs, and in the year 1905 seventeen pairs nested. , Gisburn, on Lord Ribblesdale's estate. There is now a colony formed by the Herons from the deserted stations of Browsholme and Harrop Hall. In the present year (1906), it consisted of seventeen pairs. Odd pairs also breed in isolated cases in the district. The East Riding Heronries were stated to be at : — Hutton Cranswick, Mr. Bethell's ; but this is an error, as there is no record of a Heronry at Hutton. Stork Hill, near Beverley, which ceased to exist about the beginning of last century. Scorborough, near Beverley, which gradually decreased till about 1830, when the birds forsook, partly in consequence of the trees decaying ; one or two pairs have bred constantly in a wood called Beswick Rush, two miles from Beverley. Swanland, near Hull ; possibly Herons bred there many years ago, but no information is obtainable. Hotham. Up to 1819 there was a Heronry in large Scotch 388 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. fir and ash trees. Mr. F. Boyes knew persons who took eggs there. Sutton-on-Derwent. About a hundred pairs nested up to about 1860. Capt. Dunnington Jefferson told me (1903), they bred about twenty years ago, but, owing to persecution, the birds forsook the place. Holme-on-Spalding-Moor, which ceased about 1865. Newton, near Malton, Sir George Cholmley's. There were about twenty to twenty-five nests. This Heronry, which in Sir Geo. Strickland's day contained up to sixty or seventy nests in larch trees, has, within the past twenty years, been forsaken. It was thought to be owing to the Rooks which increased exceedingly, and to the war waged on Herons by Angling Clubs (W. H. St. Quintin MS. 1903). Hornsea. One of the islands possessed a small Heronry, but it is now abandoned, and another colony has been established at the north side of the Mere. The present Heronries are at : — Hornsea. On Mr. Strickland Constable's property, established about 1880, and now comprising about eighteen nests in the wood at the Wassand end of the Mere. Scampston, Mr. W. H. St. Quintin's. About eight nests ; sometimes a few more, built in larches. Moreby Park, near York, Major Preston's. There were fifty nests in 1884 (J. Backhouse MS.), ten to twelve in 1892, and now about eight or nine. Isolated nests are found near Winestead, at Everingham, Beswick Rush, and in the Heron Wood at Escrick. Turning now to the North Riding, breeding places existed at:— Riccaldale (C. Ward, Helmsley, MS.). Harmby, near Middleham. From the Heronry formerly existing there the place probably derived its Saxon name, Hernebie (Barker's " Three Days of Wensleydale," 1854). Kildale (" Vertebrate Fauna of Yorkshire "). Concerning the colony here Mr. E. West writes (22nd March 1902), that he once knew of a nest at Crag Bank, adjoining the lake, in 1850, but never a Heronry. Mr. Thomas Stephenson COMMON HERON. 389 informs me that, in 1882, he received information that several pairs remained all the summer at Randy Mere, Goathland, and in July of that year he saw four birds ; but a few years afterwards the trees were cut down, and he concluded the birds left. Sedbergh. A few pairs used to nest at Ingmire Hall, Mrs. Dormer's, up to 1880 (W. Morris MS.). Swinton Park, Masham, Lord Masham's. Mr. Forbes, forester, informed me that three pairs nested in larch trees in the Druid's Wood in 1900 and 1901, but, for some unex- plained cause, they deserted in 1902. According to the information supplied by my correspon- dents there is not at present any Heronry of importance in the North Riding ; a small colony consisting of three pairs is established on the late Mr. Rutson's estate at Newby Wiske, and odd pairs nest sparingly in one or two other localities. In 1900 and the two succeeding years a pair bred in the Rookery in Wensleydale, between Carperby and Thornton Rust, but were disturbed by the Rook-shooting and deserted the place. In 1903 a brood was reared in the Lord's Wood at Bolton Park. In Arkengarthdale, and at Rutherford Bridge on the Greta, there have also been occasional nests, as well as in Liverton and Crinkle Woods, near Loftus-in-Cleveland, and at Mulgrave, near Whitby, As migrants from the Continent, Herons are frequently observed in the autumn in the neighbourhood of the coast ; I have annually watched the birds crossing the sea from the east, flying high in the air and slowly winging their way landwards. Occasionally they may be noticed sitting on the " Scars " a mile from shore, near Redcar. Nidification sometimes begins very early. Eggs have been seen in the second week in February, and young were hatched on the 20th of that month in 1898. Charles Waterton recorded the fact of having seen Herons alight in deep water at Walton Park and swim like Water- Hens. He also observed them hovering like Terns over shoals of fish. A curious incident, illustrating the voracity of this bird, 3QO THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. is told by Mr. F. S. Mitchell (ZooL 1881, p. 186), who says that in the stomach of a young bird was found about half a yard of line with a broken hook at one end, and two lead sinkers attached ; no doubt the old Heron had got hold of a fish on a night line, torn it loose, and presented it to its offspring with fatal results to the latter. An interesting piece of folk-lore is communicated by an old resident in Cleveland, and is to the effect that : — " To look upon black or dark birds (Crows or Rooks especially) when worriting (harassing or pursuing) a ' Sew,' so that it casts up its catch, tells for a certainty that he or she who sets eyes on such a sight will presently suffer through law. Should the pursuing birds be light-coloured (? Peewits), then loss through death will ensue to the beholder." The vernacular names are really but few in number, apart from the variation in spelling and pronunciation of the principal one, which is rendered Heronshawes by Leland, in describing the Nevell enthronization feast of 1466 ; Heron- sewes or Heron-sews at the Neville feasts of 1526 and 1530 ; Hearonsewys in the Northumberland Household Book of 1512 ; Heron-sew, Hearin'-sew, and Herring-sew in the Craven district ; Heronseugh, in the East Riding and at Scarborough ; Heronshaw at Doncaster (1849), and at Barnsley ; Heron- sew or Heron-sue in Teesdale and at Loftus-in-Cleveland, and in the latter district Sew is sometimes used without the prefix ; Heronshew in Arkengarthdale, and Heron-sue at Nunnington. Johnson in the Zoologist (1849), rendered it Herring Shrew and Herring-shaw, and Poulson in his " Antiquities of Beverley " (p. 263), quoting the Northumber- land Household Book, gave it as Heronsew, Heronseu, Hornsue, and Hernshaw. Long-neck is the appropriate term in use at Sedbergh ; and Yony Crony at Settle and Upper Ribblesdale. PURPLE HERON. Ardea purpurea (Z.). Accidental visitant from southern Europe and Africa, of extremely rare occurrence. The Purple Heron breeds in Holland and commonly in south-east Europe, migrating in winter to Africa. The first known Yorkshire specimen of this bird is that referred to by Thomas Allis in 1844 : — Ardea purpurea. — Purple Heron — One shot near Flamborough in 1833, by Mr. Pick of that place, mentioned in F. O. Morris's catalogue of " Yorkshire Birds," now in the collection of A. Strickland, Esq., is a specimen in young plumage and the only one we have heard of. This species is an accidental visitant to the British Isles, and has been noted in this county on six different occasions, in spring and summer. The first, alluded to by Allis in his Report, is now in the York Museum. At Lowthorpe one occurred at some old fish ponds, in the spring of 1847, and was mentioned by the Rev. F. O. Morris in the Zoologist (1849, P- 259Z) ; Mr- St. Quintin informs me this bird is in his possession, and is placed at the Lowthorpe Lodge. Near Leeds a male specimen was procured at Temple Thorpe. Mr. Thomas Stephenson states that an immature bird was obtained in the summer of 1860, by Joshua Barry, at Rus- warp Dam, and was stuffed by J. Kitching. This specimen is now in the Whitby Museum. A male example, taken in July 1862, by W. Wellburn, gamekeeper, at Hornsea Mere, is .in the Burton Agnes collec- tion, formed by the late Sir Henry Boynton, where I have had an opportunity of seeing it. And the latest occurrence was reported in the Naturalist (1888, p. 330), by Mr. W. Eagle Clarke, who says he examined in the flesh a fine mature male, which had been killed on VOL. II. C 392 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. April 1888, on the margin of Farnley Pool, near Otley. When first seen the bird was approaching the water from the direction of Harewood. It appeared to have been unsuspicious of danger, and allowed a keeper to approach within gun range, and this in quite an exposed situation, where it was shot for a Common Heron. The specimen is in the possession of the Rev. F. Fawkes of Rothwell. GREAT WHITE HERON. Ardea alba (/,.). Accidental visitant from south-eastern Europe and Africa, of extremely rare occurrence. This bird is an inhabitant of the Lower Danube and Black Sea areas, south-east Europe, north Africa, and India. A reference to it in Willughby's " Ornithology " may possibly be connected with Yorkshire ; that celebrated ornithologist's correspondent, R. Johnson, being quoted as follows : — " For Mr. Johnson [of Brignall, near Greta Bridge], who hath seen the Great White Heron in England, puts it down for a distinct kind in his method of birds communicated to us." (Will. " Orn." 1678, pp. 279-80.) Thomas Allis, in 1844, wrote : — Ardea alba. — White Heron — F. O. Morris mentions one shot near Beverley a few years ago and now in the possession of Jas. Hall, Esq. of Scorborough, near Beverley ; the same specimen is referred to by Hugh Reid. Dr. Farrar says a specimen of this very rare visitant was shot at New Hall by my friend the late John S. Townend, Esq., and by some means got into the possession of Sir Joseph Radclyffe, Bart. ; another at Hornsea Mere, in the collection of A. Strickland, Esq., is reported by him, and noticed in Charlesworth's " Magazine of Natural History " ; but those who have quoted that paper have mistaken Scorborough for Scarborough, which is forty miles from it. The Great White Heron is a very rare, accidental visitant, the Yorkshire occurrences, authenticated by the actual capture of the specimens, being but three in number. The first was recorded at the British Association's meeting at LITTLE EGRET. 393 Newcastle-on-Tyne, in August 1838, by Arthur Strickland, who stated that one was seen for several weeks at Hornsea Mere, and was caught about 1825. This example forms part of the Strickland collection, now in the York Museum, and was recorded in the Report of the British Association (1838, p. 106) ; the " Magazine of Natural History " (1839, p. 21) ; and Zoologist (1856, p. 5035). The second specimen, which is in full summer plumage, was killed in 1834 by John Norris on the river Hull at Aike, near Beverley, and was sold to the late James Hall of Scor- borough. At his decease it was purchased on behalf of the authorities of the York Museum, and is now in the Rudston collection in that institution (see Neville Wood's " Naturalist," November 1838 ; and Yarrell's " Brit. Birds," 1843, ii. p. 455). Near Barnsley, one was obtained at New Hall, in 1821, by the late J. S. Townend, and was formerly in the possession of Sir Joseph Radcliffe, Bart. (Farrar's MS. 1844). This specimen is considered doubtful (Harting's " Handbook," 2nd Ed. p. 440). The above records are all mentioned by Allis in his Report, already quoted. A later occurrence, reported by Mr. A. S. Hutchinson of Derby, is unquestionably referable to the species under notice. The recorder, a naturalist of great experience, writes in 1902 that, in the summer of 1868, he saw a Great White Heron perched on a fir tree at Clay Wheel Dam, near Wadsley Bridge, where he watched it at close quarters for nearly half an hour, and had no doubt whatever as to its identity. LITTLE EGRET. Ardea garzetta (Z.). Accidental visitant from south-east Europe and Africa, of extremely rare occurrence. This species breeds in south-east Europe, and is found in the whole of Africa, India, China, and Japan. 394 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. Pennant, in his " British Zoology " (2nd Ed. 1768, pp. 492, 495), observed that, in the famous feast of Archbishop Nevell of York, we find no fewer than a thousand Asterides, Egrets, or Egrittes, as it is different spelt. But, as suggested by various authorities, these were, no doubt, Lapwings. (See Yarrell, 4th Ed. Vol. iv. p. 182.) The Little Egret is an accidental visitant, the Yorkshire occurrences being only two in number. In the Grosvenor Museum, Chester, is a male example of this graceful bird, the particulars of which have been supplied to me by Mr. Robert Newstead, curator. The specimen was in a case, forming part of an extensive collection of British birds bequeathed by the late Thomas Potts of Chester to the Society of Natural Science in that city, and the label on the case, which I have inspected, states the bird was " Shot March 1826, near Paull, Humberside, York- shire." The writing is all in the same hand, and appears to have been written all at one time ; " Yorkshire " has not been added, as suggested by Mr. J. H. Gurney (ZooL 1901,. p. 107), who considers this specimen may be identical with the one sold at Southampton in 1826, and probably shot at that place, but I cannot accept Mr. Gurney's theory. The locality indicated on the case in Chester Museum is positive. Mr. Howard Saunders, who remarks that most of the British records are extremely unsatisfactory, has seen the bird in question, and is of opinion that its authenticity is without doubt. Through Mr. Newstead's courtesy I am enabled to produce an illustration of the bird before it was restuffed. Another Yorkshire example is mentioned by Gould (" Birds of Great Britain," Vol. iv.), the particulars of which were fur- nished by the late James Hall of Scorborough, near Beverley, as follows : — " The Little Egret in my possession was killed by a labourer with a stick in Ake [Aike] Carr, near Beverley, about 1840, and was brought to me tied up in a pocket- handkerchief, covered with black wet mud and blood, in which state it was sent to Mr. Reed [Reid] of Doncaster* who restored it in a marvellous manner." One, recorded by Mr. Harper as having occurred on 4th SQUACCO HERON. 395 January 1881, at Hayburn Wyke, near Scarborough, proved to be an imported bird (Zool. 1881, p. 213 ; and 1889, p. 150). For comments on the authenticity of the British records, see J. H. Gurney (op. cit. 1888, p. 302). SQUACCO HERON. Ardea ralloides (Scopoli). Accidental visitant from southern Europe, of extremely rare occurrence. The Squacco Heron is found in central and southern Europe in spring and autumn, migrating in winter to South Africa. The first mention of the bird in this county is that con- tained in the Report of Thomas Allis, in 1844, thus : — Ardea ralloides. — Squacco Heron — Arthur Strickland says " A specimen of this bird was killed some years ago in the low grounds below Askern, near Pontefract, and is now in my collection." There are, so far as is known, but two Yorkshire occurrences of this rare visitant on record. The individual mentioned by Allis forms part of the Strickland collection, now in the York Museum. A second Yorkshire example was picked up alive on 26th February 1902, by Mr. Thomas Lakin, farmer, Bielby Field, Everingham, in the East Riding, and was preserved by Mr. George Steels of Pocklington, to whom I am indebted for the particulars concerning its capture. The specimen is now in the possession of its captor. NIGHT HERON. Nycticorax griseus (Z.), Accidental visitant from southern and eastern Europe and Africa, of very rare occurrence. The Night Heron nests on the Continent of Europe, and is also found throughout Africa and the south of Asia. 396 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. Thomas Allis, in 1844, wrote : — Nycticorax europosus. — Night Heron — F. O. Morris says he thinks he has seen this bird at the Woodlands, near Doncaster. (We ought to have better evidence.) There are five authentic instances of the occurrence of this rare wanderer to Yorkshire, the particulars being set forth below : — An immature male was obtained in 1837, on Cottingham Common, by Martin, gamekeeper, and came into the possession of the late W. W. Boulton of Beverley, from whom it was purchased by the late Sir Henry Boynton. This specimen is now in the Burton Agnes Museum, where I have seen it, together with an adult male, which was formerly in the Sunderlandwick collection, procured near the latter place. On 2ist May 1855, one was killed on a pond at Birdsall, near Malton, by the keeper of Mr. H. Willoughby, in whose collec- tion it now is. The particulars respecting this occurrence were communicated by the late D. Graham of York. Mr. Thomas Stephenson states that an example, which was captured near Whitby, in the autumn of 1861, is in the possession of Mr. Edward Corner of Esk Hall. At Kirkby Misperton, near Malton, one was procured in May 1870, as communicated by the late Edward Tindall (MS. 1880). This specimen is in Mr. Tindall's collection, which was bequeathed to the Scarborough Museum. LITTLE BITTERN. Ardetta minuta (Z.). Casual visitant, of rare occurrence, chiefly in summer. The Little Bittern is found throughout the southern countries of Europe in summer, migrating in winter to Africa and India. Probably the earliest allusion to this, as a Yorkshire bird, is in Thomas Allis' s Report, 1844 : — Botaurus minuta. — Little Bittern — One was shot at Birdsall, nea LITTLE BITTERN. 397 Mai ton, the estate of Henry Willoughby. Esq., about two years since ; Hugh Reid of Doncaster informs me that one was shot at Thorpe, near Bridlington, and is now in the possession of A. Bosville, Esq. ; another shot near Doncaster is in his own possession. A rare, casual visitant, the Little Bittern has been chronicled in Yorkshire on fifteen different occasions, all of which are authenticated, while other four instances are reported for which full information is not forthcoming. The first two mentioned are referred to by Allis, while the late Hugh Reid of Doncaster had a specimen, shot near that town, also prior to 1844. On 26th September 1852, one was procured at Redcar, and about the same time a specimen was killed in the neighbour- hood of York, and acquired by the late Joseph Duff of Bishop Auckland. This individual is now in my collection. At the Scarborough Mere one was obtained in August 1863, while perched on a tree in a garden at Black House, and came into the possession of Mr. Taylor (A. Roberts MS. ; and Zool. 1863, p. 8770). The late W. W. Boulton of Beverley stated (MS. 1880), that an example was killed at Cottingham " several years ago." At Mr. Boulton's death this specimen was purchased by Mr. Thomas Boynton of Bridlington, and is now in his collection. At Collta, in the Rivelin Valley, one, taken about 1870, was sent to Webster's to be stuffed. For this information I am indebted to Mr. A. S. Hutchinson of Derby. On 25th August 1872, an individual occurred at Cold Hindley Reservoir, near Wakefield, and is recorded in Talbot's " Birds of Wakefield " as forming part of the collection of that author. An adult example is recorded by Mr. F. Boyes at Easington on 25th May 1874 (Zool. 1874, p. 4118). In the Whitby Local Museum is a specimen captured in May 1877, by T. Fletcher, at Ruswarp Dam, near Whitby (T. Stephenson MS.). At Scalby Beck, near Scarborough, a mature female was procured on 25th February 1879, ^7 Mr. Wood of Huddersfield ; 398 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. it was afterwards in Mr. E. Thompson's possession, and is now in the collection of Mr. J. Whitaker of Rain worth Lodge. A paragraph in the Naturalist (1890, p. 210), stating that a Little Bittern from the collection of Mr. J. Whitaker, obtained at Scalby Beck, i6th May 1866, was sold at Stevens' rooms on 22nd May 1890, is incorrect. Mr. Whitaker informs me that the individual reported in 1879 *s tne on^y one ne ever possessed. This is the same as recorded by Mr. E. V. Thompson in " Land and Water," 27th December 1879, " snot on° Filey Brigg." A male specimen, caught alive on the Dutch River bank, near Goole, on 23rd September 1881, was in Mr. W. Eagle Clarke's collection, and was recorded by Mr. Thomas Bunker in the Naturalist (1881, p. 66). In Teesdale, Mr. W. Walton informs me of one at Mickleton in 1885. In 1892 an example was procured at Sandal, near Wake- field, as reported by Mr. Joseph Morley of Scarborough. Mr. George Steels of Pocklington states (MS.), that one, killed during very hard weather, within two miles of that town, was brought to him for preservation in 1895. Mr. Gerald Heaton reports (in. litt. 1903), that he picked up the remains of a Little Bittern on 7th January 1902, about two miles south of Scarborough. The body had been eaten by vermin, but sufficient remained to enable him to identify the species. Information concerning the following specimens is in- complete : — Hunslet, near Leeds, one captured and taken alive to Mr. J. J. Armistead. Harewood Bridge, one, J. Tennant (MS.) ; both these were prior to 1881. Redcar, one from the late C. C. Oxley's collection, probably taken in the locality, now in the possession of Mr. Thomas Watson of Redcar. One on the river Hull, near Watton Beck, " some years ago " (F. Boyes MS.). 399 COMMON BITTERN. Botaurus stellaris (Z.). Winter visitant, of uncommon occurrence ; sometimes numerous in severe seasons. Probably nested formerly in the Doncaster Carrs and in Holderness. Historically, the connection of the Bittern with Yorkshire is of great antiquity, for we find allusion to it in the provision made for the great banquet given at Cawood in honour of the enthronization of Geo. Nevell as Archbishop of York in 1466, the sixth year of Edward the Fourth's reign. Amongst the delicacies provided were " In Bittors. c.c. iiii." (Leland's "Collectanea.") We are also told, in the Northumberland Household Book, that the price of " Bytters," for Earl Percy's table at the Castles of Wressill and Lekinfield, in 1512, was fixed at " I2d. a pece so they be good " ; and the bird figured in the menus at the marriage feasts of Sir John Neville's daughters at Chevet, near Wakefield, in the years 1526 and 1530 ; as also in the year 1528, when Sir John acted at Sheriff, and his charges included " 10 bytters, 133. 4d." Thomas Allis, in his Report, 1844, wrote : — Botaurus stellaris. — Common Bittern — Has been met with a few times near Sheffield ; I have no mention of it from near Halifax ; very rare near Huddersfield. W. Eddison has only known of two specimens one of which, in his own possession, was shot at Dalton ; Dr. Farrar has been unable to obtain a specimen for his own collection, but says several specimens were shot in 1830, one at Wortley Park, .and several others between that place and Pontefract ; it is rare near Leeds, it used to frequent Askham Bogs, near York, but is now scarce though occasionally pretty abundant ; in 1837 H. Chapman, bird-stuffer -of York, had a dozen specimens through his hands ; since that time few have been seen, two were killed in the neighbourhood last winter ; F. O. Morris says it is not uncommonly met with some winters ; in 1831 Mr. Reid of Doncaster had twenty-five specimens brought him ; H. Reid himself reports to me that a few years ago not less than fifteen were shot near Doncaster, and that during the same year he observed that many had been killed all over England. Arthur Strickland 400 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. observes "It is probable that before the drainage of the Carrs this bird was common in this district, but at present a single bird only is occasionally found, generally in the autumn or winter ; but in January of the winter of 1831 a singular flight visited this country, stated in some of the country newspapers to have arrived from the north of Ireland ; at that time from what came under my own observa- tion, what was stated to me by others, and mentioned in the newspapers, I collected a list of upwards of sixty that had been killed in this county, besides many others in different parts of the kingdom." This interesting species, now, unfortunately, no longer resident in the county, was well known in the early part of the last century ; and, as will be seen from the references to the Archbishop of York's feast in Edward the Fourth's reign, and again at the marriage of Elizabeth Neville in 1526, the Bittern figured prominently as an article of food, together with many other fowl which are only known to present day naturalists as rare and occasional visitants. In considering historically the distribution of this bird, we find that accomplished and old-time naturalist, Francis Willughby, in his " Ornithology " (1678, p. 25), stated that " Mr. Johnson [of Brignall, near Greta Bridge] has in an evening heard the drumming of the Bittern a mile off. This, I suppose, is the bird which the vulgar call the Night Raven and have great dread of," The celebrated North Riding naturalist, Marmaduke Tunstall, also remarked (Tunst. MS. 1784, p. 85), that many were in the neighbourhood of his residence ( Wycliffe- on-Tees). Another favourite resort of the bird was Askham Bog, near the city of York, where the father of Mr. James Backhouse reported one so recently as the winter of 1874-75. In the West Riding, before the drainage of the " Carrs " on the outskirts of the famous level of Hatfield Chase, it was frequently noticed, as also around Doncaster, and in the Western Ainsty. In " Historical Notices of Doncaster," by Chas. W. Hat- field (1866, p. 22), Mr. Samuel Crawshaw, who died at Bulby in 1813, aged 74, is quoted as follows : — " The Bittern began to desert the Carrs about the year 1750. The peculiar sound of the male forms to this day (1866) a topic of conversation of the villagers of Bulby ; they were common, and, from the COMMON BITTERN. 401 beginning of spring t6 the end of autumn, indications of their presence rent the air — hence the distich : — " When on Potteric Carr the Butter Bumps cry. The women of Bulby say summer is nigh." It used to be abundant formerly in the low grounds and marshes of east Yorkshire, and a farmhouse, not far from the site of the old Meaux Decoy, was called " Butter-bump Hall," from the continuous booming of these birds which bred in the adjacent marsh ; an old couplet ran : — " When the Butther-bumps cry, *j / ' "Jj Summer is nigh." Mr. F. Boyes has heard old people relate how 6n stuT summer evenings it could be heard from close to the town of Beverley as it boomed on the town moor, but drainage and cultivation have banished it from many of its ancient summer haunts ; it is, however, not a very rare bird in winter, and in severe weather, when frozen out of its secluded retreats, it is compelled to seek food in more open places where it falls a prey to the gunner ; one or more may be found in a certain locality almost any time during the winter months. A considerable flight of these birds took place in the north of England in the year 1831, when Strickland and Allis together collected a list of sixty occurrences in Yorkshire ; Hugh Reid of Doncaster had twenty-five brought to him, and many were killed in Wensleydale ; again in 1837 a dozen came into the hands of a York bird-stuff er (fide Allis's Report). The instances of its visits in recent years are too numerous for particularization ; it has been met with in most parts of the county, even in the remote dales of the north-west, though very irregularly, in severe winter weather, when it is driven out of its otherwise secure haunts in Continental Europe ; it was common early in 1875 in England, and the most recent visitations in unusual numbers were in the winters of 1899- 1900 and 1904-5, when it was reported in many localities in Yorkshire. In spring it is now very seldom observed. One occurred at Cold Hiendly Reservoir, near Wakefield, on 25th May 1868 ; 402 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. and in May 1886 two were seen near Gunnergate in Cleveland, and the booming heard. On the coast line at the migration period it has been noted on several occasions ; one was taken on the rocks at Cattersty, near Saltburn, in November 1868 ; and at Saltwick, near Whitby, a female specimen was captured on the shore in December 1890 ; while four were seen, on I3th October in the same year, by two Spurn boatmen when off at sea ; the birds passed close to the boat, anfl were described as in flight looking " exactly alike fore and aft ; legs straight out behind, and riec'k 'arid head in front." On 2ist November 1905 a male •example" was killed by flying against the lighthouse at Spurn. Cohc'ernhig the folk-lore and superstitions connected with this bird, Samuel Crawshaw of Bulby (before quoted in Hat- field's " Doncaster "), stated that an opinion was entertained that the Bittern thrust its bill into a reed, that served as a pipe for swelling the note above its natural pitch ; while others imagined that it put its head under water and then, by blowing violently, produced the booming ; old people in the Doncaster neighbourhood used to recite a doggerel rhyme referring to the weather prognostics from the Bittern's cry, which was not uncommonly heard in their youthful days : — " There'll either be rain or else summat waur, When Butter-bumps sing upo' Potteric Carr." Marmaduke Tunstall asked (MS. 1784, p. 85), " Is the old error sufficiently refuted of the Bittern making the bumping or bellowing noise with its bill in a reed ? It is probably a cry to love as are most of the unusual cries of birds." Local names : — Bittor (Nevell's enthronization feast, 1466, Leland) ; Bytter or Bitter (Neville's marriage feast, 1526) ; Bittour or Bittor, and Night Raven ( Willughby, 1678) ; Bittoun (Dr. Lister of York, 1673) ; Mire Drum (Willughby, 1678, Tunstall, 1784, and Graves, 1808) ; Butter Bump, Butther Bump, and Bottle Bump (old names used in the neighbour- hood of theCarrs); Speckled Heronshew (Loftus-in-Cleveland). 403 AMERICAN BITTERN. Botaurus lentiginosus (Montagu}. Accidental visitant from North America, of extremely rare occurrence. The North American representative of our Bittern is an extremely rare accidental visitant, two occurrences only being on .record for Yorkshire, both of them in localities within a few miles distance of each other in the North Riding. The first was obtained at Kells Springs, near Slingsby, by Mr. Robert Hicks of York, about 1873, being identified by Mr. James Brigham, and afterwards exhibited at a meeting of the York Naturalists' Club. The specimen is now in Sir Vauncey Crewe's collection at Calke Abbey, Derby. The second example, a female, was killed on 27th October 1882, by the Hon. W. Dawnay, at Harlsey Hall, near North- allerton ; its gizzard contained the remains of field mice. It was examined by the late John Harrison of Wilstrop, and recorded by Mr. James Backhouse in the Zoologist (1883, pp. 128, 180), and by Mr. W. Eagle Clarke in the Naturalist (1884, p. 177). WHITE STORK. Ciconia alba (Bechsteiri}. Casual visitant from the Continent, of rare occurrence. The first mention of the White Stork in Yorkshire is contained in FotherguTs " Orn. Brit." (1798), and relates to the occurrence of one at Howden during the severe winter of 1798 (C. Fothergill's " Orn. Brit." 1798, p. 7). Thomas Allis, 1844, wrote : — Ciconia alba. — White Stork — Hugh Reid reports that one was killed at Bawtry about nineteen years ago and came into his own possession ; F. O. Morris says a flock was seen fourteen years ago 404 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. on the Trent ; two supposed to belong to it were shot near Bawtry ; Dr. Farrar informs me that, in March 1831, he observed this bird (though at the time ignorant of its species from the height of its flight) winging his course from the east in a westerly direction, and next morning the bird was shot at Bretton Park, the residence of T. W. Beaumont, Esq., where it was standing in the shallow bed of the water, looking out for food. Arthur Strickland says " We have had several instances of this bird straying over from the Continent ; one, formerly in my collection, was killed on the sea shore near Skipsea." In 1830 a small flock appeared on a piece of water at Keelby j3ommon in Lincolnshire. This species is a rare casual visitant from the European Continent, the instances of its occurrence in Yorkshire, as at present known, being twelve in number. The first is that mentioned by C. Fothergill in 1798 (see above). At Bawtry one was obtained about 1825, and was men- tioned in Allis's Report, as also was another example in March 1831, at Bretton Park, Barnsley, the residence of Mr. T. W. Beaumont, where it was noticed standing in a shallow bed of the water. A third instance was reported by the same recorder on the sea shore at Skipsea, the specimen being acquired by A. Strickland. At Wansford, near Driffield, the Rev. F. O. Morris stated (ZooL 1846, p. 1501), that one was seen in the spring of 1846 by Messrs. Fife and Reynard, who informed him of the circumstance. A fine male was taken on i8th May 1848, on Lord Wenlock's property near Riccal, and came into the hands of D. Graham of York, who preserved it ; the occurrence was reported (op. cit. 1848, p. 2191), by Sir W. Milner, whose collection, con- taining the specimen under notice, is now in the Leeds Museum. One was killed, about the year 1855, on a tall fir tree in the village of Great Ayton in Cleveland, and is now in the Museum attached to the Friends' School there. At Barmston, near Bridlington, Mr. John Harland obtained one on i8th September 1856, which is in the collection of the late E. Tindall, now deposited in the Scarborough Museum. On 25th September 1869, a White Stork was seen flying BLACK STORK. 405 round Easington Church, where it was shot at and its leg broken. It was afterwards killed near Withernsea by Mr. Crawforth, and preserved by Mr. Philip Loten of Easington. The specimen, which is in mature plumage, is now in the Hull Museum. In the Burton Agnes collection, formed by the late Sir Hy. Boynton, is a female example, captured at Carnaby, on nth May 1878, by Mr. H. P. Robinson. One was found floating dead in the sea near Peasholme, Scarborough, on 8th April 1888. It proved to be in mature plumage, but was too far decomposed for preservation (R. P. Harper, op. cit. 1888, p. 269 ; and W. Eagle Clarke, Nat. 1888, p. 169). The skull of this specimen is in the Museum of the York Philosophical Society. Lastly, at Mappleton, near Hornsea, one was shot from a chimney by Mr. T. Ake, and was preserved by Mr. Darley of Hull. Its last meal had been two water voles. This specimen, which became the property of Mr. Haworth-Booth of Rowleston Hall, measured six feet eight inches across the wings and weighed eight pounds. BLACK STORK. Ciconia nigra (Z.). Accidental visitant from Continental Europe, of extremely rare occurrence. The occurrences of this accidental visitant from the Euro- pean Continent are but two in number ; one in Bretton Park, Huddersfield, in March 1836, as noted by Mr. S. L. Mosley in his " List of Huddersfield Birds " ; and the other on Market Weighton Common on 29th October 1852, recorded by B. R. Morris in the Naturalist (1853, P- I9)- The last named specimen was purchased by the York Philosophical Society, and is now in their Museum. 406 GLOSSY IBIS. Plegadis falcinellus (/",.). Accidental visitant from central and southern Europe and Africa,. of extremely rare occurrence. There are five instances of the appearance of the Glossy Ibis chronicled in Yorkshire, and, as the bird is an extremely rare and accidental spring and autumn visitant, no apology is needed for setting out at length the particulars regarding their capture. The first, as communicated to Mr. W. Eagle Clarke by Mr. Philip Loten, occurred at Easington, near Spurn, in the autumn of 1850, and passed into the collection of the late Cuthbert Watson. The late Canon J. C. Atkinson of Danby, writing on 2Qth May 1880, remarked that " An Ibis was seen near the Liverton and Moorsholm vicinity, in Cleveland, for some days, about twenty years ago ; one day I took my gun, but the bird flew away." An immature example, in Admiral Mitford's collection, was captured at Filey in 1863, and is noted in Roberts's Scarborough list. Near Selby, a mature bird was reported at Brayton Bridge, in the last week of May 1874, and is in the possession of Mr. J. Jackson of Cawood (Field, I3th June 1874). And lastly, a male example, for a notice of which I am indebted to Major Walter Arundel, was obtained on I7th November 1902, at Ackworth. SPOONBILL. Platalea leucorodia (Z). Casual visitant from the Continent, of rare occurrence. Historically considered, the Spoonbill's association with Yorkshire history is of great antiquity, for we find it mentioned SPOONBILL. 407 tinder the old name of " Sholarde " in the Northumberland Household Book, begun in 1512, at Earl Percy's Castles of Wressill and Lekinfield, where, in the list of birds to be supplied for " my Lordes owne Mees " are " Sholardes," the price fixed to be paid for them being 6d. Again, in the list of expenses returned for the Lammas Assizes, in 1528, during the Shrievalty of Sir John Neville of Chevet, near Wakefield, are " 12 Shovelardes, I2s."* Thomas Allis, in 1844, wrote : — Platalea leucorodia. — The Spoonbill — F. O. Morris records one shot near Masham ; Dr. Farrar obtained a fresh killed specimen from Staincross in July 1833, but, from the state of its wings, thinks it must have escaped from confinement. The Spoonbill is a rare casual visitant from the Continent, generally in spring or summer, the Yorkshire occurrences being so few that full details regarding each instance, so far as they are obtainable, may be set forth : — One in July 1833, at Staincross, was mentioned by Thomas Allis in his Report, and also in Dr. Farrar's MS. (1844), though, from the state of its wings, it was judged the bird might have escaped from confinement. At Masham, as stated by Allis, one was obtained in 1844. An example recorded by J. Hogg (Zool. 1845, p. 1172), killed some years previously on the Tees Marshes, may be a Durham specimen, although, in the absence of accurate details, it is permissible to mention the occurrence in the Yorkshire list. * In connection with this now obsolete name it may be of interest to mention that, some years ago, at my request, Mr. J. E. Harting investigated a case contained in the old Law Reports of Henry the Eighth's reign, with the result that it was found " Shovelards " at that time (1523), bred in company with Herons in the trees of Fulham Palace grounds. It may not be unreasonable, therefore, to suppose the bird may have nested in Yorkshire also at that period (see Harting, Zool. 1886, p. 8 1 et seq.). Mr. F. Boyes says he has been told by a very old sportsman that Spoonbills formerly bred in Leconfield Park, near Beverley, the ancient seat of the Percy family, but he could get no further information. The district is most suitable, adjoining, as it does, the old Carrs of East Yorkshire, and Herons bred there up to a recent period. VOL. II. D 408 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. The late W. Talbot, in his " Birds of Wakefield " (p. 26), mentioned one procured in 1850, by Mr. Firth, at Horbury Mill Dam. The late Sir Wm. Milner stated (Zool. 1851, p. 3278), that, on 2nd August 1851, an adult female in his collection (now in the Leeds Museum), occurred at Wilberfoss, near York. The York Museum possesses an adult male from the Rudston collection, killed in 1865, at Hornby Decoy, by Anthony Savage, gamekeeper to the Duke of Leeds. The late Capt. Clark- Kennedy communicated (op. cit. 1868, p. 1135), particulars concerning a fine specimen, obtained in one of the early months of 1867 by the head keeper of Mr. J. C. D. Charlesworth, at Reeth, near Richmond. It was damaged in the head and too much mutilated for preserva- tion (op. cit. 1884, p. 138 ; and Tinkler, Nat. 1892, p. 322). Admiral Oxley of Ripon possesses a specimen which was taken at Masham in 1877. An individual, in Mr. Thomas Boynton's collection at Bridlington, formerly had a place in the Bessingby collection, as the owner informs me, and was captured at Thorpe fish- ponds, near Bridlington, but no further particulars are obtainable. [An example of the FLAMINGO (Phocnicopterus roseus, Pallas), killed on the Swale in January 1896, was, in all prob- ability, an individual escaped from Lord Lilford's aviaries in Northamptonshire.] GREY LAG GOOSE. Anser cinereus (Meyer). Winter visitant, of uncommon occurrence. The earliest allusion to the Wild Goose in Yorkshire is found in the Cottonian MS., circa 1604, and though the writer of that day may r.ot have been able to discriminate GREY LAG GOOSE. 409 between the various species, the legend he mentioned doubtless referred to Wild Geese in general, and may therefore be accepted as the first reference to the bird under notice. We are told that :— " Not farre from Whitby is a peice of grounde called Whitby stronde, over whch the inhabitantes affyrme that noe wildgoose can flye ; yf the reporte be as true as yt is oulde, there must needes be some secret antipathic betwene the ayre of that place and that kinde of fowle ; if yt be a tale I wonder much that soe palpable a lye shoulde, from many adges, be nurished by many men of worthe, whom yt ill beseemeth to give vent to such base ware." (Cott. MS. p. 30.) Camden told of this supposition, the reason for which was ascribed to the great sanctity of St. Hilda, the Patroness of Whitby ; hence the rhyme : — " If the Wild Goose lights in Whitby Strand, The least bairn that is may take her up in his hand " ; and Sir Walter Scott also took notice of the old fable, thus : — " Then Whitby's nuns exulting told, .... how sea-fowls' pinions fail. As over Whitby's towers they sail, And, sinking down, with fluttering faint, They do their homage to the saint." (Marmion, Canto 2, Stanza xiii.) Thomas Allis, in 1844, wrote : — Anser ferns. — Grey-lagged Goose — A specimen was killed last spring near Doncaster and is now in the possession of Hugh Reid ; it is obtained about Sheffield ; it is rare near York ; F. O. Morris says it is common in hard winters ; not common about Barnsley ; common, according to H. Denny, at Walton Park. Arthur Strickland says ' I have never met with this bird in this county in my life, though it may have been here formerly, or have been overlooked. It is quite a mistake to suppose the name meant Grey Legged Goose, as some have suggested. The fowlers on the Carrs formerly distinguished two kinds of Goose frequenting them, the Grey Lag and the Carr Lag ; which the Carr Lag was I cannot now determine." The Grey Lag Goose, from which our farmyard fowl is descended, was formerly indigenous to Yorkshire, breeding in the " Carrs " and low lying portions of the East and North 410 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. Ridings, and is associated in the minds of Yorkshire ornith- ologists with the days when the Bittern's " boom " was no uncommon sound, and the Spoonbill and other species (now extinct as nesters), were to be found in the county. The first mention of this species nesting in Yorkshire is found in a communication from the celebrated Dr. Martin Lister of York, a friend and correspondent of John Ray, who described what he supposed to be the Grey Lag, and stated that it was found " nesting in the marshes of the county of York." His account as to its nesting is as follows : — In paludibus agri Eboracensis nidificant : ipsi & eorum Pitlli mense Maio pinguescunt & in deliciis habentur" ("Syn. Meth. Av." 1713, p. 138.) (Although there is no doubt it was the Grey Lag which formerly bred in the Carrs, Dr. Lister's description applies to the Pink-footed Goose, which see for further details, p. 416.) In Hatfield's " Historical Notices of Doncaster " (1866, p. 23), it is stated that " the Grey Lag formerly visited the decoy at Potteric Carr in immense multitudes " ; Arthur Strickland (in Allis's Report) also referred to it ; and Charles Waterton, in 1840, mentioned it as not uncommon at Walton Park ; but, owing to improvements in drainage, increase of population, and the advance of civilization, it has long since been banished, and this fine bird is now but a casual visitant to its ancient haunts. In the autumn and winter long skeins of " Grey Geese " may be seen passing over different parts of the county, but it is impossible to determine the exact species without examina- tion of specimens, and, though it is probable that many of these reported Grey Geese may be veritable Grey Lags, we can only deal with the individuals whose identity has been actually verified. Its distribution is of a very uncertain character, and the bird now chiefly occurs in the neighbourhood of sheets of water as at Fewston, Malham, on the rivers Nidd and Wharf e, at Masham (where the late James Carter shot two several years ago), and similar localities. It is rare in East Yorkshire ; Mr. M. Bailey has informed me that one Good Friday, many WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE. 411 years ago, he saw, in a field near Flamborough, a large flock of Grey Lags, and secured two of them, one of which contained a perfectly formed egg. At Scampston one came to Mr. St. Quintin's semi-wild birds at Christmas 1885, and remained on the lake for several days. In the North Riding Mr. T. Whitwell, gamekeeper, and his father/ each killed a specimen on Lord Faversham's Bransdale estate ; a local example is in the Whitby Museum ; and I identified a solitary individual at Redcar on 25th February 1891, when a fisher- man caught a wounded bird and brought it ashore in his boat. The Grey Lag will breed in captivity if suitable surroundings are provided, as is proved in the case of Mr. W. H. St. Quintin's birds at Scampston, where they have repeatedly bred, and have also mated with the White-fronted species (St. Quintin MS. ; and Field, igth July 1902). An old superstition connected with Wildgeese may appropriately be referred to here, for the term " Gabriel Hounds " was formerly applied to the flocks of yelping Wild- geese migrating southward in twilight evenings of autumn, their cry being more audible than the assemblage is visible. As they were supposed to be foreboders of evil, betokening death in the house near which the sound was heard, or to some friend or connection, the hearers closed their ears and covered their eyes until the phalanx passed over. WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE. Anser albifrons (Scopoli). Winter visitant, of uncommon occurrence. Thomas Allis has, so far as I can ascertain, the claim to have first mentioned the White-fronted Goose in this county, in his Report of 1844, thus : — Anser albifrons. — White-fronted Goose — Is obtained near Sheffield ; also at Doncaster in severe weather ; occasionally about Sutton-on- Derwent ; near York in considerable numbers ; though by no means a regular visitant ; Dr. Farrar has only met with a single specimen 412 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. near Barnsley ; H. Denny says it is not uncommon at Walton Park ; A. Strickland remarks that it is seldom found near Bridlington except in severe weather ; a few stray birds or small flocks frequenting the Streams and water sides, and not resorting to the open country along with the Bean Goose. This Goose is but a casual visitant to Yorkshire in the winter, occurring irregularly and in small numbers, being more numerous in severe weather than in mild seasons. It has been recorded, several times from the Humber, where it is considered to be uncommon, though in the winter of 1884-85 there were two or three small parties observed. A male specimen in the Burton Agnes collection is from the Beverley neighbourhood. It has occurred at Flamborough ; A. Strickland referred to its appearance at Bridlington (see Allis) ; it has been noted at Scarborough in December 1890 ; and J. Hogg, in his "Birds of N.W. Cleveland and S.E. Durham," mentioned it in his time as frequenting the Teesmouth in small flocks (ZooL 1845, p. 1178), though I have met with it on only one Occasion at Redcar ; on 27th January 1884, during a north- west gale with snow, when one was killed from a pond on the sand-hills. At the same time several other Geese were seen, presumably of this species. The White-fronted Goose has been reported from several inland localities, notably East Cottingworth, where it occurs on the flooded waters of the Derwent ; two were shot there in the winter of 1903-04 ; it is recorded from the Carrs of Don- caster ; at Selby, in 1860 ; near Wakefield, between 1847 and 1856, and at Ackworth, where in the winter of 1880-81 six were seen and one was obtained. At Wilstrop on the Nidd, two or three have been killed ; one example is recorded in Wens- leydale ; whilst in Ribblesdale one was noted in January 1891. Mr. W. H. St. Quintin, in a communication to the Field (i9th July 1902), reports an interesting instance of the nest- ing of a pair of these Geese in semi-captivity, which reared young in 1900 and 1902. Hybrids between this species and the Grey Lag have also been bred at Scampston. The only name by which it is known, other than its common appellation, is the Laughing Goose. 413 LESSER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE. Anser erythropus (Z). This bird breeds in the northern parts of Scandinavia, and is by some ornithologists admitted to be a separate species, whilst by others it is not considered as specifically distinct from A. albifrons. The only Yorkshire example, of which I have any informa- tion, is a male specimen in the collection formed by the late Sir Henry Boynton at Burton Agnes, and which, according to the catalogue made by the owner, was " taken near York, several years ago." BEAN GOOSE. Anser segetum (y. F. Gmelin). Winter visitant, in small numbers ; appears in late September or early October, and departs in April or May. Thomas Allis , in his oft-mentioned Report, 1844, thus alluded to this bird : — Anser segetum. — Bean Goose — Is met with near Sheffield and York ; not uncommon at Killingbeck, near Leeds. Arthur Strickland remarks " This is one of the few species that do not seem to have diminished in numbers of late years, and from the immense flocks that now frequent the Wolds near here we might suppose they have increased of late by the introduction of clover crops which they principally feed upon. This species constantly frequents the open and higher country and never, I believe, resorts to the Carr or fen districts ; their movements are very regular, arriving by early dawn of the morning to the open districts of the Wolds, principally to the clover stubble, where they remain till toward dusk in the evening, when they all simultaneously rise and wing their way in long strings to the sand-banks in the Humber, where they securely remain for the night." In one parish on the Wolds a few years ago a person was actually hired to keep the Wild Geese from the clover fields they fed upon. Strickland's remarks, as quoted by Allis, unquestionably refer to the Pink-footed Goose, and he was also under an erroneous impression when discussing British Wild Geese 414 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. in his Report to the British Association (1858), which is given at length in the article on A. brachyrhyncus, pp. 415 et seq, and which must be read in conjunction with this species. The confused ideas formerly existing in regard to these two forms of Grey Geese are now dispelled, thanks to the researches of our East Riding ornithologists. The Bean Goose is a winter visitant, arriving in small numbers in late September and October, and departing in April or May. Comparefl with its Pink-footed congener it is a scarce bird, generally frequenting the low-lying Carrs and marshy districts of the East Riding, and occasionally the Humber estuary, in contradistinction to the habits of the Pink-foot which resorts to the high Wolds to feed and to the Humber banks to rest at night. It is stated in Hatfield's " Historical Notices of Doncaster " (1866), to have been common on the Doncaster Carrs ; the flooded lands adjoining the Derwent are also amongst its resorts ; it is mentioned in Hogg's " Birds of Cleveland " (Zool. 1845, p. 1178) ; and in the North Riding generally it is occasionally taken and identified. In the early part of the year 1879 1 obtained a male example, from a flock of fifteen flying over the Redcar sand-hills, which weighed eight pounds, and presents the true characteristics of A. segetum. Two others, killed in a stubble field at Deighton Manor, near Northallerton, by Mr. C. A. Emerson, are also of this form, and I have examined other specimens in the Cleveland district. It has been observed or reported at Scarborough, Whit by, Loftus, and in the North Riding dales, where large gaggles of " Grey Geese " are frequently seen passing over in autumn, but it is impossible to discriminate between the various species of this family at the distance they usually observe, and the reported occurrences of Grey Lag, Pink-foot, or Bean Geese are not always verified. In the West Riding this species has been noted in the Western Ainsty, and a few other localities, but is considered of rare occurrence. A pair of semi-domesticated birds, in the possession of Mr. W. H. St. Quintin, nested at Scampston n the year 1885. PINK-FOOTED GOOSE. 415 It is scarcely within the province of this work to enter into the controversy which has recently taken place in reference to the different forms of Bean Goose differentiated by the specific names of A. segetum and A. arvensis. Yorkshire ornithologists are of opinion that the differences depend greatly on age and sex.* I append measurements and weights of three examples for purposes of comparison, and may remark that Nos. 2 and 3 might be referable to Strickland's A. paludosus, (?) arvensis (Brehm). Weight. Length of bill. Tarsus. Middle toe. No. i. ? Shot at Marske-by-the Sea, iyth November 1887 . . 6J ffis. 2f in. 3 in. No. 2. 596), which is of doubtful origin, and might be equally well applied to any other of the British common Wild Geese. See Grey Lag for folk-lore conected with Gabriel's Hounds. PINK-FOOTED GOOSE. Anser brachyrhynchus (Baillori). Winter visitant. The common Wild Goose of the county ; abundant in east Yorkshire, where it annually makes its winter home, arriving with great regularity in the last week of September and leaving again about the end of April, the time of departure varying somewhat with the seasons. The first mention of the Pink-footed Goose appears to have been made by that celebrated naturalist John Ray, who, in his ' Synopsis Methodica Avium,' published in 1713, alluded * Since this was written Mr. H. J. Pearson's work, " Three Summers in Russian Lapland," has appeared, and his remarks on this subject may be of interest as bearing out the above statement. See also Mr. W. Eagle Clarke's note on Strickland's Report (p. 420.) 4i6 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. to the description of a species of Wild Goose which was re- ported to him, by the renowned Dr. Martin Lister of York, as nesting in the marshes of the county of York. Ray's account is as follows : — ' Rostrum a capite ad mediant fere partem nigrum, deinde subpurpureum, ipso etiam apice nigro : in superiore mandibula nonnisi unicus denticulorum ordo, atque idem simplex in inferiors ; item huic lingua uno den- ticulorum ordine armatur. Pedes subpurpurei sive carnei colons, ungues fere albidi, excepto medii digiti, qui ex majori parte nigricat. Pendet libras y\ fere. In paludibus agri Eboracensis nidificant : ipsi & eorum Pulli mense Maio pinguescunt, & in deliciis habentur. Hactenus D. Lister, qui tamen hanc speciem ab Ansere fero vulgari nobis descripto diversam esse non fidentur affirmat, quoniam descriptiones in omnibus fere, excepto Rostri 6- pedum color e, convenient.' (" Syn. Meth. Av." 1713, p. 138.).* The species which nested in Yorkshire was, of course, the Grey Lag, though Dr. Lister's description certainly refers to the Pink-footed Goose, and he must have taken it for granted that the specimen he described so well was of the same species as that which bred in the county, about which he possibly had little personal knowledge, and probably never saw an example. Curiously enough Ray's statement seems to have been en- tirely overlooked and the vast flocks of migratory Grey Geese, which each winter came to this country with unfailing regu- larity, and were such a feature in the landscape of certain * The beak from the top to about the middle part black, thence purplish, the tip (nail) itself also black : in the upper mandible there is but one row of small teeth, and in the lower one the same row is plain (? single) ; the tongue moreover is armed with one row of small teeth. The feet purplish or flesh-coloured, the claws almost white, except the middle toe, which for the larger part becomes black. It weighs almost 7^ Ibs. They nest in the marshes of the county of York ; they, themselves, in the month of May become fat and are deemed delicacies. Thus far Dr. Lister, who, however, does not confidently state that this species described to us is different from the common Wild Goose, since the descriptions in almost everything, except the colour of the bill and feet, agree. PINK-FOOTED GOOSE. 417 districts on our Eastern seaboard, were believed to be Bean Geese (Anser segetum) the species last described, and were stated to be so in all works on ornithology. Such being the case, it may perhaps not be uninteresting to give a short resume of the past and present status of the species in the county. On the 8th January 1839 tne late Mr. Bartlett exhibited several specimens of Wild Geese at the evening meeting of the Zoological Society, which he believed to be new to British ornithology, and which he proposed to call the " Pink-footed Goose " from the colour of its legs and feet. He pointed out the characteristics of the species and where it differed from other members of the genus, and remarked that, although resembling the Bean Goose much in appearance, in the formation of its sternum it was more like the White-fronted Goose. But although the Pink-footed Goose had been clearly es- tablished as a British bird, and specimens had from time to time been procured in various parts of the county, it seems never to have been suspected that the large flocks of Wild Geese frequenting Yorkshire were otherwise than Bean Geese. Thomas Allis, in 1844, reported : — Anser phcenicopus. — Pink-footed Goose — Occurs at Thome Moor and York in winter. H. Reid has obtained three specimens in Don- caster Market in 1840. A. Strickland says " From information from a sporting friend I have reason to believe that the bird has been killed out of a flock of the Bean Goose, but I never met with it myself." Then we find, twenty years after Mr. Bartlett 's observa- tions, a great authority on Yorkshire birds — the late Arthur Strickland of Bridlington, the friend and correspondent of Thomas Allis — reading a paper on British Wild Geese before the members of the British Association, strongly advocating the opinion that the Yorkshire Wild Geese were Bean Geese. Strickland's report is as follows : — " Anas ferus or anser, never was a migratory species in this country, but permanently resided and bred in the Carrs of Yorkshire, and probably in the fens of Lincolnshire ; but it has long since been banished from these places, but still 418 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. breeds sparingly in the Western Islands of Scotland. This bird displays the same delicate pink colour in its bill when young, as the Bean Goose does in its legs, and which has erroneously been considered a distinct species, under the name of Pink-footed Goose. " From time immemorial one of the features of the north and east of England has been the regular periodical appear- ance of countless flocks of Wild Geese which arrive about the end of harvest, and whic*h received the name of Bean Goose as coming in the time of bean harvest, and when the bean stubbles were ready for them. This species is the only one that has any claim to the name of Bean Goose (or segetum), the only migratory species in this country, and the only abundant and common species we have. Unaccountable as the case may appear, this bird is not figured or characterized in any work of Natural History I am acquainted with, and is not men- tioned in the works of Mr. Yarrell, Mr. Gould, or Morris, further than ascribing the habits of this bird to one given by these authors under the figure and description of an entirely different species under the erroneous name of segetum, or Bean Goose. Some years ago, Mr. Bartlett, struck with the difference between the geese he met with in the market and the descriptions and drawings given of the Bean Goose, was induced to constitute a new species under the name of Pink- footed Goose ; but this was an erroneous view of the matter, being in fact the young or immature bird of the true Bean Goose. This bird, the true segetum, or Bean Goose, or Short- billed Goose, is distinguished by its short and strong bill, its depth at the base being nearly two-thirds of its length, and by its migratory habits, differing in that respect from all our other geese, arriving every autumn, spreading during the day- time over the stubbles and clover fields on the Wolds and other open districts, rising like clockwork in the evening, and winging its way in long strings to the sandbanks in the Humber, and other safe retreats for the night, returning as punctually in the morning to its feeding grounds. This bird differs from the Pink-footed Goose in being larger, having a stronger bill and lighter plumage ; but these differences are the result of PINK-FOOTED GOOSE. 419 age, and not of species, and due examination will confirm this. The next bird to be considered is the Long-billed Goose, figured and described by Mr. Yarrell, Mr. Gould, and Mr. Morris under the name of segetum, or Bean Goose. This is distinguished by having the bill exactly twice the length of the depth at the base, a proportion quite different from the Short-billed Goose. Before the beginning of this century, when the Carrs of Yorkshire were the resort of countless numbers of wild-fowl, it was stated that there were two species of geese frequenting and breeding in the Carrs, known to the fowlers by the name of Carr Lag and Grey Lag. What the Grey Lag was is well known. The Carr Lag is not now easy to identify, but the author thinks it was this Long-billed Goose, a bird that resided and bred in the Carrs along with the Grey Lag, and like that bird is no longer to be found in these districts, and now one of the scarcest British birds, or almost a lost species. This bird is distinguished from the Bean Goose by its long bill, and its entirely different habits. " The following is a list of the species : — " Anas albifrons. — White-fronted Goose — Face white, bill flesh-coloured (Gould, No. 349) ; an occasional winter visitor in this country in small groups. " Anas ferus, or anser. — Grey Lag Wild Goose — Breeds sparingly in this country, and is not a migratory species. Bill pink, nail white. " Anas segetum. — Bean Goose — Short-billed or Migratory Goose. Bill short, strong, the depth of the base being nearly two-thirds of that of the length, pale red in the middle, black at the extremities, but varies much in the proportions of these colours. Old birds are as large and pale-coloured as a Grey Lag Goose. Pink-footed Goose, smaller bird, less, and darker ; the young of the last. " Anas paludosus. — Carr Lag, or Long billed-Goose — Bill long and weak, being exactly twice the length of the depth at the base, being 2 fin. long and if in. deep at the base. Bill strongly toothed, a groove running the length of the lower mandible ; colour same as last. (Gould, plate 348, but not 420 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. the description ; not a migratory species)." (British Associa- tion Report, 1858, pp. 131-132.).* Notwithstanding that Strickland preferred to call the Wild Geese of Yorkshire ' Bean Geese/ yet he was careful to make it clear that his Bean Goose was not the Bean Goose of Yarrell, Gould, and Morris, and the Bean Goose of to-day. His descrip- tions and measurements of the beak, etc., show that his bird was in reality the Pink-footed Goose, hence his supposition that the Bean Goose derives its name from ' its coming in the time of bean harvest ' rests on no foundation. The belief in the Bean Goose being the common Wild Goose of the county was still held, and it was not until a quarter of a century after Strickland's paper was printed that the real identity of the bird was established. In February 1883, Mr. J. E. Harting, the editor of the Field newspaper, published an article on Grey Geese, in which it was stated that the Pink- footed Goose was nowhere to be found in any numbers except perhaps in the Hebrides. Mr. F. Boyes questioned this statement, and brought facts from his own observation and experience to prove that the Pink- footed Goose was the common Wild Goose of the Yorkshire Wolds and the Humber basin. To this Mr. Harting replied " The statement that the Pink-footed Goose is the common Wild Goose of the Yorkshire Wolds is most interesting, and we should be glad if other correspondents would furnish in- formation as to the particular species of Grey Geese which visit their respective districts in winter, etc." Numerous letters followed, and the result of the inquiry conclusively proved that the Pink-footed Goose, and not the Bean Goose, was, and is, the common migratory Grey Goose both of York- shire and also of Eastern England. The distribution of the Pink-footed Goose in Yorkshire is confined almost entirely to the Wold district and the Hum- * Mr. Eagle Clarke informs me that, according to Alpheraky's Monograph on the "Geese of Europe and Asia" (1905), Strickland's A. paludosus is probably the Yellow-billed Bean Goose, the Anscr arvensis of Brehm, which is said to be a commoner visitor to Britain than the true Bean Goose, A. segetum. PINK-FOOTED GOOSE. 421 ber basin, though odd examples have occurred from time to time in various parts of the North and West Ridings ; these instances, however, are far too numerous for mention in detail. The Pink-footed Goose is readily distinguished from the Bean Goose by the colour of its legs, which in the latter are yellow, and also by its shorter beak, as well as by the lighter colour of the wing shoulders, they being blue as in the case of the Grey Lag Goose ; but no mistake can be made in differentiating these two, the Grey Lag having a white nail at the tip of the beak, which in the Pink-foot is black. The pink colour of the legs varies in intensity in different individuals according to age, being often very light in the young birds, and dark in the old ones. There is also considerable differ- ence in the weight of old and immature examples, the former occasionally scaling 81bs., whilst the young ones sometimes do not weigh more than four. The voice of the Pink-footed Goose is a single note " Ky-ack " " Ky-ack " often repeated, and it is the repetition of this note by so many voices which makes the gabble or gaggle of a flock of Wild Geese as they wing their figured flight across the sky. The habits of this species have not changed since Strick- land's day, and now, just as then, they may be seen each morning shortly after daybreak, in large and small flocks, skeins, and strings, winging their way to the high Wolds to feed on the scattered grain and young clover, while at dusk they rise with unfailing regularity and bend their course back again to the islands in the Humber, there to remain until the breaking of another day sets them in flight again to their accustomed feeding grounds inland. This habit of feeding by day and returning to the Humber to spend the night is as old as the hills, and has been noticed from time immemorial, while so regular is their first appearance on the Wolds that the old men have for generations fixed the date as the 25th September — "Weeton Fair Day" — i.e. Market Weighton. Wild Geese are not now so numerous as in the old days before the enclosure of the Wolds, for then they were quite 422 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. unapproachable except by the aid of a stalking horse ; now they are subject to much persecution both by night and day ; not that they have lost any of their wary nature, but ad- vantage is taken of foggy weather, at which time they are not able to see their enemy hiding behind the fences on their feeding grounds on the Wolds, and they are shot in great numbers with large punt-guns on the Humber at night, Wild Geese not having good sight after dark. Wild Geese, like most o*her birds, are subject to temporary alteration both of habits and location — a heavy fall of snow driving them completely off the Wolds by cutting off their food supplies, they then are compelled to stay in the Humber and paddle about the slob for a precarious living, when the punt- gunners, seeing their chance, take heavy toll of their ranks. In hard frosts they sometimes come inland to tidal rivers, or other open water, and then usually fall victims to the gun. A variety of the Pink-footed Goose in the Hull Museum is much darker in colour than the typical form, and has a- black tail instead of a white one. SNOW GOOSE. Chen hyperboreus (Pallas). Casual visitant from North America in winter, of extremely rare occurrence. The only claim of this North American species to be ad- mitted to the county list is on the strength of the reported occurrence of three examples seen near Beverley on i6th January 1891, by Mr. Henry Sharp, a practical wildfowler. In recording the facts in the Field (24 January 1891), Mr. Sharp states that the birds were only about two hundred yards distant ; and, on the editor of the paper in question suggesting that the observer might have mistaken Gannets for Snow Geese, he reiterated (Field, 7th February), his- opinion as to the identity of the species. 423 RED-BREASTED GOOSE. Bernicla ruficollis (Pallas). Accidental visitant from northern Asia, of extremely rare occurrence. Writing of this handsome Goose, Marmaduke Tunstall of Wy cliff e-on-Tees observed : " Have a beautiful specimen of this scarce species .... Shot in the severe frost in 1776, near London. . . . Never heard, I think, but of two more seen in England. One was taken alive in this neighbourhood [Wycliffe], and is still living.— (P.S.— Was the property of a lady lately deceased.) — It is kept in a pond with some ducks of the wild breed, with which it is very sociable, but never produces any breed together, though there is one it particularly associates with and seems to be partial to. It is very tame and familiar." (Tunst. MS. 1784, pp. 96, 97.) George Allan, later (Fox's " Synopsis," p. 212), referring to this specimen, quoted Latham's account in which there is an error as to- the date of its capture, 1766, instead of 1776, and this error was repeated in 1844 bY Thomas Allis, who wrote : — Anser ruficollis. — Red-breasted Goose — W. Yarrell in his " British. Birds " reports that one was captured alive in Yorkshire about 1766, soon became tame, and was kept with some ducks in a pond ; this is the only specimen I have noticed. J. Hogg, in his " Catalogue of Birds of S.E. Durham and N.W. Cleveland " (Zool. 1845, p. 1178), stated that two of these birds were seen " of late years by the Tees." One was afterwards shot by Mr. J. Hikeley. I understand, however , that this record referred to the Durham side of the estuary. BERNACLE GOOSE. Bernicla leucopsis (Bechstein). Winter visitant, of irregular occurrence on the coast ; has occa- sionally been observed inland. The earliest known reference to this Goose as a Yorkshire bird occurs jn Willughby's " Ornithology " (1678, pp. 359, 360),, VOL. II. E 424 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. where it is stated that Mr. Jessop sent a specimen " out of Yorkshire." In Ray's correspondence is the letter accompany- ing the bird : — " Broomhall, 25th November 1668. Mr. Jessop to Mr. Ray. Sir .... I have procured the skin of a great bird, which he that gave it me called a Scarfe ; but I believe it will prove a Bernicle. The description of it I sent to Mr. Willughby. ... I am, etc., Fra Jessop." (" Ray's Corresp.," Ed. Lank. 1848, p. 33.) Thomas Allis, 1844, wrote : — Anser leucopsis. — Bernicle Goose — R. Leyland reports two being killed on Midgley Moor, 2nd September 1836 ; H. Reid says it is frequently shot near Doncaster in severe weather ; taken occasionally near Huddersfield on the Marsden, Slaithwaite, Meltham, and Holm- firth Moors ; occasionally met with near York ; H. Denny reports it as rare near Leeds, but one was shot at Rigton in 1837. A. Strickland reports that it may at times be found on the sea shore during severe winter weather, on the extensive flats of the Humber during low tides. The Bernacle is of rare and irregular occurrence in winter on the coast ; it is met with occasionally on the Humber, where three were shot on Christmas Day 1875, and in 1891 Mr. L. West saw one at Brough in the higher portion of the estuary. It has also been obtained at long intervals in the neighbourhood of Bridlington and Flamborough ; at the latter place Mr. M. Bailey told me he had only had two or three specimens to preserve. It has occurred at Filey ; Scar- borough, where it is described as rare ; Robin Hood's Bay, and Loftus. In Cleveland J. Hogg (Zool. 1845, p. 1178), mentioned it as " occasionally killed on the Tees, but a rare bird," and Morris recorded one procured from a flock of nine on Coatham Marsh on 1st October 1853. Geo. Mussell, however, informs me that fifty years ago it was by no means uncommon ; about the year 1857 fourteen were killed at one shot at the Teesmouth, and the professional fowlers frequently obtained from four to ten birds in a day. It is now very rare, and I have noted it in two instances only : — on 28th September 1883, I saw a flock of eleven which passed me on Coatham sands, and on 1st October following I purchased a winged female from a fisherman who had caught it on the Tees sands, and which BRENT GOOSE. 425 may have been one of the members of the flock I had previously observed. The Bernacle has been found in inland localities, some of which are mentioned by Allis ; it is noted in Fothergill's list (" Richmondshire," 1823) ; Mr. E. R. Waite records it in the Western Ainsty (Nat. 1891, p. 101) ; and it has been noticed also at Ackworth, Staveley, East Cottingworth, near York (where Snowdon Sleights, the veteran wild fowler, informs me he has procured several on the Derwent in different years), Slingsby, and Thirsk. The individual mentioned as purchased by me in 1883, was kept alive in a walled-in garden where it lived for nineteen years ; during the early portion of its captivity it formed an attachment for a Sheld-Duck, and, in its latter years, had for its master a tame Raven, which kept it in complete sub- jection. This Goose fed readily on grass, but was very partial to corn steeped in water. BRENT GOOSE. Bernicla brenta (Pallas). Winter visitant to the coast, common in some seasons. Occasionally occurs inland. The earliest known British information with regard to the Brent Goose is found in Willughby's " Ornithology " (1678), under the head of " Rat or Road Goose — Brentus fortasse," where it is stated that : — " Mr. Johnson, who showed us this bird at Brignall, in Yorkshire, thus describes it [Here follows an accurate description of the Brent]. It is a very heedless fowl (contrary to the nature of other Geese), so that if a pack of them come into Tees, it is seldom one escapes away, for though they be often shot at, yet they only fly a little, and suffer the Gunner to come openly upon them." (Will. " Orn." 1678, p. 361.) Thomas Allis, in 1844, wrote : — Anser brenta. — Brent Goose — Is met with at Sheffield ; is shot in 426 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. hard winters near Doncaster ; it is obtained occasionally near York, and occurs in the same localities as the preceding near Huddersfield, and is rare in the vicinity of Leeds. A. Strickland says this is not uncommonly met with in winter both at the sea side and inland, but never abundantly now in this country. This, the smallest of the British Geese, is a winter visitant to the coast line, and was formerly very common in the estuaries of the Humber and Tees, where large quantities were killed by the professional fowlers. In Willughby's time we are told that the Tees gunners exacted heavy toll from their ranks, and from the diary of an old wildfowler, whom I have often seen at work, I find that in the season of 1869 his bag of " Rhode Geese " amounted to sixty-five. At the present time it is not met with in the immense flocks which might have been seen in the first half of last century, though in some seasons it is fairly abundant if severe weather prevails about Christmastide. In January and February 1879 it was very numerous at the Teesmouth, as also in February and March 1886, and in the winter of 1890-91 it was abundant in the Humber. Odd stragglers occasionally appear in September ; I saw one as early as the i4th of that month in 1879, and in 1877 one was observed on the 22nd, but, as a rule, the main body does not arrive till after Christmas. The flocks remain off the coast until March and then depart on their journey northward, some lingering until May or even as late as June, and in the first week of that month in 1900 a flock of seventeen was noticed at the Teesmouth. During the prevalence of a severe northerly gale on 22nd December 1894, large numbers of Brent, unable to remain at sea, were driven ashore and took refuge on Coatham sands. At most of the Yorkshire coast stations this species occurs sparingly, generally in severe weather. Though essentially a bird of the tidal waters, the Brent is sometimes found inland ; it is mentioned in Fothergill's list in Whitaker's " Richmondshire " (1823), and nas been reported from the neighbourhood of Sheffield, Huddersfield, Wakefield, Leeds, the Wharfe and Nidd Valleys, and Fewston Reservoir, in the West Riding, while the late Hugh Reid BRENT GOOSE. 427 referred to it as a winter visitant to the Doncaster " Cans." It has also occurred at Beverley, Thicket Priory, Strensall Common, near York (where a flock of twenty-eight was seen on lyth March 1881), Thirsk, Wensleydale, near Northallerton, and other places which it would be tedious to particularize. Important and interesting evidence of the existence of the Brent in this county in pre-historic times is afforded by the discovery of fossil remains in Kirkdale Cave, the par- ticulars of which are furnished by Mr. Lydekker in the Ibis (1891, p. 390). Both the white and dark-bellied forms occur in Yorkshire, the former variety being abundant in the Humber in the winter of 1 880-81 ; I obtained a pair belonging to this form at the Teesmouth in 1879 J an example of the small race, having very dark under parts, which I have seen, was taken at Deighton, near Northallerton, and is now in the possession of Mr. E. B. Emerson of Tollesby. Mr. J. E. Harting informs me, on the authority of the late Dr. Gwyn Jeffreys, the eminent conchologist, that, in the stomach of a Brent Goose, shot on the Yorkshire coast, were found specimens of a mollusc (Crenella faber), the only known locality for which is the Sea of Ochotsk ; thus prov- ing that wild-fowl will travel enormous distances in a short time. The local names are : — Black Goose in general use ; Scotch Goose at Flamborough ; Rock Goose on the Humber ; and Road or Rhode Goose at the Teesmouth ; the latter terms are given by Swainson in the variant forms Rat or Rott Goose, and Road or Rood Goose, and in " Notes and Queries," I5th December 1855, the term " Gabriel Hounds " is applied to this species. (For folk-lore of Gabriel's Hounds, see Grey Lag.) [The CANADA GOOSE (Bernicla canadensis, L.) and the EGYPTIAN GOOSE (Chenalopex cegyptiaca, Gm.) have occurred in Yorkshire, but, as these species have been introduced, and are semi-domesticated, it is impossible to discriminate between " escapes " and feral birds.] 428 WHOOPER SWAN. Cygnus music us (Bechstein). Winter visitant, irregular in numbers, which vary with the season. In severe weather large flocks occur. Probably the earliest Yorkshire mention of the Whooper is in Fothergill's " British Ornithology " (1799, p. 10), where it is stated that " one or two were shot in the winter of 1798 near York." Thomas Allis, in 1844, wrote : — Cygnus ferus. — Wild Swan — Shot near Doncaster in hard winters ; rare near Sheffield ; Dr. Farrar obtained one specimen in the severe winter of 1829, at Storrs Mill, near Barnsley ; several others were seen but escaped ; occasionally met with about Leeds, also on the moors near Huddersfield ; about Sutton-on-Derwent they are, in severe winters, occasionally abundant. I have heard of a flock of fifty being seen there ; I have had a dozen through my hands in a single season, and have known upwards of twenty in a week exposed for sale in York. This royal fowl is never altogether absent in any winter, though its numbers vary considerably in different years ; it usually makes its appearance in severe weather, more frequently in January and February than at any other period, when frost and snow drive it from its resorts on the European Continent. The earliest date on which I have noted it at the Teesmouth is igth October 1876, when a small flock of six was seen, from which one was obtained. In some winters it is very numerous, such being the case in 1829 ; in 1838 ; in 1865, on the Humber (when as many as a hundred were offered for sale one market day in York) ; in 1871 in East Yorkshire ; and in 1894-95, when several were captured in a starved condition. In the winter of 1880 an immense herd passed the Teesmouth flying in a north- westerly direction ; when the leading birds arrived on the Greatham shore, the rearmost portion of the herd was still at the Yorkshire side of the estuary, and it was computed at a rough calculation that the flight must have consisted of at least a thousand birds. BEWICK'S SWAN. 429 The Whooper frequently occurs on inland waters ; in February 1861, a party of six settled on the river Ure in Wensleydale ; and one locality greatly favoured by its visits is the neighbourhood of Sutton-on-Derwent, especially when the low-lying lands around are flooded, while it is a frequent visitor to the river Hull, sometimes in large flocks in severe weather. In January 1891, ten Swans came to the lake at Scampston and remained for a few hours ; then a day or two later two adults and one in grey plumage came into an in- closure, where grain was scattered for food, but they ignored it and tore up the grass edgings of the walks and swallowed the roots and blades. They left after four days, but returned three weeks later ; the cygnet began to eat grain and became so tame that it was eventually snared with a salmon line ; it was sent to Scotland, moulted a pure white, and apparently paired with another Whooper on the same water ; they built several nests but no eggs were laid (St. Quintin MS.). At Harewood Park, the residence of Lord Harewood, the Whooper has several times bred in a semi-domesticated state during the past few years. In addition to the names of Hooper and Whooper, this bird is occasionally called the Whistling Swan, and it is well known in East Yorkshire as " Elk." BEWICK'S SWAN. Cygnus bewicki (Far r ell). Winter visitant, less frequent than the Whooper, though not uncommon in severe weather. The first Yorkshire reference to this Swan appears to be made by Thomas Allis, in 1844, thus : — Cygnus bewicki. — Bewick's Swan — F. O. Morris reports one shot near Bawtry some years ago ; it is occasionally obtained near York ; a skeleton of a young bird is in the Museum at York ; A. Strickland says " I have known several instances of its being killed in this neighbour- hood [Bridlington] in severe weather, one of these is in my collection.' 430 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. Though not so abundant as the preceding species, Bewick's Swan is met with in most seasons as a winter visitant, and under circumstances similar to those connected, or associated with the visits of its congener. It appears in some years in small numbers in the Tees and Humber estuaries, and in 1865, in the latter locality, several small flocks were observed. In the winter of 1870-71 two flocks, containing nine and twenty-two birds respectively, were seen on the river Hull, one specimen being examined by Mr. F. Boyes (ZooL 1871, p. 2644). At the Teesmouth, in the winter of 1876, an example, in my possession, was killed by a wildfowler in ambush, from a herd of about a dozen individuals which flew close over the shooter's head. Mr. Claude Pease obtained one on the sands at Marske, during a fog, in the winter of 1897, and at other coast stations it occasionally occurs, but is, generally speaking, considered rare. It is also met with on fresh water in various inland districts, as Sheffield, Skipton-on-Swale, Masham, and Beverley. A specimen in the York Museurn was shot on Strensall Common in February 1879, from a herd of eleven, by Col. Hill ; in the neighbourhood of East Cottingwith this species has been recorded on several occasions since 1849 J Mr. F. W. Horsfall procured two there in December 1902, and another was taken at the same place in the following March. MUTE SWAN. Cygnus olor (y. F. Gmelin). A domesticated species, but wild individuals may occasionally occur on migration from Continental Europe. Historically speaking, the Mute Swan is of great antiquity as a Yorkshire bird, for we find in the Selby Abbey accounts in 1431-32 it was mentioned ; also at the marriage feast of the daughter of Sir John Neville of Che vet, near Wakefield, in 1526, Swans were included in the good things provided ; MUTE SWAN. 431 and in 1652, in the household accounts of the Cliffords, is an entry of a Swanherd with his coat and badge ; the cost of the same being returned as 235. lod. (Whitaker's " Craven," 2nd Ed. 1812, p. 321.) Thomas Allis, 1844, wrote : — Cygnus mansuetus. — Mute Swan — I have obtained a specimen of this bird from near Sutton-on-Derwent, the favourite locality of Ferus, it was nevertheless most probably an escaped bird from some gentleman's enclosure, or may have been the next species, of the existence of which I was not then aware. Although this Swan is domesticated in the country, yet there are now many existing in a wild state on the European Continent, and it is quite possible some of those which are seen at large, especially in the neighbourhood of the coast, may be fer rising suddenly in the night, surprised a flock of Mallard resting on the water near the shore, when a heavy wave fell amongst them, stunning and washing ashore several birds, which were picked up in a dazed condition on the sands next morning. About the year 1850, as I have been told by an old fisherman, a similar event happened, DECOYS 437 but on a much larger scale, nearly a hundred ducks being then captured. The Wild Duck is subject to much variation in plumage, Yorkshire examples being not uncommonly reported. Snowden Sleights, the veteran wildfowler of East Cottingwith, told me he had shot two pure white birds ; a specimen, nearly all white, with yellow bill, feet, and legs, was obtained from a flock of seven ordinary Duck at Stainsacre, near Whitby, on nth February 1897 ; various other instances are com- municated of pied or parti-coloured individuals, and an example with yellow neck and breast was shot, during the evening flight, at Redcar, on I7th January 1905. A duck assuming drake's plumage was recorded by Mr. F. Boyes in 1878. Hybrids between this species and other ducks are also met with. A cross between the Mallard and Pintail was recorded at Moreby, near York, and exhibited before the York Naturalists' Club on 5th December 1849, while a similar hybrid, believed to be a true feral bird, was killed by Mr. W. H. St. Quintin from some wild Mallard (Field, I7th November 1900). As to local names : — Grey Drake or Grey Duck is the common term amongst coast-shooters. DECOYS Past and Present. In former years most of the " Carrs " and levels of Holder- ness and the south-eastern portion of Yorkshire, before their drainage and reclamation from a state of nature, were frequented by enormous numbers of fowl which not only bred there annually, but these fastnesses afforded a suitable home for vast hordes of Duck from northern Europe. The intro- duction of duck decoying into this country was intimately associated with the drainage and reclamation of these fenlands,. and the first in England to receive practical attention at the hands of the reclaimer were those of south-eastern Yorkshire, 438 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. known as Hatfield Chase. This work was undertaken in the year 1626 by Cornelius Vermuyden, a Dutch engineer, who employed almost exclusively Dutch workmen. On the completion of the work Sir Cornelius, for he received the honour of knighthood, was rewarded, along with his partners in the undertaking, which cost them, it is said, £400,000, a grant of 25,000 acres of the reclaimed land. Here he settled down, along with a numerous following of his countrymen, and thus a very considerable Dutch element was imported into, and colonised, this part of Yorkshire. Here in all likelihood they constructed the earliest British Decoys. Indeed, the most ancient decoy, of which any reliable informa- tion has been preserved, is that erected at Doncaster in the year 1657, made, no doubt, in imitation of those which probably then existed on the neighbouring levels of Hatfield. Regarding the suitability of the district for the successful working of the old Doncaster Decoy, it may be remarked that on the southern confines of this ancient borough there existed, up to the closing years of the eighteenth century, a compact and unbroken expanse of carr land, covering no less an area than 4,000 acres, and known as Potterick Carr. Fortunately there is handed down an excellent — perhaps a historic — description of the Carr in its primordial state, made in July 1762, by so distinguished a Yorkshireman as John Smeaton, the celebrated civil engineer, whose name will ever live in connection with the Eddystone Lighthouse. In his report to the Doncaster Corporation in that year Smeaton thus describes the place : — " Potterick Carr is a fenny piece of ground, containing, as appears by an old survey of Saxton's, about 2,300 acres. In its present state no brook or spring of any account discharges itself thereupon, so that it is affected only by the downfall waters which fall immediately thereon and from the higher grounds which border upon the same. These downfall waters, however, on account of the natural flatness of its surface, the imperfection of its present drains, and the want of a sufficient outfall to discharge them, generally overflow the whole, or greater part thereof, during the winter season, which waters are partly discharged by drains, and DECOYS. 439 partly evaporated by the sun, so as in dry summers to be tolerably dry, as was the case when the present view thereof was taken." Such a fen, it is manifest, must have been eminently suited for the successful practice of the decoymen's art. That vast numbers of various kinds of ducks bred there, and that still greater numbers sought its genial fastnesses in winter, is certain. The decoy was situated in the centre of the Carr, and about a couple of miles from the town. It was approached, in its latter days at all events, by a specially constructed embank- ment, over three-quarters of a mile in length, known to this day as the " Decoy Bank." It embraced an extensive sheet of water, from which radiated six pipes, and was suitably planted. Circular in shape, it covered an area of 6a. 3r. 27p., and, in addition to being surrounded by a high embankment, it had an outer and wider encircling ditch. With reference to the progress of this Decoy; all that is now to be learned concerning it is contained in the " Courtiers " of the Corporation, and from these the follow- ing facts may be gleaned : — On 6th September 1662, the Decoy was leased for twenty- one years to Mr. Benjamin Marshall of Doncaster, at the annual rent of £15. The occupier evidently did not deliver up the Decoy in a satisfactory state, hence the following minute : — " June 20th 1683, It was agreed by the Mayor, Aldermen, and Common Council, at a meeting, that Mr. Marshall shall pay unto the Corporation towards the repairs of the Decoy thirty pounds. Mr. John Maddox, a member of the Corporation, was the next occupier of the Decoy from the 3oth of May 1684, for seven years, at a rent of £12, and on condition that he furnish the several Mayors, during their term of office, with twelve couple of ducks annually when demanded. On July 3ist 1695, it was ordered that the Decoy, now to let, shall be let to any freeman of the body of the Corporation, forty shillings a year thereupon than to any other person. It was agreed that every person shall stand to the rent he shall bid for the Decoy, or he shall forfeit three VOL. II. F 440 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. pounds for the use of the Corporation. And further agreed that whosoever shall farm the said Decoy shall take no part nor accept a Corporation man or a freeman." The results of these regulations do not appear in the data at disposal ; but, on ist July 1707, the Decoy was entered upon by Mr. Roger Gough, at a rental of £3, and under covenant to leave the Decoy in working condition for taking fowl, and to grind his corn at the Doncaster Mills. On 28th May 1714, Mr. Gough was required !o " make the Decoy good and justified by the Corporation." At the end of Mr. Gough's tenure the following entry appears : — " November 27th 1727. Ordered that the Decoy and the bank leading thereto be let by the Corporation for the term of thirty-one years to such person or persons as will take the same, and make the said Decoy a good and perfect Decoy for the taking of fowl, and to leave the same, with all the nets and other things the same to belonging, paying the rent of ten shillings." " January loth 1728. Ordered that a lease be drawn from the Corporation to Mr. Recorder (George Bagshaw, Esq.), and several other gentlemen, of the Decoy and the bank leading thereunto, according to an order of the Corporation, made the 27th of November last, to commence from Lady Day next." Lord Galway must have been one of the other gentlemen alluded to in the above resolution, for soon after the Decoy was let to the first Lord Viscount Galway, a local magnate, residing at Hodroyd, and a relative of the Marquess of Granby, who also resided in the neighbourhood — hence the following minute : — " 25th September 1729. The lease from the Corporation to the Lord Viscount Galway and others of the Decoy having been engrossed and this day read, was by the order of the Corporation sealed with their common seal." Lord Galway died in 1751. Finally, in 1772, during the Mayoralty of Mr. Richard Kent, it is noted that " the Decoy was repaired and the walks improved." The date was now rapidly approaching that was to terminate DECOYS. 441 the career of this interesting place by drainage and its inevitable concomitants. As long ago as 1616, a decade before Vermuyden entered upon his agreement to reclaim the adjoin- ing levels of Hatfield, the Doncaster Corporation was anxious to improve the Carrs adjacent to the town. It would appear that nothing material was done towards the attainment of the ends indicated for many years. In 1762, however, Mr. John Smeaton was consulted as to the feasibility of carrying out ihis drainage. He inspected the Carrs, and reported hopefully to the Corporation in July 1762, and an application was successfully made to Parliament in 1764 for their drainage and enclosure. The drainage of the Carrs seems to have been regarded as a death-blow to the success of the Decoy ; but the district must have abounded in wild-fowl for many years after the initial stages of reclamation had been commenced. The end, however, was foreshadowed as early as 1765, when Mr. Robert Hudson was requested by the Corporation to view and value the wood in the Decoy ; and Hatfield (" Historical Notices of Doncaster "), tells us that the last decoyman was one William Fenton, who died in the year 1794, and that all the pipes were in existence in 1778. The occupation of the Decoy having evidently long since passed away, the site was planted in the year 1805. In 1830 the wood was valued at £27 per acre, and the land at £22, making a total of £392, so that it is due to the investors — the Corporation — to assume that the poor of Doncaster fared not amiss from this unique speculation in the annals of investments. But the site of the Doncaster Decoy was yet to witness a more important event in the record of the nation's progress than that already experienced from the comparative antiquated art of drainage. In the year 1849 the main line of the Great Northern Railway pierced almost the centre of this once zealously guarded sanctuary, occupying about two acres of its area. Thus to-day the traveller by this favourite route between the metropolis and the north is carried unconsciously through what were once the scared precincts of a classical, because the most time-honoured, British wild-fowl Decoy. 442 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. An interesting entry in the diary of the Rev. Abraham De La Pryme supplies evidence as to the abundance of fowl in this neighbourhood in the seventeenth century ; it is dated 20th November 1697, and runs as follows : — " This day I have heard for a certain truth, and there are many that will give their oaths upon it, that Tho. Hill, fowler for Mr. Ramsden, did shoot thirty-two pair of duck and teal at one shot in the Levels (Hatfield) in 1692-3 " (Surtees Society Publications, Vol. liv. 1869, p. 165). Ancient Decoys existed at: — Meaux, Thorne (2), Watton, Goole (2), Scorborough, Escrick (2), Holme-on-Spalding Moor, Osgodby, Sunk Island, Birdsall, Coatham, near Redcar.* Decoys now in use are two in number, at Hornby Castle and Thirkleby Park. Of the ancient Decoys four ceased to exist between the years 1762 and 1800. These were Meaux, Holme, Watton, and Scorborough. No records of their age are forthcoming, nor of the exact date when they were discontinued. MEAUX. — This Decoy stands at the edge of a large extent of low-lying land, and must in past days have been almost surrounded by marsh and water ; it lies two and a half miles due east of Beverley, a mile and a half on the east side of the river Hull, and a mile north-west of the once famous abbey of Melsa or Meaux, so closely associated with Beverley Minster. It is also a mile west of the village of Meaux, and a mile and a half east north-east of Weel. Its decay as a successful Decoy would date from 1763, for in that year (4th Geo. Ill) an Act was passed for draining the marshes in Holderness that surrounded Meaux, and several more recent Acts, such as the Beverley and Barmston Drainage Act of 1798, still further * The particulars relating to Meaux, Watton, Scorborough, and Holme are supplied by Mr. F. Boyes of Beverley, and those of the remainder are extracted from Sir R. Payne-Gallwey's excellent work on Duck Decoys, published by Van Voorst, 1886. DECOYS. 443 destroyed the avocation of this and other Decoys by reclaim- ing from the wild fowl their old feeding grounds. The marshes or Carrs extended from Beverley to near Barmston and Bridlington, and comprised 11,000 acres. The outline of the Meaux Decoy and its pipes was plainly visible some fifteen years ago. A plan of this Decoy shews a peculiarity in the west pipes, which turn towards each other like the arms of a pair of calipers. Another interesting feature consists in the small promontories in the centre of each side ; their use is not quite clear, but they may have been const ucted to give the decoyman some slight advantage in driving the ducks nearer to the mouth of the pipes.* WATTON. — This Decoy was alluded to by A. Strickland, who remarked that it had an area of 1,000 acres of marsh and water round it, and was very productive, yielding as many as four hundred ducks daily before drainage sealed its fate. It is situate seven miles north of Beverley, between the high road from Beverley to Drimeld and the river Hull, and, like Scorborough Decoy, from which it is distant four miles in a northerly direction, it also lies in the valley of the Hull river. SCORBOROUGH. — This, like the Watton Decoy, was once very noted. It is situate two and a half miles N.N.E. of Beverley, on the west bank of the river Hull, and in the low-lying land between the river and the high road from * See " Old Wild Duck Decoys of Lincolnshire and the East Riding of Yorkshire," by T. Audas. Trans. Hull Sci. and Field Nat. Club, vol. i. No. 3, 1900, pp. 91-97 (with illustrations). 444 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. Beverley to Driffield. The pool and pipes were visible about fifteen years ago, and the site was well chosen, for even now, when there is an overflow from the river (fo-merly an annual, now an occasional, occurrence), the duck resort to its vicinity in considerable numbers. HOLME Decoy was contemporary in its decay with those of Meaux, Watton, and Scorborough, and was placed on Spald- ing Moor, five or six miles £.W. by W. of Market Weighton. This district formerly comprised a large extent of wet moor and fen-land, and there are now several large ponds where wildfowl still assemble in severe weather ; Allen, in his " History of Yorkshire " (1829), alluding to Spalding Moor, remarked that " People then living could recollect when this moor and its neighbourhood was one great morass, extending from Holme to Howden on the river Ouse, ten miles distant." SUNK ISLAND. — A Decoy was constructed here about the close of the seventeenth century, but, owing to its exposed position, neither trees nor underwood could be induced to grow round it for shelter, and consequently it was abandoned soon after it was completed (Allen's " Yorkshire," 1829). This Decoy is referred to in Leland's " Itinerary " in a letter from the Rev. Francis Brokesly, according to whom " in 1667 .... a Decoy was made upon the Island, which is plentifully stored with wildfowl, especially Ducks and Teal, but it turns to little account for want of trees, which will not grow well here, as the ground is too salt." This Decoy was admirably placed, as the neighbouring estuary of the Humber was, and still is, the resort of immense congregations of fowl in hard weather. There is now no trace of the Decoy, though on some maps " Decoy Creek " is marked. Sunk Island is on the north bank of the Humber, twelve miles S.E. by E. from Hull. It was gradually reclaimed from the sea, and is now joined to the mainland, and comprises 7,000 acres of Crown land in a high state of cultivation. THORNE WASTE is four miles south of Goole, in the West Riding. There existed a productive Decoy here, north of the Keadby Canal on the moor some two miles west of Crowle which is just over the Lincolnshire border. There are no DECOYS. 445 records of this Decoy, but in 1836 it was in full work ; it ceased to be used about the year 1840, as by that time a great portion of the moor had been drained. The Decoy was an acre in extent, and had three pipes as well as a Decoyman's hut close by. Its site is now almost indistinguishable, and is covered by small beech trees, but Mr. Henry Ellis of the Manor House, Crowle, informed Sir R. Payne-Gallwey in 1885 that, knowing its exact position, and having seen it in opera- tion, he had no difficulty in finding it. In the " History and Topography of the Isle of Axholme," by the Rev. W. B. Stonehouse (1839), *ne author remarked : — " A small decoy yet lingers on part of the common, where wildfowl are occasionally taken, just sufficient to remind the modern sportsman what a diversion the ancient fowler found in these extreme and wild resorts of the feathered race." NEW ZEALAND. — In 1880 the late Mr. Durham, who owned a large part of Thorne Waste, partly constructed a small Decoy on a portion of the moor known as " New Zealand," near Thorne. It was never properly worked, and soon became out of order. GOOLE OLD DECOY. — A Decoy, that has not been worked since the early years of the past century, existed near the south bank of the Dutch River, near its junction with the Humber at Goole, six miles N.N.E. of Thorne, on a large extent of marsh, in those days known as Greenland. A farm, called the Decoy Farm, still marks its position, and a house close by the latter, at one time an inn, had for its sign " The Dog and Duck " — a name possibly suggested by the vicinity of the Decoy. Some few years back the shape of this Decoy was easily to be traced, but it is now grown up and lost to view. GOOLE NEW DECOY. — Another Decoy, four miles west of the latter, is shewn on some maps, also on the south bank of the Dutch River. Being marked " New Decoy " it is probable it was started either in rivalry of the last mentioned, or else to take its place on Goole, soon after the commencement of the past century, increasing in size from a hamlet to a busy town. ESCRICK PARK. — Seven miles south of York, the seat of Lord Wenlock. There were formerly two decoys here, one 446 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. of which, made by old George Skelton, about 1830, with four pipes, was used until the year 1860. The formation of an island in the pool operated prejudicially, for fewer fowl were subsequently taken, and it was eventually abandoned. Of the other Decoy, situated in the Park, some two hundred yards only from the mansion, nothing now remains but a stagnant pool overgrown with rushes, no trace of the pipes being observable. Tradition, however, states that when in working order about 2,000 fowl were taken there in a season. The more recent Decoy is to be easily traced, its form being compact, well-shaped, and planted. It is, however, though in the Park, within one hundred paces of a high road. The Decoy was made for the late Lord Wenlock, and the present owner of Escrick recollects seeing Ducks caught in it when a boy. OSGODBY. — Three miles east of Selby, formerly the property of Mr. G. P. Dawson, but now belonging to Mr. Riley Briggs, possessed a Decoy which was last worked in 1877. Situated at the north side of the Park, in the centre of the estate, it had four pipes, and some years ago answered very well, an average season producing 1,600 to 2,000 fowl. Mr. Briggs informed Sir Payne-Gallwey he had occasionally seen as many as 1,500 birds on the pool at one time. When in working order it was found that there were more Teal taken in the eastern pipe, and more Duck and Mallard in the south pipe, than in any other. In the best season of which any record has been preserved there were captured 1,800 Duck and Mallard, besides 500 Teal and Wigeon ; the last named began to discontinue their visits about 1867. As many as eighty Duck have been taken in one pipe of this Decoy at a single drive. BIRDSALL. — The site of a Decoy is shewn on old maps at Birdsall, near North Grimston, six miles S.S.E. of Malton. This was not a pipe Decoy. It was near Birdsall House, the seat of Lord Middleton, to whom the estate belongs, and who informed Sir R. Payne-Gallwey it was a trap or cage Decoy, and that it has long since been discontinued, and is now silted up. COATHAM, NEAR REDCAR. — On the Kirkleatham estate, now owned by Mr. G. H. T. Newcomen, a Decoy was constructed DECOYS. 447 on Coatham Marshes in 1840, by the then owner, Mr. H. Vansittart. The area of ground enclosed was about three acres, with a pool of two acres, through which a " stell " or " fleet " runs, carrying surface water to the Teesmouth, being occasionally increased when the Marsh was flooded. The position of the Decoy is on the south of the railway near Tod Point, about 300 yards distant from, and opposite to, the Marsh Farm at the west end of the village of Warrenby. There were originally four pipes, which, however, were reduced to three, but only two were in regular use, each about fifty CoATriAM WILD DUCK DECOV. yards in length ; that on the north side was the largest and best. For twenty-five years the Decoy was very productive, and many kinds of fowl were captured, including Sheld-Duck, Shoveler, Pintail, Mallard, Wigeon, Teal, Pochard, occasionally a Scaup, and once, in 1850, a Ferruginous Duck. On the occa- sion nearly five hundred Ducks were enclosed in the net, which broke with their weight and all escaped but a hundred birds.* * The information concerning this Decoy is compiled from recollec- tions of old residents of Coatham, who assisted the Decoyman, Faith ; for the particulars of plans and measurements I am indebted to the late R. Lofthouse of Middlesbrough, who surveyed the site in 1887. 448 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. The Redcar fishermen and professional fowlers at that period were in the habit of stationing themselves on the sand-hills between the marshes and the sea to await the Ducks as they flew to and from the Decoy at evening and morning flight, and in stormy weather, when the birds were reluctant to leave the sanctuary of the pool, one of the gunners fired a marble into the Decoy in order to flush the birds and induce them to fly. The shooters, in the other parts of the Tees estuary adopted the plan of concealing themselves in tubs sunk in the " slems," from which points of vantage they could carry on warfare against the wily fowl. An illustration is here given, reproduced from a water- colour drawing painted by order of Mr. Vansittart in 1850, shewing the Decoyman, Faith, in the act of taking the Ducks out of the tunnel net. In the year 1872 the erection of blast furnaces within a few hundred yards of the pool effectually destroyed the utility of the Coatham Decoy, which from that time fell into disuse. I have frequently visited the site when all that remained to indicate the previous condition were a few stunted trees and bushes, the relics of the shrubbery that sheltered the pool from the north, and stumps of posts to which the hoops spanning the pipes had been fixed. Even these have now disappeared and the pipes are scarcely dis- cernible. On the summit of Yearby Bank, four miles south of Redcar, and one mile from Kirkleatham, also on Mr. Newcomen's estate, is a marshy pond, almost grown up with vegetation, and surrounded by trees, called the Old Decoy, but no records exist as to its origin, or whether it was ever in actual operation. Of the two Decoys now in use one is at Hornby Castle, and the other at Thirkleby Park. HORNBY. — In the park at Hornby Castle, five miles north-west of Bedale, are two Decoy Ponds, one disused, and the ot^ier, until 1885, the only example of a Decoy in use in the county. The original Decoy was constructed for the seventh Duke of Leeds, in 1854. I* is seven acres in extent, and has the remains of four pipes. In 1882, the present Duke moved the materials of the pipes from the old Decoy g- o s DECOYS. 449 to their new position. The original Decoy is situated south of the Castle, between the Stone Pond and the present Decoy, which is now in the Blessington plantation close by. The new pipes were excavated under the direction of Lord Fitzhardinge's Decoyman, from Berkeley Castle. The new pool is about sixty yards square, and the pipes are at the corners. The old Decoy was found to be too large, the fowl keeping out of reach of the pipes and of the Decoyman. The new Decoy, being much smaller, is more easily managed. The first pipe made at Hornby on the old Decoy was made by Harrison, Captain Healey's Decoyman at Ashby in Lincoln- shire. Soon after T. Gilbert Skelton made another at the north-west angle of the lake, and lastly old George Skelton (junior) and the Rev. M. Fountaine added a third and fourth in 1856. Finally, in 1882 as stated, the present Duke of Leeds removed the netting, screens, and hoops to the new Decoy hard by, and completed it with four pipes. This Decoy averages from 300 to 400 Ducks per season, chiefly Mallard and Teal. On one occasion only has 1,000 birds been exceeded, in that instance some 1,500 were taken by the Decoyman, Barrett. Once 250 fowl were captured in a morning, and several times fifty to sixty Duck and Teal have been taken at a drive. The Hornby Decoy, like the one at Osgodby, was con- structed owing to the successes reported at Mr. Healey's Ashby Decoy, in Lincolnshire. THIRKLEBY. — At Thirkleby Park, the residence of Sir Ralph Payne- Gallwey, Bart., three miles south of Thirsk, a Decoy was constructed in 1885. It consists of an acre of water and has three pipes. 450 GADWALL. Anas strepera (Z.). Winter visitant, of rare occurrence. This species nests in northern and central Europe, migrating in winter to Asia and Africa. The first mention of it in Yorkshire is in Denny's Leeds Catalogue, 1840, where it is stated that one occurred at Swillington, near Leeds. Thomas Allis, 1844, wrote : — Tadorna strepera. — Gadwall — Often bought, according to F. O. Morris, in Doncaster Market ; query are they Yorkshire birds ? Hugh Reid of Doncaster says a pair were shot near there in the spring of this year, and are now in his possession ; this does not appear like its being common there ; it is quite a rare bird near York, but it is sometimes met with ; has been obtained at Swillington, near Leeds, but is rare in that part. Arthur Strickland says " Notwithstanding the close attention to the Duck tribe, I have never met with an instance of this species being killed in this county." The Gadwall is but a casual visitant in winter, having occurred on the following occasions : — At Swillington, prior to 1840, as mentioned above. Mr. W. Backhouse had a specimen, on i8th February 1843, from the Teesmouth (Zool. 1846, p. 1263). In the spring of 1844 a pair was obtained at Doncaster (see Allis, above). On the Humber, a pair was killed on loth March 1851 (Morris, " Brit. Birds "). In the winter of 1856-57, an example was captured on the Hornby Castle Decoy. In Matthewman's Selby List (1858), one is mentioned. Mr. Fred Boyes, writing to the Zoologist (1871, p. 2525), says a fine drake was shot on 3ist January 1871, at Skerne, near Driffield, and passed into the possession of Mr. F. Hoare of Tranby Park. At Helpholme, in Holderness, a male was reported in 1876. A party of four females was seen near York, one being SHOVELER. 451 killed on I5th December 1880, as recorded by Mr. T. M. Lambert in the Field (i5th January 1881). Near Beverley, a pair, the female containing eggs the size of peas, occurred on the river Hull (N. F. Dobree, Nat. 1882, p. 185). A male and female in the Hull Museum are believed to be of local origin — the former from the Scorborough col- lection, while the latter was killed on the Humber in December 1885. At Lowthorpe, one was taken in the winter of 1899. A female example, in the York Museum, was killed at East Cottingwith in February 1892 (J. Backhouse, op. cit. 1892, p, 116). And lastly, in October 1896, three were obtained by a punt-shooter at the Teesmouth ; all of which I afterwards saw in the hands of Geo. Mussell of Middlesbrough. At Thirkleby Park, the residence of Sir Ralph Payne- Gallwey, several young birds have been hatched, from eggs sent by Lord Walsingham, and kept in a semi-wild state. SHOVELER. Spatula clypeata (Z). Spring and autumn migrant, and occasionally a winter visitant, but not numerous. Nests in one or two localities. Perhaps the earliest reference to the Shoveler as a county species is in Fothergill's Wensleydale list, published in Whitaker's " Richmondshire " (1823), where it is enumerated amongst the birds noted in that district. As a breeding species this bird is very locally distributed, but few places being at present known where it nests annually. Hornsea Mere was, on the authority of Mr. Henry Milner, mentioned by Hewitson in his " Eggs of British Birds " (1856, Vol. ii. p. 400), as being a breeding resort, and one of the keepers told Mr. F Boyes that he once found a nest prior to 1881. Since that date occasional pairs have nested on the mere, and it has frequently been observed there in the 452 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. summer. In the North Riding, a nest was found in 1866 at Marneld Pond, near Masham ; in May 1880, Messrs. Talbot, lanson and Marsden recorded a nest with four eggs on Thorne Waste, in the extreme south of the county, close to the boundary at Crowle (Zool. 1882, p. 175) ; at Kiveton Park it has bred and possibly does so annually ; and at Temple Newsam the nest was reported in 1897. In 1896 a pair nested at a disused brickpond at Skipwith, but the young were, with the exception of three* taken by a pike. More recent information respecting its breeding shews that, on 2nd May 1900, a nest with twelve eggs was discovered on Skipwith Common ; and at Scampston a duck, captured in the winter of 1902, has become naturalized and breeds there. Generally speaking, the Shoveler is best known as a more or less rare visitor on the spring and autumn migrations and also in winter, occurring on reservoirs, large ponds, and slow flowing streams which suit the habits of this fresh water Duck. At the Tees estuary it is of fairly frequent occurrence in spring and autumn, mainly owing to the presence of a well protected breeding place in south-east Durham, the specimens met with in August and September being, without doubt, birds from the above locality. In September 1877, I obtained one from a flock of nine on the Tees sands, and examples have at intervals been killed there and on the Coatham Marshes. It appears to be on the increase in the East Riding, where it is a spring and autumn migrant in small numbers, and the neighbourhood of Beverley seems to be favoured by its occur- rence, as the numerous records testify, while the individuals which have been reported in late April and May suggest a possibility of their breeding in the locality had they been unmolested. On the Derwent at East Cottingwith it is occasionally killed in winter. It has occurred at various places in the North and West Ridings, other than those already mentioned, which it would be tedious to particularize. It is regularly taken in Hornby Castle Decoy. The only local vernacular name by which it is known is Spoonbill, which is applied to it in the East and North Ridings. Wild Duck's nest, Harrogate. R. Fortune. Nest of Shove ler, near York. See page 452. E. G. Potter. 453 PINTAIL. Dafila acuta (Z). Winter and spring visitant, not numerous. Rare inland. The first notice of this duck in reference to Yorkshire appears to be made in Denny's Leeds Catalogue (1840), where it is stated to be rare. Thomas Allis, in 1844, wrote : — Anas acuta. — Pintail Duck — H. Denny reports it as having been met with at Walton and Scarthingwell ; it is sometimes obtained near York. A. Strickland says ' This bird appears never to have been so abundant in this country in proportion to the rest of the tribe as it appears to be in the south of England, but it is occasionally met with in the winter.' Half a century ago, the Pintail was a numerous species in the Tees, where, as Geo. Mussell tells me, it was greatly sought after by the professional gunners, who would not trouble with other fowl if they could get the Pintail, and, as it was most plentiful in May, and no restrictions were at that time placed upon shooting, great numbers of this delicious duck were procured and brought into market. It is now, however, by no means abundant, occurring as a visitant, sparingly on the coast, from October onwards to spring. Two pairs remained on the warren pond at Kilnsea until 4th May in 1881, and an example in immature plumage was captured at Spurn on the I2th of the same month in 1888. It is occasionally obtained in the Humber and at other coast stations, as Flamborough, Scarborough, Whitby, and the Teesmouth, and has been met with at various inland localities in addition to those referred to by Allis. It is perhaps needless to give these in detail, and it may suffice to mention a few of the reported instances of its occurrence. It is enumerated amongst the birds visiting Doncaster Carrs in Hugh Reid's time, and has been taken at Escrick and Hornby Decoys. It used to occur on the river Hull near Beverley pretty regularly in the late spring months, but is now seldom met with ; it has been obtained at East Cotting- 454 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. with, Pocklington, Moreby, Thornton near York, Malton, the Nidd Valley at Wilstrop and Newton Kyme, also at Allerton Park, near Halifax, and in Upper Ribblesdale. Mr. W. H. St. Quintin informs me he shot a hybrid Pintail and Mallard some years ago, at Lowthorpe, from amongst Wild Ducks. The only local names of which I am aware are Sea Pheasant, used in the East and North Ridings, and Pheasant Duck, which is sometimes applied to it in the Beverley neighbourhood. COMMON TEAL. Nettion crecca (Z.). Resident, local. Also common winter visitant, the first arrivals taking place in August. As a Yorkshire bird, the Teal can boast of remote ancestry, for we find, in the ordinances as to the price of victuals at York in 1393, in the xvi. year of Richard II., the value of a Teal was placed at id. Thomas Allis, in 1844, wrote : — Anas crecca. — The Teal — Common near Doncaster, Sheffield, York, and Leeds ; not uncommon near Barnsley during the winter months ; occasionally they are found located with Wigeons on the Canal, and still more frequently on the open brooks with the Mallards. It is occasionally seen near Halifax in winter, as well as about Huddersfield ; it breeds on Strensall Common, near York, as I am informed by my friends Jas. and Wm. Tuke ; it is met with very rarely near Hebden Bridge. This pretty little duck may be described as a local resident, being recorded as breeding in limited numbers in several moorland or other secluded localities, amongst which may be enumerated Goole Moor and Thorne Waste (1889), Hems- worth Dam (1902), Riccal and Skipwith Commons (1881), Strensall Common (1883), Pilmoor, Danby, and several other places in the Whitby and Cleveland districts, Allerton Park, Malham Tarn (commonly), Bashall Hall, Sedbergh f. \ i d COMMON TEAL. 455 (rarely), Locker Tarn in Wensleydale (1893), Masham (occa- sionally), Swaledale, as high as Keld (1901), Arkengarthdale (in these two latter dales several pairs nest, and it is described as a more abundant resident than the Mallard) ; in Upper Teesdale it nests occasionally, and is recorded from Adel Moor, near Leeds, in 1876 (Leeds Nat. Club, July 1876). In the Holderness district it is not considered as a frequent or regular nesting species. Amongst the migratory waterfowl the Teal is the earliest in arrival, and is well known along the coast line as a common autumn and winter visitant, large flocks coming from oversea as early as August ; I have noticed them at Redcar on the i6th of that month. Great flights occur in September and October, passing with other migrant fowl, which in winter become diffused over the country, being then found on most of the marshes, rivers, and sheets of fresh water. There is a return migration in March and April, and individuals have been seen as late as the 22nd of the latter month at the Teesmouth, though it is possible they may have been intending nesters on the marshes of the Durham side of the estuary. This duck has occasionally been killed by striking against the lanterns of our sea-beacons ; Mr. M. Bailey shewed me a specimen in October 1903, which was picked up under the Lighthouse on Flamborough Head. Though it is to be feared that, both as a resident and also as an immigrant, this species is decreasing in numbers, there can be no doubt it was extremely numerous in former times, as may be gathered from the evidence contained in ancient documents ; thus we find that, at the great banquet given at Cawood in 1466, in honour of the Archbishop of York, amongst the provision made were 4,000 " Mallardes and Teales " ; in the Northumberland Household Book, begun in 1512, at Earl Percy's Castles of Wressill and Lekinfield there appears " Item, it is thought good that no Teylles be bought bot if so be that other Wyldefowl cannot be gotten and to be at jd. a pece." Again, at the marriage feast of Sir John Neville's daughter at Chevet, near Wakefield, in 1526, thirty dozen Mallards and Teals were priced at £3 us. 8d. In the VOL. II. G 456 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. fourteenth century the value of wildfowl at York was fixed by law, the price of a " Teall " being id. ; two centuries later at Hull, in 1560, it was placed at 2d. (" Land and Water," I7th January 1891) ; while of the bird's abundance on the Doncaster Carrs we have authority in Hatfield's " Historical Notices of Doncaster " (1866), where we are told that thirty- two pairs of Duck and Teal were killed at one shot, by a fowler named Hill, at Hatfield Levels, in the winter of 1692-93. At Hornby Decoy, between 1856 and 1864, two hundred and eleven Teal were taken in the nets ; and from the diary of an old puntsman at the Teesmouth I have extracted some totals of his " bag," the greatest number of Teal killed on one day being twenty- three, in September 1863. GREEN WINGED TEAL. Nettion carolinense (?. F. Gmelin). Accidental visitant from North America, of extremely rare occurr- ence. The only claim of this American species to be included in the Yorkshire list is on the strength of an example recorded by Mr. (afterwards Colonel) John Evans, in the Zoologist (1852, p. 3472), thus : — " I received a few weeks since from Scarborough, a specimen of the American Teal, in good plumage, which was killed near that place last November. I mention it because it is a bird of only recent occurrence in this country, not being mentioned in YarreH's birds John Evans, Darley Abbey, near Derby, April 1852." The specimen in question passed into the collection of the late Lord Hill, and further information respecting it is not now available. It may, however, be stated that other examples have occurred in England (cf. Saunders' " Manual," 2nd Ed. p. 433). 457 GARGANEY. Querquedula circia (Z). Bird of passage in spring and autumn. Has nested in east York shire. The earliest published reference to this bird is found under the heading of " Summer Teal " in Willughby's " Ornith- ology " (1676, p. 378), where there is a description of the plumage, followed by the remark : — " This is the least of the Ducks. In its stomach dissected I found nothing but grass and stones. This description we owe to Mr. Johnson " [of Brignall, near Greta Bridge]. Thomas Allis, 1844, wrote : — Anas querquedula. — The Garganey. Frequently shot near Don- caster in the spring ; Dr. Farrar has met with but one specimen near Barnsley, which was shot in the low grounds at Bolton-upon-Dearne in 1828 ; R. Leyland mentions a beautiful pair killed on the river near Elland many years ago ; it is rare near Leeds, but was obtained from the River Calder, near Copley Mill, in 1816; very rarely met with near York ; A. Strickland says it is occasionally met with in winter, but is one of our rarest species. The Garganey is a bird of passage in the spring and autumn, of rather rare occurrence, and has been known to nest in east Yorkshire in 1882, where Mr. F. Boyes, in company with the late J. Swailes of Beverley, discovered the nest containing eight eggs, from which the female rose a few feet off. There is no doubt this species had bred on this ground for some years, as the young had several times been procured there in the early autumn, and adult birds, in full breeding plumage, had been shot on the river close by for a period extending over ten years. Mr. Richardson of Beverley has had many adult birds from the river Hull in the month of April, and a male, killed at Wilfholme, on the loth of that month in 1882, is in the Hull Museum. It also bred between 1880 and 1887 on the north side of the Teesmouth, which, though in Durham, is only separated from Yorkshire by the river, and stragglers from the Durham 458 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. Marshes have, from time to time, occurred in this county ; two specimens in my collection were killed in August 1885. The Garganey is of most frequent occurrence in east Yorkshire ; Mr. M. Bailey informs me he has three records at Flamborough ; two specimens in Mr. J. H. Gurney's collection were obtained at Bridlington on 1st and 2nd June 1868, and in the Holderness district it has been met with on many occasions, more especially in spring, though a young male was taken at Easington on iQth September 1892 (Nat. 1893, p. 8). At inland localities, in addition to those mentioned by Allis, it has been reported from Wensleydale (1823), Bedale (1870), Ilkley (1878), and Pontefract. A male in the Ripon Museum was obtained near that place, and Captain Dunnington Jefferson, of Thicket Priory, has an example killed on the Derwent near East Cottingwith. WIGEON. Mareca penelope (L). Winter visitant, common. The Wigeon's connection with Yorkshire history dates back to the sixteenth century, when it figured in the Northum- berland Household Book, begun in 1512, at Earl Percy's Castles of Wressill and Lekinfield ; amongst the birds to be provided for " my lordes own mees " were " Wegions," the price being fixed at " id. ob. (ijd.) the pece except my Lordes comaundment be otherwyze." Thomas Allis, 1844, wrote :— Anas penelope. — Wigeon. Common near Doncaster and York; rather common about Sheffield ; not uncommon near Leeds ; it is rare about Hebden Bridge ; Dr. Farrar says ' So long as the Canals remain unfrozen this species is commonly to be met with near Barnsley, but the adjoining brooks seldom seem to offer much attraction for its resort ; I have occasionally seen it in considerable flocks.' A. Strick- land says that ' The Teal and Wigeon are comparatively two of WIGEON. 459 the commonest species, but do not now, I believe, breed in the dis- trict, though it is probable that they did so formerly.' One of the most abundant and best known of the " game ducks " is the Wigeon, which is an exceedingly common autumn or winter visitant, the first comers, generally young birds, arriving in August and September. The earliest date of which I am aware at Redcar is nth August 1883, when one was shot on Coatham Marsh ; at Spurn, the earliest record is the 26th of the same month, 1892. Later in the season, in October and November, flights of both old and young join the ranks of the first arrivals, and congregate in large numbers in the Tees and Humber estuaries, or on the sea adjacent ; the majority of these are young males and females or adult males, the old females being considered very scarce. Off the Cleveland coast, the Wigeon is very frequently observed passing along shore, to the north-west, on migration, and at times comes within range of the fowlers stationed on the " scars " or sand-hills, who take toll of their numbers. In some seasons, when favourable winds from the east or north-east prevail at the time of full moon, immense flights are seen ; I have noticed them passing incessantly, from early morn till noon, in flocks numbering several hundred birds ; such was the case in the first week of November 1878, on ist October 1887, the I3th and I4th October 1894, and the 29th and 30th October 1901 ; it was very abundant also in the Tees and Humber in the winter of 1864-65 ; in January of that winter a Teesmouth punt-shooter, whose game-book I have been privileged to examine, killed twenty-three " Whews " at one discharge of his big gun. The Wigeon leaves for its northern nesting quarters in March or April, though I once saw an assemblage of fine males and females, in full summer plumage, sunning themselves on the sides of one of the " stells " on the Tees Marshes as late as 4th May 1899, and on the I5th of May, in the year 1902, I noted two pairs flying about the reclaimed land at the estuary. The standard authorities on British Birds state that this .duck has not been known to breed in a wild state in England, 460 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. and, though it may be a difficult task to disprove this statement, I propose to lay before my readers the evidence supplied in support of the assumption that Yorkshire can claim the Wigeon as a nesting species. Allis's friend, Arthur Strickland, gave no confirmation of his belief that it formerly bred in his district, Bridlington, (see the Report), and the first instance which I need mention is vouched for by Mr. Tkomas Stephenson, who informed Mr. W. Eagle Clarke in 1881 that it nested regularly in Fen Bog, near Whitby ; the nest had repeatedly been seen by J . Kitching, who had that year found one containing eleven eggs, and handled the female which had been shot off the nest ; the residents in the neighbourhood had several times taken eggs and set them under domesticated ducks, but never reared any young ones. Kitching was quite firm in his assertion as to its identity, as he knew the bird well. Mr. Stephenson has personally corroborated this statement to me, but it is to be feared there is now no possibility of obtaining absolute proof, as Kitching is dead, and the birds have not been seen at the nesting place for several years past. The following circumstantial, but somewhat doubtful, account is communicated by Mr. Thomas Raine who, in a letter dated 25th February 1902, says that on ist May 1897, he saw a Wigeon fly from a patch of heather on Skip- with Common, and discovered the nest with twelve eggs. A third occurrence was at Malham Tarn, where, as Mr. A. Ward informs me, a pair bred in the year 1901 ; my informant saw both old and young birds on the lake. In a semi-domesticated state, the Wigeon has frequently nested on Sir Ralph Payne-Gallwey's estate at Thirkleby Park ; in 1886 there were four pairs nesting there. On Mr. W. H. St. Quintin's property at Scampston, also, it has bred under similar conditions, and outlying nests belonging to birds from that locality have been found at a few miles' distance. In east Yorkshire, whenever the Carrs become flooded by continuous heavy rains, the Wigeon leave the Humber and come inland in flocks, and in former days they were frequently captured in the Decoys ; in the North Riding, AMERICAN WIGEON. 461 at Hornby Castle, where is one of the two surviving Yorkshire Decoys, one hundred and one birds were taken between the years 1856 and 1864 ; and it was from this place that, in 1860, the late John Hancock had sent to him a pair of hybrids between the male Wigeon and female Mallard, and another pair between the male Wigeon and female Call Duck. One of the females laid eleven eggs and sat them, but produced no young ; one of the male birds was alive in 1874 (see " Birds of Northd. and Dm." p. 153). A female, assuming drake's plumage, was obtained at the Teesmouth in the year 1865 (Nat. 1865, p. 38). The local vernacular names are Whewer or Whew Duck ; Whew is a common name amongst coast fowlers at the Tees- mouth ; the drake is called Pendle Whew, and the female Grass Whew. AMERICAN WIGEON. Mareca americana (J. F. Gmelin). Accidental visitant from North America, of extremely rare occur- ence. Concerning this American representative of our Wigeon, Sir Ralph Payne- Gallwey of Thirkleby Park, Thirsk, writing to the Field, (gth March 1895), states :— " On 26th February, Mr. R. Lee, taxidermist, of Thirsk, obtained in Leeds an adult female American Wigeon. It was hanging up for sale with several common Wigeon in the shop of Mr. Murray, gamedealer, Leeds, who had just received it with other birds from the coast. I saw this bird when quite fresh, and it had pellets of shot in it with which it had been lately killed. It proved, on dissection, to be a female, though it has the green eyestripe and speckled neck and forehead of the male, but the crown is dark, and there is a good deal of chestnut on the flanks, and a little on the breast. The only British killed specimen of this bird, so far as I know, is one 462 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. in the collection of Mr. J. H. Gurney, bought in London in the winter of 1837-8. The one now recorded I have secured for my own collection." This specimen, which is probably a young male, was exhibited at the Zoological Society's Meeting on 2nd April 1895 (P.Z.S. 1895, p. 273), and is figured in Lord Lilford's work on British Birds (Vol. 7, pi. 42). RED-CRESTED POCHARD. Netta rufina (Pallas). Accidental visitant from south and east Europe and north Africa, of extremely rare occurrence. This duck nests in the southe^n and eastern portions of Continental Europe and north Africa, migrating in winter to India and China. Its claim to rank as a Yorkshire bird rests on the occurrence of one example only, a male in good plumage, which was killed off a pond on Coatham Marshes on 20th January 1900. I saw the specimen soon after it was procured and purchased it from the shooter (Zool. 1900, p. 483 ; and Nat. 1900, pp. 3°4> 322). Mr. T. Stephenson states (MS. 1880), that " J. Kitching [of Whitby] says this has been shot at Redcar " ; but I am unable to trace any record previous to that mentioned above. COMMON POCHARD. Fuligula ferina (L). Resident ; extremely local ; breeds at several places. Also winter visitant, not very abundant. The earliest reference to this bird in Yorkshire appears to be in connection with the working of Doncaster Decoy in 1707-27, where mention is made of a contrivance used Pochard's nest, Hornsea Mere. R. Fortune, See page 463. COMMON POCHARD. 463 for capturing Pochards by means of a net at dusk. (Hatfield's " Historical Notices of Doncaster," 1866.) Thomas Allis, 1844, wrote : — Fuligula ferina. — The Pochard — Common near Doncaster ; not infrequent about York ; rare near Sheffield and Hebden Bridge ; met with in a large pond at Hemmingfield, near Barnsley, generally in company with the Scaup, Golden-eye, and Tufted Ducks ; Dr. Farrar remarks that a friend of his who lived close by, and waited on them very attentively with his gun, assured him that the only attrac- tion to that spot appeared to be a species of duckweed which grew there abundantly, and which they devoured with avidity ; on the moors near Huddersfield it is occasionally obtained, also in the vicinity of Leeds ; rare about Hebden Bridge ; A. Strickland says ' though it is to a considerable degree a maritime bird, it is not often killed near Bridlington, except in severe weather, but it is often found in our shops in winter.' As a resident species the Pochard is extremely local, its breeding places being now restricted to very few localities. One of these formerly existed at Scarborough Mere, where, in June 1844, the late Mr. Bean of Scarborough shot a female from the nest (Hancock, " Birds of Northd. and Dm." p. 156), and Hewitson (" Eggs of British Birds," 3rd Ed. 1856, pp. 423-4), described a visit paid by J. H. Tuke to the same place, which is now practically destroyed by the railway. The late Alfred Roberts noted the birds there almost every spring, and the late Mr. Champley of Scarborough had eggs which had been taken there. The most recent occurrence of which I am aware was in the summer of 1903, when Mr. Morley noticed a duck on the Mere. In the year 1854 tne ^ate Sir W. Milner mentioned the fact of the Pochard nesting at Hornsea Mere in considerable numbers. Mr. Henry Strickland Constable of Wassand informed Mr. G. D. Rowley that, in 1874, the ducks laid at the usual time in the reeds, but the rain fell so continuously that all the eggs were destroyed by the rising waters of the Mere (" Orn. Mis." Vol. 3, p. 231) ; in 1881 as many as fifty pairs were observed, whilst a well-known and protected colony still exists there ; the egg figured by Hewitson from Sir W. Milner's collection had probably been taken at that 464 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. place (Zoo/. 1854, p. 4441). This species has also nested at Cold Hiendly Reservoir, near Wakefield, where, in June 1861, a male bird was procured and four eggs were taken, two ot which were sent to Mr. J. E. Hart ing ; it was stated by A. G. More (Ibis. 1865), to have been found " quite recently " breeding in the Craven district, and it now nests there annually ; also near Shipley, where eggs were found in 1893 ; in 1898 it nested at Ackworth, wjiile at Scampston and Thirkleby it breeds in a semi-feral state. In addition to being a resident, the Pochard occurs as a winter visitant, being met with both on the coast and on inland waters. It used to be not uncommon in the Tees in the first half of the past century, and in the Humber it was formerly observed in hard weather ; several flocks were noticed there in the early weeks of 1895, and it is reported from time to time at the various coast towns. We are told in Hatfield's " Historical Notices of Doncaster " (1866), that this duck was a difficult bird to take in the decoy on account of its facility in diving, which enabled it to get back under water in the pipe, but still many were caught every season. Mr. Roger Gough, who rented the decoy from 1707 to 1727, made use of a clever arrangement by means of which many were captured in nets at dusk ; twenty dozen are said to have been taken at one catch. It also figures in the list of ducks ''"captured at Hornby Decoy, and is enumerated amongst the birds in FotherguTs Wensleydale list (1823), repeated in Barker's " Three Days of Wensleydale " (1854). It has occurred on most of the reservoirs and sheets of fresh water in the West and North Ridings, and occasionally in Teesdale, Swaledale, Wensleydale, and Ryedale ; near Masham it has been seen several times in spring (Nat. 1886, p. 233) ; and in May 1878 one was obtained at Glasshome Reservoir, near Pateley Bridge. It is also noted from the valleys of the Nidd, Wharfe, Ribble, Calder, and Hodder ; on Malham Tarn and Semerwater, besides other localities which it would be tedious to recapitulate. In the neighbourhood of Cottingwith and Thicket Priory Tufted Duck on Nest. S. Smith. See page 466. Pheasant on Nest. R. Fortune. COMMON POCHARD. 465 it has been killed on the flooded waters of the Derwent, while near Beverley the late W. W. Boulton recorded it as abundant in the winter of 1864-65 ; indeed, it is one of the commonest ducks on the river Hull in severe weather. The Pochard is not a common species in the Teesmouth district, though I have noted it at intervals in winter, and have seen a specimen on the Coatham Marshes ; it is also recorded from the Esk Valley, near Whitby. As regards local names, Dunbird, Red Head, and Poker appear to be used indifferently ; and Pokker, Dunpocker, and Bighead are additional names by which it is known on the river Hull. [The so-called " American Scaup " reported at Scarborough (Zool. 1855, pp. 4631, 4947) proved, on examination by the late J. Hancock, to be a female Pochard.] FERRUGINOUS DUCK. Fuligula nyroca (Guldenstadt). Casual visitant, of very rare occurrence. This small duck is resident in southern Europe, and migrates in winter to northern and central Africa. It is but a rare casual visitant to this county, having been noted on six occasions only. The first was taken in Coatham Decoy on I7th January 1850, and recorded by T. S. Rudd in the Zoologist (1850, P- 2773). Near Huddersfield a specimen was shot at Dalton, in December 1858 (Hobkirk's "Huddersfield," ist Ed. 1859, P- 145). A pair in the collection of Mr. Thomas Boynton of Brid- lington, was, as that gentleman informs me, formerly in the late W. W. Boulton's collection at Beverley, and is prob- ably of local origin. On 23rd December 1876, I saw one exposed for sale in a 466 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. fish shop at Redcar, and was told it had been killed near the Teesmouth. Two were seen, and one was shot, on 3rd October 1878, by the late Rev. H. Smith, on Coatham Marsh (Zool. 1879, p. 211 ; and Field, I5th February 1879). And Major W. B. Arundel of Ackworth, writing on 20th April 1903, says " A pair of adults in excellent plumage was secured lately near where. The irides of the female were slatey brown." In a later communication my corres- pondent writes that two pairs were noticed, one of wrhich remained all the summer and the following winter (See also Zool. 1904, p. 33). TUFTED DUCK. Fuligula cristata (Leach). Winter visitant ; not uncommon on the coast in some severe seasons. Occasionally occurs inland, and nests in one or two localities. The first reference to this species in Yorkshire is, apparently, that in Fothergill's Wensleydale list (1823), where it is enumerated amongst the birds of that district. Thomas Allis, 1844, wrote : — Fuligula cristata. — Tufted Duck — Frequent near Doncaster ; is met with near Barnsley, Huddersfield, and Leeds ; it is scarce near Halifax, but a male was shot in January 1832, and a male and female on the roth March 1836; at times abundant near York. Arthur Strickland remarks that the Tufted Duck, Scaup Duck, and Golden- eye, though comparatively scarce to what they used to be, are not uncommonly met with in winter. The Tufted Duck occurs as a winter visitant, arriving late in October in small parties, and is more numerous in severe winters than in mild seasons. It is found sparingly distributed on the coast, in the harbours, and the Tees and Humber estuaries, but is never very numerous, associating sometimes with Scaups and Golden-eyes. Females and immature males are well known on the river Hull near Beverley, where, in the winter of 1864-65, the species was more than Nest of Tufted Duck, Nidderdale. . Fortune. See page 467. TUFTED DUCK. 467 usually abundant, but the adult is extremely rare. In the Tees district it is not by any means plentiful ; I have known a few specimens procured at sea, and I obtained a drake, in November 1900, on a small pond on Coatham Marsh, where a few other examples have been noted. It occurs with tolerable frequency on inland rivers and lakes ; a flock of eighteen was seen at Masham in October 1884, and a party of six was observed on Eccup Reservoir in December 1886. It was enumerated as a visitor to Don- caster Decoy and the Carrs, it is noted in Wensleydale, and has been met with near Sutton-on-Derwent, and on the rivers Wharfe and Nidd, and various streams and reservoirs of the West and North Ridings. As a nesting species, the Tufted Duck is increasing in numbers ; in 1849 it was mentioned by the Rev. R. B. Cooke as breeding to 1300 feet elevation at Malham Tarn (Zool. 1850, p. 2879) ; subsequent to that period, I have notice of a brood being observed in 1895, and in 1903 three nests were found. Several pairs have nested during the past two years on a protected lake in Nidderdale, and also in the Washburn Valley and on the lake at Castle Howard. On Hornsea Mere the nest was reported in 1856, when the late Sir W. Milner noticed several birds in company with the Pochards (op. cit. 1854, P- 4441) > it still occa- sionally remains during the breeding season, and of late years one or two pairs have been seen there in early summer. It is noted almost annually at Worsborough Reservoir, near Barnsley, while Major Arundel informs me that a drake, which visited a sheet of water in that neighbour- hood in the spring of 1901, was incapacitated from leaving, and its mate remained with it, bringing off a brood of seven young (op. cit. 1904, p. 33), This duck has bred in a semi-domesticated state, at Thirkleby Park, where in 1887 I had the pleasure of seeing the young ; at Wentworth Park it has been introduced by Earl Fitzwilliam, and it nested on an island in the lake. The only vernacular names known to me are Black Pocker, in the Beverley neighbourhood, and occasionally Black- toppin Duck. 468 SCAUP. Fuligula marila (Z.). Winter visitant, irregular in numbers ; very abundant in some severe seasons ; occasionally occurs on inland waters. The earliest mention of the Scaup in connection with Yorkshire is contained in Willughby's " Ornithology " (1678), thus :— "It is called Scaup Duck from its feeding upon Scaup, i.e., broken Shellfish ; varies infinitely in colour, especially in Head and Neck, so that among a pack of forty or fifty you shall not find two exactly alike. A thing not usual in this kind. We owe this description and history of it to Mr. Johnson " [of Brignall, near Greta Bridge]. (Will. " Orn." 1678, pp. 28, 365.) Thomas Allis, 1844, wrote : — Fuligula marila. — Scaup — Has been shot near Doncaster ; is rare near Sheffield ; obtained near Barnsley and Huddersfield, and not infrequently met with near Sutton-on-Derwent in the neighbourhood of York. One of the latest of our winter visitors, the Scaup does not appear until towards the end of October, at the time when we may expect Scoters, Longtails, and other " Norroway Ducks," as the Yorkshire fishermen call them ; the earliest date of which I have had personal experience was on the iQth of that month, in the year 1886, when one was obtained near Redcar Pier. The numbers vary greatly in different years, and are few or many according to the mildness or severity of the season. In the Teesmouth district, before the advent of steam- ships, and when the population was, comparatively speaking, small, the Scaup was one of the commonest of the " sea-ducks." Sir Cuthbert Sharp tells us in his " List of Birds of Hartlepool " that, in the winter of 1788-89, they were in such quantities that above a thousand were caught in a week and sold for I/- per dozen. I have been assured by an old Redcar fisher- man, now (1906), living at the age of ninety-one, that when SCAUP. 469 he was a young man, about the " thirties " or " forties," the fowlers of those days did not as a rule trouble with Scaup, confining their shooting to the " game ducks " ; he, however, used to shoot them and sell them for 2jd. each to a carrier, who took them to Stockton market. One stormy day at the Teesmouth my informant crept close up to a pack of fully five hundred of these ducks, but his old flint lock " snapped." In the winter of 1864-65, when wildfowl were abundant in the Humber, this species also occurred in immense flocks ; it is a regular and numerous visitor there, and may be found all through the winter months, being especially numerous in severe seasons. Mr. Francis Hoare states in a letter, dated gth January 1880, that, after strong north-east gales, he has known them to come up to Paull bight below Hull, when he has killed great numbers ; sometimes the flocks remained there all the season. In the winter of 1890-91, and in the severe weather of the early months of 1895, it was unusually abundant in the Tees Bay, several large flocks, composed entirely of adult birds, frequenting the Teesmouth and the immediate vicinity of Redcar, when I shot some fine specimens from the deck of Coatham Pier. At other stations on the coast this duck is observed more or less commonly, and, as at the Tees and Humber, is occasion- ally very numerous in hard winters off Whitby, Scarborough, Filey, and Bridlington. On inland waters it is frequently found in the imma- ture plumage, but old males are scarce. Chas. Hatfield in " Historical Notices of Doncaster " (1866), stated that it came to the Decoy throughout the winter months ; Allis recorded it in several instances ; on Walton Lake it was noted in some numbers in 1882 ; it often occurs on the river Hull near Beverley ; and it has also been reported from Hiendley Reservoir, near Wakefield ; Nostell, Ackworth, Fewston, Allerton, Pateley Bridge, Bedale, Malton, and other places which need not be particularized. It departs in spring, having been observed off the coast as late as May. As to vernacular names, it is known as Black Scaup 470 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. and Black Poker Duck on the Humber ; Mussel Duck and Bell Wigeon about the Teesmouth ; and Golden-eye and Silver Pochard at East Cottingwith, near York. [The supposed example of the American Scaup, reported in January 1855, at Scarborough (Zool. 1855, p. 4631 ; and Yarrell, iii. p. 349), was examined by the late J. Hancock, and found to be a female Pochard.] GOLDEN-EYE. Clangula glaucion (Z.). Winter visitant, immature birds not uncommon in some seasons adult males rare. Occurs on inland waters in considerable flocks. The first mention of the Golden-eye in connection with York- shire was made by Fothergill, who stated, in 1799, that one shot near Helmsley was in his possession (" Orn. Brit." p. 10). Thomas Allis, in 1844, wrote : — Clangula vulgaris. — Golden-eye — Not uncommon near Doncaster ; is obtained at Hebden Bridge, also near Barnsley, Leeds, and Hudders- field ; it is very abundant in the neighbourhood of York, especially in immature plumage. The Golden-eye is a late autumn or winter visitant, never, as a rule, arriving before October ; the individuals then seen are generally in immature plumage, the adult bird being rare, and the drake especially so. This duck is found on the coast singly or in small parties, and in the estuaries of the Tees and Humber it was fairly numerous before the growth of steam traffic ; it is now more abundant on fresh water lakes and rivers, while they remain unfrozen, than on the tide, though in hard frosts it is driven to the salt water and its numbers are augmented in severe winters by fresh comers. In the winter of 1864-65 it was numerous on the river Hull, and in immature plumage is Site of Coatham Decoy, 1887. R. Loff house. See page 447. Island in Swinsty Reservoir, where the Golden Eye is reported to have nested. R. Fortune. See page 471. BUFFEL-HEADED DUCK. 471 common above Beverley in most seasons ; several flocks were observed in the Humber in January and February 1895, and in the spell of Arctic weather in February 1897 no fewer than six adult males were procured ; it is also occasionally seen on Hornsea Mere. The Golden-eye is enumerated amongst the birds taken at Doncaster Decoy ; it has occurred frequently on the Derwent near Thicket Priory, and an adult male in the York Museum was taken at Newton-on-Derwent in February 1900 ; it has been observed on the Yore near Masham in hard winters ; it occurs annually, but in limited numbers, on Hiendley Reser- voir (where, according to W. Talbot, it was abundant in 1876), on Malham Tarn, Fewston Reservoir, and other sheets of fresh water ; and has been noted from most places where the inland waters are sufficiently quiet for it to remain in security. On Fewston Reservoir, in January 1884, Mr. W. Eagle Clarke noted a small party consisting of several adult birds, and Mr. W. Storey reported that a pair bred on Swinsty Reservoir, in 1891, one of the young being captured, and the old drake afterwards secured and placed in the collection of the Leeds Naturalists' Club (Zool. 1895, p. 449). BUFFEL-HEADED DUCK. Clangula albeola (Z.). Accidental visitant from Northern America, of extremely rare occurrence. This duck is a native of North America, and a rare accidental straggler to this country in winter. The only Yorkshire record is of an adult male in very fine plumage, shot in the winter of 1864-65 by Richard Morris, on the Bessingby Beck, near Bridlington, and preserved by VOL. II. H 472 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. Mr. Machen of that town. The occurrence was chronicled by the late J. Cordeaux in the Zoologist (1865, p. 9659), and " Birds of the Humber District " (1879, p. 176). The specimen is now in the collection of Mr. J. Whitaker of Rainworth Lodge. LONG-TAILED DUCK. Harelda glacialis (/..)• Winter visitant ; sometimes not uncommon in immature plumage ofl the coast ; rare in the adult stage. Occasionally occurs as a straggler to inland waters. The earliest British information concerning this species is afforded in Willughby's " Ornithology " (1678), by Ralph Johnson of Brignall, near Greta Bridge, the friend and correspondent of John Ray, who sent a description of a bird called the " Swallow-tail'd Sheldrake,' which answers accurately to the Long-tailed Drake. Mr. Johnson's com- munication is as follows : — " I should have taken this to be the Male, and that described by Wormius the Female Harelda in respect of some common notes in Tail and Neb, but that the Female was with this of mine (as may be presumed, a pair only, feeding together, several days in Tees river, below Barnard Castle), and did not much differ in colour." Thus far Mr. Johnson : " I am almost persuaded that it is specifically the same with Wormius his Harelda, differing only in Age or Sex, or perhaps both." (Will. " Orn." 1678, p. 364.) Thomas Allis, 1844, reported : — Clangula glacialis. — Long-tailed Duck — Not very uncommon about Doncaster ; it is met with but rarely near York. A. Strickland observes "This is truly a Northern species, but is occasionally met with in this country in winter, but is not common now." LONG-TAILED DUCK. 473 It is somewhat remarkable that the earliest British in- formation concerning this northern ocean-loving duck should be from the fresh waters of the Tees near Barnard Castle, as related by that famous old-time ornithologist Francis Willughby, whose oft-quoted correspondent, Ralph Johnson of Brignall, sent him the description of what is termed the " S wallow- tail' d Sheldrake." After the days of Willughby it was referred to by George Allan (1791) as " only visiting our coast in the severest winters, but never in numbers " (Fox's " Synopsis of the Tunstall Museum," p. 99). The status of the Longtail, as denned by modern York- shiremen, is that of a rather rare winter visitant, the immature bird being more common than the adult, and as such it is known on the greater portion of the coast. It arrives in small parties during the October gales, and is considered rare in the Humber and Spurn district ; at Flamborough Mr. M. Bailey tells me he has only shot one ; at Filey it is uncommon, but is met with occasionally, and the same remark applies to Scarborough and Whitby. In the Redcar and Teesmouth neighbourhood it is a regular winter visitant in varying num- bers, making its appearance at the same time as the Scoters, with which species it often consorts, haunting the vicinity of the rocks, and feeding on the small marine life of the scars. In some years it is uncommon, and in other seasons it is of frequent occurrence, as, for example, in the winter of 1887-88, when it was very abundant, and at least forty were procured, to my knowledge, between October and February (Zool. 1888, p. 137 ; and Nat. 1889, p. 84). The adult male is rare, the mature female still more so ; Mr. W. J. Clarke of Scarborough had one of the latter sent to preserve in November 1897, it being only the second example he had known ; but of the former I have observed, and secured, some very good specimens, and in February 1892 I watched, through the lifeboat telescope, two perfectly adult drakes disporting on the water about a mile off shore. Though essentially a marine duck, the Longtail has been occasionally obtained on inland waters, the first notice being by Willughby ; whilst Allis referred to its occurrence at 474 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. Doncaster and near York. One was reported at Nun Appleton in December 1869 ; at Riccal, Driffield, and Cawood it is noted, also on the Derwent at East Cottingwith and Thicket Priory ; Mr. A. Crabtree records one at Sowerby Bridge in 1886 ; it has been taken at Wilstrop by the late John Harrison ; Mr. R. Foster saw two at Killinghall in December 1883 ; it has occurred two or three times on Hornsea Mere ; Scampston and Bessingby are localities where it is recorded, and, in October 1882, on a flooded meadow at Kilnsea, the late J. Cordeaux shot one which had been feeding on small red worms. The local names are Swallow-tail' d Sheldrake (Willughby, 1678) ; in the East Riding it is sometimes called Sea Pheasant, while it is known as Go-West at Redcar. HARLEQUIN DUCK. Cosmonetta histrionica (/.). "Accidental visitant from Northern Europe, Asia, and America, of extremely rare occurrence. The Harlequin Duck, which is a circumpolar species, is only an accidental visitant to this country. Thomas Allis, 1844, wrote :— Clangula histrionica. — Harlequin Duck. — Hugh Reid says "A female of this species was shot in the river Don a little above Doncaster, by the late Mr. Cartmell, and was sold by me to Mr. N. E. Strickland." A. Strickland has never met with it in this country. The first Yorkshire specimen is that mentioned by Allis, though Mr. J. H. Gurney (" Rambles of a Naturalist," p. 263), considers it of doubtful authenticity. A young male, now in the collection of Mr. J. Whitaker of Rainworth Lodge, was purchased by him from the late Alfred Roberts of Scarborough, who procured it about 1862, at Filey, from some fishermen who informed him they had found it washed up on the beach (Zool. 1878, p. 135). EIDER DUCK. 475 The Hornby Decoy example, alleged to have been captured about 1860 (" Handbook of Vertebrate Fauna of Yorkshire," p. 58), proved, on investigation by Mr. W. Eagle Clarke, to be an imported specimen. EIDER DUCK. Somateria mollissima (Z.). Winter visitant, not common. The first reference to the Eider in Yorkshire, though of a rather dubious character, may be said to be the quotation from Strickland in Allis's Report : — Anas mollissima. — Eider — A. Strickland says that " Though this bird is abundant in parts in the north, it seems very seldom to stray much to the south, I have seldom known it killed on this coast " (Thomas Allis, 1844). This handsome and conspicuous duck is a casual visitant in winter, generally in immature plumage, though, now that its numbers have so greatly increased at the Fame Isles, there seems every probability that its occurrence may be looked for with greater frequency on the Yorkshire coast. Arthur Strickland (in Allis's Report), though mentioning it as " seldom killed on this coast," did not give any specific instance within his knowledge. It has been met with at sea off Spurn in full plumage, an adult male be ng picked up on the beach in January 1893 (Nat. 1893, p. 104) ; and a young male, shot there, is in the Hull Museum. Mr. T. Boynton has an example taken at Flamborough in 1868, and at Filey it is recorded on four occasions ; the first in November 1864, the latest in the winter of 1902-03. At Scarborough, one, out of four seen, was obtained in December 1891 ; at Whitby, three have been procured between 1888 and 1897 ; and in the Redcar district I have notes of its appearance in 1879, 1888, and 1891 ; in addition to these occurrences, on 26th February 1894, I watched, through a powerful telescope, a very fine old drake sitting on Salt Scar, 476 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. a reef of half-tide rocks about a mile off the shore ; I after- wards put off in a boat, but the bird escaped into broken water, swam through an opening in the rocks and so got out to sea. In the winter of 1902-03 one occurred in the Tees Bay ; while, finally, on 2nd February 1905, a flock of about twenty was seen mar tfis Tees Breakwater, and an adult male specimen was secured. ; *" The *bnly inland locality this species is recorded from is Tong Park Reservoir, near Shipley, about the year 1895 ; the specimen is now in the possession of Mr. John Reed, Thackley, near Bradford. KING EIDER. Somateria spectabilis (Z.). Accidental visitant from Northern Europe, Asia, and America, of extremely rare occurrence. The King Eider, whose habitat is the Arctic regions, has occurred in Yorkshire on one occasion only, at Bridlington Quay, in 1846. This occurrence was chronicled by misprint for Bedlington (Northumberland), by the late Joseph Duff (Zool. 1851, p. 3036), and corrected by J. Hancock (" Birds of Northd. and Dm." p. 159), on the authority of a letter from Mr. Duff, who informed me many years afterwards of the circumstances of its capture at Bridlington. STELLER'S EIDER. Somateria stelleri (Pallas). Accidental visitant from Northern Europe and Asia, of extremely rare occurrence. Like the King Eider, this bird is an inhabitant of the Arctic regions and only an accidental visitant to this country. Its claim to rank as a Yorkshire bird rests on the COMMON SCOTER 477 strength of one occurrence at Filey (misprinted " Filby "), a male, assuming winter plumage, shot on I5th August 1845, by Mr. Curzon, and submitted to Yarrel for inspection (R. J. Bell, Zool. 1846, p. 1249 ; and Yarrell's " British Birds "). The specimen is now in the collection of Lord Scarsdale of Kedleston. COMMON SCOTER. CEdemia nigra (Z.). Winter visitant, common on the coast ; very numerous in some seasons ; a few remain during summer. Observed on inland waters occasionally. The first allusion to the Common Scoter, as a Yorkshire bird, is found in Willughby's " Ornithology," under the heading of : — " The Black Diver or Scoter — Anas niger minor. Itt case stuft was sent us first by Mr. Fr. Jessop out of Yorkshire : Next we got it at Chester (in 1671) as we have said : Then Sir Thomas Brown sent us a picture of it from Norwich ; and lastly Mr. Johnson [of Brignall, near Greta Bridge] sent a description of it in his method of Birds, in which description are some particulars not observed by us, viz : — that the Male hath on the upper side some tincture of shining green, and that in the Hen the Neck and Head on both sides, as far as the Eyes, is white." (Will. " Orn." 1678, pp. 366-7.) Thomas Allis, in 1844, wrote : — (Edemia nigra. — Common Scoter — Shot near Doncaster in severe winters, and at York occasionally ; my friend J. Heppenstall says ' A specimen of this marine species was found quite fresh in one of the streets of Sheffield ; it appeared to have died from exhaustion as it was very poor.' It is met with on the moors about Huddersfield ; has been taken near Selby. Dr. Farrar says the Scoter was irregular in its appearance, both in numbers and season ; in July 1834 a very large flock visited the extensive sheets of water in Bretton Park, and great numbers of them were shot. A. Strickland remarks that this is much more frequent than the Velvet Scoter, and seldom a winter passes but some are killed. 478 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. The Common Scoter, or Black Duck as it is usually known to fowlers, is the commonest of our marine anatidae, and is a winter visitant to the coast, where immense flocks may be seen in the autumn and winter months ; it is found in varying numbers at most of the coast stations between the Tees and Humber, Bridlington Bay being a favourite locality. In the Humber it is reported to arrive in September ; I have noticed considerable numbers passing Redcar as early as I7th August, and in some seasons small flocks occur in September, but, as a rule, the main body does not put in an appearance until mid-October, and if severe north-east gales then prevail, and continue for several days, the flocks become " haunted to the Scars," as the local term expresses it, remaining in the vicinity during the whole winter, but in mild seasons they do not appear in such large numbers, or, alternatively, frequent the neighbourhood of the Teesmouth or Huntcliffe Foot. In the winter of 1876 the species was exceptionally abundant, and again in 1887, also in 1900 and 1901. It takes its departure late in spring, in April or May ; I have observed considerable quantities as late as the 25th of the latter month, and in most years a few non-breeding birds remain throughout the summer off the Cleveland coast and also in the Humber. I procured a very fine drake on nth August 1877, and another on the 22nd of August in 1888. This species is occasionally found on fresh water, the recorded and communicated instances of which are too voluminous for particularization. It has been met with on most of the large tarns, lakes, and reservoirs, and on many of the rivers, particularly in the West Riding. At Mashain one was obtained on 23rd August 1883, and two remained on Fewston Reservoir in the summer of 1902, one being captured and set at liberty again. A very unusual circumstance is mentioned in Allis's Report of a flock appearing in July 1834, at Bretton Park, while, singular to relate, in 1879 Mr. W. Eagle Clarke recorded a most extraordinary migration of Scoters at Skipton-in-Craven. On 24th April in the year named, shortly after dusk, birds COMMON SCOTER. 479 were heard passing overhead and continued most of the night, many being bewildered and flying against chimney pots and houses. At the Railway Station they were immolated against the telegraph wires and several were picked up on the following morning, one porter securing as many as seventeen. It was calculated that, in all, one hundred and fifty had been taken, the majority of which were males. The migration continued on the 25th, and on the 26th the fowl were heard passing over for two hours between eight and ten o'clock (Zool. 1880, p. 355). As an article of food the Scoter is not held in high esteem, being decidedly rank and fishy in taste unless properly cooked ; George Allan remarked (Allan MS. 1791 ; Fox's " Synopsis," p. 98), that " The Catholics are allowed to eat them in Lent." As a sporting bird, when in large packs, it affords excellent practice, comparable even to grouse-driving, with the additional difficulty of a rocking boat to take into consideration. I have at times enjoyed capital shooting amongst the Black Ducks over the Redcar Scars by putting out decoy birds to attract the wild ones within range. As is well known, the Scoter can carry off a heavy charge of shot, and, even when knocked down and apparently helpless, a wounded bird has an annoying trick of diving if a spark of life remains, and so often baffles the shooter, for it is practically useless to pursue one under these conditions, while if hard pressed it will even cling to the rocks or seaweed and commit suicide by drowning. On several occasions, after a day's shooting over the rocks, dead birds have been found at low tide with wings firmly clasped round a stone, or holding on by the bill to a piece of seaweed. The local vernacular names are Black Duck or Black Scoter, in general use ; and Mussel Duck in the Humber. 480 VELVET SCOTER. CEdemia fusca (Z.). Winter visitant in small numbers. Has occurred inland. The first British information containing the Velvet Scoter appears in Willughby's '.' Ornithology," where there is a description given which leaves no doubt as to the identity of the bird. It is under the heading of : — " Aldrovandus his Black Duck. The description of this bird we owe to Mr. Johnson [of Brignall, near Greta Bridge] with whom also we saw its case stuft." (Will. " Orn." 1678, P. 363.) Thomas Allis, in his Report, 1844, wrote : — CEdemia fusca. — Velvet Scoter — F. O. Morris and H. Reid report one shot at Bentley by the gamekeeper of Sir W. B. Cooke, which is in the possession of that gentleman ; it is obtained occasionally at the reservoirs on the moors near Huddersfield ; A. Strickland says " Though this is a marine bird it is one of our scarcer species and seldom killed near Bridlington." Essentially an oceanic species, this fine duck is almost entirely restricted to the seaboard, where it arrives in small flocks during the first October gales ; the earliest date of its appearance of which I am aware is 2ist September 1891, when one was captured after a strong on-shore wind ; on nth August 1877 four flew past me while at sea, but these were in all probability individuals which had remained throughout the summer, as the preceding species often does. The Velvet Scoter is not common anywhere in Yorkshire ; at Bridlington a small flock is usually to be seen in the Bay, consorting with Common Scoters ; it is rare at Flamborough, Scarborough, and Whitby ; and is perhaps most numerous in the neighbourhood of Redcar and the Teesmouth, where it is a regular visitant in limited numbers, sometimes associating with the huge packs of its more common congener, but generally keeping apart from them. Its large size and the conspicuous white alar patch render it easily distinguish- VELVET SCOTER. 481 able while flying, and in some seasons it is fairly abundant near the "scars," or at the Teesmouth ; the largest number seen at one time was a flock of some thirty birds, at Christmas 1895, inside Redcar rocks. At high tide it feeds upon the small mussels on the rocks, departing to the open water with the ebb, and here I must traverse the late J. Cordeaux's statement in his " List of Birds of the Humber District " (p. 25), where he stated " it does not approach the shore so closely as the Common Scoter." My experience differs from his, and tends to prove that it is frequently found much closer inshore than the other ; so recently as November 1903, I observed three fly along behind the breakers and settle almost within stone's throw of the beach, where I afterwards procured two of them ; whilst twice I have seen individuals actually shot on the sands. Several times I have rowed within range of small parties of these ducks on the open sea, and on one occasion four were killed out of a flock of about thirty, which allowed a quite near approach ; nor is this so unusual as appears to be the opinion of some authors of ornithological works. The adult drake of this species is very rare ; only three examples have come under my notice at Redcar, two of them being found dead on the beach in March 1888, while the third was reported in October 1896. The late A. Roberts of Scarborough had four brought to him in the winter of 1854-55 ; one was recorded at Spurn in October 1876, and another, in the York Museum, was obtained at Goole in January 1893. The Velvet Scoter seldom occurs on inland waters ; Hugh Reid stated that it visited the Doncaster Carrs ; it is enumerated in Fothergill's Wensleydale list of 1823, and Barker's " Three Days of Wensleydale " (1854) ; one was taken at Clapham in 1841 ; Allis mentioned it in his Report ; Waterton recorded it from Walton Park ; T. Lister reported it from Barnsley in December 1872 ; W. Talbot (" Birds of Wakefield," 1876), noted it on Hiendley Reservoir ; and Mr. J. H. Gurney examined a specimen killed on the Tees at Cotherstone " forty years ago " (" Upper Teesdale," 1896). 482 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. With regard to this bird's imperviousness to shot, the remarks applied to the common species are equally applicable. The only vernacular names by which it is known are Velvet Duck, and Big Black and White Duck. [Mr. A. S. Bell reported the occurrence of a Surf Scoter, (Edemia perspicillata (L.) at Gristhorpe, near Scarborough, shot by him on 25th November 1860 (Zool. 1860, p. 7274, 1861, p. 7385). On investigation, however, it proved to be a mistake, the bird being "a Velvet Scoter (Harting's " Hand- book," 2nd Ed. p. 463)]. GOOSANDER. Mergus merganser (L.). Winter visitant, the numbers depending on the rigour of the season. In mild winters young males and females are chiefly found ; in hard weather adult males in beautiful plnmage are not uncommon on the inland waters. The first Yorkshire allusion to the Goosander may be found in the Allan MS. (1791), and refers to a river Tees specimen in the Tunstall Museum, thus : — " These birds frequent our rivers and other fresh waters, especially in hard winters. This specimen is the male bird, and was shot in the river Tees, near Wy cliff e, in January 1789." (Fox's " Synopsis," p. 95.) Thomas Allis, 1844, wrote : — Mergns merganser. — The Goosander — Occasionally got near Leeds and Huddersfield ; it is shot near Doncaster in hard winters ; it is very rare about Hebden Bridge ; a fine male was shot in January 1842 ; it is occasionally met with at Gormire near Thirsk ; the female and immature young are frequently met with in winter near York, and I have myself procured four or five full plumaged males in beautiful condition at one time. This handsome bird is an irregular winter visitant to the coast line, estuaries, and inland waters, the first arrivals in October and November being, as a rule, females or birds GOOSANDER. 483 in immature plumage ; later in the season adult examples are occasionally met with. It is not uncommon in the Humber ; it occurs also at Flamborough, Bridlington, Scarborough, and other coast stations, but cannot be termed an abundant species. In the Teesmouth area it is occasionally killed from the " scars," or on the sands at Redcar, during the prevalence of on-shore gales, and was formerly not infrequent in the Tees estuary, but is now considered as being of rather rare and irregular occurrence. In some seasons of exceptional severity its numbers are augmented by later comers from far northern latitudes, and at these periods some very fine adult birds of both sexes have been procured, though the old males are considered rare in mild seasons. The Goosander is more of a fresh water species than its con- gener, M. serrator, and often follows the course of the various rivers and their affluents, being seen in localities far distant from the coast. The late Rev. J. W. Chaloner of Newton Kyme stated that, on 6th March 1884, he noticed nine Goosanders in magnificent plumage on the river Wharf e, behind his house, an extraordinary number to be seen at that place. On the river Hull at Beverley it is fairly common ; several flocks were observed in the winter of 1864-65 and 1870-71, twelve specimens being procured in the latter year, and many superb old male examples have occurred there. In the winter of 1886-87 it was more than usually numerous in the Humber. It has also been obtained on most of the fresh water lakes and reservoirs in the North and West Riding dales. It is noted at Malham Tarn, and is reported as a rare visitor from the upper reaches of the Ribble, Wharfe, Yore, Tees, and indeed almost every part of the county where pure and fresh flowing streams are found. One was shot by Mr. (now Sir) Alfred Pease, in 1883, in a small beck near Guisborough, and three years later another was seen in exactly the same place. An example captured in Lower Wharfedale, in March 1886, disgorged a trout ten inches in length, while the Rev. F. O. Morris stated (" British Birds "), that in the gizzard of one 484 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. shot in the Tees near Stockton, in March 1853, was found part of a gold ear-ring. The usual name used by coast shooters is Sawbill or Jack- saw, and Dun Diver is a term applied to the immature birds ; it is known to the old shooters on the river Hull, in Holderness, as Horner ; Sparling Fowl (Fox's " Synopsis," p. 95), is a name used by old writers, though I have heard this given by river Tees shooters to the Red-throated Diver. RED-BREASTED MERGANSER. Mergus serrator (Z.). Winter visitant, not common. Occasionally occurs on inland waters. The first Yorkshire reference to the Red-breasted Merganser is, apparently, that in Allis's Report (1844), thus : — Mergus serrator. — Red-breasted Merganser — This bird is rare about Hebden Bridge ; it is shot near Doncaster in hard winters, one specimen in 1837 ; it is met with about Huddersfield ; rare near Leeds, one was shot at Swillington, January 24th, 1838, in the mature male plumage ; it is rare about York, but I have frequently seen specimens of the female and immature male. A. Strickland has only met with it in the mature plumage in the winter of 1830, when several were procured. In the middle of the past century the Red-breasted Merganser was, as I am informed by George Mussell, the Middlesbrough taxidermist, frequently found in winter and spring in the Tees estuary ; it is now classed, on the coast generally, as an uncommon winter visitant, occurring singly or in small parties of three or four, being more frequently observed in severe weather than in mild seasons. The earliest date for its appearance, of which I have note, is 22nd September 1903, when one was obtained at the Teesmouth. It has been reported in spring as late as 4th May, off Flam- borough Head, while a party of five remained in the Tees Bay until nth May in 1898. It is recorded from most of the coast stations, and is more SMEW. 485 of a marine species than the preceding, but it has been found in several inland localities in addition to those mentioned by Allis, viz. : — Richmond, Ilkley, the flooded waters of the Derwent at East Cottingwith, Masham, Malton, Kirkburton, and on some of the large West Riding reservoirs. The name by which this bird is known to coast gunners and wildfowlers is Sawbill or Sawbill Duck, and sometimes Dun Diver, terms which are also applied to the Goosander. SMEW. Mergus albellus (Z.). Winter visitant, of uncommon occurence. Is reported both on the coast and on inland waters, chiefly in immature plumage, the adult being extremely rare. Willughby's " Ornithology " contains the earliest known Yorkshire reference to the Smew, where it is alluded to as " The White Nun.— Albellus alter. Aldrov." " The female of this is also mistaken for a different kind, and called Mergus glacialis, which Mr. Johnson [of Brignall, near Greta Bridge] Englishes the Lough Diver." (Will. " Orn." 1678, p. 27.) Thomas Allis, 1844, wrote : — Mergus albellus. — Smew — Several have been shot near Doncaster in hard winters ; it is rare near Leeds, but has been procured at Swil- lington in 1838, and also at Gledhow ; occasionally obtained near York, but the female and immutare male are much more frequent than the full plumaged male. The Smew is not an abundant species ; as a winter visitant it is met with sparingly at the coast and on inland waters, females or males in immature plumage being more often reported than old birds, though during severe winters and in stormy weather adults of both sexes are occasionally captured. This bird is, perhaps, more frequently noted on fresh water than on the tidal portions ; the river Hull in the neighbour- hood of Beverley, and the Derwent near Cottingwith, Escrick, 486 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. and Sutton, being favoured by its visits, which, as a rule, take place late in the season, in December, January, and February ; Mr. F. Bo yes procured an adult female near Beverley, and he has seen four mature males killed near that place. It occurs rarely in the estuary of the Humber, and has been noted at Bridlington, Filey, Scarborough, and Whitby. At the Teesmouth it was frequent about forty or fifty years ago, but there are only three or four instances of its occurrence in Cleveland communicated during the past twenty years, one being a mature male taken on a pond at Skelton in the winter of 1900. Like its congeners, the Goosander and Merganser, it follows the course of the large rivers, and several have been killed on the Tees in the vicinity of Yarm, while on other streams and sheets of fresh water odd examples are reported from time to time. The late Rev. J. W. Chaloner shot a male and female on the Wharfe at Newton Kyme, on igth January 1892, at the same place where he had killed a male exactly sixty years before ; on the river Nidd at Ribston three were seen and one obtained, in January 1893 ; while it has been observed near Doncaster, Barnsley, Wakefield, Halifax, Leeds, York, Malton, and other places in this county, the particulars of which it is not necessary to recapitulate. The Smew is not now sufficiently common to be known by any vernacular names, but it was called White Nun by Willughby, and Lough Diver by Ralph Johnson of Brignall, in 1678. HOODED MERGANSER. Mergus cucullatus (Z.). Accidental visitant from North America, of extremely rare occur- rence. The true home of this Merganser is in northern America, whence, at rare intervals, stragglers have wandered to this country. Its occurrence in Yorkshire was chronicled by Snowden Sleights in his punt on the Derwent, near the place where the Hooded Merganser occurred. H. Smith. See page 487. RING-DOVE. 487 Gould in his " Birds of Great Britain " in the following words : " Mr. W. Christy Horsfall, of Hors forth Low Hall, informs me that he has a pair in his collection which were killed in the neighbourhood of Leeds." In connection with this statement Mr. W. Eagle Clarke, when engaged in writing the bird portion of the " Handbook of the Vertebrate Fauna of Yorkshire," was unable to trace these specimens ; my more recent efforts in that direction have resulted in obtaining the information that the British Museum (Natural History) at Cromwell Road, South Kensing- ton, contains a mounted specimen of this bird in the British series, which bears the following particulars : — " Colder [? Calder] river, Yorkshire, 1843. Mr. Parke. Presented by Mr. J. Baker." It is possible that this may be one of the examples referred to, as the river Calder flows into the Aire not far distant from Leeds. I have, however, examined a male example, in the collection of Capt. Dunnington-Jefferson of Thicket Priory, which was procured in that neighbourhood by the well-known veteran wildfowler, Snowdon Sleights. Unfortunately, neither the present owner of the specimen nor its shooter kept a record of the date, and all the information the old fowler is able to give is that it was shot in the " North Ings," when the Derwent was in flood, and much of the surrounding country was covered with water. RING-DOVE. Columba palumbus (Z.). Resident, generally distributed, abundant. An influx of immigrants takes place in autumn, in varying numbers, depending upon the rigour of the season. The earliest mention of the Ring-Dove in Yorkshire is probably found in the writings of the celebrated Marmaduke Tunstall, F.R.S., who lived at Wycliffe-on-Tees, thus :-— " Ring Pigeon. Have many here, and what is singular, VOL. II. I 488 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. more in the winter than in summer, even in the severest weather. Are very mischievous in gardens, destroying all sorts of grains, cabbages, etc They usually begin cooing in March, though I have heard them in January, in mild, warm weather." (Tunst. MS. 1784, p. 77.) Thomas Allis, in 1844, wrote : — Columba palumbus. — Ring Dove — Also becoming rare near Halifax ; plentiful in other districts ; although I have succeeded in breeding this bird in confinement, I never could domesticate it ; though hatched and bred in the Aviary, as soon as ever it had an opportunity, it would fly off to a distance and never return. The Stock Dove, on the contrary, bred, though not hatched, in confinement, has felt attached to its companions and its adopted home, and has returned and re-entered the cage after escape. As an abundant and widely distributed species the Ring- Dove, or Wood-Pigeon, requires but little notice here ; it is resident, and breeds commonly and increasingly throughout the county wherever suitable woods and plantations are found, including the Wold districts of the East Riding* being absent only on the moorlands of the north and south- west. In autumn and winter large flocks assemble, and, leaving their nesting localities, forage far afield for food in the stubbles or amongst the green crops of the lowlands, their ranks being frequently augmented by arrivals from more northern parts of the kingdom, or from the European Continent, the numbers of these foreigners depending upon the severity or mildness of the season, and the consequent scarcity or abundance of food. In October and November 1884, an enormous influx took place on the north-east coast, continuing from 2oth October to the end of November (Sixth Migration Report, p. 59), and was observed in its full strength at Redcar, where one gunner on the sands shot fifty in three days, all birds coming in from the sea. These migrations were very pronounced in 1881, 1884, 1889, 1894, 1898, 1899, and 1901 : in the last named year I saw great flights come in at Redcar on i6th November. During the severe weather of December 1878, many of these birds perished of starvation, and were found dead on the beach at Flamborough. Ring Dove's nest. R. Fortune. See page 489. RING-DOVE. 489 In some instances the species has been observed at the Lighthouses on the coast, as reported to the British Associa- tion Migration Committee, and mentioned in the Reports issued by that body. The voracious appetite of the Wood-Pigeon is commented upon so long ago as Tunstall's time, and as much as half a pint of wheat has been taken from the crop of an individual near York (Zool. 1866, p. 456). As illustrating the damage done by this bird, the following saying, in vogue amongst Cleveland agriculturists when sowing beans, may be quoted : — " Sow four beans in a row, One to rot, one to grow, One for the Pigeon, and one for the Crow." Another item of folk-lore in the North Riding is to the effect that the common people believe that at some remote period the " Cushat " laid its eggs on the ground, while the Peewit made its nest on high. An amicable exchange took place between the two birds, and at the present day they respectively sing out their feelings on the subject ; according to the local rhyme the Peewit says — " Peewit, Peewit, I coup'd my nest and I've it." The Cushat's note implies — " Coo, coo, come now, Little lad, with thy gad, Come not now." Though not, as a rule, amenable to domestication, this species has been bred in confinement in the City of York, as mentioned in Allis's Report, and strangely enough a pair used to breed annually in the elms near the Boys' School at Bootham in that City. Late nesting is not uncommon, and, of Yorkshire examples, Mr. F. Boyes reports one of a nestling found on 2nd November in the year 1872. Of variations in plumage may be mentioned a specimen with grey back, at Huddersfield (Zool. 1888, p. 352) ; a pure white example, seen at Ingleby by Lord de L'Isle and Dudley, in the summer of 1901 ; one of a pale red colour in Mr. F. 4QO THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. Boyes's collection, and an albino specimen, procured near Scarborough, on 4th August 1905. Local vernacular names : — Cushat, in general use, altered to Cooshat at Fewston ; Cushard in Teesdale ; Cowscot in the North Riding, and Cooshout in Craven (A.S. Cusceate, Eng. Coo-shout) ; Wild Pigeon at Wilsden ; Ring Pigeon (Tunst. MS. 1784) ; Woodie in Cleveland ; Clatter Dove at Staithes and Loftus ; Stog* Dove in the East Riding, and Stoggie or Stock Dove, occasionally applied in the East Riding, Scarborough, and Doncaster. STOCK-DOVE. Columba oenas (L,). Resident, local, common in most places where it occurs. Increasing in numbers, and in its area of distribution. The first notice of this bird in Yorkshire appears to be that of Thomas Allis, who, in his Report on the Birds of Yorkshire, read before the British Association at York, in 1844, remarked : — Columba cenas. — Stock Dove — The only Yorkshire specimen I have seen is that in the Museum of the Yorkshire Philosophical Society, which I obtained in our market, where it was exposed for sale with a number of the preceding species [the Ring Dove], which had been shot by a neighbouring farmer. H. Chapman of York informs me that he, last winter, saw two or three other birds in our market with Ring-Doves, but that they were too much injured for stuffing. J. Heppenstall says they are not infrequent near Sheffield along with palumbus. I have no other notice of their occurrence in Yorkshire. The remarkable increase of the Stock-Dove since the date of Allis' s Report is one of the most interesting events in connection with Yorkshire ornitholgy, and for much important and valuable information concerning its former existence on the East Riding Wolds, and the reasons for its diffusion, naturalists are indebted to the researches of Mr. t': *»./ I I STOCK-DOVE. 491 F. Boyes, who states that the bird has no doubt increased and spread over all parts of the county within recent years, but it existed on the extreme unenclosed tracts of the East Riding long previously. Prior to 1864 it was numerous in all the old warren grounds, more so than at any subsequent period ; for about that time the reclamation and bringing under cultivation of the warrens was commenced, and, with high farming and breaking up of the soil, the Stock-Doves were dispersed and driven out to find other haunts. At first, being loth to leave, they nested on the outskirts of the warrens under furze-bushes, amongst roots in old pits, or in holes about the roots of trees, and this habit of adapting itself to its surroundings, and finding a nesting site almost anywhere, is the cause of its wide distribution in the breeding season. Old warreners were still alive when this subject was investigated, and their evidence, extending to so far back as 1820, was to the effect that the " Blue Rock," as they termed the bird, was very numerous then, breeding in the rabbit burrows, and they always claimed the young ones as their perquisites. Thus it is clearly shewn that our old writers, Allis and Strickland, had no know- ledge of these warren birds. It is reasonable to presume that most parts of the county have been populated by these evicted tenants of the warrens, and it is highly interesting to know that, at a period when the bird was almost, if not quite, unknown in every other portion of Yorkshire, it should be so common on the Wolds, and that, with the gradual enclosure of these waste tracts, there was a simultaneous spread of the bird over the county. A correspondent of the Field of I2th May 1877, called attention to the sudden increase of the Stock-Dove near York ; in 1865 it is described as rarely visiting the foot of the southern Wolds, and it only established itself in the Malton, Lowthorpe, and Flamborough districts about the same time. The late Canon Atkinson (" Moorland Parish," p. 347) recorded it as very rare at Danby in 1846-47, when he noticed the first example there, whilst lower down the Esk Valley, and at Whitby, it did not appear until the " fifties." 492 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. In the west of the county it was reported about 1875 ; in Masham neighbourhood it was first observed about 1842, and numerous correspondents furnish information as to the extreme rarity of the bird until the latter quarter of the past century. It is now found breeding more or less abund- antly in most districts, and in localities where it was un- known until within comparatively recent years, being reported even in the high dales to upwards ol 1000 feet elevation ; indeed, it may be described as being generally diffused, excepting on the moorlands, and in manufacturing districts, where the conditions are unsuitable to its existence. In severe winters it congregates in considerable flocks, associating with its larger relative, the Ring-Dove, in search of food. Several perished at Flamborough in the hard winter of 1878-79, and near Redcar, in February 1888, no fewer than fourteen of these birds were killed at a single shot, whilst feeding on cabbages in a field adjacent to the coast. It is common in winter at Lowthorpe, where, on 22nd January 1897, out of sixty pigeons obtained, twenty were of this species. Though it is possible these assemblies are attributable to the gathering together of birds from various parts of this and neighbouring counties, and not to Continental immigrants, there nevertheless is sometimes an oversea migration. It is mentioned in the Fifth Migration Report (p. 50) " 25th October, at Kilnsea, one seen coming in from sea, and observed to pitch in a field near." At the Teesmouth a flight was noticed coming from seaward on 5th October 1901, and, in the following year, many were reported coming in at Flamborough in November. The Stock-Dove now breeds commonly in the Beverley district ; Mr. Boyes has several pairs inhabiting boxes in his garden, and a few have nested in the Minster and the Parish Church. In addition to its usual nesting sites in rabbit burrows and holes of trees, it is found in quarries, on the rocky ledges of inland " scars," such as those on the Hambleton Hills, in ivy-clad ruins, and occasionally in deserted nests of other birds, and on the wall-plates of field sheds. I have frequently seen it on the sea- cliffs which STOCK-DOVE. 493 extend from Saltburn to Flamborough, and at Kettleness I shot one as it darted from a hole in some ivy. On the coast, as elsewhere, it is no doubt confused with the true Rock-Dove, which it far outnumbers, while it is probable that the so-called " Blue Rocks " reported as seen nesting on inland cliffs are referable to the present species. Nidification commences early ; Mr. E. R. Waite found eggs partly incubated near Headingly on 5th March 1877, and young have been seen near Beverley so late as October. An unusual instance of Stock-Doves and Starlings nesting in company near York is reported in the Zoologist (1881, p. 65). Variation of plumage in this bird is not common ; Mr. John Morley of Scarborough had a pied example in August 1905, and, near Malton, in August 1903, he procured a curious specimen, which has dun or fawn coloured wings ; the head, breast, neck, and under parts are lighter coloured than in the ordinary type, but the soft parts are of the normal colour. Another variety, with white and cream-coloured plumage, is recorded (Field, igih August 1896) as having occurred at Beckwithshaw, near Harrogate. Local names : — Stockie or Stoggie in the East Riding, at Scarborough, and Doncaster (so called from nesting in stocks or trunks of trees). Rock-Dove — Beverley, Flam- borough, Bempton, Western Ainsty, Ackworth, Thirsk, Hambleton, Swaledale, Arkengarthdale, Settle, Ribblesdale, and Whitby. Blue Rock— Eastern Wolds, Beverley, Teesdale, Ackworth, Fewston, Swaledale, Arkengarthdale, Nidderdale, Thirsk, Hambleton, and Whitby. Rock Pigeon — Western Ainsty. Wood Pigeon or Ring-Dove — Nidderdale and Rye- dale. Burrow Pigeon — Sedbergh. Rocket-Dove — Gunner- gate-in-Cleveland (from the rocket-like flight as it leaves the ivy-clad trees). 494 ROCK DOVE. Columba livia (Bonnat.). Resident, local ; breeds on the sea-cliffs. The first allusion to this bird is, probably, that contained in Willughby's " Ornithology/' where it is stated that it was described to that famous naturalist by Ralph Johnson [of Brignall, near Greta Bridge]. (Will. " Orn." 1678, pp. 23, 186.) Thomas Allis, in 1844, wrote : — Columba livia. — Rock Dove — Breeds abundantly on the rocks about Flamborough. This bird is a very local resident, breeding in the caves of the Flamborough and Bempton range, and thence north- ward to the Cleveland coast, but in less numbers than the preceding species, though still in considerable quantities. Old George Londesborough, or Lowney, and Henry Marr, the cliff-climbers, once tried an experiment by which they hoped to make a good haul of these birds to supply a pigeon-shooting match. Selecting a suitable night for the occasion, as Marr has informed me, they let down a net over Bempton " Pigeon- Cote," one of the large caverns where these birds breed abundantly ; it was soon full of Pigeons, and they made sure of getting a good quantity ; they found, however, it was not possible to catch them alive, but they killed fifteen with a stick. The Rock-Dove is also reported as nesting in some of the dales of the West and North Ridings ; there can be no question, however, that this bird is confused with the Stock-Dove, and my requests for proof of identity have failed to produce satisfactory replies. The Flamborough Rock-Doves resort to the " Carrs " and Wold farms in winter to feed, when they associate with domestic pigeons, sometimes being trapped in the cotes with them, and, as the latter frequently escape to the cliffs, and interbreed with the birds established there, the task of TURTLE-DOVE. 495 discriminating between those which are ferae naturcz and the individuals which have reverted to a feral state is rendered very difficult. The extraordinary capacity of Wild-Pigeons' crops has frequently been commented on ; as an instance of this bird's voracious appetite it may be mentioned that an example was obtained at Fryup, near Whitby, in February 1871, whose crop contained seeds of the wild rape ; these were counted, and totalled 7,424, besides which there were 65 seeds of corn and barley, making altogether 7,489. The vernacular name is Blue-Rock or Cliff Pigeon in ordinary use ; at Flamborough and Bempton it is known to the fishermen and cliff -climbers as Rock Pigeon, in contra- distinction to the Stock-Dove, whose cognomen is Rock-Dove. TURTLE-DOVE. Turtur communis (Selby). Summer visitant ; extremely local, but is increasing ; breeds in several districts, and is extending its range northward. Observed on the coast on both the vernal and autumnal migrations. Of rare occurrence in the west of the county. The earliest notice of this, as a Yorkshire bird, is contained in the Report of Thomas Allis, written in 1844, thus : — Columba turtur. — The Turtle Dove — R. Leyland reports a single specimen shot some years ago near Halifax ; Dr. Farrar has seen but one specimen which was shot near Rotherham about 1824 ; H. Chapman mentions it as having occurred to him ; it is mentioned by W. Yarrell as having been taken near Scarborough ; and I had one specimen which was shot at High Catton, near York ; a single bird only has been seen by Arthur Strickland in the vicinity of Bridlington. Popularly supposed to be a south-country bird, the Turtle-Dove has of late years, like some other species, been extending its range northward. In the middle of the past century, Thomas Allis, in his " Report on the Birds of 496 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. Yorkshire," informed the naturalists of his day that there were but some half-dozen examples known in the county (a specimen shot at the Teesmouth in 1837, now in Mr. Turton's possession at Upsall, appears to have been unknown to him) ; in 1866 the late W. W. Boulton, writing from Beverley, mentioned that it occurred there sparingly, and that he had only had four or five specimens in the course of five years (Zool. 1867, p.»543), and Mr. Howard Saunders, in the 4th Edition of Yarrell (1885, Vol. iii. p. 23), and also in his " Manual " (2nd Ed. 1899), describes it as only a straggler on migration north of Sheffield. The evidence supplied, however, tends to prove that it is now a regular summer visitant, nesting in some localities where it was previously unknown, and annually in several districts in the eastern half of the county, while in all probability it is gradually becoming more widely diffused. At the present time its nesting area may be defined as being on the eastern side of a line passing through the centre of the county by Ripon, Harrogate, Leeds, and Wakefield, to Sheffield. It now remains to discuss the distribution of the bird within this area, commencing at the southern limit of its Yorkshire range. For several years past it has nested in the neighbour- hood of Sheffield, and, according to my correspondents in that district, does so still ; the late W. Talbot, in his " Birds of Wakefield " (1876), did not mention it, though Mr. G. Parkin states that it now occurs in the nesting season. Near Don- caster its nest has been found in Wheatley Wood, and it breeds sparingly, but increasingly, in the Ackworth neighbour- hood, while at Skipwith and at Pocklington it was reported to me as nesting in 1894. It has for some years bred annually at Kipling Cotes, South Dalton Park (the seat of Lord Hotham), and Market Weighton, and is increasing. Mr. W. H. St. Quintin, writing in 1902, says the Turtle- Dove was unknown to him in his nesting days, being first heard at Scampston about 1885, later still at Lowthorpe, and now each year it is found at both places. At the end of May 1900, he saw five together in a field at Scampston, and in 1897 knew of six pairs in the plantations there. A Nest of Turtle Dove, at Wykeham. R. Fortu See page 497. TURTLE-DOVE. 497 pair was reported near Masham in June 1880 (Carter MS.). In the Central Plain, near the City of York, four nests of this bird were found in 1880 (Zool. 1880, p. 405) ; further to the westward it is reported to have bred near Harrogate ; and, since 1898, at Woodhall Bridge, on the Wharfe, where there were three pairs in 1901 ; while at Scarborough it reaches the most northerly point at which the nest has been known with absolute certainty ; there the eggs were found in June 1900, and in 1905 Mr. R. Fortune discovered a nest at Wykeham. It is not improbable, how- ever, that the Turtle-Dove may have nested still further north, for, in the first week of June 1902, two birds were seen for several days in a plantation near Marton-in-Cleveland, although a diligent search failed to reveal the nest. As a migrant the species has been noticed both in spring and autumn at the coast stations, particularly at Spurn and Flamborough ; at the latter place a flock of fifteen was seen in April 1878, while the earliest date on which the bird has been observed is I7th April 1896, when several arrived in an exhausted state at the Headland. In June 1883, I saw a pair on the Tees Breakwater, and in the autumn of 1886 a small flock of seven alighted on Coatham sandhills, where one was afterwards killed. In various other localities, within the breeding area, it appears almost annually, but is of very exceptional occurrence in western Yorkshire ; one was reported at Wilsden in 1876, another at Halifax in 1885, and it has been noticed at Skipton-in-Craven in July and August 1880. The latest date on which it has been chronicled is given by the late W. W. Boulton (op. cit. 1866, p. 96), who noted one at Beverley on i8th November 1865. 498 RUFOUS TURTLE-DOVE. Turtur orientalis (Latham). Accidental straggler from Asia, of extremely rare occurrence. The first British example of this Asiatic Dove was made known through the instrumentality of Mr. James Backhouse, who procured it from Mr. Ifcead, a naturalist of Scarborough, near which town it had been captured on 23rd October 1889. The bird was forwarded to the late H. Seebohm, who declared it to be Turtur orientalis, in first plumage, probably a wild bird, and a most interesting addition to the list of accidental visitors to England. The specimen in question has been presented by Mr. Backhouse to the collection of birds in the York Museum (Nat. 1890, p. 258 ; P.Z.S. 1890 ; Saunders' " Manual,'* 2nd Ed. p. 487). [An example of the AMERICAN PASSENGER PIGEON (Ecto- pistes migratorius, L.), killed at Mulgrave, near Whitby, on I2th October 1876 (" Birds of Nd. and Dm." p. 337, and ZooL 1877, p. 180), proved to be an escaped bird.] PALLAS'S SAND GROUSE. Syrrhaptes paradoxus (Pall). Accidental visitant from the Asiatic Steppes, of extremely rare and irregular occurrence. This singular looking bird, which is a resident of Chinese Tartary, is an accidental wanderer to the British Isles, its first appearance in Yorkshire taking place during the year 1863, when a remarkable visitation was recorded. The facts, so far as they concern this county, are to be found in the Zoologist for 1863 (pp. 8688-89, 8722-24, and 1865, p. 9563), and a careful computation of the records made by Mr. W. Eagle Clarke resulted in his being able to state (" Hand- PALLAS'S SAND GROUSE. 499 book of Yorkshire Vertebrata," p. 61), that at least eighty birds had been seen, and twenty-four procured. Since the publication of the " Handbook," however, four other examples of the 1863 visitation have been discovered : one by Mr. P. Loten of Easington, who remembers having it to preserve, but cannot give any further particulars ; and three specimens in the York Blue Coat Boys' School (J. Backhouse, Nat. 1886, p. 308), two of which were obtained at Stockton-on-the- Forest, and one near Keighley, thus bringing the number of Yorkshire examples, taken in 1863, up to twenty-eight. Since that date there is no evidence of any other occurrence of the species in this county until 1876, in which year several parties were noted on the Continent, and, at the latter end of August, I saw three on the sands near the Teesmouth. They were very wild, not permitting an approach nearer than a hundred yards, at which distance I distinctly identified them through a telescope. A shooter in the locality informed me he had followed the same three birds for a whole day, but in vain. Exactly a quarter of a century after the first great incursion of Sand Grouse, i.e., in May 1888, there occurred another, but on a much more extensive scale, assuming the proportions of an " irruption," which excited the greatest interest in ornithological circles. The arrival of the vanguard of this great host appears to have taken place simultaneously on the whole length of the Yorkshire seaboard, though, so far as I can ascertain, the first example was obtained in the north. The earliest comers, a party of six, were noticed at the Tees- mouth about the middle of May,* and these, probably, all perished, as several were shortly afterwards found dead on the neighbouring salt marshes ; a tail and foot of one were brought to me on I2th June. On 22nd May a female specimen, water-sodden, but otherwise in good condition, was picked up on the sands, and about the same date another * I was absent from home in May, and on my return at the end of the month, was informed of the advent of these birds " early in May," but subsequent information fixes the date about the I5th or 1 6th of the month. 500 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. was washed up by the tide. On yth June five (one male and four females) were shot near Marske, in mistake for Golden Plover, from a flock of thirty or forty ; these I purchased shortly afterwards. At intervals during the summer months small flights were seen, some of which came off the sea, and on I3th November a pair was killed at Kirkleatham. At Ormesby a flock of twenty was seen on loth June ; at the end of May one was fotmd under the telegraph wires at Battersby ; near Guisborough Mr. (now Sir) A. E. Pease caught one in a ditch, on 23rd October ; at Allerton, near Pickering, ten or twelve were noted early in June, and near Masham two flocks, of seven and fourteen respectively, were reported by the late J. Carter. In the Whitby district a male and female were obtained from a flock of twenty at Carr Hill, on 28th May, and six others were procured from a large flight in June, whilst at Kettleness a female was picked up below the telegraph wires. At, or near, Scarborough, on i6th May, a flock of twenty-five was reported, out of which a pair was shot ; a male and female were killed from a flock of forty at Burniston on the 24th ; two flocks, comprising eight and twenty individuals respectively, were seen on 28th May, and near Slingsby six were noted on gth June. In the East Riding Mr. D. Brown of Filey had thirty- two specimens sent for preservation, all of which were killed in that neighbourhood. At Flamborough the first comer was reported on i8th May, fifty or sixty more on the 24th, and several other flocks of smaller numbers were observed or recorded by Mr. M. Bailey, who states that an individual was found dead on the beach, and another in a field, whilst up to nth October many were taken to him to be preserved. At Mappleton, near Hornsea, on 20th May, three were killed from a flock of sixteen ; on June yth a party of fifty was noted ; on the 8th one of twenty-three, with others later, and between 28th June and 5th July fresh arrivals, coming from seaward, took place. At Withernsea a small flock was seen, and a female example secured, and on igth November two males were killed at Hollym from a flock of about forty in number. The famous promontory of Spurn, as might be expected, PALLAS'S SAND GROUSE. 501 was not neglected : on i8th May Mr. P. Loten and his father noticed four birds coming in from the direction of the sea, five more being observed by the light-keeper on the same date ; twenty others were noted at Welwick, and various small flights occurred in different parts of the promontory from then until the 3ist May, when the late J. Cordeaux estimated the numbers seen at seventy ; seven others were shot and one " telegraphed." On ist June four more were killed, others being recorded from time to time until the end of the month. In the Beverley district fourteen were brought in by a farmer and eight by another man ; at least fifty pairs were in the neighbourhood in July, and a large flock was noted between that place and Driffield in June. Near Market Weighton two were obtained from a party of thirty in June ; the Rev. E. Maule Cole reported two at Wetwang on 6th September, and a pair in the Hull Museum was killed on 2gth May, near Etton. On the open land between Kilham and Burton Agnes a large number was observed by Mr. W. H. St. Quintin for some weeks ; he gave strict orders for their protection, but early in August they were reduced from forty-two to twenty-two birds, being then in heavy moult. Several other smaller parties were noticed flying about the district, but nothing had been seen of them at Lowthorpe since August, and it was presumed they had departed. In West Yorkshire Mr. W. Eagle Clarke received the earliest notice of the Sand Grouse on iyth May, when one was brought to him which had been captured the previous day in Dewsbury Road, near Leeds ; two days later a party of twenty was seen near Ardsley Reservoir ; on the 24th a specimen was " telegraphed " at Newt on-le- Clay, and eight others noted at the same place. Mr. Riley Fortune saw four at Beaver Dam on the 26th ; near Goldsborough a flock of fifteen was noted on the 30 th ; two were procured, from a party of five, at Darley in Upper Nidderdale, by Mr. Smorfitt, and others were reported in several localities in the Western Ainsty. The Rev. E. P. Knubley recorded a flight of twenty at 502 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. Staveley ; two were killed at Staveley Bridge ; one was noted near Huddersfield, and a pair in the Settle district. On I4th February in the following year (1889), a female example was shot, from a flock of seven, by a fisherman at the South Gare Breakwater ; the next day another was killed at the same place, and a male bird was picked up dead, whilst in January a female was found dead near York. It is an ascertained fa*ct that some of these interesting birds nested in East Yorkshire, two clutches, consisting of two eggs each, being reported near Beverley. The first was discovered on I5th June 1888, on Newbald Lodge Farm, by Joseph Long, rabbit er, whilst the other was found by the late Johnson Swailes, laid on the bare ground at High Gardham, on 5th July in the same year. These specimens are now in the possession of Mr. T. Audas.* The individuals examined in winter or in the year following their arrival were much darker in plumage than those first obtained ; two males killed on 2ist December 1888, at Hollym, in Holderness, scaled eleven and twelve ounces respectively. The heaviest specimen I weighed was ten ounces. The crops of those killed generally contained seeds of weeds, although two specimens, taken near Redcar in winter, had been feeding on wheat and buckwheat, as also had some other examples that were killed near Spurn, where a grain- laden vessel had been wrecked. It is quite possible, indeed almost certain, that many^of the flights were recorded more than once, by different observers, but again there can be no doubt that fresh arrivals continued to cross the sea, and this renders the task of estimating the numbers chronicled extremely difficult. I have, however, after making due allowances for the circumstances mentioned, arrived at the following figures, which are taken to be the lowest possible estimate of the numbers seen and obtained in the three Ridings, according to the information available. * A beautiful coloured plate of these specimens, with a brief descrip- tion by Mr. T. Sheppard, appears in the Transactions of the Hull Scientific and Field Naturalists' Club, Vol. III. pt. 4, for 1906. — ED. CAPERCAILLIE. 503 Observed. Killed. North Riding . . . . 230 to 250 25 East Riding 500 90 West Riding 95 10 The authorities consulted in reference to the irruption of 1888 are numerous notes in the Naturalist, the Zoologist, and the Field for 1888 and 1889. Subsequent to the 1888 invasion of this species, the following occurrences are reported : — On 24th May 1890 six were seen, coming in from the eastward, by two boatmen while about half a mile at sea off the Spurn light ; the birds passed within thirty yards, and were afterwards seen to alight on the sandhills (Nat. 1890, p. 202). In May 1891, the late Col. Haworth-Booth saw six on the cliff tops at Roulston ; a pair procured soon afterwards was in his possession (op. cit. 1895, p. 327). On I3th May 1899, a small flight at Easington was seen by Mr. P. Loten (op. cit. 1899, p. 175), and the latest occurrence is reported to me by Mr. T. Wellburn, keeper, of Millington, East Yorks., who writes that, in the second week of February 1904, he observed a flock of eighteen, travelling northward ; they passed him within a few yards, and, having seen many in 1888, when he had five specimens through his hands, he easily recognised them by their flight, long pointed wings and tail feathers, and also by their call note. A neighbouring keeper saw a small flock about the same time. CAPERCAILLIE. Tetrao urugallus (Z.). Formerly resident in the forests of north-west Yorkshire ; now extinct. Evidence is afforded of the former existence ot the Capercaillie in the discovery of bones amongst the remains in VOL. II. K 504 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. the Victoria Cave, near Settle. In one of the caves of Upper Teesdale, also, at an elevation of 1600 feet, numerous bones of this bird were found by Mr. James Backhouse, who tells me that the cave is situate in Durham County, about two miles from the nearest point of Yorkshire, but it is hardly conceivable that such a bird would adhere to one side of the vale, and not occasionally visit the other. Amongst these bones is one nearly perfect-humerus, belonging to a male bird of full size ; others, less perfect, to the female of ordinary size ; whilst others, again, are smaller than those of the type. Some appear to indicate a hybrid between this species and the Red Grouse. From the abundance of the remains, there can be no doubt that the Capercaillie was, in past ages, a common inhabitant of the forests of the north of England, and was taken into the caves as food, either by cave men or cave animals. The only instance of its occurrence in the county, within historic times, was in the woods near Clapham, where a male example was procured by the late Mr. Foster, whose son, Mr. Wm. Foster of Stoke House, Tenbury, writing on 20th February 1904, informs me that, so far as he can ascertain, the bird was killed about the year 1830, and was preserved, but my informant does not remember what became of it. He is of opinion that it was not a bird which had been turned out in the neighbourhood of Clapham, and he adds that his father and the late James Farrar of Ingleborough were the only persons who shot in that part of the county at the period named (cf. Rev. E. Peake, Nat. 1896, p. 45). In connection with this note it is well to remember that the date is somewhat extraordinary, as this bird became extinct, even in Scotland, in the latter half of the eighteenth century, and was only re-introduced there in 1837, 505 BLACK GROUSE. Tetrao tetrix Resident, local, occurring chiefly on the western borders of the county. Has been introduced in several districts. In view of the general interest attached to this noble game-bird, it is desirable to give at some length the details concerning its past history and present distribution in the county. There is proof that it was an indigenous, and possibly abundant, species in prehistoric times, in the dis- covery, made by Mr. James Backhouse, of remains of this bird in the Teesdale caves, though the earliest dated allusion to it, so far as can be ascertained, is in the list of Wildfowl supplied to Skipton Castle in the seventeenth century, 1606- 1639 (Whitaker's " Craven," 2nd Ed. p. 310) ; it is referred to by Fr. Jessop, one of John Ray's correspondents, who, writing from Broomhall, Sheffield, on 25th November 1668 said : " I have stuffed the skin of a Moor Cock and Moor Hen " (" Correspondence of John Ray," 1848, p. 33). Another renowned Yorkshire ornithologist, Marmaduke Tunstall, F.R.S., of Wycliffe-on-Tees, also mentioned it, and his quaint comments are quoted in extenso, conveying, as they do, his opinions on the decrease of the bird in the north of England. His remarks are as follows : — " (Tetrao tetrix, Lin. & Gm.). Grown very scarce all over the North of England .... for which many probable reasons are given : the principal seem to be the great improvement of late years in the art of shooting flying ; moors and commons taken up ; the hurt sustained by burning the ling in the moors to make the herbage grow, which it is very difficult to prevent, being commonly done by stealth in the night ; when once fired will reach miles : this done in the spring destroys many eggs, and the old ones upon them .... lastly, the facility of carrying them to London and the great trading towns ; and the great demand there for them by flys and machines, and various other causes. The whiteness of part of the breast so singularly contrasted 506 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. by the surrounding black flesh, seems rather a singular circumstance. Commonly called in the north the White Muscle. This is not found in the congenerous species of the Cock of the Wood, or Red Grouse. The Black Cock is a very rare bird in Yorkshire at present. Was assured by an elderly gentleman, that he remembered them on our neighbouring moors ; now a Phcenix or a Parrot might as well be seen ; in short, except ifi a very few places, where they are diligently guarded, they are rarely to be found in this or any of the Northern Counties Sometimes a few are found in wild boggy moors, where none can come at them. (Tunst. MS. 1784, pp. 78-9.) " The Rev. Geo. Graves, the author of " British Ornithology " (1813), noted the fact that " poachers take considerable num- bers of Blackcocks by imitating the call of the hen-bird, as many as fifty males being lured by this means in the course of two days." R. Leyland, in 1829, remarked it was pretty common near Sheffield, but odd individuals occasionally strayed, and he had known examples killed in Wombwell Wood and vicinity in 1829 ; and Dr. Farrar, in 1844, stated it was naturalized on Bradfield Moors. Thomas Allis, in his Report, also written in 1844, observed :— Tetrao tetvix. — Black Grouse — J. Heppenstall says they are pretty abundant in some woods near Sheffield, and that a female was taken one evening last winter, about ten o'clock, in a street of the town ; R. Leyland says two instances have come to his knowledge of the female of this species having rambled so far from its native locality as the neighbourhood of Heptonstall and Lightcliffe ; it is sometimes met with near Hebden Bridge ; S. Gibson has a fine male shot there. May 1842. The present status of the species is that of a resident, limited in numbers, and very local in its distribution, being restricted chiefly to the southern, western, and north-western parts of the county, and, generally speaking, stationary or decreasing in numbers. It still breeds in one or two localities in the neighbourhood of Sheffield ; in the Holmfirth and Penistone districts it has been introduced by Mr. Spencer Stanhope, and a few pairs breed annually. In the Hebden BLACK GROUSE. 507 Valley several attempts have been made to acclimatise it ; eggs were set under domestic hens and chicks were reared, but they gradually died off or disappeared ; similar results attended efforts in the same direction at Whitewell in Bowland, the last specimen obtained there being a Grey-hen, shot on Holden Clough in 1885 ; nor has any greater success been achieved at Arncliffe in Wharf edale. Near Huddersfield it has been naturalized at Meltham, where a few pairs still breed, and some are killed annually on the moors. On the Bluberhouse estate in Washburndale it was formerly not uncommon, as is shown by the following extract from Sir Thomas Frankland's gamebook for 1798 : — " Pullan, keeper, says that when a boy he shot nine Blackgrouse one morning on these moors, and that his mother made them into a pie for the haymakers." It had evidently greatly decreased after that period, for some were turned down by Mr. J. Yorke of Pateley Bridge, but soon disappeared. The present owner, Lord Walsingham, writing to Mr. W. Eagle Clarke on i4th September 1886, says " I have killed two, and seen one other since this moor has been mine ; the last killed was in 1875, the last seen in 1877." A more recent instance of its occurrence is mentioned by Mr. William Storey of Fewston, who saw a male and two females in a plantation in February 1895. In Arkengarthdale and Swaledale the Black Grouse is found at Kexwith in the New Forest, where it breeds in small numbers, and is slightly increasing (Nat. 1892, p. 323) ; it is fairly numerous on Col. Wade Dalton's Barden and Hauxwell moor, between Leyburn and Richmond, and also on a small moor about three miles north-west of the latter town ; a few brace occur on Stainton moor, and an occasional brace on Carperby moor. In Wensleydale it breeds annually on Bellerby Moor ; odd birds are found on Lord Bolton's moors, and it has also been seen on the East Witton moors, near Colsterdale, but the numbers do not appear to increase. In the extreme north-west corner of the county near Sedbergh, a few, probably wanderers from Westmorland, occasionally nest in Garsdale. In Upper Teesdale district 508 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. three or four plantations are specially devoted to this bird, where it is probably increasing ; this appears to be the case also at Lartington, where it has been introduced, and is fairly common in the fir woods, whence stragglers find their way on to the adjoining moors ; Mr. E. B. Emerson shot several examples on Bowes moor in the " seventies." In the Cleveland area Mr. Thomas Stephenson of Whitby was told by Mr. W. H.*Raw that Blackgame bred yearly in Commondale until 1847 ; a specimen obtained there is in his possession, but, about the date mentioned, a pine planta- tion, where they nested, was cut down and the birds disappeared ; a few were turned down at Kildale in 1840, by the late R. Livesey, and were occasionally found in the neighbouring woods (Zool. 1845, p. 1112) ; I have been informed by Mr. W. Cook, late keeper of Crinkle, that some were introduced into East Cleveland about the same year ; they bred along the moor edges, and were from time to time killed in the fir plantations around Gerrick until 1860. The late Canon J. C. Atkinson reported a brood of nine on Danby low moor in 1846, which died out, although, to his knowledge, none were shot (" Moorland Parish," p. 309). Odd birds were met with in Glaisdale until 1840, and in Fryup until 1865. In 1872 Blackgame were re-introduced on Lord Downe's Danby estate, but no evidence is forthcoming as to their breeding there, though odd individuals occasionally occurred in the neighbourhood. In the winter of 1864 a Black-cock took up his quarters in a rabbit warren on the cliffs near Loftus, where it remained till spring. Sir A. E. Pease remarks that an old gamekeeper, named Pearey, formerly in his employ, could remember Blackgame being common at Hutton in the early part of the past century ; the last indigenous nest was seen about 1852. Several pairs of birds were turned out at Birk Brow, near Guisborough, in 1860, and there was a brood that year at Waupley. Within the past few years I have had intelligence of a few examples seen on the Cleveland Moors, and so recently as 1903 Lord de L'Isle and Dudley, writing on i6th December, says a Black-cock was observed on the moors near Guisborough in Nest of Black Grouse, north-west Yorkshire. R. Fortune. See page 508. BLACK GROUSE. 509 October ; one was procured in Bransdale in the year 1890, and in Bilsdale, south of the Cleveland area, they were intro- duced by setting eggs, about 1896, but do not appear to have become acclimatized. In the south-east of the county an attempt was made to introduce this species on Thorne Waste ; a few birds have been observed at long intervals ; a nest was found in the year 1880, while Mr. Leonard West of Brough killed a male bird in October 1896, near the Vermuyden River. The causes which have led to the general decrease of Black- game in Yorkshire are, probably, the increase of Pheasant rearing and the consequent multiplication of those birds, the cocks battling with the Black-cocks for possession of the woods, and so driving them away. In various other parts of the county than those indicated stragglers have occurred, travelling birds, doubtless, from one or other of the above mentioned centres of introduction ; one instance only need be cited as an example, namely : two Grey-hens seen on Strensall Common in 1892. Cases of hybridity between the Black Grouse and Pheasant are not infrequent, and of these Yorkshire can claim two examples ; one was shot on 30th October 1894, on a moor near Loftus-in-Cleveland, which, through the kindness of Mr. F. Wilson Horsfall, came into my possession ; it exhibits the characteristics of both parents, but the Pheasant pre- dominates, and it is of the same type as that figured in Vol. iii. p. 70, of the 4th Edition of Yarrell's " British Birds." The other, which is similar to the first, was taken near Whitby, being acquired by Mr. W. Pyman, and described by Mr. W. B. Tegetmeir (Field, 23rd January, 1897) ; it is a somewhat strange coincidence that both these birds should have been obtained within a short distance of each other, and points to a similarity of origin. Local names : — Black-cock (male), Grey-hen (female), Heath Cock, Blackgame. RED GROUSE. Lagopus scoticus (Lathani). Resident, abundant on all the high moors, and in severe winters occurs as a straggler in lowland localities. Although mentioned in Whitaker's " Craven " (1812), as occurring in the Skiptoa Castle accounts (1604-1639) of Lord Clifford, last Earl of Cumberland, the first published reference to this bird in Yorkshire was, so far as is ascertained, made by Willughby, who alluded to it as " Red Game, called in some places the Gorcock and Moorcock. It is frequent in the high mountains of Derbyshire, Yorkshire," etc. (Will. " Orn." 1678, p. 177). Another early allusion to the species is in a letter dated I2th September 1724, written by Sir Hans Sloane to Dr. Richardson of North Bierley, and thanking him for his " present of potted Moorfowl." (" Dr. Richardson's Cor- respondence," p. 212.) Marmaduke Tunstall also, in 1784, gave a long dissertation on the Grouse in the Teesdale district, under the name of " Red Cock." He stated that " This singular species of moor game appears to me to be confined to the British Isles This fine species, like the Black, has been much diminished these late years to my knowledge ; have a pretty large tract of moor myself of some miles extent, where I have known 25 or 30 brace killed of a day, but are now miserably fallen off, tho' carefully watched ; and in the same state are most of the moors in the North, owing to the same causes as the destruction of the Black Cock. Some even say, the Act of Parliament, postponing the time for the commencement of shooting, has done more harm than good, as, when the young ones were killed so early, the old birds frequently had a second brood, which escaped, yet this appears to me rather prob- lematical. When the early shooting was not forbid, they began in June, when many broods were very small, and as many were worried by dogs as killed by the gun. One great cause of their decrease, as well as the Black Game, is the RED GROUSE. 511 population and enclosing of wild lands and moors. ... I have been told, (and this from good authority), even his Majesty had not tasted any till about ten years since, which, I believe, came from my moors. I sent a fine pair, well set up, to Linnaeus, in the year 1773, which he admired much, and acknowledged in a very polite letter One, of a much superior size than usual, was killed near Richmond, in York- shire, in Oct. 1877, which weighed 25 ounces. Tho' very shy in mild winters, yet in severe weather they will come down to the vales in the neighbourhood of the moors, and feed with the common fowls, and sit on the ling coverings of the poor cottages, sometimes in great numbers, the poor peasants not regarding them, or meddling with them. Was told by a neighbouring apothecary, who goes into the fells to visit his poor patients in this weather, that he has seen the whole roof of the house covered with moor game, sitting so quiet that they appeared at first like domestic poultry. . . . Excuse this digression, as I am in the country of this fine bird, the species of which I see daily expiring under my eyes, to my great regret, even in my own property, notwithstanding what care I can take of them." (Fox's " Synopsis," p. 79-80.) Thomas Allis, in 1844, wrote : — Laaopus scoticus. — Red Grouse — Common on all the high moors. The Grouse may be termed the typical bird of Yorkshire, as in no other English County is it so widely distributed or so abundant ; it is found without exception throughout the broad belt of moorland extending from the Derbyshire border in the south to the extreme north, including Teesdale, and the moors between the Cleveland and Hambleton Hills and the coast line as far south as Scarborough ; nor is it confined to the high moors, as on the low ground where heather is common it is also to be met with in abundance ; in fact, wherever there is a wide expanse of heather these birds will be found more or less numerous. Mr. F. Boyes observes that within his recollection heather was abundant in the Market Weighton, Cliffe, and Holme-on-Spalding-Moor districts of the East Riding, now under cultivation, and he can remember the last Grouse being shot there. He is of opinion that they 512 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. were introduced with the idea that they would thrive, but the experiment had proved to be a failure. It is doubtful if Grouse migrate far from their own ground for any lengthened period ; the Rev. H. H. Slater informed Mr. Eagle Clarke, on the authority of his uncle, Mr. T. Horrocks of Eden Brows, Carlisle, that towards the end of October every year there is a migration of packs of Grouse from the Duke of Cleveland's moor* in Teesdale to Mr. Horrocks's moors at Alston in Cumberland, a distance of twenty miles, where they remain till the end of the season, and then return to their own country. A large proportion of these emigrants are hens, and are different in size and plumage, and readily discriminated from the Alston birds, being only two-thirds their size and weight, and the plumage more speckled and yellow (cf. Zool. 1895, p. 107). Grouse have been seen at Strensall, where a covey of eight or nine was flushed on 1 3th August 1881. They also occasionally migrate from their own ground to the neighbouring moors for food, but this chiefly occurs during the afternoon, as they seldom move about much during the day unless disturbed, and feed only once a day, viz., towards evening. In severe winters, when there is a great depth of snow, birds are driven down to the cultivated valleys literally by the thousand, the moors being utterly deserted by them. So long as the snow is soft at the top they are able to form tunnels several feet in depth to get to their food ; when, however, a thaw is followed by rain and succeeded by a frost, the surface of the snow becomes glazed with ice, and they are unable to make a way through owing to the formation of their claws, which, admirably suited as they are for walking on soft snow, are not adapted for burrowing through its surface when frozen ; the result is that, forced by want of food, they leave the moor in immense packs and travel down to the low country where, as in 1886 and 1895, they feed on corn and turnip leaves in the fields, on shoots of the black- thorn, haws, and buds in the hedgerows, and wherever food of any description is to be found. In weather like this they may be seen perched in hundreds in the hedgerows and on RED GROUSE. 513 the lower branches of trees. Large numbers have been observed on the sea beach in the Cleveland district, and on one occasion during a lengthened snowstorm a pack of several hundred birds passed over ; these, however, were only present when the tide was down, and as the water flowed they returned to the moors. It is often found that in very mild, as well as in severe, winters a partial and temporary migration takes place, as the lower moors are sometimes full of birds that, it is known, do not belong to the ground, and that shift their quarters again later on ; frequently too a sheltered moor will attract a big stock of birds in wild rough weather, but the stay is only of a temporary nature. Birds also shift from the low grounds to the tops in fine weather, returning again if a change for the worse occurs. In the winter of 1878 several were obtained at Redcar, and in December of that year I passed within five yards of a hen Grouse feeding on a haw- thorn bush behind the sand-hills ; in the severe winter of 1879-80 Grouse were seen at Oswaldkirk, near York, and at Bridlington. In the storm of 1886, when heavy snow on 24th January was succeeded by a partial thaw, accompanied by rain, and then followed by frost, large packs of birds came down into the lowlands, and were noticed in lower Swaledale and Wensleydale, Arthington, Weeton, Leeds, and other places remote from their usual haunts, as many as five hundred being seen in one day ; numbers were killed by flying against the telegraph wires, others were shot by pot-hunters, or died of starvation, and many, doubtless, never returned to the moors. In 1895 a state of weather similar to that in 1886 prevailed, and many Grouse appeared in the vicinity of Harrogate and lower Nidderdale. On the breaking up of the storm birds gradually work back to their original quarters, although many seek fresh ground, thereby providing a much needed change of blood, to the ultimate advantage of the supply on the moors. It has often followed that, despite the immense losses incurred during a severe storm, when dead Grouse may be picked up 514 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. by the dozen in a short walk, the succeeding season has been fully up to, or above, the average, especially on the lower moors. It might reasonably be expected that, after a severe winter, the birds would be left in a weakly state, and the clutches of eggs would be smaller and the young broods weaker, but this is not the case ; possibly the whole of the weakly and diseased individuals, being unable to withstand the weather, succumb, thereby leaving a stronger and more vigorous breeding stock. Grouse are seldom observed in the cultivated lowlands in mild winters, although during the season 1903-4 they were seen in scores on oat stubbles adjoining the moors in Wensley- dale, an event of rare occurrence ; probably the exceeding late harvest had something to do with this. It was most interesting to watch them feeding on the stocks, where they appeared to adopt the same method of stripping up the ears as they do in dealing with the young shoots of heather ; evidently they are exceedingly fond of corn, as they persistently frequented these oat stubbles when shooting was going on a few hundred yards away. The habits of Grouse are even yet imperfectly known, but, thanks to the keener observations of some of the more intelligent moorland keepers, fresh traits are constantly being discovered ; as is well known, they are very fond of grit, which is in fact a necessity to them, and until recently it was not generally known that they ate peat, but in north Yorkshire they have been observed to do so. In the mornings they eject a pasty mass of indigestible matter ; this was very conspicuous on the snow in the winter of 1895, and Mr. J. Ingleby of Eavestone kindly forwarded me samples, which were examined by Mr. Percy Grimshaw of the Royal Scottish Museum, who pronounced them to consist of pieces of grit and vegetable matter, leaves of plants and ling, formed into a pulp. Partridges eject substances of a similar nature. Grouse will freely perch on the stunted trees at the fringe of the moor, and they have constantly been observed late in the autumn and early winter perched in thorn bushes on a lowland moor in Wensleydale. In frosty weather they are RED GROUSE. 515 often seen on the wall tops, and will remain there until an intruder gets quite close to them if driving, as they take but little notice of a passing cart ; yet a man walking across the moor will flush every bird within hundreds of yards. Tunstall refers to the habit of these birds perching on roofs of cottages ; in the great storms of 1886 and 1895 they were seen on the hawthorn hedges, and in January of the latter year Mr. M. A. Horsfall of Hornby Grange, Northallerton, shot a cock Grouse from the top of an oak tree. Many in the Bowes district were also observed sitting in trees. Grouse are comparatively easy to rear by hand ; Mr. John Thwaite, Moorland Cottage, Hawes, informs me that in 1865 he had seventeen birds so tame that they would feed out of his hand and follow him wherever he went on the moors, walking as long as they could, then rising and flying to over- take him. He reared Grouse more or less every year from 1860 to 1870. One peculiarity of these birds is the extreme pugnacity of the cocks, which appear to be absolutely without fear, and will attack both dogs and men with the greatest impetuosity. In Yorkshire the coveys are found packed by the first week in August, and it is now the universal custom to drive early in the season on all the principal moors. It is still an unsettled question when shooting birds on the wing was first practised in England. In the time of James I. it was the custom to take game either by nets or with Hawks ; and in a memorandum made by Wilson of Broomhead, the antiquary of Broadfield, it is stated that the first person who shot Grouse on the wing on these moors was a member of his own family, who died in 1687, at the age of sixty-one (Hunter's " Hallamshire, S. Yorkshire," Vol. ii. p. 183). Yarrell (" British Birds," 1843, Vol. ii. p. 318) mentioned that Lord Strathmore's keeper on the Teesdale moors was matched to shoot forty brace on I2th August, and performed this feat with great ease, bag- ging forty- three brace by two o'clock. At eight o'clock in the morning, owing to fog, he had only killed three birds. The following letter addressed to Wm. Lipscombe, Esq., of Beech Lawn, near Wakefield, gives probably the best account 516 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. of the origin of Grouse driving. It is dated Cannon Hall, Barnsley, 28th November 1885, and is as follows : — " Grouse driving first commenced on the low moor at Rayner Stones (now cultivated) about 1805. There were regular drives in 1841, but no butts. Three brace per gun for a drive was considered a good bag, and a bag of fifty brace in 1843 was considered a great day. Holes were dug on Ryshworth and Edwarde's moors in 1847. In August 1849, 448 Grouse were shot, which was considered the highest score up to that date. W. Spencer Stanhope." The late Henry Savile's keeper, George Sykes, has generally been credited with the first application of the system of Grouse driving ; he laid out the ground on several moors, High Force amongst them. There is no doubt that the system of driving and the great care and attention paid to preservation have enormously increased the stock of birds on the Yorkshire moors, and more are now bagged in one day than were previously killed during the whole season when shooting over dogs was in vogue. At High Force, in General Hall's time (1886), eight guns killed from I3th to lyth August 2,616 brace. In 1872, which was the record year for York- shire, some very heavy bags were made, and on 6th September, on Mr. R. H. Rimington-Wilson's moor at Broomhead, 1,313 brace were killed in one day by eleven guns driving, which was the largest number recorded that season ; in the same year 1,040 brace were stated to have been bagged by seven guns. Wemmergill was exceedingly prolific in game that season ; in six days a party averaging six guns killed 3,983^ brace, and during the season 17,074 birds, of which Sir Frederick Milbank claimed 5,668 ; the average total bag on this moor for twelve seasons was 4,133 brace, whilst the largest collective bag was made on 20th August 1872 — 1,035 brace to six guns, of which Sir Frederick shot 96 brace in one drive lasting twenty-three minutes, his total bag for that day amounting to 728 birds. A granite monument erected on Wemmergill moor commemorates this feat in Grouse shooting. Lord Walsingham, on Bluberhouse, on 28th August 1872, RED GROUSE. 517 had 842 birds, shooting in two batteries for twelve hours ; twenty drivers were employed, in two parties of ten each, ior sixteen drives, the guns used being a pair of breechloaders and a pair of muzzle loaders ; on the same moor in 1864 the largest bag was 85 birds over dogs. On 30th August 1888, his lordship killed 1,070 birds in twenty drives, using four breech loaders, and having two men loading.* On Mr. R. * First drive commenced at 5-12 a.m. No. of Birds to each Drive. No. of Minutes in each Drivt. 49 33 64 38 59 16 79 Il 7i 24 58 18 56 19 53 20 42 20 61 16 16 17 21 30 32 25 91 21 39 28 93 21 52 20 33 .. ... .. .. ., .. ..24 23 21 30 .. 20 Walking home . . 14 Concluding 7-30 p.m. 1036 Picked up . . . . 22 12 1070 From first shot to last, I4hrs. i8min. No. of cartridges fired, about 1,550, including 40 signal shots. Deducting the 14 killed walking home, and adding 22 + 12 picked up, the result is 1,056 killed in 449 minutes, or 2$ per minute in the actual time occupied in shooting in the 20 drives. Once three birds were killed at one shot, the only three in sight at the time, and thrice two birds were killed at one shot, each time intentionally.. 5i8 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. H. Rimington- Wilson's moor, in the year 1904, a party of nine guns made a record bag of 1,374 brace on 24th August. On the Marquis of Ripon's moors near Studley Royal, Lord de Grey has killed 575 birds in one day, as one of a party of seven guns. In 1901, a Richmond game dealer sent away, during one week in August, 17,352 Grouse, the price ranging as low as 2/- per brace. Grouse pair in January or even earlier, generally com- mencing to nest in March or April ; the old cocks are most pugnacious, driving away the younger birds during the breeding season, and the old hen birds also drive off the younger hens from their vicinity, with the result that the nests suffer. Young vigorous Grouse usually have clutches of from seven to nine, whilst the older birds seldom lay more than five to seven eggs ; occasionally, but very rarely, nests are found to contain more than ten, although an instance is on record of one at Routh Head, Arkengarthdale, in 1885, with seventeen eggs, but in this case probably two birds used the same nest. On Lord Walsingham's moors a nest of four- teen eggs was found, all of which were hatched. In severe weather nests have been noticed with the contents carefully covered with moss or heather, thus affording protec- tion from late spring frosts ; as eggs are generally found to be uncovered in normal conditions, it would appear that the birds have some instinctive foreboding of the approach of bad weather. When the moors are covered with snow, as occasionally happens during the nesting period, many nests must of necessity be lost and the eggs destroyed through being hidden from view by the covering of snow. In these circumstances the birds, being unable to find their nests, drop their eggs at odd places on the open moorland ; many were thus found in 1903. There is no doubt that fewer eggs are destroyed by the action of frost than is generally thought to be the case, as the surrounding heather affords a certain amount of protection. In the exceptionally good grouse year of 1872 snow was lying on the higher hills in North Yorkshire for a period of three days during the nesting time, yet the season was a record one. A Flight of Grouse. W. Woodhouse, Del. See page 508. Nest of Red Grouse. R. Fort toie. See page 518. RED GROUSE. 519 In the year 1903, when the late spring frosts took place, and the hills were covered with snow at the time the birds were busy nesting, it was feared that numbers of eggs would be spoilt by the frost, and on at least one large moor in North Yorkshire the keepers were instructed to destroy all the eggs found (under the mistaken impression that these would be frozen), with disastrous results, as the second clutches were small, and the birds late and not fit to shoot at the commencement of the season. Young Grouse have been seen early in April ; Yarrell mentions that a brood able to fly a little were seen on 5th March 1794, on Pendle Hill, on Lord Ribblesdale's moors (" British Birds," 1843, Vol. ii. p. 317 ; and 4th Ed. Vol. iii. P- 75)- When the early nests have been destroyed late broods are the result, and an instance is given of a hen being found sitting on a nest of six eggs on Bingley Moor on I2th August. There is a considerable variation in the size and colour of the eggs, the ground colour normally being pale olive, with dark brown, almost red, blotches all over them, some being quite light in shade, whilst others are much darker. An egg little larger than a Robin's was found in 1877 on Sykes Moor, Bowland, and a clutch very dull in colour and quite abnormal, except in size and shape, was found near Ripon. Grouse vary greatly in plumage, some varieties being much lighter than others and more speckled ; in some districts the hens are not only considerably smaller but are of a more golden hue, resembling to a great extent the colouring of the Golden Plover, and in Cleveland these birds are locally termed " Moss Hens " or " Lancashire Duns " ; this peculiarity has been noticed in Coverdale, Wensleydale, and in Upper Teesdale, whilst on a moor near Harrogate packs of birds are annually seen late in October which can be distinguished from residents by their smaller size and more golden colouring. Other variations from the normal plumage occur : birds partially white were seen one season near Pateley Bridge, and others similarly marked, some of which were shot, at Whernside, whilst a pure white specimen was shot on Lady Chaytor's moors at Caldbergh. A brood of cream coloured VOL. II. L 520 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. birds were on Crimwith moors, near Pateley Bridge, and of these three were procured ; two are in the possession of Mr. Newbould, Grouse Inn, Pateley Bridge, and one is owned by Mr. Hutchinson (Nat. 1886, p. 48). A curious specimen reported at Bolterstone, near Sheffield, was pale on the upper parts and had the breast suffused with black (op. cit. 1887, p. 374) ; another variety occurred near Middleham, the belly being entirely white, eyes and legs pink, and the rest of the body a delicate fawn colour (op. cit. 1891, p. 115). Whernside moors were at one time noted for silver varieties ; Mr. R. H. Rimington- Wilson informs me that he has a nearly white specimen, killed on Broomhead moor, another slate coloured, and a bird which in appearance resembles a hybrid between the Grouse and the Partridge ; and Mr. E. B. Emerson has a hen bird, shot by himself on his Swainby moor, about the year 1890, that is of a uniform black plumage, speckled with grey or yellowish grey, and a few greyish brown marks on the breast. In the Field of I3th January 1866, reference is made to a Grouse in Wensleydale which had a third foot protruding from under the right wing. Hybrids are not unknown, and a cross between this species and the Partridge was recorded from Bluberhouse by Lord Walsingham (Nat. 1896, p. 159 ; and Yarrell's "British Birds," 4th Ed. Vol. iii. p. 114). In the Field of 2nd June 1900, Mr. John Foster of Horton- in-Ribblesdale, near Settle, states that he flushed a bird from a nest containing seven Grouse and five Partridge eggs. Grouse vary considerably in weight, the cocks being much heavier than the hens ; Daniel, in his " Rural Sports," recorded one at Richmond of twenty-five ounces; Pennant one of twenty-nine ounces (Yarrell, 1843, ii. p. 319) ; a bird Weighing thirty-two ounces was killed by Mr. Newbould, at Pateley Bridge, on I7th August 1872, whilst one of thirty- four ounces was recorded in the Field of i6th November 1901. Tunstall mentioned twenty-five ounces as being an exceptionally heavy weight, but birds up to twenty-eight ounces have been reported, and Mr. A. W. Chaytor of Scrafton Lodge, Coverdale, has killed one of this weight. The average RED GROUSE. 521 weight in the Wensleydale district is about twenty-four ounces for cocks and twenty ounces for hens. The dreaded Grouse disease has at times greatly reduced the stock of birds on some moors, but it does not appear to have attracted any attention until the year 1847, although the remarks made by Tunstall, previously quoted, as to the great decrease of the birds in his time, would lead one to infer that it was then prevalent. For a long period after 1847 the outbreaks of the disease were sporadic, occurring every seven years, but this may have been merely a coincidence, yet many keepers still believe that a recurrence will take place at these periods. Dr. Klein made a thorough investiga- tion into the causes of the epidemic, but it is problematical if the true reasons have as yet been ascertained. Over- stocking, with the consequent scarcity of food, stagnant water, and the attendant indigestible character of the food when the young shoots of heather are nipped by late spring frosts, are all prejudicial to a healthy stock. Various theories have been from time to time advanced by close observers, men who have spent all their time in a moorland district, and one of these, the late Dr. Cockroft of Middleham, was strongly of opinion that the epidemic resembled most closely typhoid fever in the human subject, and there is great reason to believe that his diagnosis was correct.* There is an Act still in force for regulating the seasons when heather shall be burnt, but its provisions are not strictly enforced in Yorkshire. In past times heather burning, except during the legal periods, was looked upon as a serious offence, and in the " Charge to the Jury," found in the old minute book of Harmby township, in the North Riding, dated in 1825, the following statement occurs under the head of " Ling " :— " And if any person shall burn any Ling, Heath, Furze, &c., between the 22nd February and the 24th June (old style) he shall be sent to the House of Correction for any time not exceeding a month, there to be whipt and kept to hard labour." * cf. J. E. Harting on " Grouse Disease," Field, 25th June 1904. 522 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. This extract shows that it was a risky proceeding to burn heather during the nesting period, although it is improbable that the enactment was made in the interest of the Grouse. I have been favoured by Lord de L'Isle and Dudley with a copy of a " Bill of Particulars," of a sale of the Ancient Baronry, Manor, or Lordship of Stokesley, in March 1779 ; from which it appears that amongst the lands offered for sale were " Two very extensive fnoors or commons called Stokesley Moor and Basedale Moor, containing together 3,129 acres, represented to afford the finest and most abundant Grouse shooting in the North of England. This privilege was formerly let to a gentleman at £56 a year." The rights of shooting on the famous moor of Bowes, now at a very high rent, were in the " fifties " let by ticket at £5 per gun. Year by year the rents of Grouse moors in Yorkshire are increasing, and, owing to the improved value of the shooting rights, and the greater attention paid to the management of the vast expanses of breezy moorland, the Grouse is far more numerous than of yore, and there is no likelihood of it losing its position as the typical bird of Yorkshire. Considering the wide distribution of this bird in the county, the folk-lore is very meagre. In the Craven dialect the crowing of the Moor Cock is termed " Bragging " ; and Gormire on the Hambleton Hills is supposed to derive its etymology from the Gor or Moor Cock. The local names are : — Red-game, Gor-cock, Moorcock (Will. " Orn." 1678), whilst Tunstall termed it the Red Cock (MS. 1780). It is generally called Moor-game or Moor-bird, and in one case where there is a variation in the colour and size of the hens these are locally termed Moss Hens. Moor-poot or Moor-pout is also applied to the young bird, and in the Craven district this term is metaphorically an "ignorant clown " or " one bred at Moorside." 523 PHEASANT. Phasianus colchicus (Z.). Resident ; semi-domesticated, common, generally distributed. The first Yorkshire mention of the Pheasant is found in the account of the great banquet at Cawood, in 1466, given in honour of the enthronement of Archbishop Nevell. Included in the provision made were : " Fessauntes, 200." (Leland's " Collectanea.") In the Northumberland Household Book, begun in 1512, at Earl Percy's Yorkshire castles, " Fesauntes " were priced at " I2d." " for my Lordes owne Mees." The bird is also mentioned at the marriage feast of Sir John Neville's daughter at Che vet, near Wakefield, in 1526, and again at the Lammas Assizes in 1528, when Sir John was High Sheriff; his expenses including "12 ffesants £i" Thomas Allis, 1844, wrote : — Phasianus colchicus. — Common Pheasant — As common as shooters and poachers will allow them to be. Allis's pithy remarks as to the status of this well-known game-bird are as true at the present day as they were in 1844, and it requires but little further notice here ; it is common where preserved, and generally distributed, except in the highest portions of the West and North Riding dales, and on the moorlands, though not altogether absent even in those places. The ring-necked variety (P. torquatus) has been so largely introduced of late years that the old-fashioned race (P. colchicus) is now seldom found pure, the majority of the birds exhibiting more or less signs of hybridity with the former species. The late John Cordeaux stated (" Birds of Humber District," p. 79), that he had known several instances of Pheasants flying across the estuary, four miles, on to the Lincolnshire coast, though observers in Spurn neighbourhood are sceptical on this point, and some ornithologists are doubtful whether this bird can fly such a distance. At Redcar 524 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. Pheasants occasionally come down to the sands, and so recently as October 1901, a hen bird flew over my head down to low water mark and along the beach. Many curious nesting sites and incidents connected with nidification might be mentioned, but one or two will suffice. A deserted nest of a Ring-Dove was selected by a Pheasant in which to lay fifteen eggs at North Stainley, near Ripon (Nat. 1894, p. 174) ; and f am enabled to give an illustration of a nest in a squirrel's drey, 22 feet from the ground, at Plumpton. An instance of a Tawny Owl and a Pheasant occupying the same nest, at the foot of a spruce fir tree at Hambleton, is recorded in the Field, 2ist May 1898 f in the same journal for nth October 1902, is an account of a hen Pheasant being flushed by Partridge shooters in September from a nest of nine eggs at Mulgrave ; and on the adjoining estate of Crinkle, Mr. W. Cook, keeper, told me he had seen a cock Pheasant brooding ten eggs. White and pied varieties are common ; rufous, cream or fawn-coloured, and mottled specimens have occurred ; whilst an example of a hen assuming the plumage of the male, obtained in North Yorkshire, is in the possession of Mr. George Parkin of Wakefield (Nat. 1887, p. 45), and others have come under the observation of Mr. F. Boyes. Two instances of hybridity between Black-game and Pheasant are dealt with under the former species, p. 509. PARTRIDGE. Perdix cinerea (Latham). Resident, generally distributed, abundant. The Partridge may claim ancestry of great antiquity in this county, for we find, in the ordinances respecting the price of victuals in the City of York, issued by Royal proclama- tion, dated 1393, the value of a Partridge was placed at 2d. In the Selby Abbey Accounts for the years 1413-14 is an I g I .3 PARTRIDGE. 525 item, " paid for catching .... Partridges at Crowle, 2s." It appears in Leland's description of the Cawood feast, at the enthronization of Archbishop Nevell, in 1466, when 500 " Partriges " were included in the provision made ; and in the oft-quoted Northumberland Household Book, in 1512, where the price of " Pertryges " was fixed at " ijd. a pece yff they be goode " for Earl Percy's table at " Wressill and Lekinfield." The bird is also mentioned in connection with the marriage feast of Sir John Neville's daughter at Chevet, near Wakefield, in 1526, " forty Partridges " being priced at 6s. 8d. ; and two years later, when Sir John was High Sheriff, amongst his expenses were eighty Partridges at £i 6s. 8d. Thomas Allis, in 1844, wrote : — Perdix cinerea. — Common Partridge — Common in most parts ; scarce about Halifax and Hebden Bridge. The life history of the Partridge has been so ably written by authors of works dealing exclusively with sporting-birds, that little remains to be related here on this well-known indigenous species. It is generally distributed and abundant, excepting in the Halifax and Skipton districts, and on the highest mountains, where it is reported to be scarce. On the lower slopes of the north-western fells, and on the borders of the moorlands, there is a rather smaller race than the lowland bird, and, probably from the nature of its food and surroundings, it appears somewhat darker in colour, whilst the flesh partakes slightly of the Grouse flavour. In some localities this is referred to as the " little moor Partridge." Yorkshire can claim its quota of curious incidents connected with the Partridge ; several cases are reported of the eggs of common farmyard fowls being hatched, and the chickens adopted, with the bird's own proper family (Zool. 1865, p. 9793 ; and Saunders and West, Field, 7th July 1900, and 27th September 1902). In the autumn of the year 1884 I was witness of a remarkable incident of the tameness to which these wild creatures may be brought with care and patience ; the birds, two in number, were hatched from eggs set under a bantam, and were reared by Mr. J. J. Emerson's gardener at Easby Hall in Cleveland. For several weeks they lived 526 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. in a walled enclosure, following the gardener about while he attended to his duties, and became so tame as to permit visitors to approach within a yard of them ; they were fed regularly by the hand, and even took corn from a lady who was a stranger to them. They shewed no desire to leave their home until they were frightened by a cat, and from that time they flew out into the park to roost, returning at daylight to receive thek breakfast (Zool. 1885, p. 29). I have twice seen a covey fly out to sea at Redcar, and on one occasion, at high tide, observed seven or eight birds settle on the water near the pier, where they remained for a little time and then rose and flew inland. In January 1901 a Partridge was picked up about a mile off at sea, where it had alighted near a boat. Of curious nesting situations may be mentioned one in a farmyard at Laughton-en-le-Morthen, in 1851, and another on the top of a stack, about twelve feet from the ground, at Brompton, near Northallerton, in May 1886. The nest has occasionally been found at the extreme point of the Spurn promontory, and amongst the bents on the Breakwater at the Teesmouth, where there was one in April 1900, containing seventeen eggs, all of which were hatched. Nidification has been recorded as early as igth February, and an early brood was found at Bolton-on-Dearne on 27th May 1872 ; whilst in the other extreme a hen bird was noted sitting on nine eggs as late as I4th October, at Cherry Burton (Field, 1st November 1884). On 2ist March 1883, an unbroken covey was noticed at Masham. Although the immense bags of Partridges made in more favoured counties are not equalled in Yorkshire, yet there are some on record which are noticeable. At Hornby Castle, in 1859-60, no fewer than 5,359 birds were killed, and Earl de Grey shot 303 birds near Ripon, to his own gun or guns, on 23rd September 1884. Many examples of white and parti-coloured specimens are chronicled ; in the " Gentlemen's Magazine " (1797), is an account of four birds of a delicate milk white, which were taken in a net in September, and kept in confinement Partridge's nest. 7?. Fortune. See page 526. RED-LEGGED PARTRIDGE. 527 at Mr. Barnard's, South Cave ; four pure white examples were killed from a brood near Scarborough in October 1869 (Zool. 1869, p. 1954), and five more, in a covey of eleven at Doncaster, are recorded in the Field (28th November 1885) ; in a brood of twelve near Northallerton, about 1860, three had white wings, whilst I have seen and examined pied and buff or cream-coloured specimens, several of which are reported in various parts of the county. A local variety has the horse- shoe white instead of chestnut hued ; this is not uncommon in the East Riding, and near York ; it occurs near Whitby, and I have seen and shot specimens in the Vale of Mowbray ; the white horse-shoe is more frequently found in immature birds than in adults, though Mr. R. Lee of Thirsk has a very fine mature example, and one in my own collection was obtained by Col. I'Anson of Howe. Lord de L'Isle and Dudley, when shooting in Baisdale in November 1903, killed two birds, both immature, whose horse-shoes were the colour of a Grouse, nearly black, all the rest of the covey being of the ordinary type. An example of what is considered to be a Partridge- Grouse hybrid, procured by Lord Walsingham at Bluberhouse, in August 1866, was in the collection of the late F. Bond (Nat. 1896, p. 159 ; Yarrell's " British Birds," 4th Ed. Vol. iii. p. 114). The only vernacular name appears to be a corruption of the ordinary one, Partrick, or Partrig, which is used in the north-west and in Cleveland. RED-LEGGED PARTRIDGE. Caccabis rufa (Z.). Resident in limited numbers, very local, though it appears to be extending its range. Originally an introduced species. Like the Pheasant, this handsome bird is not an indigenous species in Yorkshire, the earliest allusion to it in 528 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. connection with the county being, apparently, in Thomas Allis's Report, written in 1844, thus : — Perdix rufus. — Red-legged Partridge — Several have been killed near Doncaster. The next reference of any importance was made by A. G. More, who stated that " A few breed very rarely in West Yorkshire (Ibis, 1865, p. 438). These, as Mr. Harting remarks, may have strayed across trie borders from Westmorland.* At the present day the status of the bird may be best defined as that of a resident, very local in its distribution, and not abundant in any part, whilst it appears to be gradually extending its range coastwise and inland. On the southern fringe of the Wolds it is rare in Beverley district, and is occasionally observed on the sandy tract of country between North Cave and Howden. It nested at Ousefleet, on the borders of Lincolnshire, in 1880, and Mr. L. West of Brough informs me he has shot examples in that vicinity, where it is becoming more common, probably crossing the narrow part of the Humber near the junction of the Ouse and Trent. On the north Wolds it is spreading, being most plentiful about Foxholes, Filey, and Hunmanby ; several were seen at the latter place by Mr. Pease in 1880, one occurred at Flamborough in 1888, and it nests in the neighbourhood of the Headland and the Speeton Cliffs ; I have information of some having been turned down between Scarborough and Filey about 1892 ; in March 1898 four were seen at Scampston, flying over the lawn, going east, but were not observed again ; in the same year two coveys were at Barmston, and in December 1901 four birds were seen and three killed at Wintringham. Mr. D. Young, keeper, of Irton, near Seamer, informs me two were shot whilst driving in 1903, and odd birds are met with from time to time. At Cropton, six miles north of Pickering, a covey, supposed to have been reared on the estate, appeared * An interesting article, by this well-known ornithologist, on the local distribution of the Red-legged Partridge appeared in the Field of 2/th January 1883. RED-LEGGED PARTRIDGE. 529 in 1898, but the birds were dispersed in the course of two or three years. There are but four records of its occurrence at Scarborough since 1890 ; one was observed on 4th April 1890, to come in from the sea and fall exhausted on Filey Road ; on the same date in 1896 another was seen to alight near the Harbour, and was captured on the Pier ; a third also came from seaward on 22nd March 1897, and dropped in the water off Hayburn Wyke, where it was picked up. At Whitby two were taken alive in one of the streets of the town, and I have examined a pair obtained near Kettleness in 1897, and preserved by Mr. F. Calvert, who mentioned that several had been turned down by the Maharajah Dhuleep Singh at Mulgrave some years previously. At Loftus it has been occasionally noted in September and October. Judging from the foregoing particulars most of these birds are presumed to be wanderers from other districts, most probably Lincolnshire ; the late J. Cordeaux stated that they have been observed coming in from the sea at Spurn in spring, and are occasionally captured alive in an exhausted condition, thus pointing to the possibility of their being travellers. In the central area of the East Riding several pairs were turned down at Warter Priory about 1892 ; it has nested and reared its young near Beverley, and there can be no doubt that individuals have strayed from there and been shot in other localities, as Pocklington, Youlton, and Church Fenton, at which latter place it was numerous in October of the year 1900. The Red-legged Partridge is recorded as nesting in the West Riding at Bramham and Wighill Park, and has been introduced near Huddersfield, but does not stay ; examples have from time to time occurred in various other districts in this Riding : as at Hatfield, Ingmanthorpe, Ackworth, Sheffield, Wakefield, Wilsden, Otley, Bishop Thornton, and Staveley, their origin being traceable in some cases to intro- duced stock, others probably having strayed from the adjoin- ing county. 530 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. In the North Riding, at Hornby Castle, near Bedale, and at Swinton Park, near Masham, some were turned out about 1846-47, but were afterwards killed off, though on the latter estate a brace appeared so recently as 1890. In Cleveland, as mentioned by me in the Field (i4th March and 4th April 1881), this bird was first made known about 1860 by the late Lord de L'Isle and Dudley, who liberated some fifty pairs at Ingleby Manor.* None of these were killed there, but they strayed away and a few brace were, at intervals, obtained in the surrounding districts, at Deighton, Ormesby, and Bonny Grove ; they were fairly numerous in 1875 at Gunnergate, and several coveys were at Newham about that period ; in 1883 two were killed by flying against a wire fence, and one was procured at Bonny Grove, while two more were shot there in 1887. A pair that nested at Otterington in 1879, and examples that were met with at Thirsk and Hovingham, may have sprung from the Ingleby birds, all of which appear to have died out ; but the sudden reappearance of the species in north-west Cleveland in 1890, when three were shot by Mr. E. B. Emerson at Bonny Grove, and one by Mr. Mills at Newham, induced me to institute inquiries, with the result that I learnt from Mr. (now Sir) A. E. Pease that he had turned down several pairs at Pinchinthorpe, and about the same time some were introduced by Sir I. L. Bell at Rounton Grange. It is evident, however, that the country is not suited to the birds' requirements, for they have not become acclimatized, and only two odd examples have been reported within the past fourteen years, viz., one at West Coatham in January 1899, and another which was caught in a yard in the heart of Middlesbrough in March 1903. During the past spring (1906), some twenty to thirty pairs were turned out in north-east Cleveland, where they nested. The only noteworthy incident connected with nidification is that of the discovery of a nest at Boston Spa containing fourteen eggs of the common Partridge, one of a Pheasant, and two belonging to the species under notice. Besides its ordinary name of Red-legged Partridge, this bird is known to sportsmen as French Partridge, or Frenchman. Nest of Red-legged Partridge, near Filey. R. Fortune. See page 530. COMMON QUAIL. 531 [An example of the BARBARY PARTRIDGE (Caccabis petrosa, Gm.) is recorded in the " Handbook of Vertebrate Fauna of Yorkshire," as having been procured near Beverley about 1869, but further investigation proves that it was an escaped pinioned bird.] COMMON QUAIL. Coturnix communis (Bonnat^). Summer visitant, breeding in limited numbers in Holderness and in the Western Ainsty. Has been met with occasionally in winter. Less abundant than formerly. The first mention of the Quail is in the provision at the great Cawood banquet in 1466, given in honour of Arch- bishop Nevell, thus : — " Quayles a hundred dozen " (Leland's Collectanea). It also figures in the Northumberland House- hold Book in 1512, at Earl Percy's castles of Wressill and Lekinfield, "Quayles" being amongst the birds to be provided " for my Lordes owne Mees at Pryncipall Feestes and at ijd. a pece at moste." Thomas Allis, in 1844, wrote : — Coturnix dactylisonans. — The Quail — Is occasionally heard about Sheffield ; formerly it bred in the vicinity of Halifax, and occasionally does near York, though much less common than formerly ; rare near Leeds, but occasionally met with at Scarcroft, Killingbeck, and Chur- well. W. Eddison says " On some occasions I have shot a number of them in the cornfields, near Huddersfield, discerning them by their peculiar call in the springtime, about when the rye begins to shoot." Dr. Farrar observes " This species was very uncertain in its appearance, but far more abundant in 1832 than, to my observation, either at an earlier or later period." A. Strickland remarks " From accounts I have heard we might suppose Quails used to be numerous in this district, as I have been told they used to be taken in nets here formerly, but they are now seldom met with ; a few may be heard at times among the corn in summer, or met with in turnips in winter. The Quail is a summer visitant, arriving in May with the latest of the spring migrants, and was formerly a fairly abundant species ; Arthur Strickland informed the naturalists 532 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. of his day that it used to be taken in nets near Bridlington (cf. Allis's Report), and in other parts of the East Riding it was considered not uncommon. It still nests irregularly and in limited numbers in several localities, in some years being common, noticeably so in 1832 and 1870, while in other seasons it is scarce, though, compared with its former status, it is gradually decreasing, due in part to high cultivation and the discontinuance of rye growing. Mr. F. Boyes flushed a bird, at two or three feet distance, from a nest containing eleven eggs, in July 1870, on a railway embankment in East Yorkshire ; the nest was in a slight hollow and composed of a few dead grasses, with the eggs laid slovenly, some on top of others. George Fetch, late keeper to Mr. St. Quintin of Scampston, used constantly to hear Quails calling, and they still occasionally nest near there, and are heard in the young corn. The late E. Tindall of Knap ton also reported it as nesting in 1876. In the West Riding it has bred in several districts of the Western Ainsty, and did so regularly at Newton Kyme up to 1830, and at Boston Spa until 1881. Near Brimham Rocks two nests were taken in July 1865 and 1870 (Field, 2ist August 1880 ; and Zool. 1880, p. 356). Mr. Leonard Gaunt has an egg found on Brayshaw Hill, and has seen several nests at various times in Leeds neighbourhood ; the species also breeds occasionally in Sheffield district. Other localities from which the nest has been reported are Ackworth, in 1891 and 1893 ; Balne Moor, near Snaith, in 1880 ; Selby ; Holdsworth in Ovenden (nest and fourteen eggs) ; Keighley in 1879 (an egg being now in the Museum of that town, W. Eagle Clarke, Field, 2ist August 1880) ; and Halifax, in 1878. In the North Riding Marmaduke Tunstall, in 1784, wrote of it as being found at Wycliffe-on-Tees, but not frequent (Tunst. MS. p. 82) ; the late Canon Atkinson recorded two broods at Moorsholm-in-Cleveland in 1859 5 several nests have been found near Loftus-in-Cleveland between 1875 and 1890 ; the late Afred Roberts stated that he had had young from near Scarborough, whilst Canon Atkinson used repeatedly to hear the birds calling at Danby, where QUAIL. 533 a pair once came into the Vicarage garden (" Moorland Parish," p. 327). Mr. J. Braim had eggs in his collection, taken near Whitby in the " fifties," and the bird has been known to breed near there on several occasions since then, the last instance of which I am aware being in 1896 ; an egg in my possession was one of a deserted clutch of eleven found at Glaisdale in August of that year. At Easby- in-Cleveland I heard birds calling in June 1895 ; a young one was seen at Kirkleatham in 1896, and at Carperby, in Wensleydale, a nest containing ten eggs was discovered in 1884. On both the spring and autumn passage the Quail has occurred at various coast stations, while during Partridge shooting in September it has been met with repeatedly, the reported and communicated instances of which are too numerous for recapitulation. It has also occasionally been killed in mid-winter ; one at Nafferton, in December 1851, is mentioned by the Rev. F. O. Morris ; Mr. F. Boyes had one brought to him on 28th December 1878 ; and on 20th February 1866, one was obtained near Beverley (Zool. 1867, p. 540). As on various occasions Quails have been turned down for experimental purposes by estate owners in Yorkshire, it is possible some of the records may be attributable to imported birds. [A VIRGINIAN COLIN (Ortyx virginianus, L.), killed at Cottingham (" Birds of Humber District," 1872, p. 83), was, doubtless, an imported specimen, as was also an Andalusian Hemipode (Turnix sylvatica, Desf.) obtained near Hudders- field, 7th April 1865 (Gould, P.Z.S. 1866, p. 210).] 534 CORN CRAKE OR LAND RAIL. Crex pratensis (Bechstein). Summer visitant, generally distributed ; common, except manufacturing districts. The first published reference to the Corn Crake appears- to be in Graves's " History of Cleveland " (1808), where it is enumerated amongst the migratory birds. Thomas Allis, in 1844, wrote : — Crex pratensis. — Corn Crake — R. Leyland says " The peculiar note of the Land Rail is now seldom heard with us ; incessant persecution of bird-stuff ers and others having nearly exterminated them." The bird is not named in my accounts from Barnsley, Huddersfield, and Hebden Bridge ; near York it is certainly less abundant than formerly ; it is frequently met with near Leeds, Sheffield, and Doncaster. Although probably less abundant than formerly, the Land Rail, or Corn Crake as it is more frequently termed, is not the " rara avis " that Allis's remarks would lead us to infer. A summer migrant, it arrives about the end of April or early in May ; the earliest reported date of which I am cognizant is I5th April 1869, the recorder being the late Thomas Lister of Barnsley. Its departure usually takes place in September or early October, though numerous instances are chronicled of in- dividuals being noticed in November, and even in December ; one was announced to have occurred on the 24th of the latter month at Healaugh, near Tadcaster (Nat. 1885, p. 149). This bird has been recorded amongst the casualities at the- Spurn Lighthouse ; individuals have been killed during both the spring and autumn migrations, and one was shot on the Redcar " scars " in the first week of November 1906.. The Corn Crake is fairly generally distributed in the agricultural districts, resorting chiefly to meadows, clover- fields, and young corn, being numerous in some seasons and unaccountably scarce in others. J. J. Briggs, writing to the Zoologist (1845, p. 820), stated that six or seven might 3" •». 'I I CORN CRAKE OR LAND RAIL. 535 at that time have been killed on their arrival at Spurn, and the late W. Talbot, author of the " Birds of Wakefield " (1876), remarked that he had seen forty-one sent to one man in a season ; per contra, in 1868 it was very scarce in the Western Ainsty ; in 1877 in Wharf edale, in the Hawes district in 1884, and generally throughout Yorkshire in 1906. Although more frequently observed in the low-lying portions of the county, it is not altogether absent from the higher parts of the dales, and has nested to 1,000 feet elevation in Teesdale, and to an altitude of 1,400 feet in Nidderdale. Mr. F. Boyes asks the question (Zool. 1871, p. 2869), " Is the Corn Crake polygamous ? " thinking that it might be so, from the fact that he found three nests in one field. As illustrating the tenacity with which this bird clings to its nest, Mr. C. Blenkhorn of Knaresborough writes (in litt. 2ist June 1880), that, on cutting the grass round a haystack close to a road, the mower exposed a Corn Crake's nest containing twelve eggs ; several stackpins were then arranged to form a roof over the sitting bird, so as to screen her from observa- tion, and she successfully brought off her young. At Redcar I have seen young birds which were hatched on 2nd July in a nest that had contained thirteen eggs. The Rev. R. A. Summerneld of North Stainley watched a Corn Crake uttering its cry, and observed that it turned its head round over its back, opening its mandibles widely, in this position giving forth its craking note. As regards country superstitions, the children in Skipton district are forbidden by their parents to search for this bird, being warned that death is certain to follow within a year if they see one. In some districts the frequent calling of the Corn Crake is said to be an indication of rain. Local names : — Corn Crake, Land Rail, Daker Hen, and Meadow Drake are in general use ; Drake Hen, at Linton-on- Ouse ; Draker Hen, in Teesdale ; Corn Drake, in Ryedale» at Nunnington, and in the North Riding generally ; Corn Rake, in the Hawes district ; Grass or Gress Drake in the West Riding, at Huddersfield, Wilsden, Liversedge, and Ackworth ; Land Drake, Grass Crake, and Hay Crake, at VOL. II. M 536 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. Ackworth ; Dress Drake, at Skelmanthorpe ; Grass Quake, at Barnsley ; and Gurs or Gors Duck, near Huddersfield (Zool. 1848, p. 2290) ; while Creek, Crake, or Cracker are mentioned by Swainson. SPOTTED CRAKE. Porzana Vnaruetta (Leach). Resident ; very local and limited as to numbers. A spring and autumn migrant ; in some years not uncommon during the latter period. The first mention of the Spotted Crake for Yorkshire is found in the Tunstall MS. (1784, p. 91), under the title of Spotted Gallinule, " Not unfrequently shot here [Wycliffe-on- Tees], and as late as October." Thomas Allis, in 1844, wrote : — Cvex porzana. — Spotted Crake — H. Reid says it is common near Doncaster ; it is not frequent near York, though it breeds most years close to the City. I had two young birds from that locality in 1841 ; the one flew across a river and entered a cottage, the other was caught by a boy. This bird is a resident, very local and limited in numbers, and owing to its peculiar skulking habits is, perhaps, the most difficult of all birds to discern in the dense aquatic vegetation which it frequents. There can be little doubt that it is, for this reason, frequently overlooked during the breeding season. Thomas Allis, in his Report (1844), mentioned it, on the authority of Hugh Reid, as frequenting the " Carrs " of Doncaster, and stated that it was found breeding in most years near York, from which locality he had two young birds, able to fly, in 1841. Mr. F. Boyes is of opinion that it used to breed annually in Holderness, where he found the nest and eggs in a patch of dense sedges, near the banks of the river Hull, on 2ist May 1882. Near Ackworth a pair bred at Hemsworth Dam in 1899, as Major Arundel informs me (in Hit. March 1903), and it has occurred on the Harrogate Irrigation Farm in the nesting season. SPOTTED CRAKE. 537 In addition to its nesting, the Spotted Crake is a spring and autumn migrant ; at the former season individuals are not uncommonly found killed under the telegraph wires, and were it not for the unfortunate propensity of the bird thus immolating itself, its appearance at this period would be seldom noted. In autumn there is a considerable accession to its numbers from August to November ; it is then occasionally observed on the coast line ; my spaniel flushed one amongst the rough benty grass on the Tees Breakwater in September 1900, ,and it also occurs in similar situations at Spurn. In October 1890, one was obtained in a clover field at Easby-in-Cleveland. Later in autumn wildfowlers meet with it while shooting in reed beds and rough marshes, and it is sometimes found even in the remote dales of the north-west. In the Beverley district it was fairly common in some years; in the winter of 1863-64 thirty-two were killed, some being quite young birds, which had doubtless bred there ; again in the summer and autumn of 1865 several were procured in various stages of plumage, the first being killed on 30th August ; in the Spurn neighbourhood it was abundant in the autumn of 1889, and continued to be plentiful in Holderness every autumn up to the last few years, but has since been annually shot out, and is now scarce. Formerly the Tees marshes were favourite resorts of this bird, and certain spots in its haunts appear to have special attractions, for, if one is killed, its place is soon occupied by another. In connection with this trait in the bird's habits, a rather curious coincidence is communicated to me by Mr. T. T. S. Metcalfe of Roche Court, Salisbury, who says that, while Snipe shooting at Appersett Bottoms, near Hawes, on 5th October 1870, he shot a Spotted Crake, and in the following year he killed another on the 7th of the same month, within twenty yards of where the first fell. The only vernacular name is Spotted Rail ; it received the book-name of Spotted Gallinule in the Tunst. MS. (1784) ; and Small Spotted Water Hen is another term given to it in Pothergill's " Richmondshire " (1823). 538 LITTLE CRAKE. Porzana parva (Scopoli). Accidental visitant, of extremely rare occurrence. This bird nests on the Continent of Europe, and migrates in winter to mid-Africa aijd Asia. The earliest notice of the Little Crake in Yorkshire is apparently in a communication from W. Fothergill of Carr End, near Askrigg, where it is stated that " The Rallus pusillus of Gmelin (Gallinula minuta of Montagu, and Gallinula pusilla of Temminck), was shot on 6th May 1807, by Mr. John Humphrey of Wensley, on the banks of the Yore, near that place. It was alone, and suffered itself to be approached very near without betraying any sense of danger. It ran with great rapidity, carrying its tail erect." (Tr. Linn. Socy. xiv. p. 583 ; Fothergill's List in Whitaker's " Richmondshire," 1823, i. p. 416 ; and Yarrell's " British Birds," 1843, hi. p. 16.) Thomas Allis's Report, in 1844, runs thus : — Crex pusilla. — Little Crake — H. Reid tells me that a specimen of this rare bird was taken alive at Cantley ; it ran into a tuft of grass and was captured by a boy, and came into his possession about eighteen years ago. The only other instance that has come to my knowledge is the one shot on the banks of the Yore, and recorded in Yarrell's " British Birds." The Little Crake is a rare casual visitant to Yorkshire, and has been recorded on five occasions only, the particulars being as follows : — The first is that referred to (ante) by W. Fothergillr in 1807. On the authority of H. Reid of Doncaster, it is stated to have been a migratory visitor to the " Carrs " near that place, and Allis mentioned a specimen at Cantley about 1826, which came into Reid's possession. In the year 1836 one was captured near Scarborough, and was recorded by the late Prof. W. C. Williamson in the P.Z.S. 1836, iv. p. 77. The fourth example was caught alive on a canal boat BAILLON'S CRAKE. 539 on 6th May 1862, at Aldwarke Bridge, near York ; it formed part of the collection of Mr. Johnson of Masham, being after- wards acquired by the late J. C. Garth of Knaresborough, in whose collection I have had an opportunity of inspecting it. At the dispersal of Mr. Garth's effects in December 1904, the specimen under notice was purchased by Mr. Riley Fortune of Harrogate. The fifth, and latest, occurrence was on I7th October 1892, when one was taken alive at Green Hammerton, its identity being placed beyond doubt by Lord Lilford, to whom it was sent for inspection ; the particulars of this capture were chronicled in the Field of 2ist and 28th January 1893. The Little Crake is also known as the Little Gallinule, which appellation is bestowed upon it in Hatfield's " Historical Notices of Doncaster " (1866) ; Olivaceous Gallinule is a term used by other writers. BAILLON'S CRAKE. Porzana bailloni ( Vietllot). Accidental visitant, of extremely rare occurrence. Baillon's Crake nests on the European Continent, migrating in winter to Africa and Asia. The instances of its occurrence in Yorkshire are extremely few, there being, so far as can be ascertained, only three authentic examples placed on record. The first was killed by Mr. George Challand on 29th May 1874, at Hors Dam, Kirkheaton, and was mentioned by Mr. J. E. Palmer in the Zoologist (1874, p. 4159). This specimen passed into the collection of Mr. S. L. Mosley of Huddersfield. One at Holmpton, Holderness, was reported in 1880, and is now in the collection of the Rev. H. H. Slater (op. cit. 1884, p. 179, and Slater MS.). The third, and most recent, occurrence was at Whitsun- tide 1892, when an adult male was killed by flying against the telegraph wires between Pocklington and Wilberfoss, 540 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. in the East Riding. It was afterwards placed in the York Museum, as announced by Mr. J. Backhouse in the Naturalist (1892, p. 308). A specimen in my possession was obtained while I was shooting with the late R. F. Chilton, at the Teesmouth, though on the Durham side of the river, on September i6th 1882 ; at the same time and place we also procured two Spotted Crakes. The alleged example of this species, recorded as being obtained at Goole (" Vertebrate Fauna of Yorkshire," p. 64), proved to be an immature Spotted Crake. WATER RAIL. Rallus aquaticus (/,.). Resident in very limited numbers, and local. Also a winter migrant, being then more numerous. The first Yorkshire reference to the Water Rail, so far as is known, is contained in the Allan MS. in connection with the Tunstall Museum (1791), thus :— " Water Rail, Bilcock, or Brook Ousel. Common in this kingdom in the North, where it is seen in winter." (Fox's " Synopsis," p. 90.) Thomas Allis, in 1844, wrote : — Rallus aquaticus. — Water Rail — Common near Doncaster ; very scarce near Sheffield ; rare near Hebden Bridge ; also at Halifax ; one specimen in immature plumage was shot at Salterhebble in that neighbourhood ; common near Leeds ; not uncommon about Brid- lington and York ; it is occasionally met with near Barnsley. A resident in limited numbers, and very local, the Water Rail, owing to its solitary and skulking habits and the nature of its haunts, often escapes observation. The nest has rarely been found in Yorkshire, but young birds are occasionally captured, and it may be desirable to give a detailed account of the bird's status as a breeding species. In the south of the county, according to Hatfield's " Historical Notices of WATER RAIL. 541 Doncaster " (1866), it bred in that district in olden times, before the drainage and reclamation of the " Carrs " ; Mr. Thos. Bunker reports, in 1880, a nest at Airmyn, near Goole ; Thomas Allis mentioned the capture of a young bird at Salter- hebble, near Halifax, before 1844 ; near Wakefield a nest is said, on the authority of Mr. J. Emmet, to have been found on the banks of a canal ; the species used to breed in the valley between Thornton and Bradford, and may still do so, but is very scarce now ; in Ribblesdale it has bred on Austwick moors, as mentioned by the Rev. E. Peake in the Naturalist (1896, p. 45) ; in Wharfedale the nest was found at Boston Spa in 1884 and 1885, according to Mr. J. Emmet (op. cit. 1885, p. 299) ; it has also been discovered near Low Mills, while at Fewston and in the Nidd Valley the bird has bred sparingly. In the Beverley and Hornsea districts of the East Riding the Water Rail breeds annually, and, notwithstanding the density of the herbage and the aquatic vegetation forming its surroundings, the nest and eggs have been found several times, while at Scampston, Mr. W. H. St. Quintin, although not having had ocular proof of nidification, has no doubt of its occurrence. Near Scarborough, the late A. Roberts stated (MS. 1880), that he had eggs taken from the Mere " a few years ago " ; further north and still on the coast line, the young have been caught in a field near Whitby, the old ones being also seen at the time by J. Kitching, who communi- cated the fact to Mr. Thomas Stephenson in 1880 ; a nest was found at Newby Wiske, near Northallerton, in 1880 or 1881, and at Bedale the call note has been heard, and the birds observed, in summer. In the Cleveland division it was found breeding about 1870 in Westerdale, by Mr. Husband, who informed Mr. Thomas Stephenson of Whitby that he and a companion saw the female bird come off the nest, which contained two eggs. At the Teesmouth I have positive evidence of the occurrence of the bird in the breeding season so far back as 1882, and down to the present year, but the nest has not as yet been reported, though I found one on the Durham side of the river 542 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. in June 1883, and it is quite probable that it may be met with on the south side. As an autumn or winter migrant the Water Rail is of more general, though still local occurrence, usually arriving in late September, October, and early November. The late J. Cordeaux observed that its immigration appears as well marked nearly as that of the Woodcock, while the Reports of the British Association Migration Committee contain a reference to its arrival at Spurn on ist November 1886 (Eighth Report, p. 42), and one came on board a fishing smack some miles off the coast in the winter of 1878-79. I have twice known examples immolated during the night by flying against the telegraph wires near Redcar, the latest instance being on 29th September 1901. An individual, caught on Coatham Marsh in November 1900, had but one wing, the other having in all probability been torn off in contact with the wires, although the wound had completely healed ; and I have had brought to me several live specimens which had been captured in the autumn. In most of the low-lying and marshy districts the bird may at this season be found, though it is far from common, and is probably decreasing in numbers, owing to the curtail- ment of its habitat, but, as remarked above, in dealing with its status as a resident, its shy retiring habits render it a difficult bird to flush, and it may really be commoner than is supposed to be the case. In the winter of 1903-04 it was more than usually numerous, being reported from several localities where it is considered rare. It was very abundant in the Beverley neighbourhood in the winters of 1864, 1865, 1866, and 1878-79. It is common on the sedgy margins of the river Hull, which extend for miles beyond Beverley, frequenting the densest covert, from which it is driven only by the aid of a good dog, and it will double and redouble, using every artifice before being finally com- pelled to take wing. As illustrating its reluctance to resort to flight, I may state that, while I was shooting in the winter of 1901-02, my spaniel flushed a Water Rail which rose within a foot of the dog's nose, and at the same time I saw another Ivy covered tree in which a Waterhen has had her nest for many years. R. Fortune. See page 545. WATER RAIL. 543 running like a rat between the reed stems, but the united efforts of the dog and myself failed to force it to rise. It is occasionally found in the remote dales, and has been reported from Malham Tarn on the north-western fells. In severe winters it is driven out of its marshy retreats, being then compelled to resort to more open districts, and is met with by the sides of streams and ditches where there is running water. It appears to resemble the Woodcock in its partiality for certain localities, and may be found season after season in the same place ; there used to be, until quite recently, a little marshy strip of ground near Redcar which never failed to produce a Water Rail as autumn came round, and, though one bird might have been killed, another could be flushed there the next season. A return migration takes place in spring, but of this movement little appears to be known ; a specimen was taken against the Spurn lantern in April 1899 ; another was found below the Flamborough Lighthouse in 1904 ; at the Teesmouth one was picked up under the telegraph wires on I3th April 1898, while my personal experience is limited to one instance only, which, strangely enough, occurred in the town of Redcar, and within a few yards of my house. On i3th April 1902, I was called to see a " strange bird " in a cottage yard, where fowls are kept, and discovered it to be a Water Rail perched on the top of some wood placed against a wall ; I approached to within five yards, when it flew over the wall and dis- appeared ; the wind, which had been easterly for several days previously, had probably brought it in. Of local names, Bilcock seems to be general ; Brook-runner and Brook-ouzel are mentioned by Swainson, while Rat Bird, Rat Hen, and Runner are terms applied to it at Sedbergh. 544 MOORHEN. Gallinula chloropus (Z.). Resident, generally distributed, common. The earliest note of the Waterhen as a Yorkshire bird, so far as is ascertained, is in the Rev. J. Graves's " History of Cleveland " (1808), where it is enumerated amongst the resident birds. Thomas Allis, 1844, wrote : — Gallinula chloropus. — The Moor Hen — Not uncommon about Halifax and Hebden Bridge. Common in most other districts. As a common and generally distributed inhabitant of marshy districts, reedy ponds, and banks of slow running streams, the Moorhen, or Waterhen as it is indisciminately termed, is well known in Yorkshire, and occurs in most parts of the county, except in manufacturing districts and on the highest fells. Where the conditions are suitable it appears to be on the increase. In some localities, and especially in the Beverley district, it is to a certain extent migratory, and leaves its nesting quarters as winter approaches, returning again in spring. There is in some seasons a decided increase in the numbers, but whether this is to be attributed entirely to immigration, or partly to merely local movements influenced by the state of the weather, which in severe floods and frosts drives them from their haunts, is not yet determined. I may, however, state that I have seen a specimen that was killed by striking against Flamborough Lighthouse, and occasionally examples are picked up in the streets of sea- coast towns in the autumn, which points to the probability of these being oversea immigrants. Mr. F. Boyes (Zool. 1871, p. 2522), notes an instance of a Moorhen submerging itself, and describes the operation, of which he was an eye-witness. The species under notice figures in the list of birds captured in the nets of Hornby Castle Decoy. Water-hen going on to its nest. T. A. Metcalfe. See page 545. COOT. 545 The nidification habits of this bird have frequently been commented upon, strange nesting sites being occasionally placed on record, of which Yorkshire can claim its share ; there are numerous instances of nests being found in bushes and on the branches of high trees, but perhaps a more curious situation is reported from Masham, where, in 1885, a bird was discovered incubating an egg in a hole of a tree eight feet above the ground. A case of dual occupation came under notice at Strensall Common in 1882, the partners in the nest being a Moorhen and a Coot ; and in the same locality, in 1880, a nest contained twenty-six eggs, of three distinct types, doubtless the produce of three different females ; eggs streaked like a Bunting's have also been observed. Of variations in plumage, the only example which has come under my observation is a buff-coloured specimen, in the collection at Thicket Priory, taken on the Derwent near that place. The local names are not many : Water Hen is used gener- ally by country people, and Bilcock and Biltor are north country terms. [Examples of the PURPLE GALLINULE (Poryphyrio cceruleus), have been reported at Easington, near Spurn, in September 1897, and at Bedale in the autumn of 1903 ; but, as this species is frequently kept in semi-captivity, these individuals are probably escaped birds.] COOT. Fulica atra Resident, generally distributed, and common, except in manufactur- ing districts and the western fells, where it is not numerous. The earliest reference to the Coot in Yorkshire is, so far as is known, that in Graves's " History of Cleveland " (1808), where it is enumerated in the list of resident birds. 546 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. Thomas Allis, in 1844, wrote : — Fulica atra. — Common Coot — Nearly extinct about Huddersfield ; not abundant near Sheffield ; occasionally seen near Leeds, at Killing- beck and Walton ; common about Barnsley, Doncaster, and York. The Coot is resident throughout most parts of the county, excepting in the manufacturing districts and on the high moorlands, though even on some of the latter it is not altogether absent. It breeds comraonly on the lakes, rivers, and meres in the low-lying parts of the East Riding, being particularly numerous on Hornsea Mere in Holderness. In the West Riding it is more local, and scarce in the neighbourhood of the large manufacturing towns, yet Talbot mentioned it as an abundant nester on the reservoirs near Wakefield, and he noted large numbers in February 1872 on that at Hiendley. It is described as resident, but not com- mon, on the " Carrs " of Doncaster ; in the Central Plain it nests sparingly on the rivers Nidd and Wharfe, and is fairly common on the lakes at Harewood and Allerton- Mauleverer. It is rather scarce on Fewston Reservoir, but on Malham Tarn is abundant and nests freely, also in Bowland district. Mr. J. Backhouse informs me that, in May 1895, he found a nest containing three eggs, at an altitude of 1,500 feet, at the back of Mickle Fell, in Lunedale. In the North Riding it occurs on most of the large ponds and lakes, as at Gormire, Strensall, Pilmoor, Castle Howard, Newburgh Priory, Bedale, and Scarborough, as also in isolated cases on some of the slow running streams. In Wensleydale it breeds on Locker Tarn, at 1,010 feet elevation, and is a rare resident in Teesdale and at Sedbergh. In winter, especially during severe weather, when the fresh water is ice-bound, the Coot leaves its accustomed haunts and often appears in most unlikely places ; it is then frequently met with on tidal waters, particularly in the estuaries of the large rivers, and, though not usually classed as a migrant, has even been immolated by flying against the lanterns of the Light-stations on the coast. In the winter of 1901-02 several specimens, killed on the brackish " fleets " during the frost, were brought in to the Redcar taxidermists ; Coot's nest with flags interlaced as a bower, Hornsea Mere. Fortune. See page 546. COMMON CRANE. 547 and two or three examples have been shot on the open sea. Nidification commences in May, on the 4th of which month I have seen a clutch of seven eggs, and have observed young on the 23rd. As many as ten to twelve eggs are occasionally found. Varieties in this species are not often met with, the only record being a white one, mentioned by F. O. Morris as occurring at Bawtry. In addition to its ordinary name, the bird is known as the Bald Coot, and Bald-headed Coot. COMMON CRANE. Grus communis (Bechstein). Accidental visitant from northern Europe, of extremely rare occurrence. The former existence of this magnificent bird in the county of York is evidenced by items in the Bill of Fare at the great banquet given at Cawood in 1466, in honour of the Archbishop of York, where it is stated that there were " In Cranes, c.c. iiii." [204]. In the fifth Earl of Northumberland's Household Book, begun in 1512, the following entry occurs : " It is thought that Cranys muste be hadde at Crystynmas and other principall feestes for my Lordes owne Mees, so they be bought at xvjd. a pece," (equivalent to about eight shillings of the present currency), and at Che vet, near Wakefield, on the marriage of Elizabeth, daughter of Sir John Neville, High Sheriff of Yorkshire, on I4th January 1526, in the iQth year of Henry VIII., it is set forth : — " Second course, 2nd For a Standart. Cranes, two of a dish .... The expense of the week . . . Nine Cranes i£ los. ..." In more modern times there is a record in Fothergill's " Orn. Brit." (1799, p. 7), of an example shot near York in 548 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. 1797 ; whilst the only other county specimen was noted by the late J. Cordeaux in the Naturalist (1893, p. 203), where the recorder stated that he saw, at the house of a Flamborough fisherman, a Crane obtained by John Huddleston, farmer, Flamborough, from a field near his house, in the last week of February 1892. It had been set up by Jones of Bridlington, and was a young bird of the previous year ; it had feathers but no red patch on the crown, and the hind plumes were short. In the second edition of Mitchell's " Birds of Lancashire " (p. 206), Mr. R. J. Howard of Blackburn mentions the occur- rence of two birds of this species seen with the naked eye, and also through a glass, by Mr. R. Milne Redhead, F.L.S., of Bolton-by-Bowland, at 4 p.m. on 25th August 1884. They were flying in the direction of the Lancashire border, their course being WNW. to SSE. Mr. Milne Redhead is perfectly familiar with the appearance of the bird, having often seen it in Germany and other places on the Continent. (cV'Zool. 1884, p. 470.) An example in the York Museum is labelled " Adult, Strickland Collection, probably local," but no further informa- tion concerning its origin is now obtainable. The place-name Cranswick (Cranes wick), near Driffield, probably had its origin in its associations with the Crane, the neighbourhood in former days being eminently suited to this bird's habits. GREAT BUSTARD. Otis tarda (Z.). Accidental visitant from Continental Europe, of extremely rare occurrence ; formerly resident in great numbers on the Wolds of eastern Yorkshire, when in their virgin state as undulating barren sheepwalks. The only reference of early date to this bird is in the Earl of Northumberland's regulations, in 1512, for his " Castles GREAT BUSTARD. 549 of Wressill and Lekinfield in Yorkshire " ; included among the articles for principal feasts we find the following : — " Item, Bustardes for my Lordes owne Mees at Pryncipall Feestes Ande noon outher tyme Except my Lordes comaund- ment be otherwyse " ; but no price is attached, as in the case of other birds mentioned. It is much to be regretted that almost all the records of the existence in Yorkshire of so fine and conspicuous a bird should date subsequently to its extinction, the precise period of which is uncertain ; although there is reason to believe that the last bird was seen at Foxholes, near Scarborough, about the year 1835, and it is somewhat remarkable that there should be only two published contemporary allusions to its presence in the county in the eighteenth century. These were by Marmaduke Tunstall, and a writer in the " Sporting Magazine " ; probably this want of record may be explained by the very abundance of the species. Even the records that exist are derived from memory, or based upon hearsay statements. The materials available for treating of the past history of Yorkshire Bustards consist of Marmaduke Tunstall's MS., dated 1784, contained in Fox's "Synopsis," p. 82 ; a paragraph, dated October 1792, in the " Sporting Magazine " ; Arthur Strickland's account given in Allis's Report on the Birds of Yorkshire, in 1844 ; notes by Henry Woodall of North Dalton, and E. H. Hebden of Scarborough, contributed to Morris's " British Birds " in 1854 ; articles in the Zoologist for 1870 (pp. 2063, 2102, 2103) ; a letter from Sir Charles Anderson of Lea, to the late John Cordeaux, dated I4th December 1874 ; letters to Mr. W. Eagle Clarke from Mr. Thomas Boynton, late of Ulrome, now of Bridlington, Sir C. W. Strickland of Hildenley, Professor Newton, and Mr. J. W. Woodall of Scarborough ; letters from Mr. W. H. St. Quintin of Scampston, and the Rev. G. D. Armitage, written in March 1902, and articles in the Field of 6th and 27th March 1897, by Mr. J. E. Harting and Mr. St. Quintin. From such of these materials as have been published, the numerous statements given in books have been compiled. Of the early 550 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. writers mentioned, the first to comment on the great Bustard is the celebrated Yorkshire ornithologist, Marmaduke Tunstall, F.R.S., of Wycliffe-on-Tees, who remarked : " Some still remain on our Yorkshire Wolds. An acquaintance of mine pursued for three days the last summer, without effect, a brood [sic] of seven ; and one of twelve, at least, he had heard of." The only other eighteenth century record is contained in the " Sporting Magazine," under date October 1792, thus : — " Within these few days a Bustard was killed at Rudstone-on- the- Wolds, by a gamekeeper belonging to Sir Griffith Boynton.. The width of the wings was seven feet over." Mr. W. H. St. Quintin also communicates an interesting- item of information, taken from an old estate book in his possession, concerning the price paid by his ancestor, Sir William St. Quintin of Wansford, in the year 1760, to his gamekeeper, Wm. Wiley, for Bustards ; these birds being valued at two shillings. At the northern extremity of the Wolds, the chief and last haunt of the Great Bustard seems to have been about. Flixton, Hunmanby, and Reighton. It was here — as she informed Mr. Boynton — that the late Miss Charlotte Rickaby of Bridlington Quay, when a girl, counted fifteen Great Bustards in a field, while riding with her father from Bridling- ton Quay to Flamborough, early in the last century ; and Sir C. W. Strickland wrote that his grandfather, Sir William Strickland, used to say he could remember a flock of about five and twenty of them on the Wolds between Reighton and Bridlington, and that the last of them was eaten at Boynton. A farmer living at Reighton in 1830 told Sir Charles Anderson that when he was a boy flocks of eight and ten together were found all over the district. Mr. W. H. St Quintin, writing on 4th March 1902, says : — " In the churchyard at Lowthorpe is buried Agars, for some time keeper in our family. Lord. Lilford had a manuscript, from which he has quoted to me,, to the effect that Agars once killed eleven Great Bustards at. a shot .... this happened on the Wolds." This is the same incident as is referred to by Mr. J. E- GREAT BUSTARD. 551 Harting, in an article on " The former occurrence of the Bustard in Yorkshire," in the Field, 6th March 1897. Mr. Harting states that the precise details have only recently come to light in a letter written by the grandson of the keeper who shot the birds. For this information we are indebted to Lieut. Gen. A. C. Cooke, who writes as follows : — " On looking over some old documents belonging to a deceased relative, I came across the following letter, which may, I think, be of interest to sportsmen and naturalists. It gives an account of eleven Great Bustards killed at one shot on the Wolds of Yorkshire, near Sledmere, in 1808, by one Agars, gamekeeper to Mr. St. Quintin of that day. The writer of the letter was Agar's grandson, whom I knew very well, as he was watcher to the Foston Trout Club, in whose water I used to fish. The father of the writer (and son of the shooter) I also knew well. He had been gamekeeper to Col. St. Quintin, and was a fine specimen of the old English keeper, of good presence and courteous manners. The account now transcribed, and given below, was written by his son at his dictation in 1864, and, as he states that he was twelve or thirteen years old when the occurrence in question took place (1808), he must have been then sixty-eight or sixty-nine. Col. St. Quintin's property adjoins the Foston Club water. When the occurrence took place the Wolds had not been ploughed up, and consisted of uninclosed rolling downs, the natural haunt of Bustards, which bred there, and of which some were doubtless killed every year, for it seems that the equipment of a Wolds keeper included a stalking horse, a coat made of horse hide with the hair outside, and a blunderbuss. This particular occurrence had evidently im- pressed itself on the old man's mind, on account of the unusual number of Bustards killed in one day ; and the fact of his remembering the subsequent destination of the dead birds shows that his memory was tolerably accurate. Of his reliability I have no doubt. Possibly some old members of the Foston Club will remember him ; Mr. Woodhall, who was for many years secretary, may possibly do so. The following is his letter : — VOL. II. N 552 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. " Foston, Cross Keys, March ig, 1864. " Rev. Sir, — Father wishes me to give you all the par- ticulars in his power respecting the number of Bustards killed by my grandfather at one shot. It being so long a time since, he is not able to give you a correct account of all the particulars you name in your letter ; he is not positive (in) what year (it happened), but he thinks it was in 1808, and that it was in the month of March. He cannot remember how many Bustards there were at the time grandfather fired ; he thinks seven fell to the gun and four (were) got afterwards which were wounded. He does not know the weight of the gun (used), but it was more than the strongest man could hold without a rest. He cannot say how much powder or shot was used in the charge, neither the size of the shot, but grandfather generally used No. 3. He does not know the distance he was from the birds, but thinks about thirty yards. The horse was a big bay coaching mare properly trained as a stalking horse ; his (own) coat was generally made of a bay horse-skin tanned with the hair on. It was near Borrow where they were killed, between Langtoft and Sledmere ; it was before the Wolds was enclosed, and before it was plowed out. Grandfather lived with Wm. Thos. St. Quintin, Esq., at the time. He believes six Bustards were given away in the neighbourhood and the rest sent to Mrs. St. Quintin, then in London. It being so long a time since, and father being only twelve or thirteen years old, he is not able to give you a correcter account. I am, Rev. Sir, your obedient humble servant, Robert Agars. " To the Rev. R. B. Cooke." Following upon this interesting information, which was not in the possession of Mr. W. Eagle Clarke when writing the bird portion of his and Mr. Roebuck's " Handbook of Yorkshire Vertebrata," is a short communication from Mr. St. Quintin (Field, 27th March 1897), as follows : — " May I correct a trifling inaccuracy which has crept into Mr. Harting's letter in the Field of the 6th inst, on the subject of a remarkable shot at Bustards in East Yorkshire about GREAT BUSTARD. 553 the year 1808 ? The ground upon which the incident in question occurred, though only some six miles distant, never belonged to my family, but at the date named was part of the Sledmere estate, and is now the property of Sir Tatton Sykes. It is high wold land, and, no doubt, at the time was open sheep walk. Agars, the keeper who fired the shot, and more than one other of the same family, was (as Mr. Harting has stated) in the employ of my grandfather ; but it seems that in those days, when game was not plentiful on the Wolds, or held in much account, considerable liberty was allowed to those who cared to go even beyond the boundaries of their own manors in search of such precarious or arduous sport as the pursuit of Wild Geese, Dotterel, and, as in this case, Great Bustards." Mr. Hebden's information was to the effect that to the best of his recollection it would be about the year 1811 that he first saw the five large Bustards on Flixton Wold, that number continuing there at least two years, when two were killed ; the remaining three still continued on the same Wold for at least one year, when two disappeared, leaving the solitary bird, which, after a length of time, was severely wounded by Sir William Strickland's keeper, and found some days afterwards in a turnip field near Hunmanby, by the huntsman of the Scarborough Harriers, and secured. Mr. A. S. Bell adds that this bird was brought to Scarborough and cooked at a supper given by the hunt (Zool. 1870, p. 2063). Professor Newton of Magdalene College, Cambridge, kindly communicates the following additional evidence : — " Rather more than a year ago the Master of Trinity College, Dr. W. H. Thompson, told me that when he was about six or seven years old he was living at York with his grandfather, to whom a Bustard was sent as a present. Dr. Thompson remembered going into the servants' hall or the kitchen to look at it, and some one was holding it up by the legs. He thought it weighed about eight or nine pounds, and it would therefore be a hen bird. He supposed it had been procured on the Yorkshire Wolds where he had heard Bustards once existed, and that it was eaten in the house, but he had no 554 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. recollection of having tasted it, or indeed, anything more about it. Dr. Thompson graduated B.A. in 1832, and, sup- posing him to have been then twenty-two years of age, the event must have happened about 1816 or 1817." Mr. J. W. Woodall states that about 1825 a Bustard was run over and killed between Folkton and Hunmanby. Sir Charles Anderson has a stuffed specimen, taken in 1825 at Hunmanby, and in 1828, while shoofing on Mr. Osbaldeston's property at that place, he saw a fine cock. This would, no doubt, be the identical bird seen in Grindale Field by Mr. John Milner of Middledale, Kilham, he thinks, about the year 1828, for — as he informed Mr. Boynton — it was some time after he left school in 1825, and at the time he was riding with his father, who died in 1830. Mr. Boynton was also told by the late Mrs. Metcalfe of Bridlington Quay that she and her husband (who was Vicar of Reighton, and died in 1834), were invited to dine at Boynton Hall with Sir Wm. Strickland, the principal dish being a Great Bustard, which Sir William, in his note of invitation, described as probably " the last of his race." Sir Charles Anderson believes the existence of the Great Bustard in Yorkshire ceased in 1832 or 1833, when the last hen bird was trapped on Sir Wm. Strickland's estate at Boynton, near Bridlington. This, however, was not the case, as Professor Newton, in 1881, gives particulars of a conversation he had many years before on this subject, to the following effect :— " In October 1854, Mn Barnard Henry Foord of Foxholes, near Scarborough, aged then twenty-five, told me he re- membered having seen Bustards — the last was at Foxholes about nineteen years before (i.e., 1835). His father once saw eleven together. He had heard his uncle speak of running Bustards with greyhounds, as if he had been present at the time. This Mr. Foord is, I believe, now dead. I was very much struck at the time by the nature of his evidence, for I had believed that the bird was extinct in Yorkshire before 1835, and I remember pressing him particularly with questions on this point ; but he persisted in the truth of his statement. GREAT BUSTARD. 555 I confess I was not, nor am I now, satisfied with it, though I am unable to suggest any explanation of the difficulty — for, even if he had been a year or two older than he said (and he could not have been more) it would still remain." Thomas Allis, in his oft-quoted Report, in 1844, wrote : — Otis tarda. — The Great Bustard— F. O. Morris and Hugh Reid refer to a specimen killed at North Dalton, and now in the possession of James Hall, Esq., of Scorborough, near Beverley. See also Yarrell's " British Birds," where several instances are mentioned, but it is now nearly if not quite extinct. Arthur Strickland says : " This splendid bird used to be a constant resident on the extensive Wolds in this Riding, but the extension of tillage and the numerous enclosures which have taken place within this half century, and the introduction of artificial crops, particularly saintfoin and clover, which from being early cut often led to their destruction, they rapidly decreased, and have for some years been quite extinct. About thirty years ago [i.e., 1814] when I first knew this country, the flock frequenting this part of the Wolds was reduced to five or six, and appeared to remain at that standing for some time, and I not infrequently met with it when riding about ; it however soon became reduced, and it is about fifteen years since [i.e., 1829] the last was killed at Reighton, since which [time] none have been seen in this neighbourhood. I believe those frequenting the Wolds south of Driffield remained in existence some years longer, but are now totally exterminated." In this last and somewhat offhand statement I am of opinion that Strickland was mistaken, for, judging from the evidence which I am able to quote, the birds on the north Wolds certainly existed a few years later than those in the south. The last Bustards which frequented the southern portion of the Wolds were in the vicinity of North and South Dalton. There is an egg — the only Yorkshire one known to exist — in the Scarborough Museum, the note attached to which states it was found by James Dowker of North Dalton, in the East Riding, in 1810. This was presented to the Museum in March 1840, by Dr. John Bury (H. W. Fielden, Zool. 1870, p. 2063). John Wolley, the eminent oologist, who saw the egg in 1843 and in 1850, noted in his egg book that it had been boiled with the notion of preserving it, and was of bad colour (torn. cit. p. 2102). H. Woodall informed F. O. Morris that in 1816 or 1817 James Dowker killed two Bustards 556 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. near North Dalton, with a right and left shot, and saw a third, Mr. Woodall believed, at the same time ; a nest that had been forsaken was also found, with one egg in it, which is now in the Scarborough Museum.* One of the birds shot was presented to George IV., then Prince Regent. A. S. Bell (torn. cit. p. 2103), added that the other was cooked by Mr. Dowker, and that in the previous year — which he stated as* 1809 — five Bustards were seen on the same moor, but were very wild, and none killed. These dates disagree, but it is more than probable that that of the label on the egg is the correct one, especially as the Rev. G. D. Armitage informs me (in litt. 1902), that a Great Bustard was obtained by W. Armitage at North Dalton in 1816. Sir Charles Anderson also states that the Bustard bred at Haywold [evidently the Hawold of the Ordnance Map, situate above North Dalton] about 1810. It is by no means unlikely that a pair or two of Bustards may have lingered much longer in some districts than in others, as the Enclosures Act, which gave them ' notice to quit,' was not a general Act, but each parish obtained its extension at different times, hence some years elapsed between its operation in various districts, and the birds would linger the longest where the Act came into operation the latest. In 1865 the late W. W. Boulton saw at Scorborough, the seat of Mr. James Hall, two specimens which had been captured in the East Riding — one, a female, was evidently a bird of the year ; it was taken alive in the neighbourhood of Scorborough, about forty years before (about 1825), and Mr. Hall had had it tethered on his lawn ; the other, an old male, Mr. Hall had forgotten the history of, but thought it was taken not far from Doncaster, and certainly in Yorkshire (op. cit. 1865, p. 9446). After Mr. Hall's death, his collection was sold, the male Bustard passing into the possession of Mr. Thomas Boynton, and the female into that of Mr. John Stephenson of Beverley. A pair — male and female — are preserved in the Blackmore * As bearing on this point it may be of interest to mention that a farm at Hutton Cranswick is still called " The Bustard's Nest." LITTLE BUSTARD. 557 Museum, at Salisbury, which were killed near Malton in 1825 (Thomas Norwood of Salisbury, " Country," nth January 1877, viii. p. 39). The fine pair in the Scarborough Museum were purchased from Hugh Reid of Doncaster, and presented by Dr. Murray, many years ago. Since the date of its final extinction as a resident, the Great Bustard, now become an accidental visitant, has twice occurred in Yorkshire. A female example was shot on Rufforth Moor, near York, on 22nd February 1861 (T. Allis, Zool. 1861, p. 7507), and is now in the York Museum ; and another female, just dead but still warm, was picked up in the sea near Bridlington Quay on nth November 1864 (W. W. Boulton, op. cit. 1865, p. 9442). This specimen is now in the collection of Mr. Thomas Boynton at Bridlington, where I have had the privilege of examining it, as also the male individual purchased from the Scorborough collection. LITTLE BUSTARD. Otis tetrax (Z.). Accidental visitant from the European Continent, Asia, and north Africa. The true home of this handsome bird is in the deserts of Asia and north-west Africa, though it also nests in the east of Europe, whence rare stragglers on migration in winter wander to our shores. The first recorded Yorkshire specimens of this bird are those referred to as seen at Flamborough, in 1814-15, and mentioned by Arthur Strickland in the Report of Thomas Allis, who, in 1844, wrote : — Otis tetrax. — The Lesser Bustard — Dr. Farrar informs me that a specimen of this beautiful species was shot in Bolton Wood, near Bradford, about five years ago by the keeper of Francis Simes, Esq., in whose possession it now remains ; F. O. Morris reports another specimen shot near Beverley, and now in the possession of James Hall, 558 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. Esq. Another was killed at Boythorpe, Sledmere Wolds, near Scor- borough, see Yarrell's "British Birds." Arthur Strickland remarks " It is possible that this species was a native of, or regular visitor to, the Wolds of this county in former times, but of late it has been of the rarest occurrence. One in my collection was killed there some years ago, but the exact date I do not know. In the winter of 1814-15 two of these birds were seen at Flamborough ; one of them was killed, which I believe was still in preservation. These are the only instances that have come to my knowledge." Yorkshire appears to have been favoured by the visits of this species more frequently than any other county except- ing Norfolk, the instances of its occurrence, so far as is ascertained, being as follows : — In addition to those mentioned by Strickland, Thomas Allis referred to three individuals before 1844. At Goodmanham, near Market Weighton, a female was procured on igth January 1854, by the Rev. W. Blow, and was presented by him to the Rudston collection, now in the York Museum (T. Allis, Zool. 1854, P- 4254)- Another female, a mature bird, was killed at Leven, near Beverley, on 3ist January 1862, by the keeper of Canon Wray, and was in the possession of Mrs. Wray (W. W. Boulton, op. cit. 1862, p. 7938). In October 1886, a pair occurred at Allerston Marishes, near Pickering. A specimen in the possession of Mr. P. Hawkridge was taken near Scarborough " a few years ago " (A. Roberts MS. 1881). At North Burton one was killed in 1868, by a boy, and is in the possession of Mr. Appleby of North Burton (T. Boynton MS.). The late Col. B. B. Haworth-Booth informed me that a female in splendid condition was obtained by Mr. B. Holmes during the last week in December 1895, in a turnip field at Burton Pidsea, Holderness. And on 5th December 1902, Mr. G. E. Clubley of Kilnsea shot one at dusk near Spurn ; the body was not recovered until next day, when it was found to have been partly eaten by a cat (P. Loten and Clubley MS. ; and Nat. 1903, p. 61). MACQUEEN'S BUSTARD. 559 I saw the preserved remains of this specimen at Easington in the October following. Six specimens of the Little Bustard are in the York Museum, and formed part of the Strickland and Rudston collections. One of these is the Goodmanham bird (1854), an^ probably some others may be the examples mentioned in Allis's Report. MACQUEEN'S BUSTARD. Otis macqueeni (y. E. Gray). Accidental visitant from Asia, of extremely rare occurrence. This handsome Bustard, known also as the Asiatic Houbara, and Ruffed Bustard, is resident in the Aralo-Caspian region, and winters in north-western India. It is a very rare accidental straggler to this country, only four instances being recorded, two of which belong to Yorkshire. The second British, and first Yorkshire, occurrence refers to a male example obtained at Marske-by-the-Sea, within sight of the room where these lines are being written. It was first observed on 5th October 1892, by some boys, in a field at Windy Hill Farm, near the coast, and was so fearless that it took little notice of several stones thrown at it. Infor- mation was then sent to a man named Richardson, who brought a gun, and, as the bird rose, killed it at close range, damaging it badly on one side. It was taken to Pearce Coupe, taxider- mist, of Marske, for identification, and he at once com- municated with the authorities of Newcastle Museum, by whom it was eventually purchased. I had an opportunity of examining it before it was forwarded to Newcastle, and have since been favoured by the late curator, Mr. House, with particulars and dimensions of the specimen. It had apparently been feeding, a few grass seeds being found in its crop and also in the throat and beak. The illustration of this bird is taken from a water colour drawing (after a photograph of the stuffed specimen) by Mr. 560 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. Woodhouse. (cf. Zool. 1893, p. 21 ; Nat. 1892, p. 373 ; and Field, lyth December 1892.) The second Yorkshire specimen, a young male, was seen at Kilnsea, near Spurn, on I7th October 1896, and was fired at by Col. White but, apparently, not injured. On the fol- lowing day it was observed by Messrs. W. Eagle Clarke and H. F. Witherby, who watched it for some time through powerful binoculars at a 'distance of a hundred and fifty yards. On the wing it looked like a large Owl, and was mobbed by small birds ; when it alighted behind a high bank the Grey Crows hovered about it and so revealed the place where it was ; it flew low, and slowly, skimming the ground. In walking it carried the head and neck like a feeding Pheasant, and appeared to spend its time in feeding, washing, and preen- ing itself. It walked in a stately fashion, but not with head upright, though when alarmed it stood with head and neck erect and on the alert, the long black feathers on each side of the neck being very conspicuous. It was fired at several times, and on being flushed never flew to a great distance, going about a hundred yards and then alighting, being eventually killed by G. E. Clubley. The bird weighed 3fl5s. noz. ; its stomach was filled with vegetable matter, chiefly heads of ragwort, and fragments of beetles. A peculiarity of the plumage was that the base of the feathers on the back and breast was, for about a fourth of their length, salmon pink, as also was the down. Mr. W. Eagle Clarke and the late J. Cordeaux dined off the body, and found the flesh dark and tender, in taste like a Wild Goose, with a savour of Grouse. This specimen is now in the possession of Col. White of Hedon (Zool. 1896, p. 433 ; and Nat. 1896, p. 323). It will be remarked that both these Houbraas were so tame, or unsophisticated, as to allow a shooter to approach within range. From a Water-Colour Draining by W. Wood house. Macqueen's Bustard, the first of the two Yorkshire examples. Shot at Marske-by the-Sea. See page 560. STONE CURLEW. (Edicnemus scolopax (Gmeliri). Summer visitant, chiefly to the East and North Ridings ; very local, and decreasing in numbers ; still breeds in a few secluded districts. A rare straggler to west Yorkshire. Has been observed in winter on several occasions. An early allusion, probably the earliest, to the Stone Curlew, is found in the MS. of Marmaduke Tunstall, F.R.S., who lived at Wycliffe-on-Tees, thus : — " The Thick-kneed Bustard, or Stone Curlew. Very rare in these parts, yet one was taken in this neighbourhood in August 1782, probably blown out of its customary haunts by storms, many of which felt about that time. It was extremely lean and pined." (Tunst. MS. 1784, p. 83.) Thomas Allis, in 1844, wrote : — CEdicnemus crepitans. — The Great Plover — Breeds at Rossington and other places near Doncaster ; very rare near Leeds ; it also breeds in the vicinity of Scarborough, see Yarrell's " British Birds." A. Strickland says : " This bird used regularly to breed on the Wolds, but never abundantly since my knowledge, and I have known both the egg and young bird found, but they are now seldom met with ; they are very clamorous in the evening." The Stone Curlew, Norfolk Plover, or Thick-knee, as it is variously called, is a summer visitor, usually arriving in April ; an exceptionally early date is March 1897, when Mr. E. B. Emerson and his gamekeeper saw a pair on the moor at Swainby-in- Cleveland. It is of very local distribution, being almost restricted to the eastern half of the county, and is, unfortunately, not only limited, but decreasing, in numbers. It was formerly not uncommon on the Wolds and the rough unenclosed tracts of heath and warren, where it bred in several districts until the middle of the past century. Marmaduke Tunstall referred to it in north Yorkshire at the close of the eighteenth century ; Allis and Strickland mentioned it as breeding near Doncaster, and regularly on the Wolds 562 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. before 1844, although these old writers do not appear to have been aware that it was an abundant species in the warrens of the East Riding ; in the neighbourhood of Scarborough, also, it was reported by the late Prof. Williamson as nesting on the fallows (P.Z.S. 1836, Vol. iv. p. 77). In the centre of the East Riding, R. Mortimer of Fimber, writing in 1886, stated that he had seen old and young birds, and also eggs, for the previous four years, while old men of the village had told him it was very common on the Wolds half a century previously, before the enclosures, and when many rabbit warrens existed ; Mr. N. F. Dobree of Beverley observed that, up to 1870, the Stone Curlew was well known to him as a nesting species, and he possessed a fine series of eggs taken on the waste lands between Market Weighton and Selby. An interesting selection from the north Wolds, taken in the " fifties " and " sixties," has been obligingly presented to me by Mr. J. Braim, late of Pickering. The late W. W. Boulton possessed examples of the bird from Holme-on- Spalding-Moor in 1864 and 1865, where several pairs were nesting. Another well-known ornithologist, Mr. W. H. St. Quintin, writes as follows : — " Scampston Hall, 2ist May 1890. " My father used to see them (Stone Curlews), and shot one at Lowthorpe. About twelve years ago I saw a pair running in a furrow of a fallow field as I was driving between Weaverthorpe and Langtoft in early summer." The foregoing evidence, respecting the former status of the species in the Wold district, is confirmed by the following summary, which sets forth the reasons of its gradual decrease, and its present position amongst the nesting birds of the county. Before the enclosure of the Yorkshire Wolds, the Stone Curlew was, no doubt, pretty generally distributed, and nested in considerable numbers all over the then sheep-walks and rabbit warrens which formerly extended over an enormous area, and were the home at that time of the Great Bustard. As the Wolds became gradually enclosed these two species, Stone Curlew on nest, near Pickering. T. A. Met calf e. Stone Curlew's nest. R. Fortune. See page 563. STONE CURLEW. 563 lovers of the lonely sheep-walks, were restricted to the remnants of these once famous downs, and as these became more and more circumscribed they were banished altogether, and what were once the uncultivated uplands are now waving cornfields. There were, however, still some portions, here and there, which were used as rabbit warrens, and in these the Stone Curlew continued to breed up to about 1874, when it finally ceased to do so, and it is now almost extinct in its old haunts. The Stone Curlew at one time bred on the Hambleton Hills in North Yorkshire, though its present breeding grounds are confined to one or two localities in the East Riding and one in the North, the latter being the northerly limit of its nesting range in the British Isles, and the exact whereabouts of which are, in the interests of the birds themselves, not specifically pointed out further than by indicating that the boundaries of the two Ridings named include the breeding area as at present known. A recent instance of its nesting in south-east Yorkshire has been communicated to me by Mr. J. H. Gurney, who, writing on I5th May 1902, says, " You may be interested to know that on loth May Mr. Hugh Buxton found a nest and two eggs of the Norfolk Plover. He first saw a fox, which put the bird up, and that led to the discovery of the eggs." In several other parts of north and east Yorkshire it has been observed at intervals when on passage to and from its nesting quarters ; so long ago as 1845 J. Hogg recorded one between Saltburn and Brotten, and it has been once observed at both the Tees and Humber estuaries. In the west of the county it is a rare straggler ; a pair in the collection of the Rev. G. D. Armitage was inadvertantly killed in the summer of 1865, on Crossland moor, near Huddersfield ; one was taken on Coniston moor, in Craven, in August 1866, another at Bilton, near Harrogate, about 1865, and one was seen on Malham Ings about the end of April, 1895. The Stone Curlew takes its departure in September or October ; on the gth of the latter month, in 1874, a flock of about forty was seen on rough grass land at Ganton, evi- 564 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. dently assembling for migration. Occasionally cases are noted of individuals being met with in winter, these are probably late hatched birds unable to migrate at the usual time ; one occurred at Toothill in January 1862 ; another, obtained near Filey, was preserved by Mr. Stuart of Beverley ; there are several instances known of winter occurrences in Holder- ness ; Capt. Dunnington-Jefferson of Thicket Priory saw one on 24th December 1888 ; I examined a specimen in the possession of Mr. T. Machen of Bridlington, which had been killed at Sewerby on 8th January 1899 ; in the following month another was reported at Reighton ; and, finally, on i6th December, in the same year, a female example was caught by a dog, during a snowstorm, on the Redcar sand-hills, and brought alive to me ; it was, however, suffering from a shot wound, and only lived till the following day. Nidification commences early in May, and eggs have been found on the first of that month. As exemplifying the pertinacity with which this species clings to its old haunts, it may be mentioned that, quite recently, Mr. T. Audas found a nest, in the East Riding, in the middle of a fairly large plantation of trees from twelve to fourteen feet high ; evidently an old nesting site, and resorted to prior to the planting of the trees. In the breeding season the Stone Curlew utters a note somewhat like " Kiddy, kiddy, kiddy — Kiddy, kiddy, kiddy. Kiddy, kiddy, kiddy, kiddy " : this is when a bird has lost its companions. In the evening they leave the dry, sandy rabbit-warrens, and seek their food in the cultivated fields, when they become very noisy, and their wild whistling cries may be heard in many places where the birds are not to be found in the day-time. Besides the names of Stone Curlew, Norfolk Plover, and Thick-knee, this bird sometimes receives the cognomen of Great or Whistling Plover ; Tunstall terms it Thick-kneed Bustard ; while Kelne was the name given by all the old warreners in east Yorkshire. I 565 COLLARED PRATINCOLE. .Glareola pratincola (Z.). Accidental visitant from southern Europe, Africa, and Asia, of extremely rare occurrence. This peculiar and interesting bird is an accidental wanderer from the south of Europe, Africa, and Asia, occurring very rarely in these islands. It has been chronicled on three different occasions in Yorkshire, the first being noted by the late Sir Wm. Milner, who stated that a fine specimen was killed when in company with a flock of Dotterels, in May 1844, on Staxton Wold, five miles from Scarborough, and passed into the possession of Mr. Peter Hawksworth (Zool. 1848, p. 2023). The second example was recorded by the late Joseph Duff of Bishop Auckland, as being just (gth February 1850) received by him from " Bedlington in Northumberland " (op. cit 1850, p. 2771), but, in a subsequent letter to the late John Hancock, he informed him that the locality mentioned was a misprint, and that the bird had been taken at " Bridlington in Yorkshire " (" Birds of Northd. and Dm." p. 96, footnote). Mr. Duff, in conversation with me, confirmed this statement, and added that he disposed of the specimen to Mr. J. H. Gurney. The third Yorkshire bird was obtained between Ruswarp and Whitby, by Wm. Wilson. It was a male, and the stomach contained ants and a few feathers. This specimen is now in the Whitby Museum ; but the date on the label, " September 1871," should be, as Mr. Thomas Stephenson tells me, " igth October 1871." 566 CREAM COLOURED COURSER. Cursorius gallicus (Gmelin). Accidental visitant from northern Africa and Asia, of extremely rare occurrence. It is difficult to understand the causes which impel this beautiful bird to wander from the deserts of Africa and Asia to these inhospitable shores. The first reference to its occur- rence in Yorkshire appears in Atkinson's " Compendium of British Ornithology," where one is recorded as having been killed near Wetherby, in April 1816, but unfortunately so much injured by the shot, and so ill preserved, that it fell a prey to insects. It was seen alone, frequenting a dry piece of fallow ground, over which it ran with great swiftness, making frequent short flights, and was approached without difficulty. The haunts and habits of this bird, as described by Latham, exactly agree with the foregoing, and in no respect do they differ in plumage except that in the specimen under notice the black patch behind the eyes was undivided by any pale streak, and the crown of the head was ash-coloured. A correct drawing of this bird was made when in its most perfect state (Atkinson's " Compendium," 1820, p. 165). This is the same example as is referred to by Thomas Allis, in his Report on the Birds of Yorkshire, 1844, thus : — Cursorius isabellinus. — Cream-coloured Courser — Formerly the only Yorkshire specimen was the one recorded by my friend H. Denny, in his Catalogue of Leeds Birds ; in the " Annals of Natural History," Vol. vii., he says a specimen was shot in April 1816, in a fallow field near Wetherby, by Mr. Rhodes of that place. It came into the posses- sion of Mr. J. Walker of Killingbeck Lodge, near Leeds ; he observes " I did not see the specimen myself, but I have seen a most accurate and highly finished drawing taken from the bird, which was in such a mutilated state when it came into the possession of my friend Mr. J. Walker, as to render its preservation impossible, having been killed several days ; but from his sound practical knowledge as a naturalist and his abilities as an artist, which are well known in this neighbour- hood, there cannot remain the least doubt as to the authenticity of the species ; I may add that its peculiar habit of running and then DOTTEREL. 567 taking short flights struck the person who shot it (who, however, was no ornithologist) as something new, and the beak again being different from the Plovers, for which he at first mistook it, and which caused him to keep it." Arthur Strickland informs me that another specimen of this rare bird was killed in 1825, by the keeper of the Earl of Hare- wood, and another in 1828 by the keeper of the Hon. Chas. Stourton of Holme [on Spalding Moor], near Market Weighton. It will be observed that Allis, on the authority of his friend and correspondent, Arthur Strickland, mentioned the occurrence of two specimens of the Courser, in addition to that first reported. One in 1825, killed by the Earl of Harewood's keeper (see also Gould, " Birds of Great Britain "); and another in 1828, shot by the keeper of the Hon. Chas. Stourton, at Holme-on-Spalding-Moor, near Market Weighton. The foregoing furnishes all the information available with regard to the visits of the species to the county. There is no record of its appearance since the year when Allis wrote. DOTTEREL. Eudromias morinellus (Z.). Bird of passage in spring and autumn ; very local and not common. Most frequent in spring on the coast, where it arrives in May, remaining for two or three weeks ; also observed on the high lands at the same period ; less abundant in autumn. The earliest mention of the Dotterel in Britain is contained in the Percy's " Northumberland Household Book," begun in 1512, at the Castles of " Wressill and Lekinfield," where this entry occurs : — " Dottrells to be bought for my Lorde when they are in Season and to be at jd. a pece." Thomas Allis, in 1844, wrote : — Charadrius morinellus. — The Dotterel — Rare near Sheffield ; occa- sionally met with on the moorsjabout Halifax in spring and early summer. Wm. Eddison says it occasionally comes to breed on the Marsden and Slaithwaite Moors ; very rare near Leeds ; Arthur Strickland says "The Wolds near here [Bridlington] seem to be the ancient resort of this species previous to their retiring to the mountains in the west to VOL. II. O 568 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. breed. They appear in flocks in the spring and remain two or three weeks, and resort principally to the fallows and open districts ; formerly considerable numbers were killed at these times, but of late'their numbers have been so much reduced that but few are now met with, and that only by ranging the country on horseback very early in the morning before the ploughman is abroad." It is very rare near Barnsley, Dr. Farrar saying that he never obtained but one specimen, which was shot at Staincross in 1830. Naturalists cannot bjit regret the great diminution in the numbers of Dotterel during the last half century, and although it was never an abundant nesting species with us, being, as it still is, chiefly known as a passing visitor in spring and autumn, it has a peculiar attraction to the ornithologist, who usually has to content himself with observing the " trips " on passage, and imagining the nesting economy. An early reference to this bird in Yorkshire is contained in the Allan MS. in connection with the Tunstall Museum, written in the year 1791, as follows : — " They are stupid birds, easily enticed into a net. A dull person is proverbially called a Dotterel " (Fox's " Synopsis," p. 90). As is generally known, the breast feathers of this bird were formerly, and are still, in great request by fly fishers, and such was the demand for them in comparatively recent times that, from the Holderness coast right up to the high grounds about Bempton and Speeton, the shooting of Dotterel was a regular occupation in spring: for some coast gunners and old shooters boast that in former days — fifty years ago — they have taken as many as fifty couple in a season. The destruction was carried on with equally disastrous effects on the Wolds, moors, and commons inland, where the ranks of the " foolish birds " were decimated to such an extent that as many as forty-two couple were secured in a single day on the Wolds of Canton, Sherburn, and Knapton. J. H. Anderson of Kilham, in the East Riding, stated (Rennie's " Field Naturalist," January 1834), 4( The Dotterel visit our large open fields every spring and autumn, and dire is the slaughter committed amongst them." It seems also, from St.ickland's communication to Allis, that considerable numbers were killed, but they had then (1844) been so much reduced DOTTEREL. 569 that but few were met with. On the moors in the route travelled by the birds on their way to the north-west heavy toll was exacted ; Mr. J. H. Phillips remarked (Nat. 1890, p. 15), that about the middle of the past century numerous flocks were found on the Hambleton Hills ; between Dialstone Inn and South Woods he had put up hundreds on the moors ; on the Wensleydale moors it used to be sought regularly every year for feathers for anglers (op. cit. 1886, p. 186). Additional evidence of its former abundance (if such is required), on the spring passage over the Wolds and along the coast line in the district mentioned by Strickland, is afforded by the house named " Dotterel Inn " at Reighton, which was built by one of the Strickland family, and the sign painted by Mrs. Strickland. It is said in that district that the Inn was designed for the accommodation of gamekeepers, who came from all parts to the neighbourhood of Reighton and Hunmanby for the purpose of shooting Dotterel in the spring. At the present time the bird is a fairly regular visitor, in limited numbers, to its old haunts, while on passage to and from its breeding places on the mountains of the north. On the vernal migration the earliest recorded date for its appearance is i8th February 1901, two being seen on that day at Kilnsea by the late G. W. Jalland, who informed me of the fact shortly afterwards. The usual time, however, is about the end of April or early in May, and at this season it is met with in small " trips " of from two to fifty in number ; the largest flock I have known at the Teesmouth was in May 1903, and comprised fully thirty birds, but on 6th May 1897, fifty were observed near the " Dotterel " Inn at Reighton. They return year by year to certain old-time haunts ; there is a field at Easington, near Spurn, where they have occurred from time immemorial, and fall an easy prey if a gunner appears ; they also visit the Wolds regularly, and well-known localities in the Reighton and Hunmanby districts, while at the Teesmouth a certain strip of short grass land is annually visited in May and September ; several other similar instances might be cited if necessary. The proverbial tameness of the Dotterel in spring is by 570 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. no means invariable, for I have known a flock to be almost unapproachable at this season ; and it may not be out of place to observe here that most of the " full plumaged " specimens observed in May lack the black crown and nape which is characteristic of the nuptial dress. The return passage southward takes place in August and September ; in the East Riding an adult female was killed at Kiplingcotes on the coth of the latter month, 1869 ; the latest date of which I am aware is 2Qth November 1900, on which day an example occurred on Coatham Marshes during a strong south-east gale. The numbers noted in autumn are much fewer than during the vernal passage, and are usually immature, though adults in the dull brown plumage are sometimes erroneously named young birds. The route pursued on the autumnal migration is similar to that followed in spring — either along the coast or across the moors ; in August 1893, while Grouse-driving on Swainby moor, I shot one of two Dotterel which were passing over the butts and whistling as they flew, whilst other examples have been noted on the Whitby moors. In addition to the places named, it is met with occasionally on migration on Penyghent, Pateley moor, near Huddersfield, Sheffield, Wilsden, Wakefield, Keighley, Halifax, Ripon, and other localities which are too numerous to mention in detail. As a breeding species it is extremely rare and local, and in view of the interest attached to this bird in Yorkshire, I propose to quote from an article by the late Rev. H. A. Macpherson (Nat. 1890, p. 95), on the former nesting of the Dotterel, which may not be accessible to all my readers. Mr. Macpherson prefaced his remarks by stating that, although the late Dr. Heysham of Carlisle examined eggs taken in the north-west of England in 1784, it fell to the lot of the late T. C. Heysham to investigate the question of whether the species really bred south of the Scottish border. He then gave at length two letters relating to Dotterel in Yorkshire, and, as it is upwards of seventy years since they were penned, they are quoted here in extenso :— The first letter is that of a John Brown, written in DOTTEREL. 571 answer to Heysham' s inquiries, and dated from Marble Mills, Stone House, Dent, I5th July 1831, which runs thus : — " Sir, — I am sorry to say, in reply to your favour of the I2th inst, that your application for eggs of the Dotterel is at least one month too late. The birds have nearly all left the hills. But have you not made a mistake ? I think it possible that in the hurry of writing you have said eggs instead of skins. Great numbers of these are preserved and sold to anglers, but I am told the eggs are seldom taken. If you wish to have a few skins, pray inform me, and I will send you some. Late in the season as it is for these birds to be on the hills, and it is unusual for them to remain so long, I believe I can yet procure two or three fresh ones." The following year Heysham applied to John Robinson of Stone House, Dent, on i6th May, but the letter was delayed in transit. Robinson replied : — " I am afraid it will be out of my power to procure you a nest with eggs. There is some dispute whether they breed or not. Some are of opinion they do, others the contrary. I have never yet met with anybody who had found a nest. I called a few days ago on a man who partly makes it his business to look after them. He informed me that lately he shot a bird Dotterel (sic) which on opening he found contained an egg, which puts the matter out of dispute. He informs me that for the last four years the bird has become more plentiful, which is to be wondered at, considering that immediately upon its being ascertained that they have arrived everyone that can raise a gun is after them About the i5th or i6th of last month (? May 1832) a flock of nine or ten arrived. One of our men shot two of them." Robinson appears to have taken an active interest in assisting Heysham, for on 2Qth August in the same year (1832), Heysham received a couple of Dotterel shot on Woofell, with a note, in which the following passage occurs : — " I have been repeatedly on the mountains during the summer, but could never meet with any (Dotterel). I think there is little doubt they leave us in the spring and return again in September and remain a little while with us, prior 572 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. to leaving our island for the winter. I would suppose that they (the birds despatched with the letter) are male and female or a young and an old bird. I am sorry one of them is hurt in the plumage round the neck. You will see, by the map of Yorkshire, that Woof ell is very high land." It thus appears, from the foregoing, that, at the period named, the fact of the Dotterel breeding in the north-west of the county was not clearly established, although one of Thomas Allis's correspondents, W. Eddison (cf. Allis's Report), stated it formerly bred on the Marsden and Slaithwaite moors. Important additional evidence relating to its nesting in Yorkshire is contained in the private correspondence of the late John Hancock of Newcastle, which I have been permitted to inspect, and is communicated by Mr. J. E. Anderson who, writing from -Holy Island in April 1875, observes that the Dotterel builds on another Fell Top [in Yorkshire] a few miles south from Crossfell, but he had forgotten the local name. This might possibly have been Mickle Fell. We next find (Nat. 1886, p. 186), that it was said to breed in Wensleydale up to about 1866 at High Stake, and one Arthur Sayer, who was shepherd for seventeen years on these moors, was in the habit of searching for the eggs with the keepers ; though the author of this statement, the late E. Chapman, was careful to observe that he had never seen the eggs himself, and there appears to be considerable doubt as to the reliability of the record. Mr. Tinkler (op. cit. 1892, p. 324), remarks that on the fells at the head of Swaledale and Arkengarthdale it bred up to about 1860 ; and in Ribblesdale it is reported as nesting within the past twenty years. My information as to its status at the present time, however, leaves room for doubt as to whether the bird is to be considered as a constant nesting species in the county ; the localities where it may possibly nidificate are restricted to one or two of the mountains of the north-west, and on one of these hill-tops Mr. R. Fortune has seen a pair of adult birds in the breeding season, but has not been able to locate the nest ; probably not more than two or three pairs attempt to breed, though the young birds were observed in the summers of 1895, 1902, and 1904. I RINGED PLOVER. 573 have purposely refrained from supplying more precise details in the interests of the birds themselves, but fear their existence is a precarious one, for on one of the high fells, where a pair was observed for several days in June 1902, it disappeared about the middle of the month, but in its stead were found two empty cartridge cases ! The local names are : Land Dotterel and Spring Dotterel, used at Spurn, while at Whitby it is called Moor Dotterel. RINGED PLOVER. hiaticula (Z.). Resident, very local ; is common, and nests in the Tees and Humber districts. Also spring and autumn migrant. Of occasional occurrence inland. The first mention of this species in Yorkshire is probably found in the Allan MS. in connection with the Tuns tall Museum (1791), thus : — " Sea-Lark — Frequent our shores in summer, but are not numerous. Lays four eggs, of a dull white colour, sparingly sprinkled with black. Disappear on the approach of winter. There is a light-coloured variety in this Museum." (Fox's " Synopsis," p. 90.) Thomas Allis, in 1844, wrote : — Charadrius hiaticula. — Ringed Plover — Rare near Halifax, also at Sheffield, where only two or three specimens have been obtained. A. Strickland says " A few of these birds may generally be met with on the sands in autumn or winter, generally in pairs, or small numbers, and never in large flocks ; they do not breed here [Bridlington]." Essentially a bird of the shingly beach and mud-flats of our tidal estuaries, the Ringed Plover is naturally most abundant on the Tees and Humber shores, and the low-lying coast line adjacent, and in these particular localities only can it be termed resident and common. On the rest of the coast, namely from Saltburn to Bridlington, it is best known as a frequent visitor on the spring and autumn migrations, 574 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. although at Flamborough one or two pairs are stated to be resident, and it nested north of Scalby in 1881. Inland it occurs almost every year, on the large reservoirs and river banks, during the vernal and autumnal passages, being reported from Slingsby, Malton, Goole, Ingbirchworth, Swinsty and Fewston Reservoirs, Pateley, the Lower Wharf e, the Nidd Valley, Ackworth, Wakefield, Sheffield, and other places more or less frequently. From the middle of July until October migratory Ringed Plovers are numerous at the Tees and Humber estuaries, while even during the winter the species is one of the commonest of our waders ; it also figures not infrequently in the listTof casualities at the Lighthouses on the coast, the victims being birds on passage attracted by the fatal beams from the lanterns. During the winter months the major portion of our nesting birds retire further southward, and are absent between October and January ; in the latter month they usually begin to reassemble on the beach at the Teesmouth, and I have heard their pairing notes as early as the 27th, but, generally speaking, not until mid-February, and they return to the nesting grounds a little later. From March onwards to about the middle of May a more pronounced migration, probably of individuals which have wintered much further south, takes place, the small brighter-coloured race being frequently met with in May ; these birds linger in the estuaries for several days before resuming their journey to more northerly stations. Nidification commences about the first week in April, although " scratchings " may be seen in March, and the first full clutches are generally noted by the middle of April ; a nest with four eggs, and several others with incomplete sets, were seen on the loth of that month, in the year 1903. These early breeding birds, if undisturbed, have a second clutch in June, and I have known two broods to be reared from one nest in a season. The later breeders, which do not nest until May, only rear one brood, but as many eggs are destroyed by birds' -nesting boys, and devoured by predaceous Rooks and Crows, nesting is sometimes prolonged as late as See page 575. Nest of Ringed Plover, Spurn. R. Fortune. Nest of Ringed Plover amongst plants of "sentry," Teesmouth. T. H. Nelson. See page 574. RINGED PLOVER. 575 August. Very often several " mock " nests are formed, and on one small patch of shingle, within a space of twenty square yards, at the Teesmouth, I counted no fewer than six of these, in addition to the true nest. Owing to the persecution to which the birds have been subjected in past years they have had recourse to strange nesting situations in the Tees district, and have resorted to the heaps of slag near the Breakwater, and to the sand-hills forming the Cleve- land Golf Club course. Of other curious sites may be mentioned the top of a low wall ; a hollow in a slag ball ; a space between the metals of a railway running along the Breakwater ; another within two or three yards of the firing point of the Rifle Club ; while the centre of a heap of dried cow dung has also been utilized for nesting purposes, and the prettiest and best protected nest I have seen was amongst a clump of daisies. In unexpected positions such as these the birds frequently succeed in hatching their eggs. A few pairs only nest on the Spurn promontory, and also at one or two spots higher up the Humber estuary. As yet a clutch of five is unreported from the Tees area, though one was discovered at Spurn in June 1880 (W. Eagle Clarke, Zool. 1880, p. 356). A variety of this bird, having the mantle of a stone buff colour, is recorded by Mr. J. Whitaker (op. cit. 1882, p. 79), as having been obtained at Scarborough in 1882, and a similar specimen in the Tunstall Museum was probably of local origin (Fox's " Synopsis," p. 90). Local vernacular names in use are : — Ring or Ringed Dotterel on the Humber and Tees ; Ring-Neck on the Tees ; Sand Runner and Sand Dotterel at the Humber ; Sand Lark, and Sea Lark in the Allan MS. (1791) and Graves's "Cleveland" (1808). [LESSER RINGED PLOVER (Mgialitis curonica, Gmelin). An example of this small Plover was recorded by the late J. C. Garth of Knaresborough as taken at Whixley on 3oth July 1850 (Zool. 1850, p. 2953), but an examination of the specimen in Mr. Garth's collection led me to believe that it is merely 576 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. a small example of the common species (JE. hiaticula), in which opinion I am confirmed by Messrs. J. Backhouse and Riley Fortune. In 1851, three were said to have been killed on the Calder (Talbot's " Birds of Wakefield," p. 25), and in the Field of I5th October 1861, the late W. W. Boulton announced the occurrence of one at Spurn on the 5th of the same month, but it is highly probable tflat these also were referable to the large race.] KENTISH PLOVER. >Egialitis cantiana (Lath.). Casual visitant, of extremely rare occurrence. This small Plover nests on the south coast of England* and is but a rare and casual visitant during its migratory movements in spring and autumn.* Of our seven county occurrences it will be observed that five have been recorded from the vicinity of Bridlington. The first example came into the possession of Mr. Matthew Bailey of Flamborough in 1857. Two, a male and female, were obtained on 25th and 28th May, respectively, in the year 1869, on the sands at Ulrome, by Mr. Thomas Boynton, and are now in his collection at Bridlington (Zool. 1869, pp. 1843-44). Another example was procured by Mr. Boynton in 1875, •at the same place where those previously mentioned were obtained, and is now in the collection at Burton Agnes, formed by the late Sir Henry Boynton. Mr. Forster of Bridlington is in the possession of a specimen, taken near Flamborough in August 1881. * Until the year 1904 Yorkshire could lay claim to being the most northerly county from which it has been reported, but on the 2Oth May in that year the late C. Braithwaite of Seaton Carew picked up a female specimen at the north side of the Teesmouth. KENTISH PLOVER. 577 I have had opportunities of examining the last four men- tioned examples in the collections of their respective owners. The latest occurrences took place on I2th September 1891, when two in immature plumage were killed at Cayton Bay, near Scarborough, as I am informed by Mr. W. J. Clarke of that town. GOLDEN PLOVER. Charadrius pluvialis (Z.). Resident, breeds on the fells of the west and north-west, also sparingly in the south-west, and commonly on the Cleveland moors. A great influx of migrants takes place in autumn and winter, when the species is more generally distributed. A few remain on the coast until late in May. The first mention of this, as a Yorkshire bird, is in the ordinances as to the price of victuals in the city of York in the year 1393, i6th Richard II., when, by a Royal proclama- tion, the value of a Plover was fixed at id. Another early allusion to it is at the feast given to Archbishop Nevell in 1466, when the provision included " Plovers IIII. C." It is also referred to in a quaintly worded entry in the Northumberland Household Book, in the year 1512, in connection with Earl Percy's regulations at his Yorkshire Castles, which informs us that it was " thought good that no pluvers be bought at noo Season bot oonely at Chrystynmas and Princypall Feestes and my Lorde to be servyde therewith and his Boordend and non other and to be boght at jd. a pece or jd. ob (ijd.) at moste." And in the list of expenses of Sir John Neville High Sheriff of Yorkshire in 1526 and 1528, Plovers are referred to ; as also in the prices of provisions at Hull in 1560, where we find " Plover, ijd." Thomas Allis, 1844, wrote of it as follows : — Charadrius pluvialis. — Golden Plover — Occasionally seen at Whin Moor, near Leeds ; in the neighbourhood of Halifax it breeds sparingly on the High Moors ; common about Sheffield ; common on the moors about Malham where it breeds, and remains the year round ; also 578 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. common on the moorlands near Barnsley ; and is frequently to be obtained in the markets at York ; it is met with at Hambleton. A. Strickland remarks that considerable flocks of this bird and the Grey Plover* are occasionally met with on the Wolds in autumn in immature plumage, and at times in small numbers on the sea shore in winter, but he has never met with it in mature plumage in this country. As a resident in Yorkshire the Golden Plover is local and restricted to the fells and moorlands of the south, west, and north-west, including also the Cleveland Hills and the range of moors extending thence to Scarborough. The area of ground thus comprising its summer habitat being of great extent, the numbers of nesting birds may appear to be fewer than is really the case ; it is sparingly distributed in the south and west, and is perhaps more abundant in the north-west of the North Riding than in other places. It arrives at its breeding quarters in March or April, and departs thence in August, soon after the com- mencement of Grouse shooting. The earliest immigrants which appear on the coast are a few old birds in faded plumage late in July or early in August, and these are followed in September by other flocks of young and old, which continue to increase as the season advances, the main migration usually taking place in November. In the low grounds and Carrs of East Yorkshire they are to be seen in large numbers : should wet weather supervene, and the Carrs become flooded, these vast flocks join together into enormous congregations, and acres of ground are covered with them. They frequent the low ground by day, but in the dusk betake themselves to the high Wolds for the night, returning again shortly after day- break. Towards the end of the year, especially if severe frost and snow prevail, immense numbers of these birds congregate, together with Lapwings, in the fields and marshes near the coast, but, with a long continuance of hard weather, they are driven southward ; on I2th December 1878, during a winter of Arctic severity, the sands and muds at the Tees- mouth were absolutely covered with Plovers at low tide ; * See remarks on Grey Plover under the heading of that species. Nest of Golden Plover, north-west Yorkshire. R. Fortune. See page 578. GREY PLOVER. S79 as the water flowed the noise made by the masses of birds, forced by the rising waters to the circumscribed space of dry sand, was marvellous, and finally the host rose like an immense cloud ; but next day they had all disappeared. In seasons when the weather remains mild and open in the early months of the year, the lowlands are frequented until late in March by hosts of Plovers, a few occasionally lingering till the middle of May. As stated above, our local breeding birds resort to the moors in March or April, and at the end of the latter month, or in May, the foreigners move northward ; in May 1904, I noticed a very large assemblage of unpaired birds on a moor near Harrogate. The Golden Plover is frequently immolated against the lanterns of our coast beacons ; many were thus killed at Spurn Lighthouse on i6th November 1898 ; and in the very severe winter of 1878-79 numbers were starved to death in the neighbourhood of Flamborough. In autumn and winter the species is generally distributed in the agricultural districts of the county, in large or small numbers, varying with the severity or mildness of the season. Nidification, as a rule, begins in late April or early May. Variations of plumage are seldom met with ; Mr. F. Boyes has obtained two specimens with white wings, and a beautiful white and buff-coloured example was killed at Wycliffe-on- Tees in February 1900. GREY PLOVER. Squatarola helvetica (Z.). Winter visitant, abundant on the coast, and observed both on its autumnal and vernal passage, less frequently at the latter period. Arrives in August, September, and late in October, many passing southward for winter. Is noticed in May, in summer plumage, both on the coast and inland on the moors. Probably the first notice of the Grey Plover in Yorkshire is found in the Allan MS., in connection with the Tunstall 580 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. Museum (1791), where it is stated to be " now and then seen in small flocks in winter." (Fox's " Synopsis," p. 89.) Thomas Allis, in 1844, wrote : — Squatarola cinerea. — Grey Plover — F. O. Morris reports it common on the coast ; it is rare near Sheffield ; Wm. Eddison remarks that this species is not so common as the Golden Plover, but is occasionally seen in the same localities ; J. and W. Tuke inform me that they saw a pair on Hambleton in June, which no doubt had eggs or young ones, as they would not leave the place, although watched for several hours. It is met with on the Wolds* in autumn, and on the coast in winter. The Grey Plover is a winter visitant, common on the coast in some seasons ; small parties of old birds in partial summer dress occur at both the Tees and Humber estuaries in late July and August, and in some years at the former, these companies consist of as many as a hundred indi- viduals, the young following in September, but not in such large flights as the Golden Plover. Individuals retaining the summer plumage have been noted as late as September, and, in one case, in October, though such instances are very uncommon. During September and October both young and old birds continue to arrive and frequent the tidal portions of the estuaries, consorting with Knots, Dunlin, and other shore birds, in some years assembling in large flocks in the Tees area ; the bulk of these retire further south as the season advances, although many remain throughout winter, and I observed considerable numbers at the Teesmouth in quite Arctic weather, in December 1878, and, under similar conditions, in February 1895 and 1901. It appears to be more abundant in that district than elsewhere in the county, but is much scarcer now than was the case several years ago. On the spring migration small parties of from ten to fifty are seen at Spurn in April and May, in all phases of plumage, leaving towards the end of the latter month. The late J» Cordeaux was of opinion that this species, like the Bar-tailed Godwit and Knot, does not proceed along the Yorkshire coast north of Spurn on the vernal passage, but crosses the * Mr. F. Boyes states that he is not aware of any instance of the Grey Plover occurring on the Wolds. LAPWING. 581 North Sea from the Humber ; I must, however, differ from this view, for all three of these waders are met with at the Teesmouth in the month of May, and sometimes later ; on gth June in the year 1887, a large mixed flock of Grey Plovers, Knots, and other shore birds was observed on the sands near Redcar at 3 a.m. The Grey Plover has been reported on the Hambleton Hills in June, as mentioned by Thomas Allis, and was supposed to have a nest near ; in this connection it is worthy of note that it has, to my knowledge, occurred regularly in spring on the moors near Helmsley, from which locality I have seen birds in full summer garb. On the coast between the Tees and Humber this is not a very plentiful species, being chiefly observed on the autumn passage, and at this period immature examples are occasionally reported from inland districts far removed from its accustomed haunts ; on Thornton moor, in Wensleydale, two adults were observed in August 1894, one with a black breast being obtained, while a female in summer dress was killed on Midgeley moor on 9th August 1899 ; it has also occurred at Ackworth. The Grey Plover figures in the list of casualties at the Lighthouses on dark or foggy nights. The local vernacular names are : — Sand Plover, Pigeon Plover, and Sea Pigeon in the Humber district. At the Teesmouth it is known as Silver Plover, and to the Redcar fishermen it is the young Golden Plover. LAPWING. Vanellus vulgaris (Bechst.). Resident, generally distributed, common. In autumn and winter it congregates in the lowlands and on the coast, when its numbers are greatly augmented by an influx of immigrants from the Continent. Historically considered, the Lapwing in Yorkshire may claim ancestry of great antiquity ; Selby was of opinion that 582 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. the " Egrittes," to the number of 1,000, served at the celebrated banquet to Archbishop Nevell in 1466, are refer- able to this species ; under the synonym of " Wype " it was mentioned in the Northumberland Household Book, 1512, where in the list of birds to be bought for " my Lordes owne mees " the price of " Wypes " was fixed at id., " so they be good and in season " ; while under the name of Bastard Plover it figured in " Wildfowl at Hull " in 1560, the price being stated at three-halfpence each. Thomas Allis, in 1844, wrote : — Vanellus cristatus. — Common Lapwing — Common in most districts. In addition to being a well-known and abundant resident, the Lapwing is a common migrant in autumn, when enormous flights arrive on the coast during October and November, these migrations sometimes continuing for several days in succession, and extending to as late as the last week of December, whilst on one or two occasions I have noticed large flocks crossing late in January. Great "rushes" occurred in 1881 in the month of November ; in 1887 there was a constant migration from mid-October to mid-November ; also in October 1890, in November 1899, and in 1901. On some days the passage continues from daylight to 3 p.m., the birds crossing incessantly in immense bodies ; a rough estimate of the numbers contained in one of these " rushes," in October 1899, was computed to be at the rate of 10,000 in a quarter of an hour. On arrival many of these new-comers settle on the lowlands near the coast, while others disperse inland, and in 1901 they were more numerous in the pastures and marshes near the seaboard than I have ever known them to be. Should mild weather prevail they continue to haunt these localities throughout winter, but depart southward if frost and snow ensue, and during conditions of this nature there was a decided southerly movement in February and early March 1904. The bulk of the winter visitants depart in late March or April on their return migration ; on 23rd and 24th March 1895 I observed a passage of oversea migrants, and these would, doubtless, be birds returning northward. In this connection an interesting entry is found in the " Annual LAPWING 583 Register" for 1799, where it is stated that, on the 4th of April in that year, hundreds of Plovers and Lapwings were cast on shore on the Holderness coast in a dreadful storm. When crossing against a west or south-west gale these migrant Lapwings fly low, hugging the surface of the water in a compact body, but as they approach the land they gradually rise high in the air and assume an open and scattered formation, in this manner passing over the " danger zone " commanded by coast gunners and wildfowlers. On dark and foggy nights numbers of these birds fall victims to the attractions of the coast beacons.* As a nesting species the Lapwing is generally and widely diffused, being found in all suitable localities from the marshes and coast lands up to the highest elevation on the fells and moorlands of Cleveland and the north-west of the county. It was very abundant in the Doncaster Carrs until the middle of the past century, but has been driven away from its haunts in that district by drainage and high cultivation, while it is to be feared that the practice of collecting the eggs for sale is rapidly reducing the numbers of our native stock. The resident birds usually repair to their nesting haunts towards the close of February or March, and at the end of the latter month, in mild seasons, eggs are sometimes met with; but, as a general rule, they are not found before April ; in the first week of that month I have seen full clutches at the Teesmouth, though they are a week or two later on the high fells, where, in late seasons, they are occasionally covered with snow ; in a severe storm in May 1891, near Harrogate, the Lapwings flew high above the snow-clouds ; when the fall ceased they returned to their breeding quarters, but were unable, on the snow-covered ground, to find their nests (Nat. 1891, pp. 165, 214). Variations of plumage are not unknown ; one at Oswald- kirk had the wings and upper part of the back light brown * It may be mentioned here that an interesting and concise history of the migration of this species is published by Mr. W. Eagle Clarke in the Report of the British Association for 1902. VOL. II. P 584 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. or fawn, with the back of the head and lower breast cream- coloured (Field, ist March 1884) ; a cinnamon-hued specimen was obtained at Redcar in December 1892 ; and in the year 1903 a white example occurred on the moors near Fewston Reservoir, Washburndale. A considerable diversity as regards colour and form exists in the eggs, some being occasionally found of a white or pale green or blue ground colour, profusely dotted with small black,* purple, or grey spots ; and I have seen numerous examples of dwarf and deformed eggs, some no larger than a Lark's, while others are elongated or stunted in form. A clutch of four, found at the Teesmouth in 1902, consisted of : — One the size of a common Sparrow's. One the shape of a Common Gull's, One of normal type, and One long and narrow, with heavy blotches. Very rarely a clutch of five is met with, though no fewer than three containing that number were recorded from Masham in 1883 and 1884. It may be worthy of mention that Mr. Palmer in the Zoologist (1884, p. 69), notes the fact of a Lapwing perching on a stone wall in Wharfedale in July 1875. Concerning Yorkshire folk-lore there is a belief in the West Riding that at one period the Peewit made its nest in trees and that the Cushat built on the ground ; an amicable exchange took place between the birds, and now they respectively sing out their feelings on the subject. According to a local rhyme the Peewit says, " Peewit, Peewit, I coup'd my nest, and I've it." (See Ring-Dove.) Local vernacular names : — Lapwing, Peewit, Green Plover are in general use. Tewhit, Tewit, Tewet, Tuit, Tuet, and similar variants are commonly used in the West and North Ridings. (The Tewit Well, on the Upper Stray at Harrogate, is so called on account of its connection with these birds, whose large numbers are said to have attracted the attention of Sir William Slingsby, and so led to the discovery of the Nest and Eggs of Lapwing, Towthorpe, York. H. Lazenby. See page 584. TURNSTONE. 585 well, in the year 1571.) Teewit is in use in Central Ryedale, Doncaster, and Skelmanthorpe ; Tewfit is common in the East Riding, in Swaledale, and Arkengarthdale ; and Teafit is a term freely used in the North Riding and Cleveland, and equally so in the East Riding ; Wype, an obsolete name for this bird, was referred to in the Northumberland Household Book (1512) ; and Bastard Plover was applied to it in the ordinance as to the price of provisions at Hull, in 1560. TURNSTONE. Strepsilas interpres (L.). Winter visitant on the coast, arriving in August and September, retiring further south as winter approaches. A return passage occurs in spring ; a few remain during summer. The earliest reference to this, as a Yorkshire species, appears to be that of Thomas Allis, in his oft-mentioned Report on Yorkshire Birds, written in 1844, thus : — Strepsilas collaris. — Turnstone — Met with on the coast, frequenting rocky shore ; not infrequently seen at Filey. " A. Strickland." This handsome bird is an autumn or winter visitant on the coast, not uncommon on passage, and particularly abundant in the Tees and Humber districts. Towards the end of July the immature birds commence to arrive from the nesting grounds, the 26th being the earliest date of which I have any record, but the great majority do not appear until August and early September ; I have at these times frequently recognized their calls when the birds were passing overhead on still, dark nights. As stated, most of these are immature, yet a few adults in faded summer plumage are occasionally found with them. Very few Turnstones remain on the Yorkshire coast after the middle of autumn ; I once procured an old bird on the 8th of October, and saw an im- mature example as late as the 2ist of that month, while at Spurn it was numerous on 24th November 1888, an unusually late date. 586 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. On the return passage in spring small parties, from five to twenty in number, are observed going north ; I have noted them at the Teesmouth as early as 8th May in the year 1901 ; and a very large flock of shore birds, consisting of Turnstones, Knots, and Grey Plovers, was on the sands at Redcar on gth June 1887, at 3 a.m. At both the Tees and the Humber a few, probably non-breeding birds, though in full plumage, remain throughout the summer. This species is essentially a shore-bird, frequenting the harder and stony portions of the flats, and at the Teesmouth it is often found on the slag heaps which are left bare at half tide ; small parties, when on migration, occasionally rest on the " scars," reefs of low-lying rocks, some of them a mile distant from the shore, and uncovered at low tide. The Turnstone is seldom found far away from salt water, though it has been reported from one or two inland localities ; one was shot from a flock of pigeons at Boroughbridge in October 1849 ; others occurred at Cold Hiendley Reservoir in September 1868, and at Harrogate in 1896, whilst in 1883 one was killed from a flock of seven on Eldrick moor. Of local names, there are but two known to me in York- shire : it is called Dotterel in the Humber district, and at the Teesmouth is known as Turnstone Plover. OYSTER- CATC HER. Haematopus ostralegus~ (Z.). Winter visitant on the coast, local, common in some places. Appears sometimes in July, remaining until spring. Occasionally seen inland. One or two pairs nest at Spurn. In the Northumberland Household Book, begun in 1512, at the Earl Percy's Castles of Wressill and Lekinfield, is found the first mention in Yorkshire of what is evidently this species, which figures in the list of birds to be provided for " my Lordes owne mees," but no price is allotted, thus : — OYSTER-CA TCHER. 587 " Item, See-Pyes for my Lorde at Princypall Feestes and non other tyme." Thomas Allis, in 1844, wrote : — H&matopus ostralegus. — The Oyster-Catcher — F. O. Morris reports it frequent on the coast ; W. Eddison remarks that it is rarely met with near Huddersfield ; he has two specimens shot on Slaithwaite and Marsden Moors in winter, near the Reservoirs. Although this conspicuous bird may be found on some parts of the coast at all seasons of the year, it can strictly only be termed a winter visitant, very local, and common in some places, particularly at the Tees estuary. After the nesting season small flocks begin to appear on their journey from more northerly or Continental breeding places, occurring as early as the I3th of July ; many more arrive in August, whilst in September large migratory flights, sometimes numbering three or four hundred individuals, are noticed on passage, or frequenting the " slems " and sands of the Teesmouth ; these migrants continue to arrive until as late as the middle of November, and on the i6th of that month, in the year 1898, several struck the Spurn Lighthouse. On the Humber flats a few occasionally remain during the winter and until late in spring, but in the Tees area it is quite a rare bird between October and the early months of the year following, when small numbers put in an appearance, and many may be seen going northward in April and May ; on 27th February 1884 one of the largest flights I have ever known was observed at the Teesmouth. The Oyster-Catcher was not known as a nesting species at Spurn until the year 1888 ; it may, however, now be claimed as a resident there, though in very limited numbers. In the year named three nests with eggs were discovered, and since that date one or two nests have been noted ; in 1903 two pairs nested on the shingle banks, but it is to be regretted that the birds did not succeed in hatching eggs in the year following. As regards the Teesmouth, it is not at all improbable that this species was included in the " Sea- fowl which laye their egges here and there scatteringlye," as mentioned in 588 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. the Cottonian MS., about 1604 ; the locality would be eminently suitable for them, but I have not been able to ascertain that even the proverbial " oldest inhabitant " ever recollected it nesting there. On those portions of the coast outside the areas named it occurs sparingly, and generally when on migration. It is also reported from many inland places in the dales, far removed from its accustomed haunts, where it generally frequents reservoirs or follows the course of rivers, the enumeration of which would prove tedious, and is unnecessary. Lord Walsingham informed Mr. W. Eagle Clarke, in August 1883, that he shot a mature bird on Thackerey Beck, Bluber- housfe, the only one ever known there ; and from most of the reservoirs on the West Riding moors it has been recorded at various times. Although the Oyster- Catcher is not usually held in high esteem as a table delicacy, I can testify that the young birds are excellent eating in early autumn, though later in the year they become rank and fishy, as may be understood from the last meal of an individual killed near Whitby, which consisted of no fewer than seventy-seven limpets, or " flithers " as they are locally called, extracted from the shells. The vernacular names are : — Sea Pie, or Sea Nanpie, in general use, and Mussell Cracker is a term applied to the bird in the Teesmouth district. AVOCET. Recurvirostris avocetta Accidental visitant from the European Continent, of extremely rare occurrence. The first reliable mention of the Avocet, as a Yorkshire species, is apparently that referred to in Thomas Allis's Report, thus :— 4VOCET. 589 Recurvirostra avosetta. — The Avoset. — H. Chapman had two, killed on Skipwith Common, near Selby, about twenty years since, one of which is now in the Museum of the Yorkshire Philosophical Society ; F, O. Morris says several have been shot on the Humber and on other parts of the coast. A. Strickland has known several near the Spurn Lighthouse in spring some years ago, but he has heard of no recent instance. This singular looking bird was formerly not uncommon in Yorkshire, when the mud banks of the Humber and the adjacent marshes and Carrs of the East Riding afforded a congenial environment to birds of this class ; the same causes, however, which conduced to the extirpation of other rare species have driven it from its former haunts, and it is now but an accidental straggler from Continental Europe. The latest known instance of the Avocet nesting in Britain was at the mouth of the Trent, about the year 1837, Hugh Reid of Doncaster informed A. G. More, in a letter dated ist June 1861, that eggs were taken on a sand island at the mouth of the river Trent about twenty-four years before. There was at the time a spring tide, which nearly covered the island, and the eggs were floating on the water. The man who took them shot one of the parent birds at the same time and brought the eggs to Mr. Reid. The island had patches of grass growing on it, and there was always mud and warp about it — a likely place for the bird to feed on. The county boundary being at this place drawn in the centre of the River Trent, Yorkshire will share with Lincoln- shire the honour of possessing the last British breeding station of the Avocet. The recorded and communicated notices of its occurrence during the past century are as follows : — Two on Skipwith Common, about 1824 (Allis). At Spurn Point several were obtained before 1844, accord- ing to Allis's friend and correspondent, Arthur Strickland. In 1827-28 one, as recorded by J. Hogg (Zool. 1845, p. 1172), at the Teesmouth ; a locality whence Mr. J. H. Gurney reported it (op. cit. 1876, p. 4765) as having occurred two or three times, one of which was probably referable to an indi- vidual from the Teesmouth in the spring of 1849, formerly 590 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. in the collection of the late J. Duff of Bishop Auckland^ and recorded by him (op. cit. 1849, p. 2591). This specimen was sold at the dispersal of Mr. Duff's effects in 1901, but was in such a moth-eaten state as to be useless. Another example, which may have been in Mr. Gurney's list, was killed by a Stockton gunner, in the Tees, about 1870, but was rendered worthless for preservation. An adult specimen, talcen about 1865, at Scarborough, is now in the York Museum. Another adult, a male, was purchased at the sale of Mr. Hall's Scorborough collection, and is supposed to be a local specimen. It is now in the Hull Museum. And the most recent record of its appearance was near the Flamborough Lighthouse, where two were seen for several days in April 1893 ; one was procured by Mr. Coates of the Lighthouse Farm, and was stuffed for him by Mr. M. Bailey ; the other, which is in the collection of Mr. Forster of Bridling- ton, was killed on i6th April, at Marton Lodge, near the latter town. I have had an opportunity of examining both these specimens in the possession of their respective owners, (cf. Nat. 1893, p. 171.) BLACK-WINGED STILT. Himantopus candidus (Bonnat.). Accidental visitant from southern and south-eastern Europe, and Africa, of extremely rare occurrence. The claim of this rare and accidental straggler to rank as a Yorkshire species rests on the occurrence of an adult, and an immature specimen, obtained in Aike Carr, near Beverley ; and a third individual, stated to have occurred near Spurn. The Beverley examples were formerly in the possession of of the late James Hall of Scorborough, and were purchased at the sale of his collection, in 1878, by Mr. John Stephenson i • • .- • i^-^'V j^ j0r i y&»0, ;^~3FS55£&. The first known British example of the Grey Phalarope, shot near Halifax. Described and figured by George Edwards in February 1767. See page 591. GREY PHALAROPE* 591 of Beverley, who was informed by Miss Hall, in a letter dated 25th July 1881, that they were shot by Lord Hotham's keeper " about thirty years ago." Mr. Stephenson knew a woman who lived at Aike, and who remembered the birds being killed and shewn to her on account of their long legs. The third specimen was procured at Kilnsea, near Spurn, many years ago, by the late John Clubley, who described the bird to Mr. F. Boyes so accurately as to leave no doubt as to its identity. He did not know the date, but it was in late spring. GREY PHALAROPE. Phalaropus fulicarius (£.). Occasional visitant in autumn and winter, of rare and uncertain occurrence. This interesting species was first made known as a British bird from an example which was killed at Warley Clough, near Halifax, by Thomas Bolton, and sent to George Edwards, who described it in the " Philosophical Trans- actions," and afterwards figured it in his " Gleanings of Natural History " (1743-76, pi. ii. p. 206, iii. pi. 308), with the following observations : — " This Tringa I believe had not been figured or described before it appeared in the ' Philosophical Transactions,' vol. i. pi. i. p. 255, for the year 1757. [The species is minutely de- scribed in the work referred to.] It was procured for me by my obliging friend, Mr. Thomas Bolton, florist, of Warley Clough in Yorkshire, near which place it was shot in January 1757 Mr. Bolton says in his letter, that when newly killed, it weighed one ounce." Thomas Allis, 1844, wrote : — Phalaropus lobatus. — Grey Phalarope — F. O. Morris reports them as shot near Brignal, Scarborough, and Crimpsall not rarely ; H. Reid informs me that a specimen was shot near Rossington Bridge in the 592 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. year 1836, in the summer plumage, in a drain, and in September of the same year another was shot, in the winter plumage, in a pond near Doncaster ; Dr. Farrar says of this rare and beautiful species " I have obtained three specimens ; the first was caught alive, apparently uninjured, in the low marshy grounds of Bolton-upon-Dearne, by a party of poachers ; the second was shot on the margin of a small pond adjoining a few cottages at Hound Hill, near Barnsley, in 1835." A fine specimen that was taken up alive in a ditch a short distance from York, came into my own possession a few years ago. The Grey Phalarope is an uncertain and irregular visitant in autumn and winter, in some years being altogether absent, in others odd specimens are recorded, and at rare intervals it has appeared in considerable numbers, as in 1854, when the late Rev. Henry Smith shot four at Redcar,* and the late A. Roberts of Scarborough had fourteen brought to him for preservation. The year 1866 also was unusually prolific in birds of this species throughout the kingdom, the visitation extending to this county, as recorded by the late W. W. Boulton, who obtained two examples in East Yorkshire (Zoo/. 1867, p. 540). It has been only once reported in summer plumage, viz., in Allis's oft-quoted Report, the individuals met with being usually in immature or winter garb. It is most frequently brought under observation on the coast during the prevalence of strong gales, and, as it is of a remarkably tame and confiding nature, it falls a victim to the first gunner who notices it. My earliest acquaintance with this bird was in October 1874, when I saw one swimming amongst the breakers near East Scar, where it was eventually shot by a fisherman. The Grey Phalarope has occurred with more or less frequency at most of the coast stations, after heavy weather. The inland localities from which it has been recorded, in addition to those mentioned by Edwards and Allis, are : — Kirkthorpe, near Wakefield, in September 1861, and two at Horbury ; Denby, near Huddersfield, November 1873 ; Hambleton ; Birchworth Reservoir, December 1876 ; Wetherby * Mr. Smith informed Mr. W. Eagle Clarke that these were Red- necked Phalaropes, and as such they were recorded in the " Vertebrate Fauna of Yorkshire." RED-NECKED PHALAROPE. 593 December 1881 ; Tadcaster, two shot (Nat. 1891, p. 107) ; near York, October 1877 ; Brigham, near Leeds, October 1891 ; near Harrogate, October 1891 ; and Ackworth, October 1892. The only name, other than its usual one, by which it is known is Phalaroe, sometimes used by fishermen, and merely a corruption of Phalarope. RED-NECKED PHALAROPE. Phalaropus hyperboreus (£•)• Accidental visitant, in autumn and winter, of rare occurrence. Is is a curious coincidence that the first British information respecting both the Phalaropes should have been derived from Yorkshire specimens. This species was described in 1676 by Willughby from an example supplied by Ralph Johnson of Brignall, near Greta Bridge, and, following the account of its appearance and plumage, are the following quaint remarks, under the title of " Mr. Johnson's small cloven footed Gull " : — " When I first saw the skin of it stuft at Mr. Johnson's at Brignal in Yorkshire, from the make of its feet I judged it to be of the Coot kind. But afterwards being informed by Mr. Johnson that it is much upon the wing, hath sharp Wings, and cries like a small Gull, differs also in the fashion of the Bill, I changed my opinion, and think that it ought rather to be referred to the Gulls, to which I have subjoined it." (Will. " Orn." 1676, p. 355.) Thomas Allis, in 1844, wrote : — Phalaropus hyperboreus. — Red Pharalope — A. Strickland says both this and the former species are occasionally met with on the Bridlington coast in autumn or winter, in grey plumage, but never in summer attire. I believe that both species in winter plumage are often confounded under the name of Grey Phalarope, but may easily be distinguished by the bill. Allis' s suggestion that the two species of Phalarope, when in winter dress, are liable to be confused does not accord with 594 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. present day experience. The bird under notice is of much less frequency than its larger and more robust looking congener, and may be denned as a rare and casual visitant from northern latitudes in autumn and winter. It has twice been obtained in summer plumage, but the instances of its visits are so few that it may be advisable to detail the occurrences so far as they are known : — The first is that referred to by Willughby. In the autumn of 1812, one was taken at Swinton Lake. The Rev. F. O. Morris reported one at Redcar on 22nd November 1851, At Scarborough the late A. Roberts recorded an example in November 1854, and another mature specimen in December of the same year, as announced by him in the Zoologist (1854, p. 4331 ; and 1855, p. 4558). Sir Wm. Milner's collection, in the Leeds Museum, contains an individual in summer plumage, shot in May 1854, at Wilber* foss, near York ; it was swimming in a pond in company with some ducks (Milner, op. cit. 1854, P- 4441 5 *&& Morris, " Brit. Birds "). A specimen was reported by J. Harrison (MS.) " in spring 1854, in the neighbourhood of Hambleton." An example in summer plumage was presented to me in 1904, by Mr. J. Braim, late of Pickering, who supplied the information that it was obtained while swimming on a pond at Scampston " about forty years previously," i.e.* in the " sixties." About the year 1860 Geo. Mussell of Middlesbrough had two specimens brought to preserve. The late J. C. Garth's collection at Knaresborough con- tained one, labelled " Arkendale, yth October 1871." At Bridlington a male occurred on I4th October 1872, and was recorded by Mr. F. Boyes (Zool. 1873, p. 3371). In the Burton Agnes collection is a male from Fraisthorpe in 1876. On 9th October 1881, an example was shot at Spurn> and on the same date another at Withernsea, as recorded in the Third Migration Report, p. 32. Woodcock on nest. H. Lazenbv. See page 597. WOODCOCK. 595 The late G. W. Jalland of Hull procured one at Spurn, on 8th November 1889, and another in 1890. These specimens were in his collection, where I examined them. One in my collection was picked up dead at the Teesmouth, on 23rd October 1891. At Scarborough one was reported by Mr. W. J. Clarke in the winter of 1892. An immature male was taken at Spurn on loth September 1894 (J. Cordeaux MS.). And a specimen in Mr. T. Machen's possession at Bridling- ton, was procured at that place in 1898. The late Rev. H. Smith of Redcar informed Mr. W. Eagle Clarke that four Phalaropes, shot by him in 1854, were of this species, and as such they were recorded in the " Vertebrate Fauna of Yorkshire " ; they proved, however, to be P. fulicarius. WOODCOCK. Scolopax rusticola (Z.). Resident, in limited numbers. Best known as a winter immigrant, arriving in October and November, sometimes in large nights. Appears on the coast in March and April preparatory to returning to its northern haunts. Historically speaking, the Woodcock's association with Yorkshire dates back to remote times, for it is mentioned in the ordinances issued by Royal proclamation as to the prices oc victuals in the City of York, in the year 1393, i6th Richard II. as follows : — " For a Woodcock id." It next appears in connection with the great banquet, given in 1466 at Cawood, by Earl Warwick, the " King Maker," in honour of the enthronization of his brother, George Nevell, as Arch- bishop o York, when in the goodly provision made were " Woodcockes, 400 " (Leland's " Collectanea ") ; it also figures in the Northumberland Househo'd Book, in 1512, thus : " Item it is thought good that Woodcokes be hade for my 596 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. Lordes owne mees and non other and to be at jd. a pece, or jd. ob. (ijd.) at the moste." In the " Correspondence of Dr. Richardson " of North Bierley (p. 226), is an interesting reference to this species, contained in a letter, dated North Bierley, I3th November 1725, and addressed to Sir Hans Sloane in London, thus : — " On Wednesday last I sent you a pott of Woodcocks by .... a Kendall carrier, who inns at the Bell, in Wood Street.-" Thomas Allis, in 1844, wrote : — Scopolax rusticola. — The Woodcock — Common in most parts ; W. Eddison says it is often numerous ; it comes about the 5th November, and departs about the i/th March. Seldom seen in summer, though he is of opinion it does occasionally remain the year round, and breed in the Storrs Hall and Farnley Woods ; F. O. Morris states that several instances have occurred of their breeding in Yorkshire. J. Heppenstall says it breeds occasionally near Sheffield, and has done so this year in Wharncliffe Wood. Dr. Farrar has seen this bird late in summer, and is satisfied of its breeding here. Arthur Strickland observes that the promontory of Flamborough Head, being the first land that birds from the Continent approach, has been long celebrated for flights of these birds, which are occasionally found there on their first arrival, but these arrivals are much less certain and numerous than they used to be, and the birds soon disperse westwards. The earliest authentic account of the Woodcock's nesting in England is, probably, that by Willughby, who stated in his " Ornithology " (1678, pp. 289, 290), that " Mr. Jessop [of Broomhall] saw young Woodcock to be sold at Sheffield." J. Heppenstall of that town also mentioned the fact of young birds being observed (Zool. 1843, p. 15 ; and 1844, P- 667), and according to Seebohm (" British Birds," vol. iii. p. 234), it still breeds in the Sheffield district, where that author saw a nest in April 1870. It was not unknown as a breeding species to Allis and, doubtless owing to the greater interest now taken in ornithology, and to the operation of the Wild Birds Protection Acts, the discovery of the Woodcock's nest is no uncommon occurrence. In addition to the localities referred to, it is reported from near Doncaster in 1834, Stain- borough Woods, near Barnsley, in 1831 and 1876, in the secluded woods of Airedale, Ribblesdale, the Forest of Bowland, Nidderdale, Wharfedale, Craven, the Washburn Valley (where I Nest of Woodcock, near Selby. . Fortune. See page 597. WOODCOCK. 597 saw eggs in 1903), near Ripon, and other suitable parts of West Yorkshire. In the North Riding it breeds with greater regularity and frequency than is generally supposed to be the case ; the late J. Carter of Masham has known of six nests in one season in Lower Wensleydale ; it is probably of annual occurrence near York, in Swaledale, and near Sedbergh ; on the southern slopes of the Hambleton Hills several pairs breed near Sessay and Coxwold, also near Helmsley, in Rye- dale, and in Bilsdale, where I saw three old birds in June 1883. In the Cleveland area it nests regularly in the woods of Wilton, Arncliffe, Swainby, Ingleby, and Kildale, as well as lower down the Esk Valley, and in the Mulgrave and Crinkle woods near the coast. In East Yorkshire the nest has been occasionally known on the Wolds, and in 1875 one was found at Knapton. The home-bred birds leave their nesting quarters as winter ap- proaches, and, presumably, migrate further southward.* This sporting bird is, however, best known as an autumn and winter immigrant, coming, as a rule, in two great flights. Its arrival on the coast can be predicted with great certainty, viz. : — during the first N.E., E. or S.E. wind after or about the middle of October ; if no such wind occurs there is not a great arrival of 'Cock in that month, but if the period of full moon synchronizes with the other favourable conditions the flight is more pronounced ; a supplementary flight takes place in November, and very often a small one in September, on the i6th of which month, in 1890, I saw a single bird fly up the sands at Redcar. The earliest arrivals I am aware of were in the last week of August 1883, when one was shot on the sand-hills and two or three others were seen near the Tees Breakwater. The numbers vary greatly in different years, depending mainly on the force and direction of the wind and the state of the weather. On dark and foggy nights * Marked birds bred in Alnwick Park, Northumberland, have been shot in places as widely apart as the south-west of England, mid-Scotland and Ireland, whilst some have been killed near the nesting localities, showing that the young do not always follow the usual rule in migration, (ci. Field, 23rd April 1904.) 598 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. they strike the lanterns of our sea beacons, many being thus immolated at Spurn and Flamborough ; at the latter station in October 1864, a Woodcock dashed through the quarter-inch glass, and was picked up dead and mutilated amongst the lamps. A south-east to north-east wind is most favourable for coast observation, as the birds on arrival are exhausted and ready to drop anywhere, and under these conditions, with the addition t)f a foggy or drizzly atmosphere, the coast gunners are always on the alert for the " Cocks' ' advent to take advantage of the opportunity to make a good bag. A quaint reference to the migration of this bird is made in a communication from Ralph Johnson of Brignall, to the renowned John Ray, thus : — " Brignall, 7th May 1686. Sir .... and Woodcockes from Norway come often so tired to us/' (" Correspondence of John Ray," p. 183.) At Flamborough, on arriving, they frequently drop at the foot of the cliffs, being sometimes found amongst the boulders on the shore, or seek shelter in the little ravines running up from the beach ; several occurred there in October 1903, and it is quite a mistaken idea to imagine they are lean or in poor condition on first landing, for of their estimable qualities I have personal experience. At Redcar they com- monly find refuge in the benty grass on the sand-hills and the Tees Breakwater, and occur in most unlikely situations : in the streets, in doorways and on window-sills, in yards, gardens (I flushed one, on 2ist November 1902, in the garden behind my house), on the sands, and amongst the fishing cobles. Although generally observed singly on migration, they do occasionally cross the sea in company ; I have on three separate occasions seen two together, and, in November 1877, when they were very abundant in Cleveland, a small party of nine was noticed coming in from seaward. According to the information supplied to the British Associa- tion Migration Committee, and detailed in their Reports, it is found that great arrivals of Woodcock took place as follows :— 1881. I9th to 20th October. Upwards of a hundred shot at Spurn. WOODCOCK. 599 1882. Second week in October. 1883. Fourth week in October. 1884. Throughout October and up to mid-November. 1885. 22nd to 24th October. N.E. gale. At Spurn seventy-nine were secured by one party on the 24th. Small red form. 1886. Third week in October. Subsequently to the Migration Reports there were large flights in 1888, in the first week of November ; in 1889, in the second week of November ; and in 1890, on 20th to 22nd October, when forty were killed at Flamborough. The general character of the migratory movements of this; interesting species in Yorkshire is here briefly outlined ; a few odd stragglers keep dropping in throughout October, and until the November flight, after which we may conclude the main body will be established in their winter haunts, though occasionally in very severe weather, when birds are " frozen out," local migrations may be observed. The vernal migration of the Woodcock is, probably, more noticeable inland than on the coast ; at that period, March and April, they may often be flushed in woods and spinneys, especially if their departure be delayed by continuous easterly winds. The late Prof. W. C. Williamson stated that at Scar- borough they used to be shot in March, when prevented from continuing their over-sea journey (P.Z.S. 1836, Vol. iv. p. 77), and it is stated in the Annual Register for the year 1799, that " Many Woodcock, with Plovers and Crows, were cast ashore in Holderness, during a great snowstorm on the 4th of April." At Redcar I have noticed them in mid- April, and in 1891 they remained for several days in the vicinity of the coast during stormy weather while, doubtless, awaiting a favourable opportunity for continuing their j ourney and crossing the North Sea. At Flamborough and Spurn, also, they have been noted on the vernal passage. A species of such general distribution needs but little further notice in that respect ; as is well known to most naturalists and sportsmen, on its first arrival it may be flushed in almost any place : hedgerows, on moors, amongst bracken, VOL. II. Q boo THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. and other unlikely situations, but, after settling down, it becomes " haunted," as the Cleveland saying goes, and year after year may be found in the same spot, whilst, if killed, its place is soon taken by another. Heavy toll of their ranks is often exacted by coast shooters, yet large bags are made on favoured estates in various parts of the county. Lord de L'Isle and Dudley told me that the largest number killed at Ingleby in one season was seventy- three, in the year 1864 ; and W. Cook, formerly head keeper at Crinkle, a very favourite haunt of 'Cock, bagged twenty- four in one day. There had been a heavy snowstorm, and he tried all the known resorts of the bird ; twice he killed a right and left, and once two at a shot, thus emulating Chantrey's famous achievemnet immortalised in " Winged Words." So much has already been written, in works specially devoted to game-birds, on the habits of the Woodcock, that it would be superfluous to occupy the space in a county history for this purpose ; it may not be out of place, however, to state that the old birds have been seen carrying the young, which they held pressed under their bodies, but not in their claws ; and, as early as ist April 1894, Lord de L'Isle and Dudley discovered a nest with the parent bird sitting on four eggs. A singular instance of tameness in this species is related by the late Hon. H. Sidney, who says (Field, 3rd April 1886) that, during the snowstorm of that winter, the occupants of a house in the village of Ingleby threw out food for small birds, and were surprised one day to see a Woodcock come in quest of a meal ; it continued to put in an appearance every day till the thaw came, and if the food was not ready at the same time each day it sat waiting for its arrival. The average weight of this bird is I2oz. The late J. Gould remarked, in reference to a Woodcock shot near Halifax in 1861, and said to have weighed 20 oz., "A bird of this weight I have never seen," an assertion which will be confirmed by every other ornithologist. The heaviest of which I have personal knowledge weighed 17 oz., and was killed at Hutton, near Guisborough, while the lightest healthy bird was one of 7 Joz., obtained by Mn E, B, Emerson at Easby-in-Cleveland. GREAT SNIPE. 601 Of Yorkshire varieties, Tunstall recorded one sent to him in 1766, shot in Winston lordship, near York, which had all the large feathers perfectly white. The late W. Talbot of Wakefield had one in his collection, taken on 2ist September 1851, of a uniform rufous or light brown shade ; a white speci- men was killed on Strensall Common in October 1875 ; and an example, almost white in plumage but with faint yellow markings, was reported at Ormesby-in-Cleveland in the first week of November 1904. GREAT SNIPE. Gallinago major (Gmelin). Bird of passage, of uncommon occurrence. In all probability the earliest reference to this bird in Yorkshire is that reported by R. Leyland, as shot in 1836, and which is mentioned in Thomas Allis's Report of 1844, thus :— Scolopax major. — Great Snipe — F. O. Morris reports two shot near Doncaster ; R. Leyland one from Sowerby Moor, shot 27 th September 1836, and now in the Halifax Literary and Philosophical Society'* Museum. W. Eddison says a few specimens have been shot, but the bird is very rare ; those found were shot near Deane Head ; H. Chapman has also had the bird ; A. Strickland has one specimen killed at Flam* borough. The Great, or Solitary, Snipe is a bird of passage in autumn or winter, of rare occurrence. Instances are reported of indi- viduals being killed on nth August 1899, at Townhead, near Sheffield ; on 23rd August 1901, at Cherry Cob Sands, near Spurn ; and in the last week of the same month in 1877 and 1887, near Beverley ; but, generally speaking, it does not arrive until September. The average weight of this species is 7joz. to 8oz., and an example weighing lojoz., which occurred near Pickering* and was recorded in the Field (5th October 1895), calls forth 602 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. an editorial comment in that journal on the unusual weight. In the York Museum is a specimen shot at Hayton, in Septem- ber 1878, said to have scaled the extraordinary weight of 1407. The late W. W. Boulton of Beverley mentioned that the gizzard of one, obtained in October 1863, contained a few seeds and vegetable matter, foreign to the bird's usual food (Zool. 1864, p. 8890). The communicated and recorded occurrences number upwards of sixty, and are too voluminous for particularization. It may, perhaps, suffice to state that eighteen have been shot in the North Riding, seventeen in the East Riding, and in the West Riding twenty-nine. COMMON SNIPE. Gallinago ccelestis (Frenzel). Resident, local, breeds in most suitable districts. A great influx of immigrants takes places in autumn. During winter it is more generally distributed. The earliest mention of the Snipe in Yorkshire is, probably, to be found in the Northumberland Household Book, in 1512, in which the price to be paid for birds for " my Lordes owne Mees " is fixed, and " Snypes after 3 for id." is given as applicable to the species under notice. Another early allusion is in the value of " Wildfowl at Hull " in 1560, that of a Snipe being id. Thomas Allis, in 1844, wrote : — Scolopax gallinago. — Common Snipe — Common in most parts ; it breeds occasionally near Sheffield, Doncaster, and York ; and on the moors near Halifax sparingly. The Snipe is a local resident in Yorkshire, breeding not uncommonly from the marshy lands bordering the coast up to the high fells of the west and north-west and on the Cleveland Hills. In the dales of the West and North Ridings it nests in most of the rough sedgey pastures and boggy COMMON SNIPE. 603 lands, and, although drainage and reclamation of waste spaces have conduced to its decrease as a nesting species, it still occurs in all suitable localities removed from the vicinity of manufacturing centres. In autumn large numbers of immigrants arrive on our shores ; the first comers about the third week in September, and the main flights in October and November with the Wood- cock, when they are not infrequently immolated against the lanterns of our coast beacons. I have seen Snipe crossing from seaward so early as 2ist September, and in October 1890 I shot one of two, which were flying over the Redcar " scars," coming direct from the sea. On first arrival many remain in the coast marshes, others are flushed by Partridge shooters in the stubbles and root crops, but the majority gradually disperse over the country, when they are much more generally distributed than in the nesting season. Their movements vary greatly, and are regulated by the condition of the weather ; should intense frost and snow occur they betake themselves to open streams and running ditches, in which situations in Cleveland they were very plentiful in mid-December 1899 ; and in severe winters they desert even the streams, and resort to the tidal portion of the Tees estuary, leaving the district altogether if unpropitious weather continues for long, while only a few return with milder conditions. In 1879 large numbers arrived in Holderness from the middle to the end of November, pre- ceding an outbreak of frost and snow in December, and all left again before the middle of that month. In some seasons on the Tees marshes they are very numerous, and I have flushed a large " wisp," which might almost have been called a flock, of fully a hundred, evidently newly arrived. On a fine warm day in the autumn of 1890, a large assemblage of Snipe was seen sunning themselves on a small grassy spot in a marsh near the Teesmouth, where they were observed by a gunner, who fired into the " brown," and told me afterwards he picked up seventeen — fourteen Common and three Jacks. The Common Snipe was in great abundance near Beverley in the same year. 604 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. The return migration of the winter visitants usually takes place about the end of March and in April. Nidification commences in April ; I have found young in June which were well on the wing in July. A clutch of five eggs, reported by Mr. R. Fortune, in Ripon Park on ist June 1890 (Nat. 1890, p. 210), must be considered as unusual. The late Canon Atkinson related (" Moorland Parish," p. 325) an incident of a couple of Snipe coming regularly two or three times a day for eight or nine days to feed on bread soaked in milk provided as a meal for hungry birds, and placed on the lawn of Danby parsonage. It is known to most ornithologists that wading birds are at times in the habit of perching, and as regards the Snipe there is evidence of this habit from the fact that it has been captured in that deadly instrument the " pole- trap/' I have also had ocular proof of the same fact in Ryedale, in June 1883, when I saw a Snipe fly on to the topmost twig of a dead ash tree and perch there for a minute (Zool. 1884, p. 28). There is still considerable diversity of opinion as to the method by which the humming or bleating sound is produced by the Snipe when descending in its spiral flight ; some observers say it is caused by both wings and tail, while others assert that the wings alone are used. The late J. Carter of Masham stated that an instance of maternal devotion in this species came under his notice in the spring of 1880. A drain was being made through a field, in which a Snipe had built, and would of course have destroyed the nest, but the workmen made a circuit, enclosing the piece of ground containing the nest, which formed a kind of bracket to the edge of the drain, and the bird, notwithstanding the presence of the men, continued its duties and hatched off the eggs. The number of tail feathers in the Common Snipe does not appear to be constant ; I have seen and examined specimens which had, some fifteen, and some sixteen feathers. Of the so-called Sabine's Snipe, now generally admitted to be merely a dark form of the common species, Thomas Allis's Report, 1844, contains the following observation : — Nest of Common Snipe. R. Fortune. See page 604. JACK SNIPE. 605 Scolopax sdbini. — Sabine's Snipe — Arthur Strickland says he ha* reason to believe, from description, that one was killed in his neighbour- hood a few years ago. Local names : — Long Neb is used in the East and North Ridings; Full Snipe at Scarborough; and Heather Bleater is mentioned by Captain Turton as in use at Upsall. JACK SNIPE. Scolopax gallinula (£.)• Winter visitant ; generally distributed in suitable situations. Arrives in October, and departs in April. The first mention of this as a Yorkshire species occurs in Willughby's " Ornithology," under the title of " The Gid, or Jack-Snipe or Judcock : — I, sometimes, following the vulgar error, thought it not to differ from the Snipe in kind, but only in sex, taking it to be the Cock-Snipe. But after- wards being advised by Mr. M. Lister [of York], I found it to differ specifically. For, dissecting several of these small ones, some proved to be males, some females." (Will. " Orn." 1678, p. 291.) Thomas Allis, 1844, wrote : — Scolopax gallinula. — Jack Snipe — Is common in most parts ; it breeds in the neighbourhood of Huddersfield, at Slaithwaite, and . ... it breeds occasionally near Doncaster and Halifax. Needless to remark, there is not the slightest evidence in support of Allis's statement respecting the nesting of this bird in Yorkshire, which error is also repeated by Yarrell (" British Birds," 1843, n. p. 614), by Mr. C. C. Hanson (Nat. 1881), and by more than one of my numerous correspondents ; it is quite evident, on investigation of the circumstances, that the Dunlin has, in all these cases, been mistaken for the species under notice. This diminutive Snipe is a winter visitant, generally arriving in October, varying in numbers in different seasons, 606 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. and less abundant than the foregoing species. An unusually early appearance was on i8th August 1863, near Beverley, where one was shot by the late T. E. Buckley. On nth September 1886, Lord Walsingham killed an example on Bluberhouse moor, and forwarded the specimen to Mr. W. Eagle Clarke, with the observation that it was the first he had known there ; the earliest of which I have had personal knowledge was on ist October 1901, at the Teesmouth. It is fairly generally distributed in suitable localities, and resembles the Woodcock in its partiality for certain haunts, but in many districts it is decreasing in numbers. It is usually found singly, though I have occasionally flushed several, probably new arrivals, in close proximity to each other. It was very numerous in the winter of 1864-65 near Beverley, and in the Tees marshes in the autumn of 1883 ; on 23rd October 1900 I bagged four out of six which rose from a small marshy tract at the same place where fourteen Common Snipe and three Jacks were killed at one shot (see Common Snipe, p. 603). In the winter of 1897 Mr. E. B. Emerson shot eighteen Jacks, in a small bog on Swainby moor, nearly all of which were males. The return migration takes place in April, odd individuals sometimes lingering until the first week in May ; one was seen in Cleveland as late as the 3rd of that month. The Jack Snipe sometimes strikes the lanterns of our coast beacons on dark and foggy nights when on migration, and at this period often occurs in very unlikely situations ; in October 1881 one was caught asleep on the beach at Redcar, having evidently dropped exhausted after its flight across the sea, and I have frequently flushed single birds from a small patch of grass near the Tees Breakwater. The late Canon Atkinson of Danby related (Zool. 1853, p. 4656) an instance of this bird's habit of " lying close " for purposes of concealment, and mentioned the fact of this usually silent species uttering a slight note, a fact which is corroborated by Mr. F. Boyes from his personal observation. Heads and bills of the large and small races of Dunlin— the latter is sometimes called the " Drain Dunlin " in East Yorkshire. J. Backhouse, ZooL See page 61 1. 607 BROAD-BILLED SANDPIPER. Limicola platyrhyncha (Temm). Accidental visitant from northern Europe, of extremely rare occurrence. This Sandpiper has its habitat in northern Europe and Siberia, migrating in winter as far south as India and China. Its claim to be considered a Yorkshire bird rests on the occurrence of a single male example, procured by Thomas Ellotson, in April 1863, from a large flock of Dunlins, at Hornsea Mere in Holderness. This specimen is now in the collection formed by the late Sir Henry Boynton at Burton Agnes, where I have had the pleasure of seeing it. PECTORAL SANDPIPER. Tringa maculata (Vieillot). Accidental visitant from North America, of extremely rare occurrence. It is somewhat strange that, since the early records of this North American species in Yorkshire in the years 1853 and 1854, there should have been no notice of its visit to the county until 1888, when the late J. Cordeaux announced its reappearance at the Humber mouth ; though there is a probability that it may escape observation when consorting with other small waders, and may really be of more frequent occurrence than the few records lead us to infer. As, how- ever, there are but five communicated instances of its capture, it is desirable to give the particulars of each. T. S. Rudd mentioned two as having been shot near Redcar — one at the Teesmouth on 30th August 1853, and the other in a field near Coatham on I7th October of the same year (Nat. 1853, p. 275). 6o8 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. One at Filey is recorded by the Rev. F. O. Morris (" British Birds," 1854, iv. p. 316). On 2nd October 1888, Mr. T. W. Pool of Hull procured one of two, supposed to be of the same species, on the coast near Kilnsea, and left it with Mr. P. Loten of Easington to be preserved. The skin was forwarded to the late J. Cordeaux for identification, with the information that it was a male (Nat. 1888, p. 354 ; and Zbol. 1891, p. 366). This specimen is now in the possession of Mr. Riley Fortune, and was figured by the late Lord Lilford in his magnificent work on British Birds (Vol. v. PL 31). At Bridlington one was shot on I5th August 1891, and has been submitted to me for examination by its owner, Mr. S. Smith of York. Lastly, a very fine adult male example, in summer plumage, was obtained by Dr. Steward of Harrogate, on 28th September 1897, at Easington, near Spurn, and was seen shortly after- wards by Messrs. H. Saunders, W. Eagle Clarke, and J. Cordeaux. The irides were dark coloured, and the legs and feet ochreous yellow. This individual is now in the Royal Scottish Museum. DUNLIN. Tringa alpina (£.). Resident, breeding in limited numbers, and irregularly, on the fells of the west and north-west, and sparingly on the Tees marshes. Very abundant as a winter visitant to the coast, particularly at the Tees and Humber estuaries, arriving in August and September, and departing in April and May. A few non-breeding birds remain through- out the summer. The earliest allusion to this in Yorkshire is in the Northumberland Household Book, begun in 1512. In the list of birds to be provided for " my Lordes owne Mees " is found " Styntes so they be after 6 a id." ; and later, amongst the provisions at the marriage feast of Sir John Neville's = DUNLIN. 609 daughter, in 1526, at Chevet, near Wakefield, are " five dozen Stints, gd." George Allan referred to these birds as being " formerly a great dish at our tables " (Fox's " Synopsis of the Tunstall Museum," 1791, p. 86), which is quite apparent from the price of " Wildfowl at Hull " in 1560, when " Stintes " are quoted at 4d. a dozen. The first British description of the bird occurs in a com- munication from Ralph Johnson of Brignall, near Greta Bridge, to Willughby, thus : — " It is about the bigness of the Jack Snipe or Judcock, hath a straight, channell'd, black Bill, a little broader at the end, oblong nostrils ; a blackish tongue. The Throat and Breast white, spotted with black. The middle of the Belly is blackish, varied with white lines. The Lower Belly, and feathers under the Tail white. All the upper side is red, •everywhere spotted with pretty great black spots with a little white. Yet the wings from a grey incline to a brown or dusky colour. The Legs and Feet are of a competent length and black. The back-toe the shortest. The Tail consists of twelve feathers of which the two middlemost are dusky [" brown "] with one or two red spots. The rest from brown incline to white. It gets its food out of the mud." (Will. " Orn." 1678, p. 305.) Thomas Allis, 1844, wrote : — Tringa variabilis. — The Dunlin — J. Heppenstall informs me it is found on Thorne Moor in summer ; R. Leyland says it breeds on the High Moors, round Halifax ; H. Reid reports it as very rare near Doncaster, and that one specimen was killed at Bradsworth in the spring of this year; it is common at Hebden Bridge, and not infrequently to be seen in considerable numbers during winter in the shops in York. A. Strickland says considerable flocks, in various stages of plumage, are frequently met with on the sea shore about Bridlington in the autumn and winter, and that it is about the most abundant species on the shore ; he says they must breed in considerable numbers in some part of the county, but he does not know where, and that a few pair used to breed, many years ago, in Stockton Forest, near York, where he has taken both their eggs and young. In addition to being the most numerous and familiar of our Sandpipers, the Dunlin is known in some parts of Yorkshire 6io THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. as a nesting species and, whilst endeavouring to define its distribution, it may perhaps be advisable to exercise a certain amount of discretion in regard to its breeding areas, for reasons which will be apparent to most ornithologists. According to Allis's correspondents (quoted above), it formerly bred on the low-lying tract of Thome moor, and may possibly still do so, as one or two pairs have been noted in summer within recent ygars ; on the authority of Leyland and Strickland it is mentioned as nesting near Halifax and York ; Mr. S. L. Mosley informs me that his father took the young at Booth Deane, above Sowerby Bridge ; he himself found newly hatched young at Muker, Swaledale, in 1871, and saw a pair of old birds on Standedge in the summer of the year following. Another low-lying district where it has nested, to my certain knowledge, for many years past, is the marshland near the Teesmouth, though the breeding birds are limited to a few pairs. I am not aware of any other nesting locality in Cleveland, but on the fells of Upper Teesdale the Dunlin breeds sparingly on the grassy slopes of the hills, where I saw six pairs in June 1900, and in 1902 a clutch of eggs was taken. In the higher reaches of Swaledale, Wensleydale, Yoredale, Arkengarthdale, and Lunedale in the North Riding, and the range of hills bordering on Westmorland and Lancashire, including Ribblesdale and Wharfedale, Nidderdale, and south- ward to the moors in the Sheffield neighbourhood, it nests irregularly and sparingly, and in some parts to upwards of 2,200 feet elevation. On these extensive fells and moors there may be more breeding birds than the casual observer imagines, for the nest is difficult to locate on such tracts of wild and desolate country ; in one or two places it is in con- siderable numbers, and my reticence respecting the precise localities where the nest may be found will be understood and appreciated, when it is stated that reliable information has been supplied to the effect that unscrupulous persons take advantage of the birds' confiding nature in the breeding season to drive them into nets set for the purpose. The Dunlin, however, is best known as a shore bird, and Nest of Dunlin, Teesmouth. T H. Nelson. See ae 610. DUNLIN. 611 on the mud flats of the Tees and Humber estuaries a great influx of immigrants takes place in mid- August, frequently continuing to arrive throughout October. In very severe weather many of these leave for more southern quarters, though vast numbers make Yorkshire their winter home, and may be seen on the " slems " and sands, or performing their aerial evolutions at high tide. A return movement takes place in April and May, often in company with Ringed Plovers and other northward travelling waders ; some linger at the estuaries as late as June, and a few non-breeding birds in partial summer plumage remain during the summer ; on 2ist June 1899, a pair was observed at Hornsea Mere in Holderness. The Dunlin is frequently found amongst the victims lured to their destruction by the rays of our sea-beacons, and on calm evenings in autumn I have many times listened to the calls of birds passing overhead on migration. A divergence of opinion exists in reference to the question of the different races of this species, and I may state that my experience on this point shows that our nesting birds in- variably belong to the small bright-coloured form ; both the large and small varieties appear on the spring and autumn passages ; I have shot examples of each kind from the same flock in September, and am strongly of opinion there are two races, but doubt whether the differences in size are sufficient to constitute specific distinctions ; they are more likely attributable to the influences of climate and food. Measurements of the two forms, taken from Yorkshire speci- mens, are set forth by Mr. J. Backhouse, in the Zoologist (1901, pp. 91, et seq.). On all the sandy beaches between the Tees and Humber the Dunlin occurs more or less frequently, generally whilst on its migrations, at these periods being also observed in small parties at localities far distant from the coast. Nidification commences early in May on the low grounds, being a week or two later in the fell districts. Though most authors agree that the nest is very difficult to discover, it may be worth mentioning that one, found at the Teesmouth in 612 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. May 1898, was quite exposed to view under a tussock of grass in a wet spot, and visible at fully twenty yards' distance. A curious accident to one of these birds is reported by Sir Ralph Payne Gallwey, who found it starved to death, a cockle shell having closed upon the bill so tightly as to muzzle it completely and prevent its feeding, whilst in the winter of 1890-91 Mr. F. Boyes saw one at Spurn which was disabled owing to having a cockle attached to its leg (Field, I5th March 1884, and 3ist January 1890). Varieties of plumage are very uncommon ; the only instance of which I have had personal knowledge was one of a nesting pair at the Teesmouth, several years ago, which had a large white patch on one wing. Of local names, Stint is the universally accepted term, and by which it has been known for centuries. It is called Purre in the Tunstall MS., and in Wensleydale, according to Barker (1854) > Tommy Stint is in use at Spurn ; Jack Plover, in the North Riding dales ; and Judcock and Little Snipe, in Swaledale and Arkengarthdale. LITTLE STINT. Tringa minuta (Leisler). Bird of passage on the coast on the spring and autumn migrations, chiefly at the latter period. Very rare inland. Possibly the earliest reference to this, as a Yorkshire bird, is made in Thomas Allis's Report of 1844, when he wrote : — Tringa minuta. — Little Sandpiper — F. O. Morris reports six being killed near Redcar on the River Tees. S. Gibson says it is rare near Hebden Bridge, he has a single specimen shot there a few years since ; it has been shot in the neighbourhood of York. This diminutive Sandpiper is a bird of passage on the coast line, chiefly during the autumn migration, being most frequently found at the Tees and Humber estuaries ; in some LITTLE STINT. 613 years it is rare or altogether absent, whilst in exceptional seasons it has occurred in great abundance. These erratic visitations are evidently due to the fact that the Yorkshire coast lies to the westward of its chief line of flight, and it is only under extraordinary chcumstances that large numbers are met with. The earliest date of which I have note of its arrival in autumn is i2th August 1900, when one was obtained near Redcar ; it was especially numerous in the years 1881, 1887, 1889, 1892, 1894, and 1903 ; in the latter season in flocks of forty to fifty in number, at the Teesmouth. In 1887, both at the last named locality and at Spurn, it was exceptionally plentiful from the 25th of August to the end of September, fresh comers arriving almost daily up to the 6th of the latter month, when there was a great " rush " of small waders ;. that season has since been distinguished as a remarkable " Little Stint and Curlew Sandpiper yean" On first arrival the Little Stint does not, as a rule, associate with other shore birds, and occurs in small parties of half-a- dozen up to forty and fifty, or even more, but later in the season it is seen consorting with the Dunlin and Curlew Sandpiper, the latter of which is generally associated with it on migration. Although often found on the sands and muds this species appears to prefer the salt marshes and reclaimed land adjacent to the estuary, where large flocks have been observed feeding on the margins of the brackish pools, whence they fly only a short distance if disturbed. Early in October the southward flight is resumed ; one was reported at Spurn on 8th October 1881, and the latest lingerer I have noted at the Teesmouth was on I4th November 1903. On the spring passage northward it is extremely rare ; a male in full summer plumage was procured at Kilnsea on 7th May 1877 ; one in the Hull Museum was obtained near Beverley in June 1885 ; and occasionally it occurs in the Tees area in May and June, generally singly, and never in flocks as in autumn. On other portions of the coast it ranks as a casual visitant 614 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. only, and as such it may be classed in localities away from the seaboard, a list of which is here appended : — Mentioned in Allis's Report. Two were seen, and one shot, near Killerby, in August 1843, as recorded by Mark Booth (Zool. 1844, p. 444). At Yeadon Moor Reservoir, near Leeds, one was obtained in September 1864 (op. cit. 1864, p. 9289). Near Barnsley it occurred in 1869. In 1875 one was recorded near York. The late Wm. Talbot (" Birds of Wakefield," 1877, p. 27) mentioned two killed from a flock at Cold Hiendley, and three at Horbury Reservoir. In Wensleydale it has been noted at Thornton Rust by E. Chapman. And at Haxby, near York, one was reported in July 1900. TEMMINCK'S STINT. Tringa temmincki (Leisler). Accidental visitant, of extremely rare occurrence. Thomas Allis, in 1844, observed : — Tringa temmincki. — Little Temminck's Stint — H. Denny writes me, " I have heard of Temminck's Stint being shot on the York Road [Leeds] last year, but I have not seen it." A. Strickland says he has met with minuta or temmincki, or both, but cannot exactly decide which. The evidence adduced by Allis's correspondents in support of their records of this, the least of the British Sandpipers, is not of a nature to warrant their inclusion in the history of Yorkshire birds, and the earliest reliable mention of it may be found in the late Prof. W. C. Williamson's Scar- borough List (P.Z.S. 1836, p. 77), where it is stated that one was obtained at Scarborough. Temminck's Stint is a rare accidental visitant on migration southward from its breeding grounds in northern Europe, CURLEW SANDPIPER. 615 but it is quite probable it may occasionally be overlooked amongst the flocks of Little Stints which visit us periodically. In addition to the example recorded from Scarborough, it has been reported from near Hull (Yarrell, 1843, ii. p. 648). The late W. W. Boulton examined a specimen obtained at Bridlington in 1864 (" Birds of Humber District," 1872, P. 137)- One in the possession of Mr. S. L. Mosley of Huddersfield was, as I am informed, taken in that district. Mr. F. Boyes states that in August 1887 one occurred on the river Ouse, and is now in the Hull Museum. And on I5th September, in the same year, three were seen, and one killed, at Spurn (Ninth Migration Report, p. 32). CUJRiLEW SANDPIPER. Tringa subarquata (Guldenstadt). Bird of passage on the coast ; not uncommon in some years. A rare straggler inland. Probably the earliest notice of the Curlew Sandpiper in Yorkshire is in Leyland's Halifax Catalogue (1828), where it is stated to be " very rare near Halifax." Thomas Allis, in 1844, wrote : — Tringa subarquata. — Pigmy Curlew — F. O. Morris says this bird was killed in great numbers by G. Rudd, Esq., and several were killed near Hull. H. Denny reports it as very rare near Leeds ; it has been met with occasionally near York, though by no means frequent. Dr. Farrar informs me that he has occasionally had a few scattered specimens, they were invariably with the Common Sandpiper on banks and sides of the fresh water reservoirs. Arthur Strickland has known it killed near Bridlington, but it is of rare occurrence. The Curlew Sandpiper, or Pigmy Curlew as it is some- times called, is a bird of double passage, occurring rarely in spring on its journey northward to its breeding quarters, and in greatly varying numbers on the southward migration in autumn ; in some years it is scarce or altogether absent, VOL. II. R 6x6 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. whilst in others it is met with in large flights, these occurrences being coincident with the appearance of the Little Stint, with which it is usually associated on migration, and like that species it is both a coast-marsh, and a shore, bird. It is most numerous in the Tees and Humber districts, but is also met with on other parts of the coast, particularly where sandy beaches are found. The earliest date on which it has been noticed on the autumnal passage is 4th July 1855, when an adult example, now in the collection of Mr. Thomas Boynton of Bridlington, was taken on the East Riding Wolds ; on the 2ist of the same month, in the year 1881, the late J. Cordeaux obtained two at Spurn. At the Teesmouth the earliest I have had personal knowledge of was on 27th July 1894, when I saw two with deep chestnut coloured breasts by the margin of a brackish pool on the salt marshes. The principal arrivals take place from mid- August to mid- September, and generally consist of " youngsters," with buff breasts, although occasionally a few adults in faded summer plumage accompany them ; by the end of September the bulk have passed on in their southward journey ; the ist of October is the latest date on which I have seen it at the Tees- mouth, but the late T. E. Buckley procured one at Spurn on the 9th of that month in 1869. There was an extensive migration of this bird in 1873 ; in 1881 it was very abundant both at the Tees and Humber, as also in 1887 (Nat. 1889, p. 83, and Ninth Migration Report, p. 57) ; in the autumn of 1890 I have notes of upwards of a hundred, obtained at the Tees ; and in 1892 many were killed at Spurn, several with red breasts, the richest coloured being found to be females. Inland this Sandpiper has occurred as a rare straggler, and, in addition to those mentioned by Allis, it is reported from Huddersfield in 1837 ; on the river Colne in 1843 ; Wake- field (Talbot, " Birds of Wakefield," 1877, p. 27), and occasion- ally on flooded land at Scampston, Beverley, and one or two other localities on the East Riding Wolds. 6i7 PURPLE SANDPIPER. Tringa striata (L.). Winter visitant to the coast, not uncommon in some season*. The young arrive in September, the adults in October. Remains as late as April. Apparently the first notice of the Purple Sandpiper in this county is in Leyland's Halifax Catalogue (1828), where one is recorded as shot on Ovenden Moor in December 1827. In 1844, Thomas Allis wrote : — Tringa maritima. — Purple Sandpiper — A specimen was shot on Sowerby Moor in the winter of 1832, and one on Ovenden Moor in 1827. A. Strickland observes that this bird generally confines itself to rocky or stony parts of the shore, and is seldom found on the sand, and is to be met with at Filey and other parts of the coast. This species is a winter visitant to the coast, and of rather uncertain or irregular appearance, being scarce in some years, while in others it is not uncommon. First to arrive are the young birds in August and September ; one was seen at Spurn on lyth August 1880 by Mr. P. Loten, but the 20th of September is the earliest date on which I have noticed it on the Cleveland coast ; mature birds put in an appearance in October and November. The immature examples arrive in small flocks, the adults generally in pairs, and they are occasionally observed on the sands and muds. At Flamborough, Filey, Scar- borough, and Whitby it is reported as occurring irregularly on the rocky portions of the shores. Its favourite resorts at Redcar are the reefs of rocks, or " scars,'* running out from the shore, which are covered at high tide ; in November 1876 I saw a flock of about a dozen on Salt Scar, and on I3th November 1893 a large flock of forty or fifty on West Scar, from which I secured six with one barrel. At the Tees estuary the species frequents the slag and blocks of concrete forming the sides and ends of the South Gare Breakwater. It takes its departure northward in spring, the latest date of its stay being 25th April, when a flock of seven was noted 618 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. at Flamborough in 1865. It is enumerated in the list of victims killed by striking against the Lighthouse at Spurn. Although essentially a coast bird, the Purple Sandpiper has been observed in Ribblesdale on Cam Fell (Nat. 1896, p. 46), and at Penistone in November 1891 (W. E. L. Wattam, MS.). KNOT. Tringa canutus (L.). Winter visitant, abundant on the coast, especially in the Tees and Humber estuaries. The majority retire further south as winter approaches ; a return passage observed in April and May ; occasionally occurs inland. This bird was evidently appreciated as a table delicacy by the Percys, as the first reference to it occurs in the Northumberland Household Book, begun in 1512 : amongst the birds to be provided for " my Lordes owne Mees " appear " Knottes at id." Thomas Allis, in 1844, wrote : — Tringa canutus. — The Knot — Has been met with near Hebden Bridge, but is rare ; it is rare near Leeds ; H. Denny mentions a pair shot at Killingbeck in 1839 ; A. Strickland says it is met with in small flocks on most of our coasts in autumn and winter, in grey plumage, and occasionally in spring assuming the red dress of breeding but never in full dress. Needless to remark, Strickland was wrongly informed when he made the foregoing statement that the Knot is never found in this county in full dress ; it regularly occurs in that plumage in May and June, when on passage from its more southerly winter quarters to the nesting grounds within the Arctic Circle, and at Spurn it is quite common at this period, though the late J. Cordeaux was in error in supposing that that district is its northern limit in Yorkshire on the spring migration. (See also Bar-tailed Godwit.) I have for many years known it at Redcar, where migratory flocks may be observed resting on the tidal rocks, and an old fisherman KNOT , 619 tells me that, in the middle of last century, these birds often used to alight on Salt Scar in the spring of the year when going north. A large mixed flock of Knots and other shore birds appeared on the sands at 3 a.m. on Qth June 1887 ; at Spurn they have been seen coming from the south as late as I3th June in 1883 ; whilst small parties of non-breeding birds, in various states of plumage, have occasionally remained throughout the summer. The Knot is, however, best known as an autumn or winter visitant on the southward journey from its breeding quarters, when a few old red-breasted individuals appear in July and August, sometimes as early as the first or second week of the former month, though the earliest date of which I have personal knowledge is the 23rd of July in the year 1884. Late in August, and during September, flights of young birds occur, accompanied by an occasional adult ; one in partial summer plumage was picked up at Spurn as late as 7th November 1881. In October and November a further migration takes place, and in some seasons enormous flights are met with at the Tees and Humber estuaries ; at the last named place the late J. Cordeaux graphically described the movements and evolutions of these enormous congrega- tions (" Birds of Humber District," p. 132). As the season advances they become wild and difficult of approach, whilst, if an outbreak of very severe weather should occur, many retire further south. From the information supplied to the compilers of the British Association Migration Reports we learn that this bird frequently falls a victim to the attractions of the Light- house rays on dark and foggy nights, and on the Cleveland coast it is no uncommon thing to hear the notes of migrating flocks on still autumn evenings. At the majority of the seaboard stations between the Tees and the Humber the Knot is a more or less abundant visitant in spring and autumn, and also at various inland localities ; in addition to those mentioned by Allis, it has been recorded from Halifax, Cold Hiendley Reservoir, and East Cottingwith. 620 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. The causes which govern the abundance or scarcity of shore-birds visiting our islands are not within the knowledge of naturalists in this country, but it may be of interest to state that years of " great plenty " were 1872, 1881, 1883, 1887, 1892, and 1895. In the days before the invention of the breech-loader, when the mud-flats of our estuaries were less frequented by gunners than at present is the case, large bags of Knots were secured by fishermen and professional fowlers. I have often heard old sportsmen relate their ex- periences of these times " afore t' licenses cam oot," when they sometimes bagged more Knots and Godwits than they could conveniently carry, and, as birds of this class are gregarious and pack into close bodies, it follows that a " shot into the brown " is attended with disastrous effects ; I have myself, in recent years, gathered thirty- two Knots killed with a " right and left " from a 12-bore, though the bird does not now occur in anything like the same numbers as formerly. Its vernacular name in the Spurn district is Plover Knot. In the Tees it is known to the professionals as Dunlin ; Redcar fishermen call it Grey Plover ; and Red Sandpiper is an old term, now obsolete, used in Fothergill's list (Whitaker's " Richmondshire," 1823). SANDERLING. Calidris arenaria (L.). Spring and autumn migrant to the coast line, very abundant ; a few remaining during winter. Occasionally occurs inland. Probably the first reference to this, as a county species, is to be found in Williamson's Scarborough List (P.Z.S. 1836, part iv. p. 77), where it is stated that it " visits the shore in May and September." Thomas Allis, in 1844, wrote : — Calidris arenaria. — Sanderling — S. Gibson reports this species as rare near Hebden Bridge ; it is met with on the coast. A. Strickland SANDERLING. 621 says " It frequents sandy shores, and is occasionally met with at Bridlington, generally in autumn." Although this nimble little wader is to be met with in every month of the year on the sandy beaches and tidal estuaries, it is by far best known as a common bird of double passage, and during its migration down the coast in autumn it is at times quite as numerous as the Dunlin and Ringed Plover in the Tees district, which is its chief Yorkshire haunt. Small parties on return migration appear about mid-July ; the I7th, 2Oth, I4th, I7th, and i6th respectively being the earliest dates for the years 1901 to 1905. These first arrivals are wholly composed of old birds in summer plumage, and at the end of the month they are found in flocks from about ten to a hundred strong ; birds of the year are seldom noted before the first week of the succeeding month, and by the middle of August large flights of guileless youngsters, together with mature birds fast losing the mottled throats, swarm on the beach by the tide-line. In September the immature birds outnumber the old, and at times large bags may be made by those gunners who are desirous of shooting such " small deer." In October the Sanderling becomes less common ; the few that remain associate with the huge congregations ol waders which spend the winter in comparative safety, their extreme wildness rendering them unapproachable within gun- shot, and at this period odd birds may be seen in the beautifuJ perfect grey plumage ; it was very abundant in February 1870, in the neighbourhood of Bridlington, as many as fifty individuals being in some of the flocks. Late in spring the northward migration commences, the first comers I have noted being on 4th May in 1897, when several individuals were on the mud-flats at the Teesmouth ; it collects in considerable numbers until early June, and so late as the nth of the month, in the year 1903, 1 watched six small companies on the sands near Redcar ; but this movement is not so pronounced as that in autumn. At Spurn the Sanderling arrives on the return journey from its nesting grounds late in July, August, and through September ; in May it occurs in small 622 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. numbers in summer plumage, though I have observed that very few of those seen in spring in the Tees area are in full breeding dress, the majority retain more or less traces of the winter plumage, and only about one in twenty has assumed its nuptial garb. In habits this bird is very conservative, seldom being found at any distance away from the tide proper ; the late J. Cordeaux remarked (" Birds of Humber District," p. 98), that he had occasionally seen it on the fallows near the coast, but its occurrence in inland localities is of more exceptional occurrence than is the case with other shore-birdo ; in Neville Wood's " Naturalist " it is said to have been observed in February 1838, at Doncaster ; two were obtained at Wap- lington in the East Riding ; and one, which I examined in the possession of Mr. W. Walton of Middleton-in-Teesdale, was procured on the Yorkshire side of the river in the autumn of 1902. Local names : — at the Humber mouth it is the Sand- runner or Stint ; at the Teesmouth it is called by the general name of Stint, and Redcar fishermen distinguish it as the White Stint. RUFF. Machetes pugnax Bird of passage in spring and autumn ; very limited in numbers, and chiefly observed on the coast. A rare straggler inland. The earliest reference to this species, in connection with Yorkshire, may be found in the account of the great banquet at Cawood in 1466, and it is evident these birds were held in high esteem as delicacies, as it is stated that " of the fowles called Rees there were supplied 200 dozen " (Leland's " Collectanea "). It also appears in the Northumberland Household Book, in 1512, where, amongst the birds to be provided " for my Lordes owne Mees," are " Reys," the price allotted being 2d. each. RUFF. 623 Thomas Allis, 1844, wrote : — Machetes pugnax. — The Ruff — Used to be common, according to F. O. Morris, on Hatfield Moor twenty years ago ; are still occasionally met with on Skipwith Common not far from Selby. I have one specimen in winter plumage shot near York in February, and have seen one or two others in the same plumage shot about the same time. A. Strickland says before the drainage of the Carrs they used to be taken in considerable numbers in the breeding season, but he should doubt if any had bred in this county within the last half century ; he never met with any except young birds of the year that occasionally stray and join flocks of other species of Sandpipers. This singular and interesting species, in the latter part of the eighteenth and early part of the last century, bred commonly in suitable marshy districts, but owing to drainage and cultivation of its haunts, and to the practice, which at that period was in vogue, of capturing the birds in the breeding season to fatten them for the table, it is now only known as a bird of passage during migration in spring and autumn. Under these circumstances a short review of its former status in the county is desirable. In Pennant's " British Zoology " (1766, ii. p. 363), we are told that "These birds are found ... in the East Riding of Yorkshire where they are taken in nets, and fattened for the table, with bread and milk, hempseed, and sometimes with boiled wheat ; but if expedition is required, sugar is added, which will make them in a fortnight's time a lump of fat : they will then sell for 2/- or 2/6 a piece. Judgment is required for taking the proper time for killing them, when they are in the highest pitch of fatness, for if that is neglected the birds are apt to fall away. [Here follow method of killing, dressing, habits as to fighting, and intimation that the females or Reeves are not taken.] They lay four eggs in a tuft of grass, beginning to lay the first week in May, and sit about a month ; the eggs are whitish, thinly marked with deep ferruginous spots. They are birds of passage, coming into the fens the latter end of April, and disappearing about Michaelmas. These birds are taken by the fen fowlers in nets that are about 40 yards long, and 7 or 8 feet high. These are sup- ported by sticks at an angle of near forty-five degrees, and 624 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. placed either on dry ground, or in very shallow water, not remote from the reeds, among which the fowler conceals him- self, till the birds, enticed by a ' stale ' or stuffed bird, come under the nets ; he then, by pulling a string, lets them fall." The Rev. F. O. Morris stated (" British Birds "), that it was common on Hatfield Moor, near Thome, and on Skipwith Common, near Selby, about 1824 (see Allis). According to Hatfield's " Historical Notices of Doncaster " (1866, p. 24), " The Ruff once bred near the Decoy (Potteric Carr) and the Moor Buzzard has been known to build among the ling, a fact often observed by Mr. Reid." This statement receives important confirmation from A. G. More, of the Science and Art Museum, Dublin, who, writing under date of i6th June 1881, says : " In his list, Mr. H. Reid remarks of the Ruff, ' None left, once plentiful, I have taken numbers of them.' This was probably near Hatfield Moor, where the Black-tailed Godwit used to breed, but Mr. Reid did not give me any locality ; I think he was in communication with the Rev. F. O. Morris, who gives Hatfield as a locality." Another breeding ground of this bird, until the early part of last century, was Riccal Common, near Selby, and I have seen several adult examples, in Capt. Dunnington-Jefferson's collection at Thicket Priory, which were taken in that neighbourhood. In the Western Ainsty it was formerly common at Wighill Ings, and bred at Newton Kyme ; the latest instance of its appearance in that area was in September 1905, when one was reported near Harrogate. The Holderness district was eminently suitable for the requirements of the Ruff before drainage and high cultivation banished it, and other marsh-loving birds, from the fastnesses they frequented ; up to about a hundred years ago it bred near the sites of Meaux, Watton, and Scorborough Decoys, and on the Carrs through which the river Hull runs. Birds of this species are still often observed there, which suggests they are guided by the old instinct and would probably breed again if the conditions were favourable. In the Zoologist for 1864 (p. 9362), the late W. W. Boulton mentioned facts RUFF. 625 suggestive of their having nested in the locality during the summer of that year.* At the present day it occurs on the spring migration from mid-April to late in May, very sparingly, and is much more numerous during the autumnal passage southward in August and September, when immigrants from the Continent are frequently noted on the coast, especially at the Tees and Humber estuaries. A detailed list of these occurrences would be tedious to particularize ; it is met with in more or less numbers every autumn, and during September 1876 a flock of fourteen, three of which were killed, was seen near Redcar. It was fairly common at Spurn in 1891, whilst ten were noticed at the Teesmouth in August and September 1903. Inland it is much rarer than on the coast, though it has been reported from Wensleydale in 1873 ; in Upper Teesdale it is occasionally killed by Grouse shooters ; at Pilmoor, near Thirsk, one was procured in October 1879, an<^ three at the same time near Northallerton ; a pair was shot in September 1902, at Deighton, near Welbury ; at Beverley it is a fairly regular visitor in spring and autumn, and is occasion- ally obtained at East Cottingwith and Scampston. In the West Riding it is reported from Wighill Ings, Newton Kyme, Bilton, Harrogate, Wakefield, and Barnsley. In the York Museum is a large case of Ruffs and Reeves, in the full glory of their nuptial dress, from the Strickland collection, and two pairs of each sex in similar plumage, also obtained in Yorkshire, are in the Chester Museum. The wintering of the Ruff was recorded by the late J. Cordeaux (Nat. 1889, pp. 44-129), specimens being shot on the 7th and 20th January in that year at Sunk Island and Holly m, near Withernsea; the observer being under the impression that these were the first instances of such an occurrence in Great Britain. The late Rev. H. A. Macpherson (torn. cit. p. 79), drew attention to the fact that so early as 1876 it had been recorded in winter, and in the same journal * In the years 1901, '02, '03 the Ruff nested on a marsh at the north side of the Teesmouth (cf. " Ibis," 1906, p. 735). 626 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. it was reported that one was exposed for sale in Leeds market in January 1877. These, however, are not the earliest records, for Thomas Allis, in his Report written in 1844, stated that he had one specimen in winter plumage, from near York, in February, and had seen one or two others in the same plumage taken about the same time. In autumn this species frequently associates with other shore birds ; I saw one in August 1888 flying in company with a flock of Sanderlings, and have known it consort with Knots, Golden Plover, Redshank, and even Teal. COMMON SANDPIPER. Totanus hypoleucus Summer visitant, local, breeds more or less abundantly in the west, north-west, and north-east of the county. Arrives in mid-April, departs in August or September. Perhaps the first mention of this as a Yorkshire bird occurs in Hill's " History of Animals " (1752, pp. 475-6), thus :— " The Lesser Tringa .... The Grey Tringa, spotted with black, with a smooth beak, and a white belly Aldrovand calls it Gallinula hypoleucos ; Willughby and Ray Tringa minor ; . . . . and our people in Yorkshire and some other places, the Sandpiper." Thomas Allis, in 1844, wrote : — Totanus hypoleucus. — Common Sandpiper — Not so frequent as formerly in the neighbourhood of Sheffield ; rare at Hebden Bridge ; F. O. Morris reports it as common ; it breeds sparingly about Halifax ; Dr. Farrar says this species is not uncommon near Barnsley on the edges of fresh water during the summer months, where they nidify, and very much ornament the scene by their notes and activity ; not uncommon near Leeds ; common near Huddersfield ; used to breed near the King's Mills and Dalton Lees ; becoming more scarce as population increases ; it is met with near Bridlington in the same localities as ochropus. COMMON SANDPIPER. 627 This bright and cheerful little bird is a summer visitant, generally arriving about the third week in April, and from then to May ; the earliest date of its spring appearance of which we have note was at Settle on Qth April 1894 (Nat. 1896, p. 47) ; a late migration took place at Spurn in 1881, when from I4th to 20th May small flocks were observed passing along the coast to the northward. It occasionally visits the Tees marshes at this season, soon, however, making its way to its breeding haunts by the sides of the lakes, reservoirs, rivers, and tributary streams in the dales of the west and north-west of the county ; at this period, as also in autumn, it may be noted in many unusual localities while on passage. It is enumerated amongst the list of casualties at the coast beacons, and a female specimen, killed at Spurn Lighthouse in May 1899, is in the Yorkshire Philosophical Society's Museum at York. This Sandpiper is a characteristic and familiar bird of our sub-alpine streams, local in its distribution, and occurs more frequently in the higher reaches of the valleys running towards the west and north-west than elsewhere, though it breeds not uncommonly in the lower portions of the North and West Riding dales, including those of Cleveland, where I have found it very abundant on the moorland reservoirs ; it also nests in the neighbourhood of Whitby and Scarborough. At Flamborough it is frequently seen both in spring and autumn, while in East Yorkshire generally it is a regular visitor at these periods, frequenting the margins of the river Hull and its tributaries, and may be met with on all the drains and running streams with low shelving shores where it can run and wade at leisure. After the breeding season the Common Sandpiper departs in July or August, a few lingering on the coast marshes and on the shore until September ; I have observed it at the Teesmouth as late as the 23rd ; on Swinsty Reservoir one was seen on the 27th of that month ; and it has been noted as late as 4th October, in 1892, near Beverley. In Yoredale the nest has been found in the woods near Masham, at two hundred yards' distance from a stream, 628 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. and the brooding bird has been noticed uttering a peculiar, low note, resembling that of a Stock-Dove, but more subdued. The late James Carter told me he had seen this Sandpiper perch on a tree thirty feet above the ground. The only Yorkshire variety of which I have information is an example with white wings, the rest of the plumage being of the ordinary colour, in the possession of Mr. J. Whitaker of Rainworth Lodge (Zool. 1884, p. 72). Local names : — in addition to the term Summer Snipe in general use, and the West Riding appellation of Sand- Snipe, the only local name we have on record is Tillie-Littie, used in Ribblesdale (Nat. 1896, p. 47). SPOTTED SANDPIPER. Tetanus macularius (L.). Accidental visitant from North America, of extremely rare occurrence. The claim of this North American Sandpiper to be admitted to the Yorkshire list rests on the authority of Sir Wm. Milner, who stated that a beautiful adult female was killed just to the north of the pier at Whitby, on 2gth March 1849, by a sailor on the beach. It came the next day to Graham, the bird-stuffer of York, who set it up for Sir Wm. Milner's collec- tion (Milner, Zool. 1849, p. 2455). E. T. Higgins of York saw the specimen in the flesh, but the sex could not be deter- mined. The bird was said to have been very tame, and when shot was in company with a flock of Dunlins (Higgins, torn. cit. p. 2456). A specimen recorded " on the Tees " by John Grey (Hogg, op. cit. 1845, p. 1173), proved to be a Green Sandpiper (cf. Gurney, " Rambles of a Naturalist," p. 255) ; whilst one at Bridlington (Higgins, Zool. 1848, p. 2147), is considered doubtful ; as also is another, reported by the late Col. Haworth- Booth as obtained in October 1892, at Rowlstone in Holder- ness (Nat. 1895, pp. 311, 327 ; and 1896, p. 24). 629 WOOD SANDPIPER. Totanus glareola (L.). Bird of passage in autumn ; of rare occurrence in spring. The first mention of the Wood Sandpiper in this county is contained in the Report of Thomas Allis, in 1844, thus : — Totanus glareola. — Wood Sandpiper — A specimen was shot at Campsall, near Doncaster, and is now in the possession of H. Reid of that place ; another specimen is reported by F. O. Morris as being shot on the borders of Lincolnshire. The Wood Sandpiper is a rare visitant on passage, and, like many others of its class, is more frequently met with on its southward journey in autumn than during the spring migration to its breeding quarters in north Europe. The instances of its appearance at the latter season are very few, only three being known to me. Mr. F. Boyes possesses one obtained near Beverley in the spring of 1882 ; a male in the Hull Museum was taken on the river Hull, near Pulfin, in April 1886 ; and a third was reported by Mr. P. Loten, at Easington, on 5th May 1889. In autumn it has, as stated above, occurred more frequently, and for purposes of reference it may be well to give the data in each case. Two examples are mentioned by Allis. The late A. Roberts of Scarborough stated that he stuffed an immature specimen in 1856. A male and female in the Burton Agnes collection were procured at Staithes in 1860. Mr. Thomas Boynton has an example which was formerly in the Bessingby collection. At Knapton one was killed in October 1863, by a lad with a pistol (E. Tindall, MS.). Mr. F. Boyes noted three on the river Hull on 4th August 1878, and secured two of them, the other being afterwards procured by another person. 630 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. An immature male, captured at Kilnsea on yth September 1878, was recorded by Mr. W. Eagle Clarke in the Naturalist (1879, p. 179), with the remark that another was seen by him the same day. On Coatham Marshes on 6th August 1881, Mr. E. B. Emerson killed an adult example, but the sex was not ascertained (Zool. 1882, p^ 91). In the same journal for 1884 (p. 179), Mr. W. Eagle Clarke mentions seeing a specimen in the possession of Mr. Jones of Bridlington, taken on the south sands in mid-August 1883 ; and in September of the same year three were brought to Mr. P. Loten of Easington (torn. cit. p. 185). At Spurn on 2ist August 1884, a female example was obtained ; and another specimen in September 1887 (Ninth Migration Report, p. 32). On 6th August 1888, Mr. P. Loten reported the occurrence of one " last week." The late J. Cordeaux, writing to the Naturalist (1889, p. 91), recorded four in the Spurn neighbourhood during autumn, one being a female, and probably mature. About the year 1890 one occurred at Hornby Castle, the seat of the Duke of Leeds, as I am informed by Mr. J. Morley. In October 1899 a female specimen, obtained near Beverley, was taken to Mr. Stuart of that place, who kindly gave me an opportunity of examining it. Another example in Mr. Stuart's possession was picked up at D alt on Holme on nth August 1904. Mr. F. Boyes remarks that this bird was formerly probably a nesting species in the neighbourhood of Beverley ; in its habits it differs from those of its congener, the Green Sand- piper (with which it may sometimes be confounded by in- competent ornithologists), in that it resorts more to swampy ground than to the shallow streams beloved by the latter bird ; he has noticed it on several occasions wading about on the floating weeds in the river Hull, and in spring several years ago he saw a male bird toying about in the air, in a similar manner to Redshanks when on their breeding grounds ; GREEN SANDPIPER. 631 while in the autumn of that year two or three young birds occurred on the river, which it was believed were bred on a swampy piece of ground where Redshanks and Snipe annually nested. GREEN SANDPIPER. Totanus ochropus (£.)• Bird of passage, and occasional winter resident. In Yorkshire the earliest allusion to this bird, of which I am aware, is in Fothergill's Richmondshire list (1823), where it is enumerated amongst the birds of that district. Thomas Allis, 1844, wrote : — Totanus ochropus. — Green Sandpiper — F. O. Morris reports it as not uncommon ; it is scarce at Hebden Bridge ; is occasionally obtained in the neighbourhood of York ; one was shot at Low Moor in 1830; Dr. Farrar has obtained but two specimens; one in 1835, from the Worsborough Reservoir ; it was associated with the Common Sandpiper, and was only detected after being shot ; the other was a solitary one from the Barnsley canal bank, and shot in July 1835 ; rare near teeds ; one shot at Temple Thorp, October 28th 1839; another at Birstal, in 1 840 ; rare near Huddersfield ; occasionally found at the streams or lakes about Bridlington, but not known to breed there. The faunistic status of the Green Sandpiper may be defined as that of a bird of passage, very local in its distribution, sometimes arriving as early as July, a few remaining in some localities over winter and departing again in spring. In the Holderness district it is more or less frequent on the shallow drains from the beginning of August to the follow- ing spring, being most numerous in early autumn, and becoming scarcer as winter approaches, though individuals have been observed throughout winter, even in severe frosts, on the quick-flowing streams of the East Riding Carrs, and it is probable that there is a late migration. The Green Sandpiper is continually observed in winter in the neighbourhood^of^Scampston, and it is also fairly VOL. II. S 632 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. common in South Holderness near the Spurn promontory, where five were seen together in the autumn of 1884, and where it was unusually abundant in the season of 1903. It has also been known at the period of migration on the shore below the cliffs of Flamborough. When departing it has occurred near Spurn in April, as many as five or six being seen together there on the I7th of that month in 1881 ; as a rule, however, it leaves in May. In the North Riding it is by no means common, though recorded as at one time regularly visiting the neighbourhood of Killerby, near Northallerton (Zool. 1844, p. 444), and it is generally met with in the dales or by the sides of moorland ponds. It has been noted at Masham several times in August ; in the Cleveland district I have observed it very rarely near the Teesmouth ; occasionally in the marshes in September, and once on 27th July, when I flushed two by the side of a brackish pool on the reclaimed land. In the West Riding it is described as a rare visitant in spring and autumn, but several have been reported in Lower Wharf edale, where the late Rev. J. W. Chaloner saw four on 28th June 1883 ; and an instance of one wintering near Settle is chronicled by the Rev. E. Peake (Nat. 1893, p. 171). With regard to the alleged nesting of this bird in Yorkshire, the late Alfred Roberts of the Scarborough Museum, reported to Mr. W. Eagle Clarke (MS., 25th January 1881), that a gamekeeper named Roberts at Hunmanby told him he had shot a specimen when it was leaving an old nest in a tree ; and that he (A. Roberts) had stuffed the bird for the shooter. Examples have been seen near Beverley in June, and the species has once been noted at Lowthorpe in summer. The only vernacular names are those in use in the East Riding, where at Spurn it is known as the Drain Swallow and Wheat Bird ; and in one locality in South Holderness, at Cherry Cob Sands, it receives the cognomen of White Rump. [An example of the YELLOWSHANK (Totanus flavipes, Gmelin), an American species, is mentioned in the " Handbook of the Yertebrate Fauna of Yorkshire " (p. 77), as having REDSHANK. 633 occurred at Tadcaster in October 1858, the authorities quoted being Sir Wm. Milner (ZooL 1858, p. 5958), and Graham (Nat. 1858, p. 91). On examining these references, I find that Sir W. Milner stated the bird was obtained at Misson in Yorkshire. This place is in reality in Nottinghamshire, so that the species must be removed from the Yorkshire list. (See also Waite, Nat. 1891, p. 107.) The figure and description given in Yarrell's " British Birds " were taken from this specimen, which is now in the Leeds Museum. With regard to Graham's note, Mr. Howard Saunders, in the fourth edition of Yarrell's " British Birds " (p. 481) remarks, " Another example was stated by Graham of York [reference quoted], without a particle of substantiating evidence, to have been obtained near Tadcaster."] REDSHANK. Totanus calidris (L.). Resident, local, increasing in numbers ; also a common autumn migrant, many remaining throughout winter. Historically considered, the Redshank can claim ancestry of great antiquity in Yorkshire, for it is mentioned in the Northumberland Household Book, commenced in 1512, at Earl Percy's Yorkshire Castles, where, amongst the birds to be bought for " my Lordes owne Mees," it appears as " Redeshankes after id. ob. (ijd.) the pece." Thomas Allis wrote in 1844 : — Totanus calidris. — Common Redshank — Breeds near Doncaster, also at Strensall Common, near York ; rare at Sheffield, but common on Thorne Moor ; rare near Leeds ; rare near Huddersfield ; A. Strickland says that some years ago it used to breed near the streams at Driffield, but has not done so of late years. It is satisfactory to find that within the past few years the Redshank has prospered in Yorkshire, having established itself 634 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. in places where hitherto its querulous call note was almost unknown, and at the present time colonies of these interesting birds — the majority small ones, it is true — are to be found in the breeding season, from Thorne Waste to the fells of Upper Teesdale, in variously situated tracts of marsh and moorland. In the West Riding it nests at Thorne Waste, near Ackworth, Doncaster^ Sheffield, Barnsley, Wakefield, Wilstrop, Appletrewick, Harrogate, Ripon, Ilkley, Fewstor, and Swinsty, Malham Tarn, Winterburn, and in 1901 a pair bred in the Forest of Rowland. In the East Riding, Riccall and Skipwith Commons, the neighbourhood of Beverley, Scampston and South Holderness, provide suitable breeding localities ; while in the North Riding the elevated districts of Sedbergh and Upper Teesdale have their colonies of these birds ; and Malton, Pilmoor near Thirsk, Masham, Locker Tarn, North- allerton, Scarborough, and the Teesmouth marshes are other haunts. The Redshank can only be considered as a coast resident, for inland it is reported as appearing about the middle of March, leaving again in September after the young are well on the wing. At the Teesmouth the breeding birds are certainly summer visitors only, the first arrivals being announced with unfailing regularity during the latter half of February. Pairing takes place about the middle of March, and nidification commences early in April ; the first lull sets of eggs are usually found in the middle of the month, and the majority in the first week of May ; in 1903 a full clutch was discovered on the loth of April, the last being noted on the 28th of June. One pair of Teesmouth birds, at least, produce clutches of five eggs, which are invariably of the same type, and have been lound annually for several years in succession. Nests are occasionally found in quite open positions, like Peewits'. As a rule one brood only is reared in a season, but, owing to disturbance by cattle, and harrying by predatory Rooks and Crows, a second set of eggs is very frequently laid. By the end of July the birds, old and young, are gathered together in flocks, and towards the end of August have left SPOTTED REDSHANK. 635 the vicinity of their nesting quarters, the species being then represented on the coast by immigrants from more northerly latitudes. At Spurn large migratory flocks, often consisting of hundreds of birds, arrive in September, while both there and at the Teesmouth considerable numbers remain throughout the winter ; I have known as many as thirteen killed at one shot on the Tees Marshes in December. The return migration takss place early in April. At various other places, both on the coast and inland, too numerous to particularize, the Redshank occurs on migration to and from its nesting grounds. The vernacular names are as follows : — Pool Snipe (Will. " Orn." 1678, p. 299) ; Reddy and Swat (Teesmouth) ; Red- legs (Sedbergh, and formerly in East Yorkshire) ; and Thrattle is another name which I have heard applied to it by old decoymen in the Tees area. SPOTTED REDSHANK. Totanus fuscus (L.). Bird of passage, of rare occurrence, chiefly at the Tees and Humber estuaries. Thomas Allis's Report on the Birds of Yorkshire (1844) contains what is probably the first reference to this as a county species, thus : — Totanus fuscus. — Spotted Snipe — H. Reid informs me that sixteen years ago one was killed at Braithwell Grange by Mr. Toone, and came into his possession. Rarely met with at Hebden Bridge ; haft been killed on the moors about Whitby. Though generally speaking the Spotted, or Dusky, Red- shank is of rare occurrence, and only on the autumn passage southward, it is considered to be a fairly regular visitant at that period to the Humber, usually singly or in pairs, 636 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. and chiefly in immature plumage. One or two examples are reported from that neighbourhood almost annually, the greatest number being in November 1891, when a flock of twelve was seen. At the Teesmouth it is decidedly rare and has, so far as I can ascertain, been noted on six or seven occasions only, but it is quite possible that this species may be of more frequent occurrence than the few records imply, as it is liable to be overlooked or mistaken for its commoner relative. It may be useful, for purposes of reference, to detail the recorded or communicated instances of its occurrence, which, in addition to those mentioned by Allis, are : — One from the Teesmouth, in the collection of Mr. W. Backhouse (Zool. 1846, p. 1261). At Hornby, near Catterick, one killed in August 1864 (Aspden, Nat. 1865). An immature male example, in August 1869, at Kilnsea, near Spurn (Field, 30th October 1869). An immature female at Spurn, in September 1876 (J. Cordeaux MS.). One in the same year at the Teesmouth. At the same place one, on I5th September 1881, reported as mature (Zool. 1882, p. 93), but proved, on examination, to be a young bird. A flock of twelve seen, and five procured, at Sunk Island, in November 1891, by Mr. H. Sharp of Beverley (Field, 28th November 1891). At East Cottingwith, one obtained in August 1896, by Snowden Sleights ; and on 2nd September, in the same year, I recorded a specimen killed on the beach at Redcar, by a fisherman, who was intending to dispose of it as a Common Redshank. Another at the Teesmouth on 2ist September 1899. At Seamer, near Stokesley, in 1902, one was shot on 27th August, and another at the Teesmouth in September. The following records are without dates : — A male and female taken near Beverley, formerly in the Sunderlandwick collection, now in the Museum at Burton Agnes. Nest of Redshank, Teesmouth. T. H. Nelson. See Page 634. GREENSHANK. 637 One, formerly in the collection of the late W. W. Boulton now in the possession of Mr. Thomas Boynton. One in Thicket Priory collection, killed near that place. One obtained at Spurn by the late G. W. Jalland, " several years ago." GREENSHANK. Totanus canescens (Gmelin). Bird of passage in spring and autumn ; most numerous on the coast at the latter season. Occasionally remains during winter. Probably the earliest allusion to this, as a county bird, is in the Allan MS. of the Tunstall Museum (1791), where it is stated it " appears on our coasts and wet grounds in winter, in small flocks, but not very common." (Fox's " Synopsis/' P. H5). Thomas Allis, in 1844, wrote : — Totanus glottis. — The Greenshank — F. O. Morris reports two killed near Doncaster, and that it has been met with elsewhere. The Greenshank is a bird of passage in spring and autumn, and is observed chiefly at the latter season on the coast ; it is perhaps most numerous on the Humber flats, where it was fairly common in 1892, and as many as twelve have been seen together on i6th October 1881. At other seaboard stations north of Spurn it is a rare visitant on passage, and in Cleveland a few are generally met with in August and September at the Teesmouth or on the neighbouring marshes. According to Mark Booth (Zool. 1844, p. 444) it was formerly a regular visitor at the end of July to Killerby, near North- allerton, and an example is reported in that month, from East Cottingwith, in 1882. After the end of October the majority move south, though there are exceptional instances of individuals having remained over winter. Mr. W. Eagle Clarke is of opinion that it occurs on migra- tion in suitable inland localities ; he saw five on 26th and 27th September 1886, and at the same date in the previous year, 638 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. on the margin of Fewston Reservoir, where he had an oppor- tunity of watching their movements at close quarters. It is mentioned in Fothergill's list (" Richmondshire," 1823), and has also been noted in the Western Ainsty ; at Thirsk, Hovingham, Ackworth, Wilsden, Halifax, and Wakefield; in the Beverley district it is rare, but occasionally occurs in autumn. On the vernal passage to its northern breeding stations it is seldom reported, and only at Spurn, on the river Hull, and at the Teesmouth. RED-BREASTED SNIPE. Macrorhamphus griseus (Gmelin\ Accidental wanderer from North America and Siberia, of extremely rare occurrence. The claim of this bird to be admitted to the Yorkshire list rests on the occurrence of one example only, for particulars of which I am indebted to Mr. A. Crabtree, of Halifax, who obligingly forwarded the specimen to be examined by Mr. W. Eagle Clarke and myself. It is an adult changing to winter plumage, but still retaining portions of the summer dress, and forms part of the collection owned by the late James Cunningham, now in the Halifax Museum. The label on the case is as follows : — " Brown Snipe. Shot on Norland Moor. September 1864. Shot and cased by James Cunningham." The information concerning this specimen was not in Mr. W. Eagle Clarke's possession when writing the bird portion of the " Vertebrate Fauna of Yorkshire," and it affords us much pleasure to be able now to make this addition to the avi-fauna of the county. 639 BAR-TAILED GODWIT. Lirnosa lapponica (£.)• Autumn or winter visitant to the coast, arriving in great numbers in August and September ; many remain throughout winter. Occurs regularly on the spring passage northward in May. Is occasionally observed inland. Pennant made the earliest allusion to this species in Yorkshire, under the title of " Scolopax lapponica — The Red Godwit. We have known it to have been shot near Hull." (Pennant's " British Zoology," 1766, Vol. ii. p. 353-) Thomas Allis, 1844, wrote : — Limosa rufa. — Bar-tailed Godwit — F. O. Morris mentions one shot near Doncaster ; Dr. Farrar mentions one shot at Haw Park, Walton, in March 1833, and another at Hawksworth Hall, near Otley, in May 1839 ; H. Chapman has had it from the neighbourhood of York ; A. Strickland says it is not uncommon on the sands in winter, in brown plumage, and is in spring at times shot, assuming the red plumage, but they go inland to breed.* Until within comparatively recent years the Bar-tailed Godwit was considered by the chief authors on works on British ornithology to be a bird of double passage only, con- tinuing its southward journey with the approach of winter, but for many years I have known it as one of the species which, like the Knot and Sanderling, remain on the coast throughout the drear months. It is certainly a spring and autumn migrant, very abundant in some seasons at the latter period ; the advance guards of the migratory flocks are old birds in the red plumage of summer, and odd individuals have occurred as early as I2th July ; while on 1st August 1879 I saw two, and secured one in perfect summer dress. Early in August the young birds appear in flocks, with a few adults, and continue to arrive from then up to the * Strickland probably did not intend it to be inferred that this species bred in this country, though at one time the Black- tailed Godwit was a nesting bird ja Yorkshire. 640 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. middle or third week of September ; their numbers vary in different years, in some seasons being few, whilst in others they are amongst the most abundant of the waders found in the Humber and Tees estuaries, where immense assemblies are met with, and, being unsuspicious of danger and very easily " called," their ranks are speedily decimated by the shore shooters. I have heard the old professional wildfowlers of the Tees relate wonderful stories of the bags they made in years gone by, when the " slems " were tenanted by hundreds of birds where now few are seen. On one occasion at the end of August two fishermen killed upwards of one hundred Godwits and Knots with old single-barrelled muzzle-loaders ; and when shooting at the Teesmouth I have frequently walked within a few yards' distance of flocks busily feeding and quite oblivious of danger. Seasons of great plenty were September 1876 ; 1881 ; September 1887 ; 1890 ; 1892 ; and in September 1895 there occurred one of the greatest " rushes " I ever witnessed. On the 7th an immense flock, consisting of fully four hundred birds, alighted on the sandb in front of Redcar, being soon driven off by boys throwing stones at them ; they then fled towards the Teesmouth, where they allowed a gunner to walk within easy shot, and not until he had fired the third time did they take alarm and fly out of sight. On the same day I saw other flights at the Tees estuary, where large numbers were bagged by various shore shooters. As autumn advances the Godwit consorts with Curlew and Grey Plover, becoming unapproachable, so that although huge parties are to be seen at high spring tides in the estuaries, very few are shot. In severe winters the species appears more in evidence than in mild seasons, and it seems probable that there may be a late migration of birds from more northerly or Continental resorts. On I2th February 1895, when a long continuance of frost and snow rendered the Teesmouth like an Arctic scene, large congregations of Godwits were notice- able, those which were procured being all in the grey plumage, with plain ash-coloured tails ; again from i8th to 25th March 1899, during severe gales and snowstorms, I noticed con- BLACK-TAILED GODWIT. 641 siderable flocks on the Tees " slems." At Spurn it was abundant in the winter of 1890-91, and also in January and February 1897. On the return passage in spring it appears at Spurn about the middle of May, but only as an occasional visitor, and not with the regularity of many other species. In the Tees area I have noticed small flocks going northward on the 6th of May, and from that date up to the first half of June. On the main portion of the coast, between Saltburn and the Humber, the Bar-tailed Godwit occurs only as a migrant on passage, and has also been observed on several occasions in inland localities. It is stated, on the authority of Hugh Reid, to have been a migratory visitant to the Doncaster Carrs ; it is mentioned in Fothergill's list in Whitaker's " Richmondshire " (1823), and in Allis's Report ; one in red plumage was obtained at Littlethorpe about 1850 ; in Wensleydale three were killed from a flock on Scarrow Fell moor in 1872 ; two were reported at Bagby, near Thirsk, and one in Ribblesdale in August 1892. The weights of three birds procured in autumn at Redcar were twelve, ten, and eight ounces respectively. The local names are not many : Godwin, or Goodwin, is used by Redcar fishermen ; Set Hammer is a term applied to it by the Teesmouth fowlers ; and Curlew- Whelp is stated to be its name on the Humber foreshores. BLACK-TAILED GODWIT. Limosa aegocephala (L.). Bird of passage, of rare occurrence. Formerly nested in the county. The earliest known reference to this, as a county bird, is probably that in Thomas Allis's Report on the Birds of Yorkshire, written in 1844, thus : — 642 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. Limosa melanura. — Black-tailed Godwit — According to F. O. Morris, breeds on the edge of Hatfield Moor. The Black-tailed Godwit was formerly classed as resident in Yorkshire, and, according to the late Hugh Reid of Don- caster used, within his recollection, to nest on Hatfield Moor, in which locality he once found the young birds himself (cf. A. G. More, Ibis. 1865), and, doubtless, it also bred in the Carrs of the East Rfding. The advance of civilization, with its accompaniments of drainage, high farming, and the increase of population have long ago driven it from these haunts, and it is now known only as a bird of passage, but, unlike the preceding species, never in large numbers ; indeed, it may be considered as a rare bird. It has occurred more frequently at Spurn of late years than elsewhere, usually in August or September, singly or in small parties, and very rarely in winter, though one was killed there as late as Qth December in 1875. In Cleveland it was, early in the last century, not uncommon at the Tees- mouth, whence an old bird-stuffer of my acquaintance, who died in 1880, aged 75, used often to have specimens sent. My own experience of the bird is very limited ; I saw one on 30th August 1883, which allowed an approach within easy gunshot ; another in my collection was obtained near Redcar Pier in September 1892 ; and I have seen three or four others, all in immature plumage, killed in the district. On the passage northward in spring it is of extremely rare occurrence. This species has been reported from inland localities more frequently than its congener ; one in summer plumage, which I have seen in the collection of Mr. Forster of Bridling- ton, was procured at Littlethorpe in 1850 ; another example, also in breeding plumage, was in the late C. C. Oxley's collection at Redcar ; while it has also been noticed at Beverley, Goole, Wakefield, Ackworth, and Arthington. Curlew on nest. T. A. Metcalfe. See page 643. c c cee 643 COMMON CURLEW. Numenius arquata (£.)• Resident ; local, breeds on most of the moors in the West and North Ridings, least numerous in the south. Leaves the breeding haunts in July or August for the coast, where it remains during the winter, returning to the moors in March or April. A great influx of immigrants in autumn. The Curlew's ancestry in Yorkshire is of great antiquity, for it is mentioned in connection with the Nevell banquet at Cawood in 1466, the items at the feast including " Curlewes, 100 " (Leland's " Collectanea "). It figured in the North- umberland Household Book, in 1512 ; amongst the birds to be provided " for my Lordes owne Mees " being " Kyrlewes," with the price fixed at I2d. each. Again, at the marriage feast of the daughter of Sir John Neville, at Chevet, near Wakefield, in 1526, " Eighteen Curlews " were enumerated in the bill of fare ; and during Sir John's Shrievalty, the expenses, returned at the Lammas Assizes, included "Twenty Curlews, £i 6s. 8d." Thomas Allis, writing in 1844, reported : — Numenius arquata. — Common Curlew — Sometimes seen on the moors in the neighbourhood of Halifax and Huddersfield ; rare at Leeds and Hebden Bridge ; occasionally seen near York, and common near Shef- field and Doncaster, and is rare about Huddersfield. In the Museum of the Yorkshire Philosophical Society there is a skeleton of this bird, which had its knee dislocated, the femur had passed behind the tibia, so that the weight of the body was supported wholly on that leg by the tendons ; the action of the end of the femur on the posterior portion of the tibia had caused such a secretion of bone that a socket was formed in which the end of the femur worked, and which again gave it an osseous support. Arthur Strickland reports that a few frequent the sea shore and adjoining grounds every autumn, but do not remain long. In addition to being a well-known summer resident on the moors and fells of Yorkshire, the Curlew is an autumn or winter migrant to the coast, and one of the most ardently desired spoils of the shore shooter ; in the Tees and Humber 644 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. it is never altogether absent at any season of the year> a few, probably non-breeding birds, remaining during the summer months ; then, in the middle or latter part of July, small parties of youngsters may be observed frequenting the borders of the estuaries ; the earliest date of this arrival, of which I have note, is I3th July 1900. As soon as the moors are disturbed by Grouse shooting operations great additions of both adults and young are made to the ranks of the birds already on the coast ; these arrivals, together with foreigners from more northerly latitudes, continue throughout August, in which month they are frequently heard at night passing overhead and coming from eastward. The influx of foreign immigrants is kept up during September and October and as late as mid-November, whilst the information supplied to the British Association Migration Committee testifies to the extent and continuity of this movement ; a perusal of the Reports issued shows also the frequency with which this bird is known to strike the lanterns of our sea-marks, both on the autumnal passage and also on the return journey in the spring. As a breeding species the Curlew occurs more or less abundantly on most of the moorlands and fells of the West and North Ridings, from the southern portions of the county, where it is least numerous, northward to Sedbergh and Tees- dale, including also Cleveland and the Whitby and Scarborough districts. Although the situation chosen for the nest is generally on the highest parts of the moors, where it has been found to 2,150 feet elevation, yet in some cases the lower slopes of the hills are selected, and this is particularly noticeable near Sedbergh. In the neighbourhood of Harrogate it is commonly met with on the low moors to the westward, and in a few instances the nest has been found in grass fields within half a mile of the borough boundaries ; several pairs of birds have bred in this locality during the past few years. The Curlew has also bred on Thorne Waste in the south-east, where Mr. W. Eagle Clarke discovered eggs in 1881, and noted birds there in May and June of the following year. The only East Riding locality where its nest is reported Curlew's Nest on Skipwith Common, near York. H. Lazenby. See page 644. Young Curlews just hatching. H. Lazenby See page 644. COMMON CURLEW. 645 from is Skipwith Common, where eggs were found on 8th May 1901, and a pair of birds was observed in the spring of 1902. In March the coast Curlews begin to leave their winter resorts and repair to the nesting grounds ; by 'the middle or latter end of April nidification commences, eggs being found from that time onward till the end of May. A clutch contain- ing the unusual complement of five was taken near Sedbergh, and I have seen one other of that number also taken in north- west Yorkshire. The earliest date of which I have note of young being observed is 7th May, in the year 1903. Though not classed amongst perching birds, the Curlew, like several other waders, is occasionally known to depart from its ordinary habits ; in April 1904 I saw one alight on a stone wall bordering a moor near Harrogate, where it remained for some minutes whilst I was in the vicinity ; and a few days afterwards, on the same moor, my wife saw one perch on a post and stand preening its feathers for some considerable time. The celebrated Yorkshire ornithologist, Marmaduke Tunstall, in 1784 refers to the old proverb as to the value of this bird : — " A Curlew, be she white, be she black, She carries twelve pence on her back." and it is somewhat remarkable that this price should have been paid for " Kyrlewes " so long ago as the year 1512, as noted in the Northumberland Household Book, while other birds, esteemed by us as delicacies, are put at a much lower figure, as for instance, Woodcocks being id., and Mallards and Partridges 2d., though in the year 1560, in the value of " Wildfowl at Hull," the price is fixed for a " Cour- lewe 6d." The only local vernacular name by which it is known is Whaup 646 WHIMBREL. Numenius phreopus (£.)• Bird of passage in spring and autumn ; common. Leaves for its breeding haunts in May, returning in July and August. Odd individuals have remained at Spurn throughout the summer. Some- times occurs inland. The earliest known allusion to this, as a Yorkshire bird, is contained in the accounts of the expenses incurred by Sir John Neville of Chevet, near Wakefield, during his term of office as High Sheriff in 1528. At the Lammas Assizes in that year there appears the item " Curlew Knaves, 32, £i I2s." In the same century, and the year 1560, the value of " Wildfowl at Hull " was fixed by proclamation, the price of a " Curlew Knave " being placed at 4d. Of peculiar interest to Yorkshiremen is the description, the first British, given by that old Yorkshire ornithologist, Ralph Johnson of Brignall, near Greta Bridge, and contained in a communication to Francis Willughby, who, in his " Ornithology," wrote : — " The Whimbrel — Arquata minor. Mr. Johnson, in his papers communicated to us, describes this Bird by the name of a Whimbrel, thus : ' It is less by half than a Curlew, hath a crooked bill, but shorter by an inch or more ; The Crown deep brown without speckles. The Back under the Wings white, which the Curlew hath not. Besides the colour of the whole body is more duskish or dull. It is found upon the sands in the Teezmouth.' " (Will. " Orn." 1678, p. 294.) Thomas Allis, 1844, wrote : — Numenius phaopus. — The Whimbrel — Rare at Hebden Bridge, very rarely met with about Halifax or Huddersfield ; occasionally obtained at York, and not uncommon on the moors in the vicinity of Sheffield, and in the neighbourhood of Doncaster. Arthur Strickland never met with it himself in this county, although he has been told it is sometimes met with ; he thinks the young Curlews may at times be mistaken for it. It seems passing strange that Strickland, who resided at WHIMBREL. 647 Bridlington was personally unacquainted with the Whimbrel, whose rippling notes are familiar sounds to the ornithologist on the coast, where the bird is very regular in its appearance in spring, remaining for a few days before proceeding to its nesting grounds, and again on the return passage south in autumn. During the vernal migration its arrival may be looked for in May with unfailing regularity, and a few instances are known of its occurrence in the latter part of April ; the 2ist of that month, in the year 1901, being the earliest date of which I have note. At times large numbers are observed on the sands above high water mark, diligently feeding on sand-hoppers, when they allow a very near approach without taking flight ; this movement continues throughout May and occasionally into June ; at Filey some were heard going northward on 8th June 1896, while on the igth of the same month in 1886, I recognised the whistle of birds passing overhead ; in 1873 and 1896 a few remained on the Humber foreshore all the summer, and odd individuals occasionally stay in the Teesmouth district ; I heard and saw one on 26th June in the year 1904. The return migration commences early in July ; in 1880 a large flock was noticed at the Teesmouth on the 4th, and in 1884 a few passed from the ist to the I5th ; in 1900 several were at the estuary on ist July. These first comers are generally old birds, which are followed in August by small parties of young ones ; in some seasons they are very common, and considerable quantities were at the Teesmouth on 6th Sep- tember 1887. They remain on the coast until the end of September, then leaving for their winter quarters in the south. I am not aware of any instance of the Whimbrel remaining on the Yorkshire coast during winter. The Whimbrel frequently alights on the " scars " off Redcar at low tide, and I have many times seen parties coming directly off the sea, and have called them over within range ; on 7th September 1891 1 shot a migrating bird, which fell on the water, and so fat was its condition that its breast split open with the contact ; on another occasion, on the ist of September, I killed two, whose feet and tails were stained with purple juice, VOL. II. T 648 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. which also exuded from their bills, thus proving their direct flight from the Scandinavian f jelds where they had been feeding on berries. As a rule this species migrates by day ; on the Cleveland coast, and also at Spurn, the majority alight to rest for a few days, while others pass on without alighting ; and at this period individuals are occasionally reported from inland localities. Like many other shore birds, it figures amongst the casualties at the coast beacons on dark nights, but not so frequently as the Curlew. There is no satisfactory evidence of the Whimbrel having nested in Yorkshire, although mentioned by A. G. More (Ibis. 1865, p. 434), on the authority of Mr. Thomas Gough of Kendal, as having been found on the moors adjoining Westmorland ; one or two instances of the alleged discovery of the eggs have been reported to me, but these specimens appear to be merely small examples of the Curlew's, (cf. Field, i2th May 1877.) The local vernacular names are : — Curlew Jack, and Half Curlew ; whilst Curlew Knave is an obsolete name used in olden times (cf. Barker's " The Three Days of Wensleydale ") and first mention of this bird. BLACK TERN. Hydrochelidon nigra (L.}. Bird of passage, chiefly on the coast and estuaries, in spring and autumn ; not uncommon. Also occurs inland. The first British information concerning this Tern was given by Willughby, thus : — " The Scare Crow — Larus niger, Gesneri. This is (I suppose) the same with that which Mr. Johnson [of Brignall, near Greta Bridge] saith, they in the North call the Scare Crow, and thus briefly describes. It cannot abide the presence of men. Its Head, Neck, and Belly BLACK'TERN 649 are black ; its wings ash-coloured ; its tail a little forked ; its feet small and red." (Will. " Orn." 1678, p. 354.) Thomas Allis, 1844, wrote : — Sterna nigra. — Black Tern — A specimen was shot at Kirkstall, near Leeds, in 1842 ; it is occasionally obtained about Sheffield, J. Heppenstall has a specimen shot in the centre of the town ; it occurs near Barnsley, Hebden Bridge, and Huddersfield ; a pair was shot at the Foss Islands, close by York, in 1841 ; A. Strickland remarks that it used to breed near some of the streams at Driffield, but has not done so now for some years. The Black Tern, according to Allis's friend and corres- pondent, Arthur Strickland, used to breed in the East Riding near Driffield, but is now only a visitant in spring and autumn ; on the coast it is observed passing north in May at Spurn and Flamborough ; off Redcar two were seen four miles out at sea on 23rd May 1882, in company with a flock of the common kind, and individuals occasionally linger on the Tees marshes until late in May ; several were noted at Spurn on the 25th of that month, and in mid- June, 1881, whilst one was seen on Hornsea Mere on I2th June 1882, but there is no evidence that it now nests in the county. The return migration takes place in late summer ; five were flying with the Little Terns at Spurn on 26th July 1887, and in August small numbers, chiefly consisting of immature birds, are observed at sea, associating with their larger relatives, where they remain until late in September ; a late record being 30th September 1892, when one was obtained off Redcar. The Black Tern also occurs regularly in spring and autumn on the river Hull near Beverley ; on the Driffield streams it has been observed in early summer in full breeding plumage ; and it has been reported from Walton Park and other inland places, as mentioned by Allis. A remarkable spring migration has been noticed at the end of April or early in May at Hemsworth Dam, near Ack- worth, by Mr. Leonard Gill, now of the Newcastle Museum, who states (in litt.) that he first saw them in 1893, when nearly a thousand passed from west to east.* They were subsequently * Mr. J. H. Gurney observed them in Norfolk a day later. t>5o THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. noticed annually up to the year 1898, though in smaller numbers. The only local name is Frenchman, in use at Bridlington ; though, as remarked above, it was stated by Willughby to have been called Scare Crow. WHITE-WINGED BLACK TERN. Hydrochelidon leucoptera (Schinz). Casual visitant from southern Europe, of extremely rare occurrence. This species breeds in central and south-east Europe, northern Africa, Abyssinia, and Asia, and in winter is found in eastern Asia and north Australia. Yorkshire can claim three examples of this rare and elegant bird : — The first was obtained in 1860, near Scalby Mills, Scar- borough (Tindall MS.), and formed part of the collection of the late Ed. Tindall, which is now in the Scarborough Philosophical Society's Museum. At Flamborough, one, a mature bird, was seen for some days in the spring of 1867, but was not procured (J. Cordeaux, Zool. 1867, p. ion ; " Birds of Humber District," p. 197). At Scarborough a specimen was shot on 26th September 1896 (W. J. Clarke, Zool. 1896, p. 387).* * The example, now in the Newcastle Museum, which was purchased at Mr. Oxley's sale at Redcar in 1871 (Nat. 1887, p. 77), was killed by G. Mussell in the marsh at Port Clarence, on the north side of the Tees, on isth May 1869 (cf. Hancock's " Birds of Northd. and Dm." p. 143). WHISKERED TERN. Hydrochelidon hybrida (Pallas). Accidental visitant from central Europe and northern Africa, of extremely rare occurrence. The Whiskered Tern breeds on the Spanish marshes, the banks of the Danube, in south Russia and northern Africa, and is found as far south as the Cape of Good Hope, and eastward in Mongolia. The only notice of its occurrence in this county is reported from Hornby Castle, the residence of the Duke of Leeds, where one was shot on the river Swale by one of the keepers, in 1842 (T. Southwell, Nat. 1885, p. 393). GULL-BILLED TERN. Sterna anglica (Montagu). Accidental visitant from southern Europe and northern Africa* of extremely rare occurrence. This Tern nests on the west coast of Denmark ; at the mouth of the Rhone ; and on the north and east shores of the Mediterranean, and the Black and Caspian Seas ; it migrates to India, China, and the Eastern Archipelago. The only Yorkshire example is that mentioned in the " Ann. and Mag. N. H." (1843, p. 297), and also referred to in Allis's Report, which had been wounded, and was brought alive to H. Denny in the last week of July 1843. Thomas Allis's Report of 1844 contains the following :•— Sterna anglica. — The Gull-billed Tern — H. Denny informs me that a bird of this species was taken alive in a reservoir belonging to a mill on the York Road, near Leeds, and was brought to him in July 1843. 65? CASPIAN TERN. Sterna caspia (Pallas). Accidental visitant from the shores of Continental Europe and Africa, of extremely rare occurrence. This handsome bird,. the largest of the British Terns, is an inhabitant of the Mediterranean coasts, and nests by the Black and Caspian Seas, while colonies exist on the coasts of Sweden and Denmark. I found it fairly plentiful in the spring of 1889 on Menzaleh Lake, Upper Egypt, flying in small flocks, and also feeding near the edge of the lake ; both adult and immature birds of the previous year were fishing in company. Its claim to rank as a Yorkshire species rests on the occur- rence of one example at Filey, which was recorded by the possessor of the specimen, in the Field (i5th November 1879), as follows : — " The Caspian Tern .... was shot at Filey by a friend early in September 1874, and was sent by him to Baker of Cambridge, to mount for me. Although I have seen the bird there, I have not yet obtained possession of it, but it was, I believe, seen by Professor Newton at Baker's, so that there can be no doubt as to its identity." (R. A. Willis, Franklands, Addleston.)* SANDWICH TERN. Sterna cantiaca (Gmeliri). Bird of passage in spring and autumn. Very rare inland. The first mention of this bird's occurrence is in Allis's Report, 1844, as follows : — * See Mr. J. H. Gurney's article on British examples of this Tern (Zool. 1887, p. 458). SANDWICH TERN. 653 Sterna cantiaca. — The Sandwich Tern — Is met with near Hudders- field. W. Eddison says : "In the commencement of severe winters it is common for us to be visited by small flocks of Gulls, Terns, and other sea-fowl, driven so far inland by rough weather. Terns of nearly all the British kinds have frequently been shot." This noble Tern, the Sea-Swallow of the east coast, is a visitant on its way to and from its breeding places to the northward, the nearest of which is at the Fame Islands, where a large and increasing colony exists. It occurs more frequently in spring than most of the other Terns, and has been noted at Spurn and Flamborough, while every year, early in May, a few are to be seen off Redcar and at the Teesmouth. The earliest date on which I have observed it is 3rd May 1894, when several passed at sea ; I also heard one on I2th June 1886, and an adult male was picked up on ist July 1888. During the whole of the summers of 1904, 1905, and 1906 two pairs remained in the vicinity of Redcar, where I fre- quently saw them throughout June and July, fishing near the rocks opposite my house. In August the Sandwich Tern begins to move southward, accompanied by the young birds, the main body passing on without lingering, though a few remain off the coast and in the estuary, small parties being reported late in September and occasionally in October, the peculiarly harsh, grating call at once giving notice of their approach, though the birds themselves may be undiscernible, and probably a mile distant. It was more numerous than usual in 1902, and remained until 27th September. The latest record for the Redcar district is yth October 1881, when I saw one at the Teesmouth, though a later date for the county is given in 1875, one being obtained on I5th December, at Filey (Zool. 1876, p. 4804). On the autumn passage this species has been met with at most of the coast stations between Teesmouth and Spurn, at the latter place consorting with the Arctic and Common Terns. It is very rare inland, though it has been recorded from Huddersfield (" Hobkirk," 2nd Ed. 1868); Wakefield (G. Roberts, September 1868), and on loth October 1881, Mr. 654 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. E. B. Emerson saw two at Deighton Manor, near North- allerton, flying southward. The alleged breeding of the Sandwich Tern at Spurn was disproved many years ago (Zool. 1869-70-71). Local name : — Big Sea-Swallow. ROSEATE TERN. Sterna dougalli (Montagu). Casual visitant on its way to or from its nesting grounds ; of rare occurrence. To Thomas Allis belongs the honour of first noticing this species as a Yorkshire bird, in his Report of 1844, as follows : — Sterna dougatti. — The Roseate Tern — Has been met with near Hebden Bridge ; it has been shot near Scarborough and Hornsea by H. Reid of Doncaster. A. Strickland says : ' In the autumn we have at times great abundance of Terns upon the coast, but a large portion of them are young immature birds, of which it is very difficult to discriminate the species ; both the Sandwich and Roseate Terns breed to the north of us, and are occasionally found here. This delicately shaped and lovely bird, the greyhound amongst the Terns, as it has been very aptly termed, has been but seldom chronicled from this county ; Mr. W. Backhouse, writing in 1846, stated that it " occurs in the Tees Bay, but rare " (Zool. 1846, p. 1262) ; Allis also mentioned its appear- ance on several occasions ; one is reported from Spurn on Qth September 1893 (Nat. 1893, p. 359), and another at Whitby on I7th September 1894 (T. Stephenson, in litt. 1902), but I regard these two last as doubtful ; whilst five, stated to have been obtained in Tees Bay (Field, i3th January 1877, and " Vertebrate Fauna of Yorkshire," p. 79), proved to be Common Terns. There is not an authentic instance of its capture on record within recent years, although, since it has become re-established on the Fame Islands, there COMMON TERN, 655 is every reason to presume that it passes along the coast in spring and autumn, like others of the genus which nest on the east coast of Britain, but, as it is the earliest to leave on its southward migration, it escapes detection before the shooting season commences. Its note is easily recognisable, even when mingling with those of its congeners, and exactly resembles the latter half of the Corn Crake's call. Tho Roseate Tern nests in limited numbers on the Fame Islands ; off the east of Scotland ; and on two or three islands on the west coast of Britain, at one of which a colony of considerable size exists ; there is strong presumptive evidence, also, that it breeds on some of the small rocky islets off the west coast of Scotland. The eggs of this bird have a characteristic individuality, being quite distinct from those of the Common and Arctic species ; a clutch of a rather peculiar variety, in my collection, has the ground colour of a yellowish stone tint, heavily blotched with dark reddish brown and violet under-markings. [The SOOTY TERN (S. fuliginosa, J. F. Gmelin), recorded as shot in 1863, at Scalby, near Scarborough, which passed into the collection of the late Ed. Tindall (" Vertebrate Fauna of Yorkshire," and Tindall MS.), proved to be a Black Tern. As yet neither this bird nor the NODDY TERN (A nous stolidus) has occurred in Yorkshire.] COMMON TERN. Sterna hirundo (Naumann). Bird of passage in spring and autumn. Occasionally occurs inland. Though sea-fowl are not valued as table delicacies at the present day, the first allusion to the Tern, as a Yorkshire bird, appears in the Northumberland Household Book (1512). Amongst the birds for " My Lordes own Mees," are included 11 Ternes after iiij. a jd." Another early mention of the species is contained in the 656 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. Cottonian MS., which is also referred to in the Introduc- tion, thus : — " Neere unto Dobhoome (the porte in the mouth of Tease so named) .... an infinite number of sea-fowle laye their egges heere and there scatteringlie in such sorte that in tyme of breedinge one can hardly sett his foote soe warelye that he spoyle not many of their nestes " (Cott. MS. 1604). The shores of the Tees estuary at that time would afford very suitable nesting ground for birds of this family ; old inhabitants of the district are still living (1906), who can recollect the time when Terns nested in great quantity, and the Common Tern would, doubtless, be one, if not the most numerous of the fowl resorting there in summer. Willughby's allusion to the Brown Tern may be referable to the young of this bird : — " The Brown Tern — Larus cinereus minor (Aldrov). This is also the brown Tern of Mr. Johnson [of Brignall, near Greta Bridge] (if I be not mistaken) whose underside is all white, the upper brown ; the Wings partly brown, partly ash-coloured ; the Head black ; the Tail not forked. The Birds of this kind are gregarious, flying in companies." (Will. " Orn." 1678, p. 352.) Thomas Allis, in 1844, reported as follows : — Sterna hirundo. — Common Tern — Common on the coast ; seen near Leeds rarely ; about Huddersfield occasionally ; Hebden Bridge rarely ; not infrequent near Barnsley, where they frequent the fresh water reservoirs and the course of the canals. The Common Tern is a visitant in spring and autumn, when on its way to and from its nesting quarters, the near- est of which, where it breeds in any abundance, consorting with the Arctic Tern, being at the Fame Islands. The first passers-by are noticed early in May ; in 1883 on the 4th of that month they were observed at Spurn all day going north (Fifth Migration Report). At Redcar and the Teesmouth it occurs in spring, though not so frequently as in the autumn when on the return passage south, and accompanied by the young birds. In August it congregates in large flocks, which remain on the coast, in the estuary of the Tees, and sometimes, in rough weather, in the Humber, following and feeding on the young herrings until nearly mid-autumn. It was more COMMON TERN. 657 numerous off Redcar on 26th and 27th September 1883, than during the whole of the year ; a few linger into mid-October, and odd birds even later ; on gth November 1892 an immature example was procured at Redcar, while during a heavy storm on igth November 1893, many Terns were observed at Flamborough. This is by far the commonest of the family in the Teesmouth area, though at Flamborough and Spurn it is not so abundant as the Arctic Tern. The two species frequently intermix when following the herring " sile," and are difficult to discriminate when in large flocks and at a dis- tance, but as a rule S. hirundo outnumbers macrura as ten to one on the Cleveland coast. Inland it is occasionally found on rivers and the reservoirs which supply the large West Riding towns with water, where it alights in passing on migration, or is driven out of its course by stormy weather. The Migration Reports contain but few references to its occurrence at the Light stations ; one was killed against Spurn lantern in September 1896. As stated above, this bird probably bred at the Tees- mouth in the seventeenth century, and another colony is supposed to have existed at that period at Hornsea Mere, although it is not unlikely the so-called " Terns " were Black- headed Gulls, which used to nest there in great numbers. A reference to this breeding place is contained in a letter to Abraham de la Pryme, dated " Hornsey, 2ist December 1693," which runs as follows : — " Sir, I received yours of the 5th inst. (then follows a description of the mere or ' marr,' as it is termed). I had almost forgot to add that there are three hills (islands we call them) in the marr, two of them at the season of the year are so full of tern eggs and birds as can be imagined. A man must be very careful it he tread not on them ! Your very humble Servant, W. Lambert." (From the " Diary of Abraham de la Pryme," pp. 272-73. Surtees Socy. liv.) The only vernacular name that can, with strict accuracy, be applied to this bird, is that used generally for the family, viz., Sea Swallow. 658 ARCTIC TERN. Sterna macrura (Naumanri). Bird of passage in spring and autumn. Rare inland. The first British information concerning this bird is contained in Willughby's " Ornithology," under the heading of " The Lesser Sea-Swallow." Mr. Johnson [of Brignall, near Greta Bridge] thus briefly describes it : — " It hath the Wings, Tail and swiftness of a Swallow ; a red Bill ; a black crown ; brown legs ; a forked Tail six inches long." In the colour of the legs he agrees with Gesner [Bill and Feet of a pale dusky colour] but perchance the colour may vary with age, or differ in the Sexes." (Will. " Orn." 1678, p. 353.)* Thomas Allis, 1844, wrote : — Sterna arctica. — Arctic Tern — On the coast ; not uncommon ia the spring near Sheffield, as I am informed by my friend J. Heppenstall ; A. Strickland remarks, speaking of the Common and Arctic Terns, " As far as I have observed, the latter of these is by far the most common on this coast, at least in mature plumage, but the Common Tern is occasionally found here, and at times proceeds inland, which I never found the other to do." The present species, like the preceding one, is a visitant in spring and autumn on its passage to and from its breeding grounds, the most southerly of which on the east coast is at the Fame Islands ; it is not very often observed at the former period owing to its route lying some distance from shore ; a few were seen off Redcar on iQth April 1879, and small numbers occasionally occur at the Teesmouth early in May ; on the return passage in autumn, however, when in company with the young, it remains off the coast, feeding on sprats, and consorting with the Common Tern, a few sometimes lingering until October ; in 1879 a large flock was at the Teesmouth on the I7th of that month, and two on the 24th (Zool. 1879, p. 490) ; on 23rd October 1892, I walked near to * Willughby and Ray do not appear to have seen this bird. ARCTIC TERN. 659 one sitting on the sands at Redcar, though the latest record is 2nd December 1905, when an immature example was obtained at the Teesmouth. At Flamborough and Spurr, according to the late J. Cordeaux, it is the most numerous of the Terns, but on the Cleveland coast, although very abundant in some years, yet in others, one of which was 1885, without any apparent reason, it is remarkably scarce. (See Common Tern.) Inland it is very rare, but is recorded from Barnsley, Wakefield, Gormire, Knaresborough, Fewston, Bluberhouse moor (where one in first plumage was noted by Lord Walsingham on 7th September 1883), and at several other places. An uncommon and interesting state of plumage is that of the second year, which was formerly attributed to a separate species known as S. portlandica (Ridgway). An example in this condition was procured at Spurn in July 1884, and sent by Mr. W. Eagle Clarke to Mr. Howard Saunders, who states that it is evidently a bird hatched in the summer of 1883. The forehead is white, the crown streaked with black, and the nape almost entirely black. The upper parts are grey as in the adult, except for a dark mottled line, indicative of immaturity, along the lesser wing coverts, and the darker tints of the tail feathers, especially on the outer webs ; the entire under parts are white. In their dried condition the bill, legs, and feet are nearly black (the webs of the latter livid.)* Mr. Saunders remarks that he has only seen five or six specimens of this intermediate phase of plumage (Nat. 1887, p. 353). The only vernacular name is that used generally for the family, viz., Sea Swallow. * I had two specimens in this stage in 1901, and in their fresh con- dition the bills were red, legs and feet light orange red. 66o LITTLE TERN. Sterna minuta (L.). Summer visitant ; breeds at Spurn ; very rare inland. Perhaps the earliest Yorkshire reference to this species is that made by Tunstall, thus : — " The Lesser Tern — Sterna minuta (Linn and Gm.). Common, and frequents sea-coasts, unable to bear the inclemency of winter on our coasts, but returns in spring." (Tunst. MS, 1784, p. 94.) Thomas Allis, 1844, wrote : — Sterna minuta. — Lesser Tern — Is met with near Huddersfield ; near Sheffield two individuals have been shot in Ecclesfield Dam ; not infrequently obtained near Barnsley. A. Strickland says, " Though this breeds to the north of us it is certainly one of the least frequent about here, though I have known it killed." This graceful little bird, the smallest of the Terns, is a summer visitant to the south-eastern extremity of the county, Spurn Point, where a considerable nesting colony has been in existence for many years. The main body generally arrives in May, although individuals are sometimes seen earlier, as on 5th April 1886 (Eighth Migration Report), I5th April 1885, and I4th April 1893. An account of a visit to Spurn during the last week of May 1861, states that the nesting site was on the seaward side of the sandy neck of land that connects Spurn Lighthouse with the coast, and about half a mile from the point. From forty to fifty pairs of birds were noticed, and the nests were, as in other colonies, in close proximity and within a few yards of high water mark. They never breed on the Humber side of the neck, although the distance across is only about a hundred yards (Dobree, Zool. 1861, p. 7648). The colony afterwards extended its limits, and now includes nearly the whole of the strip of shingle from the point mentioned by Mr. Dobree to opposite the warren. The nests were mercilessly plundered by egg collectors and excursionists, but in the year 1895 an effort was made by the County Council, under the powers of the Nest of Little Tern at Spurn. . Fortune. See bage 66 1. LITTLE TERN. 661 Wild Birds Protection Act of 1894, to save the birds from molestation. Spurn was declared a protected area, a watcher was appointed, and although a certain amount of " egging " cannot altogether be prevented, it is satisfactory to know that the only Yorkshire colony of Terns is now increasing in numbers (in 1900 about a hundred pairs of young were hatched), and the protection is continued (see Cordeaux and Boyes, op. cit. 1868, '69, '70, '71 ; Field, 6th April 1895 ; and Nat. 1900, p. 321). Writing in the Zoologist (1845, p. 1187), J. Hogg referred to the Lesser Tern as " inhabiting in summer the sandy beach near the Teesmouth," but whether it is to be inferred from this that it nested there is not clear. On the coast north of Spurn the Little Tern occasionally occurs in spring and autumn at Flamborough, Scarborough, Whitby, and Staithes ; and both adult and young birds annually visit the estuary of the Tees late in summer and autumn. It usually appears in August, although on 29th July 1878, I saw ten, three of which were procured ; in 1884 two were obtained on I2th July ; and on 3Oth July 1905 a large flock, comprising two or three hundred individuals, was reported at the Teesmouth. The majority leave early in September, stragglers occasionally remaining later ; three immature birds were observed on 25th September 1901, and two on the I7th of the same month in the year following. It has been noted at Spurn as late as the second week in October, whilst at Flamborough I examined a specimen on i5th October 1903. The only spring occurrence at Redcar was in 1882, when an individual was picked up on the sands on i8th May. The Little Tern is a very scarce species inland, but has been recorded from Sheffield and Huddersfield ; it occurs regu- larly on the reservoirs near Wakefield in spring and autumn ; one was taken at Selby about 1862 ; another at Blackley in 1875 ; it was noted for Wensleydale by Barker ; and at Acaster one was shot in 1869, and exhibited at a meeting of the York Naturalists' Club. A rather peculiar variation from the ordinary type of egg was found at Spurn in 1894 ; it was one of a clutch of 662 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. three, the ground colour of pale stone or light brown, with a blotch of reddish purple forming a zone round the broad end (E. G. Potter, Nat. 1895, p. 150). Mr. Potter also mentions a clutch of four found in one nest, but probably these were the produce of two females. SABINE'S GULL. Xema sabinii (Sabine). Bird of passage in autumn from Arctic Asia and America; generally in immature plumage, adult birds being very rare. This small Gull nests in the Arctic regions and in eastern Siberia, while in winter it is found as far as Texas, the Bermudas in the Atlantic, and in the Pacific down to 12° south. It is now ascertained to be a fairly regular visitant in autumn to this county, and has occurred most frequently off the famous headland of Flamborough and in the adjoining bay of Bridlington, where upwards of forty examples have been obtained ; three others are noted from Scarborough ; two from Filey ; and one from the Tees Bay near Redcar. Most of these were in the immature garb of autumn, but at least ten adults in summer plumage have been chronicled, while four additional specimens are known to me, the particu- lars of which have not hitherto been made public. It will be observed that all the recorded occurrences are between the months of August and November, and it may be well, for convenience of reference, to give a list of these in chronological sequence : — The first mention of the species in Yorkshire refers to an adult female at Bridlington on 5th September 1866, as mentioned by the late W. W. Boulton (Zool. 1867, p. 543, and MS.). This specimen is now in Mr. Thomas Boynton's collection, where I have had an opportunity of seeing it. The next is also an adult, in full summer plumage, obtained at Bridlington, loth August 1872 (J. H. Gurney, op. cit. 1872, SABINE'S GULL. 663 P- 33*6). This is the first recorded male example in the adult summer dress. Flamborough, one immature, I5th October 1873 (Gurney, in. litt. and op. cil. 1873, p. 3802). This specimen is in Mr. Gurney 's collection. Bridlington, one immature, I4th October 1875 (J. Whitaker in litt.}, also recorded by Mr. Gurney (op. cit. 1876, p. 4883), with the ad joinder that it was the fourth example he had known near Bridlington. This bird is in Mr. Whitaker's collection at Rainworth Lodge, Mansfield. Scarborough, one immature, 7th November 1878 (op. cit. 1878, p. 455). Same place, one immature, November 1879 (Tindall MS.). This specimen formed part of the collection owned by the late E. Tindall of Knapton, which has now been transferred to the Scarborough Philosophical Society's Museum. Flamborough, one adult, procured in 1877 by Thomas Leng, and now in the possession of his son-in-law Wm. Major of Flamborough, who allowed me to examine the specimen. Same place, one immature, 6th September 1887 (Field, ist October 1887 ; possibly the same as recorded by M. Bailey, Nat. 1888, p. 15). Bridlington, an adult in full plumage, first week in August 1889 (Field, 3ist August 1889, where the plumage is described). Flamborough, one immature, October 1889 (Nat. 1889, P- 333)- Redcar, one immature, obtained in the Tees Bay, 6th October 1889 (op. cit. 1890, p. 100). This example is in my collection. Flamborough, one immature male, August 1890 ; now in the collection at Burton Agnes formed by the late Sir Henry Boynton.* Same place, two, one a splendid specimen, 9th September 1890. (Mr. Bailey has subsequently informed me that this * Possibly the Burton Agnes specimen, which I have seen, may be one of those first mentioned by Mr. Bailey. VOL. II. U 664 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. bird was in adult plumage.) Two at the same place, on the I5th of the same month, and two others on the 20th (torn. cit. p. 318) ; one, 7th October 1890, south of the Headland ; and another on I3th October, north of the Headland (torn. cit. P- 354)- Bridlington, one immature, October 1890 ; now in Mr. Riley Fortune's possession. Flamborough, one, November 1891 (op. cit. 1892, p. 372). Bridlington, one immature, October 1829. Flamborough, one, 20th September 1893 (op. cit. 1893, P. 323). Bridlington, one immature, 24th September 1893. Same place, an adult male, gih September 1895. I have examined this specimen, which is in the mature garb of summer. Flamborough, two, south of the Headland, mid-October 1895 (op. cit. 1895, p. 312.) Bridlington, one immature, second week in November (1895 op. cit. 1896, p. 100). Yorkshire coast, possibly Flamborough, an adult in full plumage, 5th September 1898. Flamborough, one adult, 29th September 1899 (Field, 2ist October 1899). Yorkshire coast, possibly Flamborough, one immature, autumn 1899. Bridlington, three immature, 24th September 1900 ; and two, also immature, 3rd October 1900, (I saw and examined these specimens.) Flamborough, one adult, 1901, obtained by George Emmerson, and now in the Hon, Walter Rothschild's collec- tion (G. Emmerson, oral communication). Bridlington, one immature, I2th October 1901 (Moiser, in Hit.). Now in the possession of Mr. Cyril Moiser of York. Filey, one immature, in the collection of Mr. H. E. Rawson of Fallbarrow, Windermere, where I have examined it. In addition to those chronicled, adult examples are in the collections of Mr. Thomas Boynton of Bridlington, and Mr. Walter Pyman of Raithwaite Hall, Whitby, both of which BOSS'S GULL. 665 I have seen, and which were procured in the neighbourhood of Bridlington about the year 1890. Bridlington, two adult and one immature, September and October 1903 ; the latter and one of the adult specimens are in the collection of the Rev. J. G. Tuck of Tostock Rectory, Bury St. Edmunds (Zool. 1903, pp. 353, 394, 436). Scarborough, an adult female, in winter plumage, 5th September 1903 (W. J. Clarke MS., and torn. cit. p. 394). This specimen is in the York Museum. Filey, one adult, 2ist September 1903 ; purchased by Mr. Williams of Dublin (torn. cit. p. 394). Flamborough, two immature, one of which I examined on 25th September 1904. Same place, one in the autumn of 1905. The figure of the immature example in Lord Lilford's work on " British Birds " was taken from a specimen shot at Bridlington in September 1900. ROSS'S GULL. Rhodostethia rosea (Macgillivray). Accidental visitant from the Arctic regions, of extremely rare occurrence. This circumpolar species, also called the Cuneate or Wedge- tailed, and the Rosy Gull, is an inhabitant of the far north, where Nansen observed it, during his famous voyage, in the neighbourhood of Hirtenland Islands, on which it was prob- ably breeding. The only example known to have occurred in the British Islands was shot near Tadcaster, purchased by Sir Wm. Milner of Nun Appleton, and recorded by him as " killed on 22nd December 1846, by Mr. Thomas Robinson of Saxton, near Aberford, in this county, and discovered by Mr. Graham, bird-preserver, York, who brought it to me " (Zool. 1847, 666 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. p. 1694). In a later communication from Mr. Henry Milner (Nun Appleton) it is stated that : — " Ross's Gull was killed by Homer, Lord Howden's head-keeper, in February last (1847), m a ploughed field, near the hamlet of Milford-cum- Kirby, in the parish of Kirby " (torn. cit. p. 1784 ; and Charles- worth, " Proc. Yorks. Phil. Socy." 1847, p. 33). Considerable scepticism has since prevailed with regard to the reliability of Graham's assertion that the bird was obtained in Yorkshire, and it has been surmised that Sir W. Milner was imposed upon by the professional bird-stuffer ; but the fact that the specimen was in winter plumage is proof of the reliability of his statement, as at the time of its occurrence that phase of plumage was unknown. Important evidence bearing upon the authenticity of the record is, however, brought to light in the Field : on 7th November 1885, an editorial note is appended to an account of Ross's Gull in Greenland, to the effect that "No faith is to be placed in the oft-quoted statement that one was obtained in Yorkshire." A fortnight afterwards a letter appeared as follows : — " In your notice about Ross's Gull you mention its occur- rence in Yorkshire as being unauthenticated. I perfectly recollect the bird having been killed at Tadcaster. I believe the late Mr. Graham of York had it in the flesh, and sent it to my relative, the late Sir W. Milner of Nun Appleton, whose collection is now at Leeds, having been lent to the town by the present Baronet." (F. J. Saville Foljambe, Osberton, Worksop, I4th November.) (" It is precisely because the bird was obtained of a dealer that its alleged history has been doubted. If we mistake no1 , two contradictory stories were published about it, and it is a significant fact that the species has not been heard of in this country before or since. — Ed.") (Field, 2ist November 1885.) Mr. Foljambe then rejoined : — " The following extract from Gould's ' Birds of Great Britain,' I think, ought to be sufficient evidence as to the specimen being what it professes to be. ' Ross's Gull was killed by Homer, Lord Howden's Jfc->* »*&** LITTLE GULL. 667 head-keeper, in February 1847, in a ploughed field near the hamlet of Milford-cum-Kirby, in the parish of Kirby.' My impression is that it was brought in the flesh to Sir Wm. Milner."— F. H. Foljambe. To this letter the Editor quoted Sir W. Milner's account (Zool. 1847, p. 1694) as to the bird being killed on 22nd December 1846 (Field, 28th November 1885). In the following week another important communication was published : — " Referring to Mr. Foljambe's letter .... concerning the specimen said to have been obtained in Yorkshire, I may state that my brother (Rev. W. Garwood of Staveley, Yorks.) writes me that he remembers, in his egg collecting days, seeing this identical bird in the flesh at Mr. Graham's shop when it was in Spurriergate, York." (C.R.G[arwood], Acomb, York. Field, 5th December 1885.) The discrepancy (as regards locality) in the account given by Sir W. Milner and that by Mr. Hy. Milner, quoted above, is not so great as may appear, the actual place, Milford, being " near Tadcaster." and, as Messrs. Foljambe and Garwood are both of opinion that the bird was seen in the flesh, the evidence in favour of its being a Yorkshire species seems to be conclusive. Mr. Howard Saunders, who has seen the specimen, pro- nounced it to be in the winter plumage (Field, February 1875, p. 196). LITTLE GULL. Larus minutus (Pallas). Autumn and winter visitant, irregular in numbers. This bird nests on the swamps and lakes of Russia, and migrates in winter to the coasts of the Mediterranean and the shores of north Africa. The first known allusion to it in Yorkshire is, probably, 668 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. in Williamson's Scarborough Catalogue, where it is stated that " The Little Gull is obtained generally during the prevalence of strong north-easterly winds " (P.Z.S. 1836, iv., p. 77). Thomas Allis, 1844, wrote : — Larus minutus. — Little Gull — F. O. Morris says it has been shot near Scarborough. I believe this is confirmed in Yarrell's " Birds," on the testimony of Patrick tfawkridge, an industrious and persevering naturalist. Another specimen was killed about a fortnight ago at Bridlington, which was sent to Hugh Reid of Doncaster to stuff. A. Strickland has known several of these birds killed near Bridlington, but thinks he never knew above one killed during a winter ; the breeding haunts of this bird do not seem to be known, and are probably distant, as I never met with it in full plumage. The Little Gull is an autumn and winter visitant to this county, irregular, and varying in numbers, though it appears in most seasons, and has occurred more frequently on this coast than in any other part of the United Kingdom, being therefore of more than passing interest to Yorkshire ornith- ologists. As a rule it is observed in September and October, though in February of the year 1870 it was very abundant during stormy weather ; and the vicinity of Flamborough and Bridlington is most favoured by its presence, the host of Kittiwakes and other Gulls feeding around the Headland attracting it to the fishing grounds ; while, judging from the reports received relating to this part of the coast, no fewer than one hundred and fifty of these beautiful little Gulls have been obtained there, though perhaps some of the records may have been duplicated, as in the years of plenty there would, doubtless, be notices sent from both Flamborough and Bridlington referring to the same specimens. Mr. T. Boynton of the latter place procured thirty, most of which he shot himself, between the years 1868 and 1872, several being adult birds, whilst Mr. M. Bailey, the veteran taxidermist of Flamborough, up to the year 1881, had had forty through his hands. In the course of conversation with him he informed me that he once observed a flock of about twelve of these birds, and he, perhaps, has done more than any one to make it known I is LITTLE GULL. 669 as a Yorkshire species. The most prolific seasons were 1866, 1868, in which latter year Mr. J. H. Gurney had thirteen specimens sent to him ; 1869 ; and I2th-I4th February 1870, when thirty were obtained in Bridlington Bay during a fearful easterly gale, nineteen of them being old birds ; two adults, male and female, were reported at the same place in September 1881. Scarborough ranks next to Flamborough as to numbers noted ; three adult examples were procured in 1870, and about twenty adult and immature have been taken there between 1836 and 1902. Redcar and Teesmouth district can claim fifteen specimens between 1849 an(^ I902 > two occurred at Spurn on 26th October 1881 ; one at Withern- sea about 1897 ; an adult example at Skipsea in February 1871 ; one at Filey in 1868 ; one in 1863 at Whitby, where several individuals have since occasionally been seen in the harbour ; and one at Runswick Bay in 1890. The only inland localities where it has been noted are Skipwith Common, two being shot there on 1st September 1856 ; and near Ackworth, where a specimen was killed in the winter of 1880-81. The Little Gull sometimes associates with Terns when off this coast ; one in immature plumage, which I saw on gth September 1885, was with a large flock of Sterna macrura ; and Mr. Bailey has also noticed these two species fishing in company off Flamborough Headland. The majority of those obtained are immature, but occasionally old birds in winter plumage are met with, and, as stated above, nineteen were killed in 1870 ; an adult in full summer garb, procured on I2th July 1868, and another taken on 5th August 1886, off Flamborough, are in Mr. Gurney's collection (Zool. 1868, p. 1379 > and Nat. 1887, p. 22) ; Mr. Boynton of Bridlington and Mr. W. Pyman of Whitby also each possess a specimen in similar plumage, which I have examined ; and an adult in winter dress, which occurred in October 1886, is in the York Museum. A white variety from Flamborough, on 2gth October 1889, was in the collection of the late Mr. Marshall of Taunton. It is not an albino, as the terminal bar on the tail is visible, 070 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. the occiput and ear-coverts are faintly mottled, and the hue of the mantle is just perceptible (Nat. 1890, p. 38 ; and Zoo/. 1890, p. 19). Other references to L. minutus are : — Zoo/. 1864, p. 9365 ; 1866, p. 30 ; 1867, p. 1018 ; 1868, pp. 1379-1482 ; 1870, pp. 2081-2107 ; 1875, p. 22 ; 1884, p. 61 ; Nat. 1887, p. 22 ; Field, 26th November 1887, and 6th March 1897. The only local name, of which I am aware, is Dwarf Gull, used at Bridlington. BLACK-HEADED GULL. Larus ridibundus (L.). Resident ; very local in the nesting season. Common on the coast in early spring, late summer and autumn ; less plentiful in winter. Probably the first Yorkshire reference to this Gull is found in the Diaries of Bishop Nicholson of Carlisle, which contains an account of his Lordship's journey from Carlisle to York ; it certainly is interesting as shewing that a large nesting colony was then in existence in the North Riding. The extract reads thus : — " 1702. 22 May That night to Greta Bridge. 23. Baited at Butcher Houses ye property of Sr. Chrisr. Wanesford. The sign, Lion Rampant, his Arms. — About a mile and half short of Thornton Bridge thousands of the Blackcap Mews breeding in a moss." (Extract from Bishop Nicholson's Diaries, Part ii., by the Bishop of Barrow- in-Furness. Trans. Cumb. and Westm. Antiq. and Archseol. Society, Vol. ii., New Series, p. 1656.) Thomas Allis, 1844, wrote : — Larus ridibundus. — Black-headed Gull — Common on the coast ; John Heppenstall informs me that this bird was formerly very abundant on Thorne Moor, but has now very nearly disappeared ; it has been shot at New Miller Dam, near Wakefield ; it is met with near Hudders- field. A. Strickland says this bird breeds in great abundance on one of the islands in the middle of Hornsea Mere, but it is not often found Nest of Black-headed Gull in North Yorkshire. R. Fortune. See page 673. BLACK-HEADED GULL. 671 in Bridlington till after that time, when out of mature plumage ; it is common on the shore. This familiar species, sometimes called the Brown -headed Gull, is resident in Yorkshire, where at one time several exten- sive breeding stations existed ; the most important of these have been destroyed by draining and other agricultural im- provements, and there now remain but a few small colonies and scattered, or isolated, nesting sites. The earliest known Gullery is that already referred to, which was visited by Bishop Nichol- son in his journeying to York in 1702, when it would appear that a vast colony, of which no trace now remains, was in exist- ence at Thornton Bridge, near Bedale. At Hornsea Mere, in Holderness, large numbers of Gulls bred on an island,* which was in occupation until about twenty years ago, when they were scared away by the planting of the ground with potatoes. Possibly a stray pair of birds from this place tried to nest at Spurn, where an egg was found in a hollow scratching above high water mark, on 27th July 1883, and forwarded by Mr. P. Loten to Mr. W. Eagle Clarke for identification. Another Gullery was on Strensall Common, near York, which decreased rapidly in the last quarter of the past century, being almost deserted before 1880 ; in that year a few pairs attempted to re-establish themselves ; nests were built and eggs were laid annually until 1884, when about thirty pairs nested, although, owing to the robbery of the eggs, no young were hatched ; the year following drainage operations were commenced, and, partly from this cause, together with its proximity to the City, and the additional fact that the ground has been utilised by the Government for military purposes, the colony has been destroyed, and, although for two or three years afterwards a few pairs visited the place, no more attempts were made at nesting. Riccal and Skipwith Com- mons, about ten miles south of York, formed other interesting breeding resorts of this bird ; some years ago the nests were near the high road leading from Selby to North Dufneld ; afterwards the birds changed their quarters to nearer the * See Common Tern. 672 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. centre of the Common ; in 1880 they were fairly abundant, but in 1 88 1 extensive improvements were carried out, which broke up the land, although the nesting pond was not directly affected ; in that year about twenty nests were built and some young were reared, though the birds seemed to resent the interference with their solitude, and in the following year only three or four pairs appeared. Since then they have nested irregularly ; in 1^98 they did not lay eggs, and in one or two seasons only five or six pairs succeeded in building. They are, however, protected by Lord Wenlock's keepers, and in 1900 about fifty pairs brought off their young ; in 1901, strange to relate, only very few appeared, yet in 1902 some twenty-five pairs nested. This species, according to Allis, bred on Goole and Thorne moor before 1844, and con- tinued to do so in different parts of that district until 1895 ; here, again, interference with its nesting haunts has caused the desertion of the place ; Mr. T. Bunker says eighty eggs were taken by one person in 1880. There is no doubt there were colonies of these Gulls in the " Carrs " of east Yorkshire before they were drained ; every spring a few birds revisit the scene of their former homes, and often remain until the nesting season. In the north-west of the county, near the Lancashire border, an attempt was made, about the year 1860, to form a Gullery ; several birds built on the edge of a tarn on Newton fell, their efforts, however, were frustrated by robbery of the eggs by farm-hands, and the birds left. Other attempts at nesting, made in 1881-2 in the Aire Valley outside Leeds, were rendered futile by the eggs being stolen as soon as they were laid ; these birds have lately become very numerous in the upper reaches of the Aire since the formation of so many sewage farms between Skip ton and Bingley. Between 1893 and 1903 a considerable number bred on Keighley Moor Dam ; on one occasion twenty-three nests were counted, but the eggs were all taken and the birds abandoned the place. A statement recording the discovery of an unfledged young one, on 2yth July 1900, on Clough Hey Reservoir, Keighley moor, appears in the Naturalist (1900, p. 304), and in the year 1904 Mediterranean Black-headed Gull. See page 675. BLACK-HEADED GULL. 673 a large colony of between twenty and thirty pairs was in existence in a locality protected from molestation. In Swaledale a small community, composed of four nesting pairs, was in existence at Summer Lodge Tarn until 1865, and a few pairs also bred at Punchard Head in Arkengarth- dale ; this latter station is probably the one referred to in the Zoologist (1884, p. 139), under the impression that the birds were Common Gulls, and corrected in the same volume (p. 196), the recorder stating that the birds were doubtless Black- headed Gulls. Another small colony of about a dozen pairs was on Semer Water in Yoredale until about 1897, though, unless protection is afforded them, it is probable that repeated robbery will cause the birds to abandon it as a nesting resort. Of Yorkshire Gulleries now in occupation, besides that on Skipwith Common, there is one at Locker Tarn in Wensleydale, which was founded about 1888, when a single pair of birds nested, and the colony has increased, until in 1902 it was com- posed of about forty or fifty pairs. Another Gullery is situated on the moors between Whitby and Scarborough ; it originated about the year 1893 ; in 1902 there were some twenty pairs nesting, but the eggs are constantly robbed, and it is to be feared that the birds will be driven away if persecution does not cease. I am enabled to give an illustration of this place. On the fells of the north-west odd pairs occasionally nest irregularly on the edges of the tarns, the most populous station being on Browsholme Tarn, near Bashall Hall, where several pairs are established ; a number breed near Grassington, Skipton, and Oxenhope, and Mr. R. Fortune discovered a new colony in the year 1904 on a lonely mountain in one of the wildest parts of the fell district. The Black-headed Gull is an abundant species on the coast in spring, and again in autumn after the young are fledged, when both adult and immature birds resort to the shores of the estuaries ; the bulk appear to move southward as winter comes on, returning in the early part of the year. In some severe winters it is extremely numerous on the coast, as in February 1888, and December 1890, when, during the prevalence of a hard frost, hundreds frequented the 674 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. beach between Teesmouth and Saltburn, feeding on the edge of the tide amongst crustaceans which were washed ashore in myriads. A few non-breeding birds remain on the coast throughout the summer. Being an inland nester this Gull is observed away from the tide more frequently than any other of the Laridae, and has occurred in most parjts of the county, generally in the neighbourhood of lakes, reservoirs, or streams ; it also associ- ates with Rooks in following the husbandman in ploughing time. Occasionally odd examples assume the dark hood very early ; one with the black head has been reported in November, two years in succession, in Whitby harbour ; whilst at the same place an instance, if it may be so termed, of birds adapting themselves to the advantages of civilization was noticed in January 1903, when a number of these Gulls was observed as late as half -past ten p.m., feeding by the light of the electric lamps opposite the Museum. The specimen from which Bewick made his figure of the " Red-legged Gull " is this species in winter plumage, and was in the Tunstall or Allan Museum (cf. Fox's " Synopsis," P- 94)- The local vernacular names are many and varied. It was termed Black Cap by Tunstall (1784) ; Black Cap Mew by Bishop Nicholson (1702) ; Sea Crow by Tunstall, and also in the Western Ainsty ; Pigeon Gull at Spurn and Scar- borough; Peewit Gull by Tunstall (1784), Graves (1808), at Spurn and in the East Riding ; Land Maul and Carr Swallow in east Yorkshire ; Black Cap Gull in Wensleydale ; Sharpie, at Bridlington ; Tumbler or Tumbling Gull at Redcar (so called from its habit of turning in the air like a Tumbler Pigeon), and Tunney at Whitby. [The LAUGHING GULL (Larus atricilla, L.) is reported to have been obtained near Filey (Tuck, Zool. 1876, p. 4960), but this species is not recognised as a British bird. Cf. Yarrell, 4th Ed. Vol. iii. p. 606, and Saunders's " Manual," 2nd Ed. p. 662.] MEDITERRANEAN BLACK-HEADED GULL. Larus melanocephalus (N alter er). This Gull is resident on the shores of the Mediterranean, and, according to Mr. Howard Saunders's "Manual" (2nd Ed. 1899, p. 667), there are only two instances on record of its occurrence in Britain, and indeed one of these is open to doubt. This species may, however, now be added to the county list, for an adult example, in winter plumage, was obtained on the Yorkshire coast in November 1895, and a figure of the bird is here given. I have further information regarding this individual, but, unfortunately, have failed to obtain permission from the owner of the specimen to make it public. COMMON GULL. Larus canus (L.). Winter visitant, fairly abundant ; a few immature birds remain in the estuaries of the Tees and Humber during summer. The earliest known reference to this bird in Yorkshire is in the Rev. J. Graves's "History of Cleveland" (1808), where it is enumerated in the list of birds. Thomas Allis, 1844, wrote : — Larus canus. — Common Gull — Common on the coast ; it is seen rarely near Sheffield ; Dr. Farrar remarks that " Near Barnsley the Gulls were occasional visitants, they sometimes remained a day or two, but were generally in transition apparently between the east and west seas, and, as far as my observation extended, invariably from the former to the latter. The Common Gull, Wagel, and Herring Gull were by far the most numerous in these migrations." It is seen occasion- ally near Leeds, at Hebden Bridge, and York ; it also occurs near Huddersfield. A. Strickland says that it is common on the east shore, except at the breeding time, and does not breed on any part of the coast. 676 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. Though its trivial name seems to indicate that it is common, this Gull is not so abundant as some others of the genus, and the statement made in Allis's day holds good at the present time. On the coast it is fairly plentiful in autumn and winter, both adult and immature birds being met with, and in some seasons it is very numerous, especially in stormy weather, and notably so in 1877 ; 1883, (in both the Spurn and Redcar districts ;) 188$, and 1892. During the prevalence of strong north or north-east gales, from October to January, immense numbers pass along shore on the Cleveland coast, flying head to wind, or with the wind " on the beam," and going in a north-westerly direction ; this passage sometimes continues for three or four days, and in that time many thou- sands of birds go by. The reasons for these movements of Gulls are not thoroughly understood ; ' they are not merely local, and it seems probable that they are migrations on a large scale. With an easterly gale a movement to the south- ward is observed, but the numbers travelling in that direction are comparatively few, and these may be local birds changing their quarters. In the spring the Common Gull leaves the Yorkshire coast for its nesting stations, a few immature birds only remaining during the summer in the river estuaries. The sole instance of the occurrence of an adult example at that period which has come to my notice, was at Redcar on igth July 1903, when I found one washed ashore on the beach. A statement by Mr. Tinkler, that this species bred in Arken- garthdale is not correct, the bird referred to being the Black- headed Gull (cf. Zool. 1884, pp. 139, 196). In the Wold district this Gull is frequently seen on the ploughed land, where it follows the husbandman in his farming operations, returning to the coast at nightfall in regular formation like a flock of Geese ; every spring, until the breeding season arrives, adult birds congregate on the public common at Beverley. It also occasionally occurs at a distance from tidal waters, generally on inland lakes or reservoirs ; Mr. W. Eagle Clarke reported two at Fewston in June 1884 ; the individuals thus observed are immature birds, and, w HERRING GULL. 677 in all probability, are passing from the east to the west coast. At Masham, on 26th August 1889, a curious incident took place, resulting in the capture of one of these birds, which swooped down on a minnow used as a bait by a fisherman, who successfully played and landed it (Field, 3ist August 1889). The local names are : — Sea Mew, Sea Crow (Western Ainsty), and Pet Maw (Redcar). HERRING GULL. Larus argentatus (Gmelin). Resident, common ; nests on the sea-cliffs from Saltburn to Bempton. The Cottonian MS. contains a quaint reference to " Hunt- ley Nabbe " [Huntcliffe, near Saltburn], " where the coaste be- ginnes to rise Highe, full of craggs and steepe Rockes, wherein Meawes, pidgeons, and Sea-fowle breede plentifullye " (Cott. MS. about 1604, pp. 20-21). The Meawes, doubtless, were Herring Gulls, which still have a fairly large colony there, and the quotation given may be taken as the first mention of this as a Yorkshire bird. When Pennant visited Flam- borough on 3rd July 1769, he observed Herring Gulls amongst the multitudes of birds there (" A Tour in Scotland," 1771, P. 15). Thomas Allis, in 1844, wrote : — Larus argentatus. — Herring Gull — Common on the coast ; obtained about Barnsley ; rarely seen near Hebden Bridge ; the young frequently met with about Sheffield. A. Strickland remarks that, " Though the scientific names of the Lesser Black-backed and Herring Gulls have till lately been in great confusion and uncertainty, the English names have been perfectly explicit and correctly applied ever since they were accurately defined ; but Mr. G. R. Gray of the British Museum has lately done what is likely to revive all the confusion that formerly existed about them by naming the specimens of the Lesser Black-backed Gull 678 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. as the Herring Gull and the Herring Gull as the Silvery Gull, a name not known for it in any part of the country. In applying to Mr. Gray why he had done so, he said it was upon the authority of Latham ; now the truth is Linnaeus described the Lesser Black-backed Gull, but did not describe the Herring Gull, but Latham described the Herring Gull, but did not describe the Lesser Black-backed Gull, and therefore cannot be quoted for the name of a bird he [did] not describe ; I hope Mr. Gray will see the evil of this mistake." Another early allusion to the Herring Gull in Yorkshire is found in Jesse's " Scenes of Country Life " (1844, p. 353), which is highly interesting, as being the first notice of this bird nesting in confinement. It relates to two Gulls of different species which, contrary to their habits in a wild state, interbred and nested in an enclosure at Wentworth House, Yorkshire, and runs as follows : — " The male was a Black-backed Gull, and the female a Blue-backed Gull, presumably the Herring Gull. One egg only was laid, on which the two birds took it in turn to sit. The young bird when hatched was covered with down, which changed to a spotted grey." The Herring Gull is a common resident, nesting in large numbers on the cliffs from Saltburn to Robin Hood's Bay ; a few pairs breed at Peak and Ravenscar, and a single pair has occupied a site in Burniston Bay, north of Scarborough, since 1899. It is abundant on the Gristhorpe cliffs, between Scarborough and Filey, where a hundred and eighty eggs were taken on I3th May 1899, and seventy-six in one day in May 1900 ; on the famous range of chalk cliffs south of Filey it is not so plentiful as a breeding species, being driven away by constant persecution, though one or two pairs returned to nest in 1873 ; there was a nest at Bempton in 1876, and odd pairs attempt to breed from year to year, but the " dimmers " do not encourage this bird owing to the injury it does to their trade by carrying off the Guillemots' eggs ; it occasionally nests near the " Dor " and Danes' Dyke ; a brood was reared there in 1900, and eggs were taken in 1902, 1904, 1905, and 1906, whilst in the year 1902 two nests were found on the Speeton range. The chief colonies in the north of the county are at Boulby, Staithes, Kettleness, and the Cliffs near Whitby High Lights, haunt of Herring Gull. R. Fortune. See page 679. HERRING GULL. 679 Whitby High Lights, where several hundred pairs breed in comparative security, although the birds nesting at and near Gin Hole (Staithes) were much harried by foxes between the years 1895 and 1900 ; their enemies had access to the ledges where the nests were placed, whence they carried off both eggs and young birds. I have found eggs partly buried in the potato plots at the top of the cliffs where the foxes had taken them, and this persecution caused the birds to remove their quarters nearer the west part of Boulby, at which place in 1902 they were more numerous than had ever before been known, whilst the " Gin Hole " locality was almost deserted. In 1900 two pairs appropriated sites at the highest part of the cliff, 660 feet, and have nested there since that year. At Kettleness the species is as abundant as ever, two or three hundred pairs occupying that station, at which upwards of a thousand eggs were gathered by Whitby fisher- men in the season of 1903 ; the Huntcliffe colony also main- tains its standing of about twenty to thirty pairs. The Herring Gull pairs very early in the year, in mild seasons so soon as the first week of January, and it resorts to the nesting cliffs towards the end of February or beginning of March. The young are on the wing in the first or second week of July, and they and their parents leave the cliffs about mid-August. In the autumn a considerable addition is made to the ranks of the resident stock by immigrants from other parts, and in strong north and north-east gales they are observed passing up the coast in continuous flocks, sometimes for days together ; a similar movement is noticed at Spurn and Flamborough, the direction of flight being usually from east to west. A large proportion of immature birds remain throughout the summer in the estuaries of the Tees and the Humber. The Herring Gull is occasionally met with in localities far removed from its accustomed haunts, having been obtained in the centre of the county, and in the dales of the north-west ; possibly these are storm-driven birds or else are in transit from one coast to the other. In the neighbourhood of the coast line it visits the tillage land, often consorting with Rooks, VOL. II. X 68o THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. following the farmers and taking toll of the worms and grubs unearthed by the ploughshare ; while in the " Carrs " of East Yorkshire, in wet seasons when much land is flooded, it is frequently observed feeding on worms which have been drowned by the flood water. A pair of Herring Gulls, kept in a garden at Redcar, nested in the spring of 1905 ; fhe female laid one egg, which she diligently sat for a month, but it proved to be infertile. Although this Gull is an omnivorous feeder, it is often reduced to great straits in winter weather ; during the hard and protracted frost in 1895 I procured one which disgorged a starfish ; and in February 1906, I watched two or three of these birds fighting for possession' of a thirteen-rayed starfish, which was eventually eaten by the conquerer in the fight. Mr. W. Eagle Clarke, when staying on the Eddystone Light- house in October 1901, noticed this species feeding on seaweed. The disparity in size between different examples of the Herring Gull seems almost calculated to make a specific distinction between the extremes ; an immature bird shot on ist November 1900, at Redcar, measured 27 J inches in total length, the wing from carpal joint 18 inches, expanse of wings 52 inches, tarsus 3 inches, middle- toe 3 inches ; at first glance it looked like an immature Great Black-back, the bill measuring 2| inches, and being quite as massive as in that species, but on examination of the back several blue feathers were found amongst the mottled grey plumage, thus leaving no other conclusion than that it was an abnormally large specimen of L. argentatus, and perhaps a third year's bird. Of Yorkshire varieties there is but one instance on record, viz., a white immature example, shot at Filey on 26th Sep- tember 1884, by Mr, J. Fountain ; the plumage, instead of being speckled grey, as usual, was pure white. The only local name known to me is Blue-backed Gull, which is used in the Cleveland district. Herring Gulls Nesting in Captivity at Redcar. T. M. Fallow Nest of Herring Gull at Kettleness. T. H. Nelson. Sec page 680. 68i LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL. Larus fuscus (L.). Resident in limited numbers, also winter visitant, common from autumn to spring. Breeds sparingly in one or two localities. Im- mature birds remain off the coast during the whole of the year. Probably the earliest published notice of this bird in Yorkshire is contained in the list of birds in the Rev. J. Graves's " History of Cleveland " (1808). Thomas Allis, in 1844, wrote : — Larus fuscus. — Lesser Black-backed Gull — Met with rarely near Leeds ; young birds not infrequently obtained about Sheffield ; F. O. Morris reports it as common on the coast ; A. Strickland remarks that "It is not an uncommon bird on this coast, but it does not breed on any part of the coast here, though in many places it breeds in company with the Herring Gull " This Gull is not so common on the Yorkshire coast as the preceding species, but is fairly numerous in autumn and winter when the young and old birds leave their nesting quarters and assemble on the fishing grounds. In the Humber district it used to be considered rare, though it has greatly increased in numbers of late years. On the coast of the North Riding it occurs most abundantly in spring when on migration to its breeding stations further to the northward, and it is not so frequently met with in winter. The strange movements of large bodies of Gulls, referred to in the Common and Herring Gulls, are to be remarked of this species also ; on the north Yorkshire seaboard both the adult and immature birds are often noticed during autumn and winter in north and north-east gales, for days together, passing in immense numbers to the north-west, and sometimes associated with Herring Gulls ; such a passage took place on 20th-23rd October 1884, at Redcar, and another on the I5th of the same month in 1887. At Flamborough and Spurn, with south- west gales, they fly in a southerly direction ; many were observed in September 1880, and from 25th to 28th September 1884 ; an estimate formed of the numbers passing a given 682 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. point reached the total of 280 in an hour, and this movement lasted for ten hours a day for the space of four days. As spring approaches, and the nesting season draws near, many adult birds are daily seen in April and May, going north- west en route for their breeding places on the Fame Isles, and if north-west winds should prevail at this period they fly along the margin of tfce sand-hills, where their yellow bills and black and white plumage are conspicuously thrown up against the blue of the sky. Although generally considered as a winter visitant only, the Lesser Black-backed Gull was reported as having nested on the Yorkshire coast, between Scarborough and Filey, so long ago as 1876, though the recorder was very doubtful as to the authenticity of the report (Tuck, Zool. 1876, p. 4960) ; in the summer of 1884 Mr. Thomas Carter saw a pair of these birds near Filey, and the year following had what were alleged to be genuine eggs brought to him by a cliff-climber, who averred that he had seen the bird sitting on the nest. Mr. Carter appears to have had no doubt as to their genuineness, although he did not see the birds nor the nest whence the eggs were said to have been taken ; the statement of the climber was not considered to be satisfactory, and, after careful consideration, I have come to the conclusion that the evidence produced in support of the supposed occurrence is incomplete. I am quite aware that this species is frequently seen passing along the coast near Filey from the end of April throughout summer, but the birds do not go into the cliffs in a manner which suggests they are nesting, their movements having more the appearance of a migration. At Bempton, on 28th June 1902, I saw fifteen old birds pass along the cliff sides, going south ; and on i8th July 1904, six adults flew past in the same direction. Therefore, until further proof is adduced, the Filey breeding record remains unproven (op. cit. 1884, pp. 438, 485 ; and 1885, pp. 26, 27, 346, 388). On the northern portion of the coast, however, I have abundant proof that this Gull nests sparingly in one or two localities near Whitby, where there are also large colonies Kettleness ; the nesting place of Herring and Lesser Black-backed Gulls. T. H. Nelson. The bird in the centre of the picture is a Lesser Black-back. See page 683. LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL. 683 of Herring Gulls. On the occasion of my first visit to these cliffs in 1878, whilst the coast railway was in process of con- struction, two pairs of Lesser Black-backs were seen, and on every visit since then one or more pairs were to be noticed, generally on an inaccessible part of the rocks ; in 1892 three pairs were observed, one of them undoubtedly nesting, and subsequently, having first located the nest, containing three eggs, I succeeded in taking a photograph which is here re- produced ; both birds were present, the female was seen on the nest, and the male was perched on a boulder close at hand ; two other pairs of birds had nests, but they were out of reach, though I was successful in photographing one of the birds on a ledge. In July 1903, I saw a pair of these Gulls at a nest in which the young were hatched and fully a week old ; and on 6th June 1904, I saw two pairs on the nesting station. At Boulby, north of Staithes, a pair of adults may usually be seen in the breeding season, but as the ledges are very difficult of access, I have not as yet been able to satisfy myself that it breeds there. Inland the Lesser Black-backed Gull has occurred in the centre of the county, as also in the remote dales of the North and West Ridings, but not so frequently as the Herring Gull, and, unlike that species, it is not often observed on the ploughed lands. A case of interbreeding with the Herring Gull is recorded in Jesse's " Scenes of Country Life," particulars of which will be found under the heading of the latter species. The local names are : — Lesser Saddle-back, and Black* back, in general use. 684 GREAT BLACK-BACKED GULL. Larus marinus (L.). Winter visitant, fairly common, arrives on the coast in autumn and departs again in spring. Probably the first Yorkshire mention of this fine bird is that by Thomas Allis, written in 1844 : — Larus marinus. — Great Black-backed Gull — Occurs at times about Huddersfield and Barnsley ; it is common on the coast. This, the largest of the British Gulls,, is a winter visitant to Yorkshire, making its appearance after the nesting season, accompanied by the young birds, and departing for its breeding quarters again in spring. Some of the immature birds remain throughout the year. It is fairly abundant on the coast and in the Humber and Tees areas, both in the immature and mature stages, and is known as one of the most voracious feeders amongst the frequenters of the shore. One, procured on the sands at Redcar in my presence, had made its last meal of a Redshank, that had been swallowed whole; another, at the Teesmouth, disgorged no fewer than six full-sized herrings, two being quite fresh ; yet another, an immature bird killed at Bridlington, in January 1895, had in its stomach a Little Auk, which was so slightly damaged that it was preserved by a taxidermist (Nat. 1895, p. 121). Like the two preceding species, this one is noticed in stormy weather passing along the coast in those strange move- ments of Gulls which are so little understood ; sometimes for several days together they may be noticed in small bodies, composed of both young and adults, their powerful pinions enabling them to overcome the force of the fiercest gales. On 23rd October 1881, and for several days previously, with strong easterly gales, there was a great passage of mature birds at Redcar, as many as a hundred going by to the north- west in the course of one day ; a more extensive migration than had been known for many years (Third Migration Report, Kettleness; the nesting place of the Herring and Black-backed Gulls. From a painting by W. Woodhoiise. See page 683. GLAUCOUS GULL. 685 p. 36). Another strong migration took place on I7th October 1898, with a north-east gale. In spring also this gull is noticed moving northward at the same time as the Lesser Black-back is observed on passage towards the nesting grounds, although, as is well known, there is no breeding station of this bird on the east coast. The late J. Cordeaux's remarks as to its former nesting at Flamborough (Zool. 1864, p. 9247) are not supported by any evidence that I am aware of. The Great Black-back is not so common as some others of its genus away from the coast, but has been met with in the south and centre of the West Riding, chiefly on sheets of fresh water, and occasionally occurs in the valleys of the Aire, Nidd, Ure, Swale, and Tees. Individuals vary greatly in size ; I obtained an adult female on I2th November 1875, which measured thirty-one inches from bill to tail, and whose wings extended to the width of six feet. George Mussell, the Middlesbrough taxidermist, is of opinion that, as this bird advances in age, the pink tinge of the legs and feet becomes fainter until those parts are almost colourless ; an example examined on 6th January 1902, had the legs and feet nearly white, while the spots on the head and neck were very faint ; this, according to the above-mentioned theory, indicates great age. Local names : — Black-back, in general use ; Black and White Gull ; Saddleback, at Redcar ; Black-backed Hannock, at Bridlington, and Wagel Gull, applied to the immature bird. GLAUCOUS GULL. Larus glaucus (Faber). Winter visitant on the coast ; immature birds are met with every season, but not numerously, except in very severe weather ; mature specimens are rarer. The first allusion to this bird in the county is found in Thomas Allis's Report of 1844, thus : — 686 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. Larus glaucus. — Glaucous Gull — F. O. Morris reports one shot at Rossington Warren some years ago ; R. Leyland says the Gulls and Terns may be sometimes seen to alight about Halifax, but their visits are so rare and so short as to be unworthy of notice ; A. Strickland observes, " Mature specimens of this bird were, as far as I can ascertain, quite unknown on this coast until the severe winter of 1830, when considerable numbers were to be seen on the coast, and many were procured ; I am not aware that they have been seen since, but the young birds, called here the Cream-coloured Gull, are not infrequent in winter, and a few are generally killed every year." This northern Gull, the " Burgomaster " of the Danes, is a winter visitant to the Yorkshire seaboard, occurring not infrequently in the immature plumage, from October to March, at most of the coast stations between the Tees and the Humber ; in some years it appears in considerable numbers, as in 1830, according to Allis, and in 1875 (Tuck, Field, ist January 1876). Adult examples are rarer, though not uncommonly met with a few miles out at sea, in severe winters. I have in- formation of upwards of thirty occurrences, some of the data being as follows : — On the Yorkshire coast, several in 1830 and 1875. Kilnsea, Spurn, one on I3th November 1888. Bridlington, two in 1846-47, one in 1866, one in 1871. Flamborough, two in 1873, two in 1877, one in 1887. Filey, two in 1874, one in 1875. Scarborough, one in 1853, one on igth January 1867 ; one, September 1887 ; some, autumn 1889. Whitby, one before 1880. Redcar, one on igth December 1878 (in Mr. E. B. Emerson's collection) ; one on 8th January 1902 (in my collection) ; one on 8th April 1903, seen on the beach in front of my house. I have seen two other specimens at Redcar, but no particulars respecting them are forthcoming. Being a true sea-bird it is of very rare occurrence away from the coast ; one is said to have been taken at Rossington Warren many years ago (fide Allis), and, so far as records show, this seems to be the only instance of its appearance inland. This species is, like its compeers, of a ravenous nature, Nest of Lesser Black-backed Gull at Kettleness. T. H. Nelson. See page 687. ICELAND GULL. 687 and has been known to attack and kill wounded birds left floating at its mercy on the waves ; in January 1895, one was seen to pounce down upon and devour a Little Auk, which had been shot from Filey Brigg. Local names : — Iceland Gull ; Cream-coloured Gull, applied to immature birds. Mallemoke, or Mollemawk, sometimes thus called by sailors or fishermen, doubtless taken from Norwegians, and used in error for Fulmar (Hogg, Zool. 1845, p. 1185). ICELAND GULL. Larus leucopterus (Faber). Occasional visitant to the coast in winter, when immature birds are met with at irregular intervals ; the adult is extremely rare. The Iceland Gull is an inhabitant of the Arctic regions, and an occasional winter visitant to Yorkshire, though, doubt- less, it is of more frequent occurrence than the few records imply. The earliest published record of its connection with the county is found in Yarrell's "British Birds" (1843, Vol. iii. p. 461), where an adult specimen is reported as taken in Yorkshire. This is also noted in Thomas Allis's Report, of 1844, as follows : — Larus icelandicus. — Iceland Gull — W. Yarrell in his " British Birds " reports an adult specimen taken in Yorkshire ; the young birds are occasionally killed on the east coast in winter, but the mature ones are very uncommon. Adult examples are extremely rare, there being only four captures recorded or communicated. The first is that mentioned by Yarrell in 1843, as taken on the Yorkshire coast, particulars of which are, unfortunately, not now procurable ; three others passed through the hands of Mr. Machen of Bridlington, one of which was procured in March, before the passing of the Sea-Birds Protection Act; a male was obtained on 28th February 1887, by W. Machen, 688 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. and another in January 1896 ; while a fifth occurrence was noted by the late J. Cordeaux, who stated that he saw one at Flamborough on 8th May 1894 (" Birds of Humber District," 1899, p. 36). The instances in which the immature birds have been chronicled are : — In 1846-47, one at Bridlington (Zool. 1847, P- 1692). Scarborough, on 8th December 1854, one taken alive in the harbour (op. cit. 1855, p. 4560). One at Redcar in the winter of 1854-55 (Nat. 1854-5, p. 144). Yorkshire coast, one in possession of J. Malcolm, Esq. (Morris, " British Birds," 1857, yi- P- I77)- Scarborough, one, I5th January 1867 (Zool. 1867, p. 637). Flamborough, one on I2th October 1867 (torn. cit. p. 1010). Bridlington, a male on I5th December 1870 (op. cit. 1871, p. 2488). Same place, one at Ellotson's on i8th February 1871, killed a few days previously by a ploughman (torn. cit. p. 2527)* Easington, near Spurn, on 23rd January 1883 (P. Loten, in litt.). Whitby, on 2nd January 1885, in the local collection at the Museum (Stephenson MS.). Bridlington, two in 1885 (Machen, oral communication). Scarborough, one on 8th November 1892 (Field, I2th November 1892). Flamborough, one on 2nd January 1893 ; several on i8th November 1893 (Bailey MS.) ; one on 8th May 1894 (" Birds of the Humber District," p. 36). Scarborough, one at Scalby Ness on 1st January 1899 (W. J. Clarke MS.). Teesmouth, one on ist February 1902, in the possession of Mr. J. Watson, Coatham. Mr. W. Eagle Clarke is of opinion that the reported Iceland Gulls, Spurn, December 1882 (Zool. 1884, p. 180), belong to the larger species, the Glaucous Gull, with which this bird is frequently confused, both being known to professional gunners and fishermen as Iceland Gulls, or, in the immature stage, Cream-coloured Gull. 689 KITTIWAKE. Rissa tridactyla (£. Resident, breeding on the cliffs at Bempton and Speeton. A great increase of numbers takes place in autumn. Pennant was the first to notice the Kittiwake in Yorkshire, and thus alluded to its occupation of the Flamborough Cliffs — " It inhabits the romantic cliffs of Flamborough Head, where it is called Petrell " (" British Zoology," Vol. iv. 1770, p. 26 ; and in his " Tour in Scotland " (1771, p. 15), he again referred to it at Flamborough (see Introduction). Thomas Allis, in 1844, wrote as follows : — Larus tridactylus. — Kittiwake Gull — Common on the coast ; it occurs near Huddersfield, also about Sheffield, and is occasionally seen near York. A. Strickland says " They breed in very great abundance on the rocks [cliffs] at Flamborough, but leave the country soon after, and are never seen here in winter."* This graceful Gull is resident in Yorkshire, nesting in considerable numbers on the cliffs of the Flamborough range at Bempton and Speeton. In the first half of the past century it was extremely abundant there — Charles Waterton, in 1834, found the nests so numerous as totally to defy any attempt to count them — but, unfortunately, a demand arose for the beautiful feathers forming its plumage, and thousands were slaughtered to meet the exigencies of fashion ; it has been asserted that a single gunner made from £15 to £18 per week, during the season, for feathers, whilst in one year four thousand birds passed through his hands, being sent to London plumassiers. The time chosen for shooting was just as the birds were building their nests, the lining for which is generally composed of grass or roots collected on the cliff tops, or in the fields adjacent. I have seen the birds busily engaged plucking the grass on the edges of the cliffs, and the veteran climber, Edward Hodgson of Buckton, can remember when a * Strickland was in error in denning the position of this bird, and especially so when he stated they are " never seen here in winter." 690 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. whole field was cleared by the Kittiwakes of " twitch," which had been worked out of the land, between Saturday and Monday. The question formerly used to be asked, " Has thou been up at Cliff ; is Kitts carrying ? " by men who wished to know if it was worth while going out to the slaughter. Excursionists and gunners from inland towns were also guilty of wanton cruelty in shooting the poor birds while nesting, the young being left to perish on the cliffs, and there was a danger of their extermination, until the passing of the Sea- birds Preservation Act of 1869 put an end to the butchery. Now the numbers of nesting birds are gradually increasing, although, where one nest may at present be seen, there used formerly to be half-a-dozen, and the eggs were then sold at the rate of four or five for a penny. The Kittiwake arrives at the breeding quarters at Bempton and Speeton at dates varying from the I2th of March, which is the earliest I have note of, up to the third week of April. The method of climbing for Seabirds' eggs, described under the heading of the Guillemot, is applicable to this species also. The first clutches consist of three in number, and are laid about the last week in May ; if these are taken the bird lays again, but, as a rule, produces two only as the second clutch. W. Wilkinson, the Bempton cliff-climber, has frequently taken eight eggs from one nest : first three, second and third clutches of two each, and for the last laying one only ; he has very rarely known nine laid by one bird, and, in the instances where this has occurred, the second set has consisted of three. The intervals between the laying of the clutches is practically the same as in the case of the Guillemot, about fourteen days, or, if the eggs are incubated, the time is extended to eighteen or twenty days. Occasionally varieties are found of a pale green colour, entirely spotless ; a clutch of this type was brought up from Bempton cliffs in June 1902, while I was present. In the event of the bird being obliged to produce a second clutch the first egg is at once sat on, consequently it may thus happen that eggs from the same nest are in different stages of incubation, and in July 1904, 1 noticed young in variant degrees of growth in one nest. If the nest KITTIWAKE. 691 should be destroyed, or knocked off the ledge, as sometimes occurs in the climber's efforts to reach the eggs, and there is not sufficient time to construct another nest, the bird may lay again on the bare rock. The young, " pen-feathered," have been seen as early as the 3rd of July. In autumn vast numbers of old and young birds, many of them migrants, assemble round the Flamborough Headland, and at other parts of the coast, attracted by the shoals of young herrings on which they feed ; at these times one of the most interesting sights for an ornithologist may be witnessed at sea on a calm day in late autumn. One or two light- winged forms will be observed gracefully gliding in mid- air above the sea, when, its attention arrested perhaps by a shoal of sprats, one suddenly swoops down and snatches a fish from below the surface. Instantly there is commotion ; with screams and swoops the others dash down to take their share of the prey ; then more silvery wings are seen glancing in the sunlight, hurrying in from all quarters of the compass, and in the course of two or three minutes there is a crowd of shrieking, excited birds wheeling around where, ertswhile, the only sound to be heard was the lazy dip of the oars gently propelling the boat onwards. Unfortunately, this habit of the Kittiwake was taken advantage of by shooters, who used to throw a dead bird in the air in order to attract any living ones which were passing by, and as they were shot others came to the scene, and so the slaughter went on. In 1877 Kittiwakes were very numerous off Redcar, as also in 1882-3 ; 1884 ; in 1892 (all along the seaboard) ; and also in 1893. The migratory movements noted in connection with other species of Gulls may be observed in this also, and in north and north-east gales great flocks pass along shore to the north-west, whilst in east or south-east winds a southward passage takes place. On ist November 1888, many thousands were going south ; in October 1892, there was a great flight to the north-west ; while in October 1896, many were going south off Flamborough, and later, with a change of wind, they were observed to be moving northward. In mid-February 1892, I noticed a vast assemblage of 692 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. these birds about a mile out at sea off Redcar, the weather being calm and hazy ; on procuring a boat to ascertain the cause of this great congregation of Gulls, many were found to be floating on the sea, dipping their bills into the water, while others were flying overhead, every few moments dashing down to pick up some object from the surface ; two or three specimens were procured for examination, when it was dis- covered that their mouths were full of small crustaceans, with which the sea was literally alive.* The Flamborough fishermen have told me that, when they are shooting their long lines, Kittiwakes sometimes seize the bait, and are dragged under water, striking examples of " the biter being bit." I have a note referring to an instance of one coming so close to a Redcar fishing-coble that one of the men caught the bird by one wing as it hovered near. Inland the Kittiwake is only an occasional straggler, but has been reported from various localities in the West Riding ; it has occurred rarely in some of the remote dales, and one was noted in April 1880, at Skipton, which flew against a chimney pot and broke its wing. In the East Riding it is very seldom observed away from the coast, and then only occasionally on flooded lands. Yorkshire examples of variation in plumage are rare ; one was taken near Flamborough Headland on 23rd October 1886, the plumage of which was entirely white, with the exception of a little fawn colour on the wing coverts, with a deeper fawn where the black should be on the primaries. Another white specimen was obtained, also at Flamborough, by Thomas Leng, four or five miles south of the Headland, on I5th November 1887 ; it was nearly pure white, the outer margins of the primaries and the tips of the tail feathers being light drab colour. This bird was preserved by Mr. M. Bailey, The local names are various. The usual English appellation becomes Kitti-ake at Flamborough and Bempton, in the * Examples of these crustaceans were afterwards submitted to the Rev. Canon A. M. Norman, who determined them as Euthemisto compressa, a species new to British seas. (See Naturalist, June 1892, pp. 175-176.) IVORY GULL. 693 same district being shortened to Kit, Kitty, or Kittie. Petrel is also an old name used at Flamborough and referred to by Pennant in 1770, while old residents in Flamborough and Bempton can remember when this term was in actual use. Annett is a name used in Graves's " Cleveland " (1808) ; and Pet-maw is a Redcar term. In the Humber district one of its names is Mackerel Gull, so called by the fishermen because of the young birds just appearing when these fish are approach- ing the coast. Tarrock is a name applied to the young. IVORY GULL. Pagophila eburnea (Phipps). Accidental visitant from Arctic regions, of extremely rare occurrence. The Ivory Gull is an inhabitant of the far northern regions, and a rare accidental visitant to the Yorkshire coast. The first mention of it, as a county species, is contained in Allis's Report on the Birds of Yorkshire, thus : — Larus eburneus. — Ivory Gull — A specimen was shot near Scarborough many years ago, by the late Charles Watson of York ; he was no ornithologist, but from the account he gave me of the bird, which he said was pure white all over, there can, I think, be no doubt about the species ; I believe the bird was not preserved. There are but seven instances of the occurrence of this bird reported, the particulars of which are as follows : — At Scarborough, one shot " many years ago," by Mr. C. Watson of York, is mentioned in Allis's Report. An adult male example is in the possession of Mr. T. M. Edwards, who obtained it in Filey Bay, in August 1875 (Tuck, Zool. 1875, p. 4689 ; and 1876, p. 4960). A specimen in the second year's plumage was observed on 2nd November 1879, at East Scar, Redcar, while feeding on a stranded fish. It was first fired at by a fisherman, who missed it ; the bird then flew away, but returned to the feed, and was killed. It is now in the collection of Mr. E. B. Emerson of Tollesby Hall (op. cit. 1881, p. 25). 694 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. At Filey, an adult male was obtained in the autumn of 1880 (J. Backhouse, in litt. and torn. cit. p. 108). Another at the same place on 26th September 1884, was reported by Mr. J, Fountain (fide Thomas Boynton). An example was seen at Flamborough on 5th April 1904, and ultimately came into the possession of Mr. W. Hewett. One was reported at .Whitby by the late J. Kitching, as I am informed by Mr. Thomas Stephenson, who says he has no reason to doubt the authenticity of Kitching's statement. Mr. W. Backhouse, writing in the Zoologist (1846, p. 1263), stated that a specimen of this bird, from the Teesmouth, is in the collection of Mr. Edward Backhouse, junr., but, in all probability, the locality was on the north side of the river, as I learn that was the place where many of Mr. Backhouse's birds were procured. GREAT SKUA. Megalestris catarrhactes (Z,.). Bird of passage off the coast ; most frequently observed in autumn. The earliest allusion to the Great Skua in Yorkshire is by Allis's correspondent, Arthur Strickland, thus : — Larus catarractes. — Common Skua — Arthur Strickland remarks that after the breeding season this bird occurs occasionally on the coast, but is never numerous. This noble looking bird, the largest of the British Skuas, breeds abundantly in Iceland and the Faroe Isles, and there are also small colonies in the Shetlands. It is a somewhat rare autumn visitant to the Yorkshire seaboard on its southward migration after the nesting season, and probably also occurs annually on the spring passage northward, but has escaped detection at that period, except on the two occasions in March which are here mentioned. The Great Skua generally carries on its piratical operations where the Gulls and Terns are congregated to prey on the herring shoals, but is not often met with close inshore, being GREAT SKUA. 695 consequently considered much scarcer than really is the case, for it is a bird well known to the deep-sea fishermen, whose appellation for it is " Morrel Hen " ; and on more than one occasion I have had ocular proof that the bird was recognisable by my boatman at a considerable distance when I was unable to distinguish it from 5. pomatorhinus. Although usually noticed during its passage southward on the autumn migration, it has twice occurred in early spring, and on both occasions at Flamborough ; the first on ist March 1868, and the second in late February or early March 1885. It is, perhaps, more frequently seen between Flamborough and Scarborough than at any other part of the coast line, being attracted to the vicinity of the Headland by the swarms of Gulls which assemble there in autumn. The occurrences on the coast, as at present recorded or communicated, are : — Scarborough, one, December 1853 (Zoo/. 1854, p. 4331). Filey, one, August 1864 (op. cit. 1864, p. 9247). Flamborough, immature female, 8th September 1864, procured by Matthew Bailey (op. cit. 1864, p. 9365). Scarborough, one, 27th October 1866 (Nat. 1890, p. 210). Sold at Stevens's sale rooms. Flamborough, one, ist March 1868. In Mr. J. H. Gurney's collection. Scarborough, two in autumn 1880 ; in Mr. J. A. Wheldon's collection (Wheldon MS.). Whitby, one in the Local Museum (Stephenson MS.). Flamborough, one, in late February or early March 1885, at North Landing (Nat. 1884-5, p. 267). Redcar, one, I4th October 1886. Obtained by Mr. E. B. Emerson, while he and I were off at sea. In his collection. Flamborough, one, autumn 1887 (Bailey MS.). Scarborough, one, 3rd October 1889 (Zoo/. 1890, pp.2i-ioo). Whitby, two in the harbour in 1890, reported by J. A. Wilson (Stephenson MS.). Bridlington, one, I2th October 1894. In Mr. T. Boynton's collection. Scarborough, one, November 1894 (Nat. 1895, pp. 238, 308). VOL. II. Y 696 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. Redcar, an immature example, I2th October 1896. In my collection. Staithes, one from fishing grounds. In C. Milburn's possession. Robin Hood's Bay, one, summer of 1904. Bridlington, one, autumn of 1904. In the Hull Museum. Inland this species has been reported at Nun Monckton several years ago ; at Pateley Bridge, one, obtained in 1864, is now in the Bewerley Hall collection, and on Tollerton Ings, near York, one occurred on i8th October 1879 (Back- house, Zool. 1880, p. 21), Its vernacular names are : — Morrel Hen at Redcar ; Murrel Hen at Flamborough and northward to Scarborough, Accord- ing to Mr. Harper (op. cit. 1890, pp. 21, 100), this is a corruption of Merle Hen. Tod-bird and Bo'sun are in use at Bridlington and Flamborough. POMATORHINE SKUA. Stercorarius pomatorhinus (Temminck).* Bird of passage off the coast in autumn; chiefly in immature plumage, and uncertain as to. numbers. Large flocks have occurred at irregular intervals. This fine Skua nests in northern Siberia and Greenland, migrating in winter southward to Africa. There does not appear to have been any published reference to it, as a county species, before the date of AHis's Report, thus : — Lestris pomarinus. — Pomarine Skua — Shot near Scarborough, sometimes in considerable numbers, in the immature plumage ; one such specimen has been shot near York; A. Strickland says that " At the same season as the last, young birds of this species are some years by no means uncommon t but very uncertain in their visits, * Lestris pomarintts (Temminck), specific name amended to pomatorhinus by Mr. Sclater (Ibis. 1862, p. 297), POMATORHINE SKUA. 697 and some seasons are not seen at all, but it must be observed that the young birds of the next species are often mistaken for it, and are not easily discriminated. I have not seen a mature bird on this coast." In considering the status of this bird in Yorkshire it will be found that, until the year 1879, ^ was deemed to be an uncertain and rather scarce autumn or winter visitant to the coast, and, as a rule, only immature examples were met with, the adults being almost unknown, or very rare ; and the locality most favoured by its presence was the famous Head- land of Flamborough ; true it is that Allis, in his Report on the Birds of Yorkshire (1844), mentioned that in some years considerable numbers occur near Scarborough, and his friend, Arthur Strickland, remarked that young birds are in some years not uncommon, but he had never seen a mature specimen on this coast. Several immature birds are reported from Flamborough in the " sixties " ; others in 1874, together with two adults ; and one adult in the autumn of 1875 is recorded. On the Cleveland coast J. Hogg referred to it as a rare winter visitant before 1845 ; while later I have notes of two immature birds — one in January 1876, and another in October 1877. Thus matters stood until October in the year 1879, when there occurred on the east coast of Britain one of those extraordinary visitations, or irruptions, which tend to disarrange the preconceived theories formed respecting the movements of birds. It was my good fortune to be an eye-witness in Yorkshire of this most remarkable migration of Skuas, and to be able to give at first hand an account of it, without which a history of the Birds of Yorkshire would be incomplete. In the early part of October, in the year mentioned, great numbers of Skuas were noticed in the Tees Bay, and on the 8th, when off at sea, I procured an adult and two immature Pomatorhines, at the same time seeing some fifty others in small parties of four or five, all flying to the north- west. This in itself was so unusual an occurrence as to excite great interest amongst local naturalists. On the following day seven more Pomatorhines were obtained, and about a hundred others, in small flocks, were noted going in the same direction 698 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. as those previously observed ; while, during the succeeding four days, I observed one while punting in the Tees, others being seen and some killed by various gunners. Then came the memorable " Skua " gale on the I4th of October, which created an amount of interest and speculation amongst ornithologists equalled only by the famous irruption of Pallas's Sand-Grouse in 1888. .About n a.m. on the day named the wind suddenly flew round to the north, changing to north-east, and blew with great violence, being accompanied by torrents of rain. I had gone to the Teesmouth at the outbreak of the storm, and soon after noon the first flight of Pomatorhine Skuas appeared, coming from the eastward ; more flights followed, their numbers increasing as the day wore on, and scarcely had one party gone by before another hove in sight ; they flew in flocks of from seven to ten in number, skirting the shore, and on arriving at the Teesmouth many of them alighted on the sands, apparently exhausted by battling against the storm. They allowed a close approach as they sat on the beach, only taking flight when an intruder came within a few yards' distance ; possibly they were ignorant of the effects of a gun, and had not had any experience of their arch-enemy, man. Thus they continued to pass for several hours, until by dark some thousands must have gone by ; then the approach of night prevented further observations. On the sand-hills, on both sides of Redcar, many gunners were out, taking toll of the passing birds, but, as they afforded little sport, the shooters abstained from firing at them after obtaining a few specimens. The majority of the Skuas consti- tuting these flocks were adults, their white breasts and long twisted tail feathers rendering them very conspicuous, and easily distinguishable from the immature dark-breasted birds ; a considerable number of Buffon's and a few Richard- son's Skuas accompanied them. In endeavouring to form an approximate idea of their numbers, after careful consideration and consultation with those of my acquaintance who were witnesses of the great flight, it was calculated that a total of between five and six thousand birds passed Redcar. On the day following they continued to fly by during the POMATORHINE SKUA. 699 morning ; on the i6th the wind slackened, and none were observable ; but the gale freshened on the I7th, and I saw about fifty in small bands of seven or eight together, whilst on the 28th two adults were seen. As remarked in previous chapters, when treating of the migratory movements of Gulls in a north-east gale, these Skuas all flew in a north-westerly direction. At other stations on the coast the flght was observed ; at Scarborough thirty specimens were brought to the late Alfred Roberts, who stated that many more were obtained, and in thirty years' experience as a taxidermist he had never had a bird of this species before. At Filey, Flamborough, and Bridlington also, heavy toll was levied on the migrating bands. Many were driven inland by the force of the gale, and were reported from parts of the county far removed from the coast line, and, doubtless, numbers were not identified. As to the causes which led to this historic irruption of Skuas, the late E. T. Booth of Brighton was of opinion that it was not an unusual occurrence, except that the storm drove the birds ashore as they were passing far out at sea in the course of their normal migration, and so they came under the notice of observers. Another theory was that the Skuas merely followed the Gulls, which in turn followed the herring shoals that were very abundant that year ; but the facts as stated, with regard to my observa- tions at Redcar, lead me to differ from this view. The birds noticed on the 8th and gth October were evidently on migra- tion, not stopping to pursue the Terns and Gulls as is their ordinary custom ; they were in small parties, and the very fact of so many as fifty being seen in one day, and a hundred on the following day, was so unusual that we must look to some other cause for elucidation of the mystery (cf. Zool. 1880, pp. 18, 19, 511 ; and Field, 1897, 1st November to 20th December, and 1880, 3rd and I7th January). In the year following another great migration occurred during a terrific storm from the north-east on 28th October ; most of the Skuas then seen were adults, and during the height of the storm several hundreds passed Redcar, flying close to the Esplanade, and struggling to make headway 700 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. against the elements ; many were obliged to rest on the sands, or were driven inland. It was impossible to face the mingled rain, sleet, and sand, and therefore no captures were made (cf. Zool. 1880, p. 511 ; and Field, 6th November 1880). In the year 1881, on i4th October, yet another flight of these Skuas was observed during a north-west gale ; but on this occasion they came down wind, and flew high over the town into the country. The year 1886 was also known as a " Skua year," large numbers being reported on the fishing grounds ; on I4th October the fishermen said they had not seen so many since 1879 ; a storm arose on the I5th and I saw several small flocks pass by over the rocks (Nat. 1887, p. 82). In the next year, 1887, they were very abundant off Flam- borough, where some hundreds were noted in flocks of eight to ten, going south. Off Redcar both adult and immature birds were seen from I3th August to i8th October, on which latter date I noticed thirty or forty flying to the north-west. On 30th September 1889, six Pomatorhine Skuas flew past, all mature birds, their white breasts and long tail feathers being plainly discernible from my window (op. cit. 1889, pp. 82-86). At intervals since the year named the species has occurred on the Cleveland coast, but not in great quantity ; it was fairly abundant off Scarborough in 1889 and 1892, and on 26th October 1901, an immense congregation of Pomatorhine and Richardson's Skuas, which at first were mistaken for ducks resting on the water, was observed some miles off Bridlington ; immature birds were also abundant off the coast in October 1903 ; a few were obtained off Redcar, and thirty-five specimens were brought in to Scarborough for preservation. It is evident, therefore, from the foregoing facts, that the bird is a fairly regular visitant in autumn ; its migration is generally carried on in mid-October, and, although it may not always be found close inshore, it is not uncommon on the fishing grounds in the offing. It probably occurs on the northward passage in spring also, but has hitherto escaped notice. This Skua has been recorded at considerable distances from the sea ; at Skipwith Common an adult male was found Pomatorhine Skuas, Redcar, 1879. From a drawing by John Charlton. "The Wounded Friend." See page 701. POMATORHINE SKUA. 701 dead in October 1858 ; near Leeds and York it has also been reported ; one was noted at Carperby in Wensleydale on 2nd September 1892 ; and after the storm of October 1879, it was observed at Pocklington, Thirsk, Towton, and Newton Kyme ; while on I2th September 1886, five were seen flying over Deighton Manor, near Northallerton, about twenty-five miles from the coast. In reference to the habits of this species, the late Alfred Roberts observed (MS.), that, in October 1879, ne saw several at Scarborough pursuing the smaller Buffon's Skuas, snipping off their elongated tail feathers so as to impede their flight in the scrample for food, and also acting in like manner to members of their own species ; in many examples he examined he noticed that, although in every other respect they were in the full mature garb, the long obtuse projecting feathers had been cut off. This defect was noticeable in some of the specimens I examined, although all those which I have pre- served possess perfect feathers. I was also much struck by the peculiar appearance of the tail in flight ; when a bird was taking a straight course the feathers were closed like a fan, and had a strange and unnatural look when viewed from under- neath, appearing like a cross, 1 — , and seeming to be much longer than really was the case. In several instances when a Skua was killed its companions came to the dead bird, and, in their manoeuvres while swooping round, continually opened and shut their tails, much in the same manner as Terns do when fishing over a shoal of sprats. Another peculiar feature in connection with the adult Skuas in the 1879 invasion, which has not previously been commented upon, was that the webs of the feet were in many cases torn and mutilated, more or less, as though they had been roughly cut or torn asunder down the centre. Can it be possible that, in the northern regions whence they came, their feet had become frozen to the ice, and, in endeavouring to release themselves, they had torn away the webs ? The piratical nature of the Skuas has earned for them the unenviable notoriety they obtain amongst coast shooters. Mr. M. Bailey records an instance of one which clung to a 702 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. wounded Kittiwake until it fell a victim to its own rapacity ; and an adult melanic example I obtained on I4th October 1879, disgorged a perfectly fresh Grey Plover. When one of these Skuas is wounded it fights with claws and bill like a Hawk or Owl, and sportsmen have been severely scratched when handling a bird with ungloved hands. The dark form of Richardson's Skua is almcst as plentiful as the light-breasted, but this variety had not been met with in the Pomatorhine until 1879, the first recorded examples being two which I obtained at Redcar on i4th and I5th October ; both these birds are of a very dark shade of brown, almost black, with the bills, legs, and perfect obtuse feathers in the tails, as in the adults ; one of these specimens is in the collec- tion of Mr. E. B. Emerson of Tollesby Hall, and the other is in my own possession (Zool. 1880, pp. 18, 511 ; and Field, ist November to 2Oth December 1879, and *7th January 1880). A third melanic example was noted at Redcar on 4th October 1884 (Zool. 1884, p. 469), while another Yorkshire variety was recorded from Filey in 1887, having white shoulders, and a few white feathers in the wing coverts ; it is now in the collection of Mr. J. Whitaker The Redcar Skuas in 1879 exhibited great variation of plumage ; I examined upwards of fifty specimens, finding every gradation of colour, from the ordinary immature example to the fully adult, in both the light and dark forms. The vernacular names are not differentiated from those of S. crepidatus except by the prefix " big " or " great." RICHARDSON'S SKUA. Stercorarius crepidatus (Gmelin). Bird of passage on the coast, fairly numerous in most seasons. Has been occasionally taken inland. The earliest local allusion to this bird was made by Montagu, before 1802, when he stated that " It has been met with as far south as Yorkshire " (" Orn. Diet." 1802). RICHARDSON'S SKUA. 703 Thomas Allis, in 1844, wrote : — Larus rtchardsonn. — Richardson's Skua — A specimen is reported by Saml. Gibson to have been picked up in Halifax about seven years ago ; it is occasionally met with on the coast. A. Strickland remarks : " Considerable numbers of this bird occasionally visit us after the breeding time, mostly young birds." Richardson's Skua is the commonest of the four members of this family occurring on our coast, and is a regular autumn bird of passage, arriving about the early part of August, at which period both young and old are frequently to be met with. The earliest date of its appearance at Spurn is ist August 1880, when several were seen going southward ; on the Cleveland coast a flock of about a hundred was observed on I2th July 1881, flying high towards the north- west, at 8-30 p.m. ; and on 27th July 1904, I saw two adults of the white-breasted form harassing the Black-headed Gulls which frequented the vicinity of Redcar Pier. From the middle of August to the end of September, and into October, this Skua is very abundant at sea, pursuing the Gulls and Terns on whose industry it subsists, whilst in exceptional cases it has been known to remain as late as December. It doubtless occurs on the passage northward in spring, but has, so far, escaped observation at that period. In 1879, the year of the great invasion of Skuas, this species was very numerous in August and September, many mature specimens being observed with their larger relatives, S. pomatorhinus. Sometimes Richardson's Skua is noticed in flocks, and I believe this congregating of birds of this family was not generally known before 1879, although I saw two flocks, each containing twenty birds, on 8th October 1877 ; since that time large bodies have often been observed ; in October 1886, several parties passed Redcar during a south- east gale, and in September 1887 a flock of thirty flew high overhead to the north-west, making a continuous screaming call. At Flamborough the species was abundant in 1865 and 1879, and was noted in autumn 1887, passing the Head- land, going southward, flock after flock, some extending for a mile in length ; many were also noticed in September 1895, 704 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. passing continuously (M. Bailey, oral communication). The years 1881, 1885, 1886, 1887, and 1891 were great " Skua years " in the Teesmouth area ; and, at Flamborough and Spurn, in addition to the years named, 1896 was remarkable for the abundance of these birds, which were noticed in great numbers following the hosts of Kittiwakes that were passing south. On i6th October 1901, an immense assemblage of Richardson's and Pomatorhine Skuas was seen resting on the sea off Bridlington ; the observer at first thought they were ducks, but on a near approach discovered them to be the species mentioned. Richardson's Skua has been met with in various inland localities, in the neighbourhood of fresh water, and sometimes on tracts of open moorland. A specimen, formerly in the collection of the late J. C. Garth of Knaresborough, labelled " Hopperton, near York, 6th November 1863," is wrongly named, and is an immature example of Buffon's Skua. The majority of those found on the Yorkshire coast are immature birds, though adults are not uncommon, and I have frequently noticed them hunting in couples, in some cases both the dark and light forms taking part in a chase ; their tactics are similar to those of greyhounds coursing a hare, when one temporarily abandons the pursuit the other takes it up until the object of their piratical attentions is compelled to disgorge its food ; on I2th September 1891, I saw fully forty Skuas working amongst the Terns in this manner, and despoiling them of their prey. A rather peculiar circumstance connected with the predaceous nature of this species came under my notice some years ago. I captured an immature bird off Redcar, and kept it alive for some time ; on the sixth day it disgorged a long piece of cork, about four inches in length, shaped to resemble a fish, with two large eel-hooks fixed in the broad end ; there was part of a fine line attached, and the bird must have swallowed the cork, mistaking it for a fish, and broken the line in its endeavours to escape ; how it managed to disgorge the cork with the hooks in the end it is difficult to understand, for it would swallow the supposed fish head first ; the hooks then, being point upwards, would LONG-TAILED OR BUFFON'S SKUA. 705 stick in the bird's throat. This bird's greedy nature is often taken advantage of, to lure it to its own destruction, by coast shooters, who throw up a dead Gull or Tern to attract the Skua, which darts to the place, expecting to find a meal for itself, only to be met by a charge of shot. In September 1891 a couple of Skuas came off the sea in the Tees Bay, attracted by a winged Knot that had fallen on the sands near me ; while on another occasion one came to a wounded Tern, ignoring the presence of the shooter, and flying so near to him that he could have touched it with a walking stick. An immature specimen in my collection, obtained at Redcar, has unusually large white patches on the carpal joints. Vernacular names : — Allan or Chaser at Redcar ; and, in common with others of this genus, it receives the cognomen of Morrel Hen at Flamborough. LONG-TAILED OR BUFFON'S SKUA. Stercorarius parasiticus (L.). Bird of passage, irregularly observed in autumn ; adult examples are extremely rare. The Long-tailed Skua breeds in northern Norway, Lapland, and within the Arctic circle, migrating, like the others of its genus, southward in winter. The first published notice of this bird in the county is, probably, that contained in the Zoologist for 1849 (pp. 2569, 2592), where three were recorded by E. T. Higgins as taken on the Yorkshire coast. Thomas Allis, in 1844, mentioned it in a negative manner, thus :— Larus parasiticus. — Parasitic Gull — A. Strickland says, " I have not met with this bird here, but the young birds are very difficult to discriminate from the last." On the Yorkshire seaboard Buffon's Skua is a rather rare bird of passage in autumn, and does not appear to have been 706 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. noticed at the date of Allis's Report in 1844. Previous to the great irruption of Skuas in October 1879, the instances of its occurrence are limited to some five or six examples obtained at Redcar and Flamborough, and the mature birds were amongst the desiderata of most collectors. During the invasion of Skuas in the year mentioned no fewer than fifteen adults were captured at Redcar, and several others were seen (Zool. 1880, pp. 18, 19, 365) ; at Scarborough eight adults were taken to the late Alfred Roberts ; whilst specimens were also procured at Whitby, York, and Thirsk. Never before nor since have such extraordinary numbers of these birds been known on the eastern seaboard of Britain, and its causes have yet to be ascertained (see Pomatorhine Skua). As a rule its visits to Yorkshire take place in autumn only ; the earliest example noted was taken alive at Redcar on 20th June 1849, a rnost unusual date for the occurrence of any bird of this family so far south ; whilst the latest record is 6th November. It has not yet been recorded on the spring passage northward, though, doubtless, it occurs at that period. For purposes of reference a list of Yorkshire occurrences is appended : — Yorkshire coast, 1849. Three on the coast ; one of these was taken alive by some fishermen near Redcar, on 20th June 1849, and was kept for some time at Thirsk in the posses- sion of a man named Robinson. It died, and was preserved by Graham of York ; he sold it to Mr. Rudstone Read, who presented it to the Yorkshire Philosophical Society (Zool. 1849, PP- 2569, 2592). Hopperton, near York. One immature, 6th November 1853. Formerly in the late J. C. Garth's collection at Knares- borough. (This specimen is labelled " Richardson's Skua," but, on examination, I found it to be S. parasiticus.) Flamborough, one immature male, 7th September 1864. Reported by Matthew Bailey (op. cit. 1864, p. 9365 ; and " Birds of Humber," p. 209), though the recorder's descrip- tion, viz., " white shafts of primaries," indicates Richardson's Skua. LONG-TAILED OR BUFFON'S SKUA. 707 Same place, a male in second year's plumage, 23rd August 1865 (Zool. 1866, p. 28). Same place, one adult, I2th October 1867. Seen by Matthew Bailey (op. cit. 1867, p. 1009). Same place, one, August 1870 (Bailey MS.). Redcar, one immature, 7th October 1879. Obtained off Redcar. In my collection. Same place, fifteen adult, I4th-i5th October 1879. Taken near Redcar. Two of these are in my collection, and another pair in Mr. E. B. Emerson's collection (op. cit. 1880, pp. 18, I9> 365 ; and Field, 1st November to 2Oth December 1879). Scarborough, five males and three females, chiefly in mature plumage, October 1879 (torn. cit. p. 357). York, one, i8th October 1879 '» found half starved, and captured alive on Strensall Common (torn. cit. p. 21). Slingsby, near Thirsk, one, igth October 1879 ; found dead. Whitby, one adult, October 1879. In the Whitby Museum. Teesmouth, one immature, 5th October 1881. Redcar, one adult, 1st September 1883. Obtained off Redcar. In the collection of Dr. Kershaw, Trefrie, Aberdovey. Scarborough, one adult, October 1889, at Scalby Ness (op. cit. 1890, p. 21). Redcar, one immature, gib. September 1889 ; procured by Dr. Kershaw ; in his collection (Nat. 1890, p. 99). Same place, one adult, loth October 1890 ; picked up on the beach. Same place, one immature, 2ist September 1892. Bridlington, one immature, I5th October 1895. Redcar, one immature, 25th September 1897 ; in Mr. L. Ingham's possession. Bridlington, one adult, i6th October 1901. Redcar, one immature, 3rd October 1902. I picked it up on the beach. A very dark specimen, approaching the melanic variety of S. crepidatus, but, unfortunately, it was too far advanced in decomposition for preservation. Robin Hood's Bay, an immature male, early in October 1902 ; found dead. I examined this specimen, in the posses- yo8 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. sion of Mr. J. A. Wilson, Whitby ; it is similar in plumage to that last described. The projecting tail-feathers in the adult specimens extend in some instances to seven or eight inches beyond the tail ; in two examples I obtained on I5th October 1879, these feathers reached to eight and a quarter inches in length. Some peculiar observations were made in the year named by the late Alfred Roberts at Scarborough, who noticed the Pomatorhines and Buffon's chasing each other indiscriminately, and nipping off the projecting tail feathers, probably for the purpose of impeding their flight in the scramble for morsels of food (W. Eagle Clarke, Zool. 1880, p. 357). RAZORBILL. Alca torda (£,)• Resident, breeding in large numbers on the cliffs at Flamborough, Bempton, and Speeton. Departs with its young to the open sea in late July or August. In winter storms many are washed ashore. The earliest mention of this bird in Yorkshire occurs in Willughby's " Ornithology," where it is stated that from the Sea-cliffs about Scarborough were sent " The Alke of Hoierus, known here by the name of Auks " (Will. " Orn." 1678, pp. 3-323). Thomas Allis, in 1844, wrote of it thus : — Alca torda. — The Razorbill — Common on the coast. The Razorbill is a common resident, breeding on the cliffs of the Flamborough range which extend from the Headland of that name to Speeton, a distance of five or six miles ; its numbers are considerably less than those of the Guillemot, the proportion being probably about as one to one hundred, and it occupies different sites to those frequented by the last named species. The Razorbill usually arrives at the breeding station in March, but has occasionally been seen there in February, on the 2ist of which month in 1884 Mr. Ringed Guillemot and Razorbill at Staple Neuk. R. Fortune. Razor-Bill newly hatched. V />«{.-,- 709. Young Razor-Bill. E. W. Wade. RAZORBILL. 709 Matthew Bailey noted some thousands in the cliffs, and remarked to me that he had never before known them to be so early ; though a still earlier date is the nth of the same month, 1901, when several were seen at Buckton. By mid- August both old and young have left the breeding quarters for the open sea, where they remain until the following spring ; large numbers of young Razorbills were noticed off the Humber on 22nd August 1881, and on the 4th of that month in 1884, I saw two young in down off Redcar, probably birds from the Fame Isles on their way southward. This species is more a wanderer than a regular migrant, though there is a partial migration in autumn, small parties being often observed in October flying to the south-east and passing for several days continuously ; doubtless these are individuals from more northerly latitudes taking the place of our Yorkshire birds, which in their turn retire further south. In winter storms the Razorbill is frequently driven ashore by stress of weather, and found cast up on the beach, in every month of the year between October and June ; at rare intervals storm-driven birds are reported in inland localities far removed from the seaboard ; on the high moorland near Malham Tarn one was picked up in March 1894. Although the Razorbill and the Guillemot resemble each other in many of their habits, the former begins laying a few days before the other ; the earliest eggs the present climbers have known were taken on 6th May. The situations the bird selects are generally in holes or crevices, and not on the open ledges, more being found at the Buckton portion of the cliffs than further eastward. If the first egg is taken a second is produced, and frequently a third in the event of the second being stolen, the intervals between the layings being the same as in the case of the Guillemot, i.e., fourteen days if the egg is fresh, but, if it is slightly incubated, the next egg may be delayed for several days longer ; while, if much incubated, the time may be prolonged to twenty-four days. Like the Guillemot, the Razorbill produces a distinct type of egg, year after year, on its particular breeding place. In June 1906, I obtained an egg from a " dimmer/' who asserted that 7io THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. he had found similarly marked specimens on the same spot for fourteen years in succession. Incubation lasts about thirty days, and young birds appear on the ledges by the middle of June, an exceptionally early date being the 5th of that month. The method of climbing for sea-birds' eggs is fully dscribed under the heading of the Guillemot, p. 710 etseq., and, as it is applicable to this bird also, there is no need for further explanation. The manner in which the young are conveyed down to the sea is also similar to that adopted by the Guillemot. The Yorkshire cliffs are justly celebrated for the wonderful beauty of their Razorbills' eggs ; Henry Marr of Bempton took a perfectly black specimen several years ago off the " Dor " ; some of a deep chocolate hue are in the collections of Yorkshire naturalists ; especially fine examples are ticked with minute black spots; others have deep black blotches on a brown ground; a peculiar variety is heavily marked all over with very large lilac coloured blotches, on top of which are smaller deep black blotches, the ground colour being creamy white ; spotless examples of a pale green colour are known, and perfectly white eggs have been taken, one so recently as June 1904. The thieving Jackdaw plays sad havoc with the Razorbills' eggs ; one of the best specimens John Hodgson, the Bempton " dimmer," has seen was deep chocolate brown, and, as he showed me the half-eaten remains, he vowed vengeance against " those rascally Jacks." The Razorbill is not subject to great variation in plumage, though examples have occurred at long intervals. Mr. J. H. Gurney has one in his collection, taken at Flamborough in January 1875, in ordinary winter dress, with bill, legs, and feet yellow, but the dark portions of the plumage somewhat paler than in normal specimens. An immature bird with fawn- coloured back is mentioned by the Rev. J. G. Tuck (ZooL 1876, p. 4758), and one with white wings was observed at Buckton Hill on I7th March 1902. The vernacular names now in use are : — Auk, at Flam- borough and Bempton ; Sea- Auk, at Scarborough ; and Bogey, at Redcar. The Glimmer going over the cope of the cliff, and laying the rope over the pulley. T. H. Nelson. ?e page 710. COMMON GUILLEMOT. Lomvia troile (£.)• Resident, breeding in vast numbers on the cliffs of the Flamborough and Bempton range ; arrives there in March and April, and leaves with its young in August. Many remain off the coast throughout winter. The first notice of the Guillemot in Yorkshire was by Willughby, who stated that " In Yorkshire, about Scarborough it is called a Skout .... moreover this bird frequents and builds on .... the cliffs about Scarborough in the summer months .... Mr. Johnson [of Brignall] hath observed these birds to vary somewhat in colour, some having black backs, some brown or gray ; perchance these may be Hens, those Cocks " (Will. " Orn." 1678, pp. 324-5). Thomas Allis, in 1844, referred to it thus : — Una troile. — Common Guillemot — Common on the coast. A. Strick- land says they breed in countless numbers on the Flamborough cliffs. The most remarkable and interesting feature of the stupendous range of cliffs extending from the Headland of Flamborough westward to Speeton, a distance of five or six miles, and varying in height from 250 feet to 350 feet, is the great " loomery ' or breeding station of the Guillemot, a species that is found there in the nesting season in such vast quantities as to be practically innumerable. It may be termed a resident of Yorkshire, spending most of the year on the open sea off the coast, and returning for short visits to the cliffs about Christmas or early in January, and, in some seasons, not till February ; in 1901 it did not put in an appearance until the nth of the latter month. These visits become more frequent, and of longer duration, as spring advances, generally taking place at high water and in calm weather, when, at times, the birds congregate as thickly on some of the ledges as in summer, but are quiet id undemonstrative. On I2th March 1900 there were lousands at Buckton Cliffs, where they were clustering like is on the breeding ledges, and were in full summer plumage. VOL. II. Z 712 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. Towards the end of April they take up their quarters for the season, the first eggs being laid in May ; the earliest that the cliff-climbers have known were seen on the 6th. Some years ago they were common by the second week, though the usual period is about the third week in the month. By the middle or end of August most of the Guillemots have left the cliffs and dispersed over the sea along the coast, where they are found in more or less abundance during the remainder of the year. Although this species is more a wanderer than a migrant, there can be no doubt that a partial migration takes place, many of our Yorkshire birds probably going further south, whilst their places are taken by others from northern stations. On 22nd August 1881, great numbers of young Guillemots were noticed off the Humber ; and, when at sea off Redcar in the autumn, I have frequently seen flocks passing for days continuously, to the south-east, in small parties of from three or four to twenty. In winter storms many are cast ashore, and occasionally they are driven inland, being reported from localities far removed from salt water. In the " Correspondence of Dr. Richardson of North Bierley " (p. 212), is an interesting remark, contained in a letter to Dr. Sherard, and dated " 7th January 1724-25," as follows : — " About the middle of last March was brought me Lommia hoieri, called at Flamborough Head (about two miles from Burlington), Whillocks, where they breed in great quantities. This bird was found alive [on a moor] four miles from hence, and fifty miles from the sea : it was brought hither alive, very brisk, and in good feather." The practice of climbing, or " dimming " as the local term goes, for sea-fowl' eggs, as carried out on the Yorkshire cliffs, has often been described, though not always with strict accuracy ; some particulars of this interesting and daring pursuit, which I have many times taken part in, may be accept- able, and, with the aid of illustrations, I hope to make it per- fectly clear. The right of gathering the eggs belongs to the farmers tenanting the adjacent lands, and this privilege is con- ceded to the men who work for them when egging is out of season. * 'dimming" is a very ancient institution, having been A dangerous corner. T. H. Nelson. See page 710. COMMON GUILLEMOT. 713 in vogue for upwards of two hundred years, while one family at Buckton can boast of four generations who have followed this profession, viz. : — William Hodgson ; his son Grindale, who died at the age of eighty about the year 1864 ; Edward, son of the last named, who climbed for upwards of thirty years ; and, lastly, John, son of Edward, who has been a " dimmer " since about the year 1885. Seventy to eighty years ago, that is, about 1825 to 1830, there were four gangs, led respectively by Aaron Leppington of Buckton ; old George Londesborough, or " Lowney," of Bempton ; Grindale Hodg- son, and — Fox. Old Ned Hodgson can recollect when, some fifty years ago, only two gangs of climbers went out at the Bempton, Buckton, and Speeton cliffs, who divided the ground between them ; one of these was captained by George Londesborough, and the other by Grindale Hodgson. The gangs consisted of two men only, one to climb and the other to manage the ropes ; as a boy, Ned Hodgson used to be taken to help his father in coiling up the ropes and to assist in hauling up, while sometimes the men's wives were requisitioned to give a helping hand. A few years later three in a gang went out, but dangerous places were not " dumb." The cliffs at or near to Flamborough were worked by the fishermen, and, at the period referred to, the birds bred abundantly from the Headland westward, while in little bays, now entirely deserted, there was then a large avian population, as is exemplified by a spot near Thornwick called " Chatter Trove," from the noise the birds are said to have made. Many other portions of these cliffs have appellations derived from some incident connected with the bird-life, and handed down from father to son, e.g., " Bird's Shoot," " Hateley (Hartley) Shoot," " White-wings," where for some years, up to 1897, a white-winged Guillemot used to fly out ; " White Breadloaf," so called from a man asking Ned Hodgson's help, who replied, " Whatever's on that spot you shall have " ; the eggs were given to the man, who purchased with the proceeds of their sale the first loaf of white bread he had eaten for months ; " Broken Head " ; " Fox's Broken Arm," where accidents occurred ; " Jubilee Corner," first 714 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. climbed in the late Queen's Jubilee year ; while the name of " Seven Score Place " perpetuates the memory of the largest number of eggs taken at one climb by George Londesborough. Then ensued the time when the poor birds were ruthlessly shot down in the breeding season by tourists and gunners, who often did not trouble to pick up the dead or wounded, while the young were left to perish on the ledges ; at this time, Hodgson declares, climbing did not pay, and was almost discontinued for some years. It was chiefly owing to the indignation aroused by this wanton destruction that the " Sea-birds Preservation Act " was passed, and, as the birds afterwards increased under protection, the egg gathering was resumed. On the Bempton, Buckton, and Speeton cliffs there are now four gangs of " dimmers," each having an apportioned part, beyond which they must not trespass ; four men constitute the gang, viz., the " dimmer," and three top men. The ground from Danes' Dyke for about a mile and a half westward to Bartlett Nab (excepting one field at Bempton Lane-end), is climbed by Henry Marr's party (until 1902 the leadership of this gang was shared by the late George Wilkinson). The second portion is worked by William Wilkinson and his mates, who climb as far as Buckton Lordship, about half a mile, and they also have the Bempton Lane-end field ; then William Chandler has Mainprize cliff r and a small part beyond ; whilst the Hodgsons climb the Buckton end to Raincliff , comprising a stretch of about three- quarters of a mile in length. Within the past two or three years a few Guillemots have taken up their quarters on the Gristhorpe Cliff, near Scarborough, but are not sufficiently numerous to repay the labour of climbing. At Flamborough, where the birds had become scarce, the fishermen climbed irregularly and inter- mittently until the year 1903, when a gang led by E. Major commenced to climb more methodically. The ropes used are of strong stout hemp, 300 feet in length, and are renewed about every second year. In wet weather little climbing can be done as the ropes become slippery, or " greasy " as it is called, and difficult to work. J. Hodgson seeking Razorbills' eggs. See page 710. COMMON GUILLEMOT. 715 We will in imagination accompany a party of " dimmers " on a fine morning, and, having arrived " at cliff," find all in readiness for the descent. The " dimmer " dons what are locally called the " breeches," an arrangement consisting of two broad loops of flat rope with a belt attached, which is securely buckled around his waist, and to the front of the belt is fastened the "body" or "waist" rope. His hat is thickly padded to protect his head from falling stones, and on the arm which uses the guide-rope he wears a leather sheave, termed a " hand-leather " ; his boots have toe-plates with edges turned down like a horse's shoe to enable him to walk on the slippery ledges ; over each shoulder is slung a stout canvas bag ; and a long stick, with a hook fixed at one end, for the purpose of raking eggs out of crevices and crannies, completes his outfit. A hand, or guide rope is made fast to an iron stake driven firmly into the ground, and the slack is thrown over the cliff. One of the men, the " lowerer," then sits on the edge of the cliff, with his feet planted in two holes purposely made to prevent his slipping ; he wears a leather belt, or saddle, round which the waist rope is passed and held with both hands resting on his thighs ; both men gather bunches of grass in order to protect their hands from being blistered or scored by the ropes when running freely, and to enable them to secure a better grip when hauling. The " dimmer " now takes the guide-rope in his right hand, and in the other an iron stake having a running pulley at the top ; walking backward he fixes the stake on the extreme edge (or, when the cliff is much broken, two pulleys are used), and lays the waist rope over the wheel ; this prevents it chafing on the sharp rock edges ; the lowerer then slacks away, and the adventurous " dimmer " swiftly descends on the face of the cliff, by a succession of backward jumps, keeping his feet to the rock and inclining his body outward. He sometimes in this manner descends a hundred feet without stopping. On arriving at a ledge where eggs are visible he rapidly transfers them to the bags he carries, then kicks himself free from the ledge, throwing his weight on the rope, and so is lowered to other places, where he repeats 716 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. the operation, clearing off all the eggs he can find. The expedients a practised " dimmer " resorts to in negotiating dangerous places and corners are very ingenious ; sometimes he creeps along a ledge for some distance, and, to save the trouble of returning by the same way, swings off again into mid-air ; in order to get round a projecting corner he throws the slack of the waist-rope round and then launches himself off, so swinging to the spot he desires to reach. In some parts of the cliff iron pegs are driven into the rock, round which the " dimmer " winds the hand-rope to assist him in his work, and at Jubilee corner, where the crag overhangs considerably, three wire ropes are permanently fastened, by means of which the inner shelves, otherwise inaccessible, are reached. I have seen William Wilkinson, at a depth of more than two hundred feet, stop and fasten the rope to a holdfast in the cliff side, and from there lower himself to the recesses of a cave almost within stone's throw of the beach ; indeed, the gymnastic performances of an expert egg-gatherer are as clever as those of many a first-class trapeze artist. A regular code of signals is arranged, by which the man below can telegraph his wishes to the top-man, thus : — a single tug at the waist-rope signifies that the " dimmer " is ready to ascend ; the laconic command " Up " is uttered, and all three of the top party, seated in a row behind each other, their feet firmly planted in holes, haul up their comrade from below. Two tugs mean " more hand or guide rope wanted " ; three tugs, " less hand rope " ; and these orders are executed accordingly ; but by long experi- ence the men have become so much accustomed to each other's ways that the lowerer seems to know intuitively what his mate wants, and instinctively holds or lowers, while the unsophisticated bystander naturally is lost in wonderment at the facility with which he seems to anticipate the other's wishes. When the " dimmer " gives the signal to haul up he keeps kicking himself clear of the rock until he reaches a part where he can ease the labours of his companions by walking on the face of the cliff, reminding one of a fly on a window pane, and on reaching the top he picks up the iron stake at the edge, and so to the grassy flat where his spoils The Glimmer at work T. H. Nelson. See page 710. COMMON GUILLEMOT. 71? are emptied into large market baskets. The other men meanwhile coil up the ropes and prepare for a move to the next spot. The day's work commences at seven o'clock, and, on an average, about thirty descents are made ; at the end of the day the eggs are all pooled and shared out, each man taking six or eight, the ' 'dimmer " as his perquisite being entitled to first pick each time. The Flamborough gang usually lower a young man instead of a " grown-up." The work is so arranged that the whole ground shall be cleared bi-weekly, each portion being climbed every third day, thus ensuring a constant supply of fresh eggs ; in wet weather it so happens, however, that it is impossible to work, in this case the eggs become partly incubated and are spoilt for edible purposes ; they are therefore gathered and blown for specimens, and the birds are thereby induced to lay again. When any portion of the cliffs is " dumb out," and becomes " poor," it is fallowed for two years or until it recovers, and is then again visited. In fine weather the Guillemots often drop their eggs in the sea, and it is no uncommon occurrence for specimens to be found in crab-pots and trawling nets. Egg-climbing in the " sixties " and " seventies " commenced on I2th May, but is now a week or ten days later ; it ends the first week in July, or in a backward season it may be extended for a few days ; I have known it prolonged until the I3th, but in the year 1904 a movement was started to induce the men to cease operations on 1st July. The average daily take of each gang is from 300 to 400, the grand total approximating 130,000. As many as 1,400 eggs have been collected by one party in a single day ; old Londesborough on one occasion took 1,700 after stormy weather had prevented him getting down the cliffs for several days, and a few years ago George Wilkinson and Henry Marr gathered 600 from two spots between six and eight o'clock. The first laying is, as a rule, the most productive, after which there is a slack time ; then ensues the midsummer " shut " or " flush," and after another slack interval, there is a third " flush " ; the numbers then gradually decrease again towards the end of June. It may be here observed that there are many dangerous 718 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. parts which are never climbed, and in these places the birds hatch out their first eggs without interference, and so a constant supply of young blood is ensured. The climbers say the Guillemot does not lay until the second year, their reasons for this assertion being based on the observations made with reference to fallowed spots which, if rested for one year, do not improve, but in two years the young birds have matured, and add their eggs to the general stock. Accidents during the pursuit of egg-climbing rarely occur : one or two instances are known of the men having been damaged by pieces of falling rock, and this happened to Fox, whose arm was broken ; also to old Londesborough and William Wilkinson, each of whom had an arm severely torn. A few years ago I was present when two of the men narrowly escaped shocking deaths ; I had requested the " dimmer " to procure me some Kittiwake's eggs, and he commenced his descent at a place where there were no foot holes for the lowerer, who, to my horror, began to slide towards the edge, being dragged by the weight of the man below ; the other two top men were some distance away ; I was on a point of the cliff a hundred yards off, and it seemed as though nothing could avert a frightful catastrophe, when, fortunately, Mr. John Morley, a Scarborough naturalist, who chanced to be near, rushed to the rescue and clasped the man by the shoulders, holding him until assistance arrived. The " dimmer " has since told me he knew perfectly well what had happened " top o* cliff," and he had just reached a ledge where he could stand when the sickening sensation of falling stopped. Visitors are sometimes allowed to make the descent of the cliffs, and, if space had permitted, many amusing stories might be related in connection with their experiences. I have been told by a quondam climber that, when he was assisting his father, who used to climb at Flam- borough, in the " seventies," soon after the Franco-German war, they received a visit from three foreign gentlemen staying at the Thornwick Hotel, the youngest of whom requested to be allowed to take some eggs ; he was accordingly lowered, and succeeded in bringing up five specimens, with The Glimmer ascending. T. H. Nelson. See page 710. COMMON GUILLEMOT. 719 which he appeared to be highly delighted. The strangers visited the climbers each day for a week, helping them in their work, and it was not until they had departed that it was discovered the young visitor who had gone " ower cliff " was the Prince Imperial of France. If the first egg is taken a second is produced, and, frequently but not invariably, a third, the intervals between the first and second layings being, on an average, fourteen days if the egg is fresh, but, in the event of it being slightly incubated, the time is extended to eighteen or twenty days, and, if much incubated, to twenty-four days. In the case of a female becoming " clocky " over both the first and second egg it is probable that she does not lay a third that season. I have been informed by an old Flamborough climber that he once found in a sitting bird an egg ready for extrusion and three others in a well developed state. Notwithstanding the enormous quantities of eggs taken annually the climbers declare that there is no diminution in the number of birds, and my observations certainly lead me to believe this to be the case. In 1834, when Charles Waterton visited Flamborough, the common eggs were sold at sixpence per score ; the price is now twelve to sixteen for a shilling, and these are eaten by the villagers, or are sent to one of the large Yorkshire towns for use in the manufacture of patent leather, while the well marked specimens are set aside for collectors. Flamborough, or strictly speaking, Bempton, eggs are celebrated amongst oologists for their remarkable beauty and variety, though some twenty-five years ago, when collectors were few, common eggs were sold at three a penny, and twopence was considered a good price for a special example. The competition for good specimens is now very keen, prices having accordingly advanced until as much as 5/-, 7/6, and even half a sovereign is now paid for " real fancy eggs," as the men call them.* There is an endless variety of colouring and marking in * For another account of the " dimmers " and their methods, see " The Birds of Bempton Cliffs," by E. W. Wade, Trans. Hull Scu and Field Nat. Club, Vol. III. pt. i, for 1903. 720 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. the Yorkshire Guillemots' eggs, ranging through all shades of white, yellow, ochreous, green, blue, pink, red, chocolate brown, purple, and black ; streaked, spotted, blotched, pencilled, and veined in a bewildering manner with black, brown, purple, lilac, or red ; some present a perfect network of markings like delicate tracery, others seem as though one end had been dipped in an ink pot, some are spotless white, pale blue, or green, while occasionally examples have letters, numerals, or grotesque representations of animals figured on them. After one of William Wilkinson's descents he took out of his bag a nicely marked egg, and, on my inquiring the price, he turned it over, and, looking at it quizzically, replied, " Why the price, threepence, is on it " ; pointing at the same time to a distinct figure 3 on the broad end. In the year 1880 Henry Marr secured a perfectly black egg off Staple Neuk. It is usually considered that the first eggs in a season are the most richly marked, though this is not the invariable rule, sometimes the second " flush " contains the best, and occasionally the third ; experienced climbers assert that the same individual Guillemot produces a similarly marked type of egg year after year on the same ledge. Old George Londes- borough took a particularly fine red egg from the same spot for fifteen years in succession ; and William Wilkinson and Edward Hodgson have found certain peculiarly marked ones for eight, twelve, and even sixteen consecutive summers, and generally two in each season. I have seen several specimens from the sixteen years' resident : two were taken in 1900, three in 1901, three in 1903, and two in 1904, all similarly marked, the pencilled variety on a white ground ; a set of three, all of a pale uniform blue, were gathered from one spot in 1900 ; and of another set of two the first was taken on 28th May 1897, and the second on the same date in the year following. In June 1902, I secured two eggs, of exactly similar colouring and markings, which W. Wilkinson had found, one on top of the other, but the first laid had fallen into a hollow of the rock, thus preventing the parent incubating it, and she had then laid the second one above it. The Glimmer ascending, having taken up the pulley. T. H. Nelson. See page 710. COMMON GUILLEMOT. 721 Some remarkably fine series of Guillemots' eggs are in the collections of Yorkshire naturalists. The average weight of a Guillemot is 2 Ib.; of an egg 4oz.; monstrosities and double- yolked examples are met with from time to time, as also ab- normally small specimens ; a very long example measures 4J inches by i^J inches ; the largest I have note of measures 4 inches by 2f^ inches, and weighed 5| oz. ; the heaviest egg noted scaled 6oz., and the smallest measures 1.5 inches by i inch. The preponderance of ground colour is in favour of the green and blue types ; for several days in different years I have endeavoured to count the numbers showing these colours and have compared them with all others, with the result that rather more than two-thirds shewed a decided blue or green ground colouration, and the remaining one-third white, brown, and other varieties. The position assumed by the sitting Guillemot is either a recumbent or an upright one, with the egg or young across the webs of the feet : I have several times observed the parent pulling the egg on to her feet and tucking it into place with her bill, and on one occasion, when a bird was disturbed by the climber, and her egg had commenced to roll towards the edge of the cliff where it had been laid, I distinctly saw the owner run to it, take it up in her bill, and deposit it in a safe position before she flew off. Incubation lasts from twenty-eight to thirty days, and the young have been noticed as early as the 22nd of June, though it is usually mid- July before many are seen, and by the end of that month they take to the water. While feeding their young the Guillemots journey long distances in search of food ; some go as far as the Lincolnshire coast ; some northward to Scarborough, while others may be observed, in small parties, or in long lines, passing to and from the herring grounds far out at sea. The water in the vicinity of the cliffs is also thickly dotted over with the black and white forms of the busy fishers, whose arrivals are welcomed by their mates on the cliffs with much bowing and chattering, the whole combining to make a wonderful scene of animation, which Mr. W. Woodhouse has depicted in two oil paintings. 722 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. The method by which the young reach the water from their lofty nurseries is a problem regarding which there is considerable diversity of opinion, though the evidence of the Flamborough fishermen, who are most capable of forming a correct idea, and who have assured me they have seen the operation hundreds of times, is to the effect that the chicks are conveyed on their parents' backs, the latter launching themselves off the ledges and often reaching the sea a quarter of a mile from the shore.* Mr. M. Bailey told me he has frequently seen the young brought down " to water " in the manner described ; and Mr. F. Boyes was once witness of the act of an old Guillemot carrying down its little one, which it did almost perpendicularly, and with very quick beating of its wings. His attention was attracted by the squeaking, or rather whistling, of the youngster, as if it were much afraid ; he could not see the chick, but as soon as the old bird reached the sea it dived, leaving the young one on the surface. As the birds dropped within twenty yards of the boat there could be no mistake as to what took place (Zool. 1875, p. 4342). I once watched a number of Guillemots disporting themselves like children in the water at Staple Neuk. They climbed up a sloping boulder, jumped from the top into the sea, dived and played for a few seconds, then swam round and once more climbed up the rock, repeating the performance continually ; on another occasion, in July 1904, I witnessed, from the cliff tops, a fight between two Guillemots, one of which adopted the tactics ol a submarine, coming up underneath and evidently torpedoing its adversary, which, after repeated attacks of this nature, eventually fled out to sea. As is well known, the predatory propensities of the Jackdaws at Bempton cliffs are accountable for the destruction of many Guillemots' eggs, and a case of retributive justice came under the notice of George Londesborough and the late George Wilkinson, who saw an enraged Guillemot lay hold of a thieving Daw and carry it out to sea three times, * Charles Waterton was informed of this fact so long ago as 1834, and his observations on the subject are worthy of consideration (" Essays on Natural History," p. 411). Cliffs near Hateley Corner. E. W. Wade. See page 713. COMMON GUILLEMOT. 723 the robber returning to the cliffs after each ducking. The average duration of time a Guillemot remains under water when seeking food is, according to my experience, about twenty-five seconds. Examples of variation in plumage are perhaps more commonly met with in Yorkshire than elsewhere. Of these may be mentioned several entirely white, others of a cream or sandy hue, two with white wings, and others partially pied. In June 1902 I saw a bird at Bempton with a white head and a narrow collar of black round the throat ; while a perfectly black, or melanic, example was reported in 1897. Mr. J. Whitaker of Rainworth Lodge also possesses several Yorkshire varieties. A well-known Flamborough fisherman, the late Tom Leng, in the year 1885, secured three peculiarly plumaged birds within a week ; one entirely white, another cream-coloured, and the third with white wings ; two other pure white ones were also obtained by him on other occasions. All these specimens passed through the hands of Mr. M. Bailey, to whom I am indebted for this information. One white example, a female, with yellow eyes, was purchased by Mr. J. H. Gurney. Of the Bridled, or Ringed, Guillemot, Thomas Allis wrote in 1844, as follows : — Uria lacrymans. — Bridled Guillemot — A. Strickland remarks that "It is highly probable some of these species have, from the earliest times, frequented the cliffs here (Flamborough) for breeding, before it was distinctly noticed as a species, but they seem by no means abundant here, though I have known several specimens obtained ; the egg, I have every reason to believe, is very distinct from that of the common species ; I have no doubt that it will prove a perfect distinct species, though many still hesitate to consider it such." It is scarcely necessary to remark that this is not now deemed worthy of even sub-specific rank, but is merely classed as a variety of the common form.* It occurs on the Yorkshire cliffs, though not commonly, * At the Fame Isles, in the year 1889, I noticed a Ringed and a Common Guillemot paired, both birds taking it in turn to sit on the egg, a green coloured one. 724 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. indeed it is considered rare as compared with the ordinary form ; I have generally seen one or two amongst the thousands of the common kind in my visits to Bempton, and in June 1906 I procured five eggs, all of which were of the commonest green or light ground, spotted and streaked with black. At various places on the coast the Ringed variety of the Guillemot has been recorded from time to time, and in the Cleveland area I have met with it repeatedly. In January 1887, I saw one Common and three of the Ringed form swimming together inside the rocks off Redcar. Mr. J. H. Gurney possesses a very small example, obtained at Bridlington on loth March 1869. The local names are : — Skout or Scout, pronounced Scoot, which has been in use from time immemorial in the Flam- borough and Bempton districts ; Foolish Guillemot was a term used in the Allan MS. (1791) ; Wullock is the Redcar name ; at Whitby it is called Noddy, and Murre is another Yorkshire name ; the nestling is called Kell-bird or Willock, derived from its cry, abbreviated to Wilk at Flamborough. This latter name was rendered by Dr. Richardson (1724) as Whillock. The Ringed variety is Silver-eyed, or Ring-eyed, Scoot. BRUNNICH'S GUILLEMOT. Uria bruennichi (E. Saline). Accidental winter visitant from the Arctic regions. Although for some years included in the British list, this northern Guillemot, which is a rare visitant to these Islands, had not been chronicled from Yorkshire,* until the winter of 1894, when the memorable incursion of Little Auks and other northern sea-fowl took place. On 7th December in that year a Guillemot, obtained in the North * I am aware that one or two examples had been previously obtained at Bridlington, one of which occurred in December 1893. J. Hodgson descending the cliff. E. W. Wade. See page 715. BLACK GUILLEMOT. 725 Bay near the Pier at Scarborough, was taken to Mr. W. J. Clarke, taxidermist, of that town. It proved by dissection to be a male : total length 18 inches, expanse of wings 24^ inches, wing from carpal joint to tip slightly more than 8 inches. Mr. Clarke at once noticed that it varied from the ordinary British type, and forwarded the specimen to Mr. J. E. Harting, who pronounced it to be U. bruennichi, and afterwards exhibited it at a meeting of the Linnean Society in January 1895 (Proc. Linn. Soc., I7th January 1895). In the January following, as I learn from Mr. Brown of Filey, several were picked up on the beach at that place. One of these, which was a male, measured 19! inches in length ; from the carpal joint to the end of the longest primary, 8J inches ; total expanse of wings, 28J inches. The tarsi and toes were light yellowish olive, webs dirty brown. The second was a female, and measured in total length i8| inches ; wing, 7f inches ; total expanse, 26 inches (Harting, Field, 9th February 1895 ; and Zool. 1895, pp. 70-71). Another example, procured near Flamborough Head in November 1899, is now in the collection of Sir Oswald Mosley of Rolleston Hall, Derby. The latest occurrence was on 28th October 1902, when Mr. Joseph Morley of Scarborough wrote informing me that he had shot a Brunnich's Guillemot at sea, about two miles from the Castle Foot. The figures of this species in winter plumage, depicted in Lord Lilford's work on " British Birds " (part 32), were drawn from the specimens obtained in Yorkshire in the winter of 1894-95. It is possible, indeed very probable, that this bird is often overlooked, or confused with the Common Guillemot, from which it differs in having much blacker plumage, lighter coloured legs, and a stouter bill with a white line on the upper mandible. 726 BLACK GUILLEMOT. Uria grylle (£.)• Winter visitant of rare occurrence ; has occasionally been observed in spring and summer. Formerly bred at Flamborough. The earliest mention of this, as a Yorkshire bird, was made by Pennant, who visited Flamborough Head on 3rd July 1769, and remarked of the birds seen there, " Multitudes swarmed in the air, and almost stunned us with the variety of their croaks and screams ; I observed among them .... a few black guillemots very shy and wild ("A Tour in Scotland," 1771, pp. 14-15). Thomas Allis, 1844, reported thus : — Una grylle. — Black Guillemot — Obtained on the coast, but not a plentiful species. A. Strickland remarks, " About thirty years ago I killed a specimen of this bird, out of a small flock, in full plumage, at the height of the breeding season, near the rocks of Flamborough ; this specimen I still have preserved ; if they were then breeding at the cliffs, or ever did so, I cannot say ; but it is the only instance I ever heard of their being seen there at that time of the year, but young birds, or others in immature plumage, are not infrequently met with in winter about here." According to the account given by Pennant in 1769 (quoted above), the Black Guillemot was at that period included in the list of birds resorting to Flamborough Head in the nesting season ; and Strickland's remarks, embodied in Allis's Report (1844), lead us to infer that it might have continued to breed there up to the early part of the last century ; additional evidence in support of this supposition has been unexpectedly supplied by Professor A. Newton, who has obligingly per- mitted me to examine an unmistakeable egg of this species from Charles Waterton's collection, labelled " 1834," and taken at Flamborough. That portion of the coast affords suitable sites for its nesting places, but personal research on my part has failed to elicit reliable information as to the discovery of eggs within recent years, and, although adult examples of the bird have been seen near the Headland The Glimmer with his outfit. T. H, Nelson. See page 715. PUFFIN. 727 during the summer,* and I have examined one obtained there, as also an immature specimen killed early in August 1903, none of the present cliff-climbers or other residents of the district have any recollection of the Black Guillemot breeding there, and it must now be counted amongst those species, which — like the Cormorant and the Shag — have ceased to inhabit the Flamborough range. This is not at any time an abundant species, being generally known as a rather rare autumn or winter visitant to the coast line, and chiefly in immature plumage. It occurs spar- ingly at most of the coast stations between Bridlington and the Teesmouth, at dates varying from September to January, and, on one occasion at least, a young bird has been shot in August at Flamborough. In the adult plumage it is very rare ; one was storm- driven and captured alive at Redcar on 6th March 1883 ; at Whitby another was reported on 30th August 1888 ; a pair in the York Museum were procured at Flamborough ; I have seen one taken at that place in 1900, and also one obtained in Bridlington Bay, and now in the possession of Mr. T. Machen. PUFFIN. Fratercula arctica (L.). Resident, nesting in large numbers on the Flamborough cliffs ; the latest of the rock-breeding fowl to arrive ; departs in mid-August, the majority retiring far out to sea. The first record of the Puffin, as a Yorkshire bird, is found in Willughby's " Ornithology," where it is described thus : — " The Bird called Coulterneb at the Fame Isles .... at Scarborough, Mullet .... They breed yearly in great num- bers .... by the sea-side about Scarborough. . . . Mr. Fr. Jessop sent us one killed in the fresh waters not far from * Nat. 1896, p. 302 ; 1897, p. 238. VOL. II. 2 A 728 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. Sheffield in Yorkshire, much less than this we have described, which yet, I think, differed only in age, for all marks agreed." (Will. " Orn." 1676, p. 325.) Thomas Allis, in 1844, referred to it as follows : — Fratercula arctica. — The Puffin — Common at Flamborough. This grotesque looking bird is resident in Yorkshire, breeding in very large numbers on the Flamborough range of cliffs between the Headland and Raincliff, one of its two nesting stations on the east coast of England, and the only one on the mainland ; this is, doubtless, the situation Willughby referred to in his mention of the bird breeding " near Scarborough," It arrives at the summer quarters about mid-April, generally later than the other fowl ; nidification commences in May, and the solitary egg is deposited in a hole or crevice of the rocks, in a deserted rabbit burrow, or one scooped out by the bird itself where the soil is sufficiently friable for that purpose. If robbed of its first egg while fresh the Puffin lays again after a lapse of fourteen days, but if the egg should be much incubated it is doubtful whether a second is produced. The Yorkshire climbers do not as a rule take many Puffins' eggs, as they are difficult of access, and not greatly in demand by collectors, unless exceptional in the way of being heavily spotted or marked ; occasionally specimens with zones or bands of markings are brought up ; one with a broad zone of spots was found in June 1904. It may here be mentioned that the Puffin, when sitting on the rocks, does not invariably rest on the tarsus, but more often assumes an erect attitude, standing on its feet. The young is at first covered with blackish down on the back, the breast being light-coloured. The old birds often take long journeys to sea in search of food, and are found many miles away from their homes, to which they return in straggling parties as night approaches. By the middle of August the young are on the water, and, at the end of the month, both they and their parents have bft the neighbourhood, and gone out to sea, and southward, for the majority are partly migratory, few being seen near After the ascent. E. W. Wade. See page 717. PUFFIN. 729 the coast in winter. In the spring it approaches nearer to the shore, and during the prevalence of sea-storm . many are driven by stress of weather on to the beach in a starved and dying condition. I have seen individuals on the sands both in winter and spring, though very seldom during the former season ; in November 1878 several were picked up, and in the following March, during stormy weather, upwards of thirty were taken to a local bird-stuffer. In April and May 1887 numbers were found dead ; one on the I4th of the latter month had not resumed the horny plates on the bill indicative of the breeding garb ; in February 1890 many perished of starvation, while in April 1891 I noticed winter- plumaged birds. Occasionally the Puffin strays up the Humber in autumn and winter, but I have not observed it in the Tees estuary. In various inland localities, remote from tidal waters, stragglers, probably storm- driven, have been reported ; amongst the places where it has been noted being Thirsk, Wetherby, Pocklington, Ackworth, Skelmanthorpe, Barnsley, Penistone, and at Ardsley one was killed against the telegraph wires in 1871. White and pied varieties are not unknown in Yorkshire. One almost entirely white, except for a few cinnamon-coloured feathers on the back, was found at Marske, and is now in the collection of Mr. E. B. Emerson of Tollesby Hall. A pure white specimen, and also a white one with normal wings, both obtained at Flamborough, are in the possession of Mr. J. Whitaker of Rain worth Lodge. Another white bird was reported at Bempton in 1902, and Mr. A. S. Hutchinson of Derby informs me he had one, sent from Scarborough in 1896, which had only one or two black feathers on the back, all the rest of the plumage being white. Its local names are not numerous ; the term Mullet was stated by Willughby to be applied to it at Scarborough ; it is generally known as Parrot or Sea Parrot ; Flamborough Head Pilot is applied to it in the district indicated by this name, and Tommy Noddy was mentioned by J. Hogg to have been in use in the Teesmouth area in 1845, though I have never heard it. 730 LITTLE AUK. Mergulus alle (Z,.). Winter visitant, not uncommon in some years, though irregular in its appearance ; occasionally driven inland during stormy weather. An early allusion, perhaps the earliest, to this species was made in a statement of the Rev. W. Dalton of Copgrove, near Knaresborough, to the effect that the Little Auk had been found near his house (Montagu's " Orn. Diet." 1813, p. 5 of Newman's 1866 reprint). Thomas Allis, 1844, wrote : — Mevgulus alle. — Little Auk — Hugh Reid says that about three years ago a large flight of these birds crossed the country near Doncaster; that many were picked up dead, and many caught alive in an exhausted state ; several of the specimens are now in his own collection ; a fine specimen was picked up alive near Hebden Bridge on 2 5th October 1834 ; and about the same time another at Luddenden, about four miles off, both now in S. Gibson's collection. Arthur Strickland observes, " Except a few birds out of plumage in winter time, it is seldom found on this coast." This bird differs from the rest of the tribe, being at times found far inland ; and some years ago I have known several killed in the water at Foss Island, near York. Strickland's observations, quoted by Allis, may have been correct in his day, but do not, at the present time, accurately represent the status of the Little Auk, which may be described as an erratic winter visitant on the coast from the Arctic regions, being not uncommon in some seasons, in others rare or altogether absent, while at long intervals extra- ordinarily large numbers of these little Arctic visitors are reported. In the year 1841, when the flight, mentioned by Hugh Reid, took place near Doncaster, many were noted in October at Redcar (Zool. 1845, p. 1183 ; and Yarrell's " British Birds "), as also in the autumn of 1863. In 1878 a sudden north-west gale, with snow, sprang up on I2th November, and, from that date to the 2ist, examples of this bird were washed up on the shore ; many were found at Lowthorpe in 1879 ; in November 1884 they were again abundant, and in January and February of 1890 numbers were reported Sharing the spoil. E. W. Wade. See page 717. LITTLE AUK. 731 at sea, while several were washed ashore at Redcar and Scarborough. In the early months of 1894 a few were seen at various places on the coast from the Tees to Holderness, but in the winter following there occurred the most remarkable invasion of these northern sea- fowl which has been recorded within the memory of living man. The weather during the latter part of 1894, and in the opening days of January 1895, was of a very stormy character, wilh on-shore gales, and during the first fortnight of the new year immense companies of Little Auks passed along the coast, many being shot, while more were driven in by stress of weather and cast up on the sands in a dead, or exhausted and dying, condition. The gales and rough seas continued, with scarcely any intermission, until the middle of February ; consequently the poor little ocean wanderers, being unable to procure food, perished wholesale, and some hundreds were taken to the bird-stuff ers ; on 2 ist January I picked up seven examples on the sands in the course of a mile's walk. Similar reports were received from other places on the coast ; at Whitby, Scarborough, Filey, and Bridlington the taxidermists had a busy time ; at Beverley no fewer than eighty-four specimens were brought in in one day, and it was estimated that many thousands were observed close in shore between Scarborough and Spurn. Individuals were reported in places far removed from salt water ; one was caught alive on a pond at Hutton Rudby ; three were found at Thirsk ; others at Swainby, Leeming Lane, Leeds, Bradford, and even in the high dales, and on the moors of the north-west, instances were recorded of the capture of these " rare sea birds " (Field, 9th February 1895 ; Nat. 1895, pp. 94, 106, 117 ; and Zool. 1895, p. 68). In the year 1897 another visitation took place, but not in such quantities as that of two years previously, yet many occurred at all the coast stations. On I3th November 1899 a flock of about sixty was seen off Redcar ; in 1900, in the last week of February, during a north-east gale that lasted for a week, some fifty examples were cast on shore, several of which had partially black throats, and in Holderness eighteen were picked up in one day ; at 732 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE Scarborough upwards of one hundred and fifty were taken to the taxidermists ; many were also reported at Spurn. Out of nineteen dissected at Scarborough eleven were females, two males, and the remaining six were too much decomposed for accurate examination. In February 1901 I noticed considerable numbers swimming at sea off Redcar, some shew- ing the head only, and apparently in search of food, diving close under the surface and appearing almost like fishes, though others loomed as large as Razorbills at two hundred yards' distance. The instances of the occurrence of this species in inland localities are too numerous for recapitulation ; suffice it to state that there are few districts from which it has not been reported at some time or other, and one of the very few records of its appearance in summer was near Tadcaster, where one was found dead in a grass field on i6th July 1885 Vernacular names : — Rotche and Iceland Auk, in general use, and Dwarf Auk in the Flamborough district. GREAT NORTHERN DIVER. Colymbus glacialis (L.). Winter visitant, regular, but not common, on the coast ; also occurs inland, though rarely. Arrives in September, leaves in April or May Probably the earliest evidence of the connection of this bird with Yorkshire is that in Willughby's " Ornithology," under the title of " The Greatest Speckled Diver or Loon— Colymbus maximus caudatus. I have seen four of them .... One in Yorkshire at Dr. Henley's, shot near Cawood." And under the title of " Gesner's Greatest Doucker," the following appears : — Mr. Johnson [of Brignall, near Greta Bridge], in his papers sent us, writes that he hath seen a bird of this kind, without any spots on its Back or wings, but yet thinks it not to differ specifically but accidentally." (Will. 11 Orn." 1678, pp. 34I-2-) "'4 GREAT NORTHERN DIVER. 733 Thomas Allis, in 1844, wrote : — Colymbus glaciahs. — Great Northern Diver — Dr. Farrar, F. O. Morris, and H. Reid all report a splendid specimen which was taken alive in an exhausted state at Cannon Hall, and is in the possession of S. Stanhope, Esq., of that place ; my friend, Bartholomew Smith of Thirsk, informs me that a specimen was taken at Gormire ; it has been obtained in beautiful plumage off Whitby. and I have had a young specimen from near Sutton-on-Derwent. A. Strickland remarks : " The Northern Diver, Black-throated Diver, and Red-throated Diver are all northern birds which are only known on this coast in autumn or winter, when out of mature plumage, but may frequently be met with at those times on various parts of the coast ; the Red-throated or the Speckled Diver is the most frequent, but the Black-throated, which is the least common, seems to be a more inland bird, and in the severe winter of 1830 many were killed, and some toward the spring assuming the mature colours." A truly pelagic bird, this fine species is a not uncommon autumn and winter visitant on the coast, appearing sometimes as early as August, though not as a rule until September or October, and remaining until the following spring. In the Humber district, according to the late J. Cordeaux, it is occasionally found in summer, but at the Teesmouth I have only once noted it at that season, viz., in July 1877. In the fall of the year individuals in the immature dress are annually met with, though it is seldom obtained in the adult stage. On inland lakes and reservoirs the Great Northern Diver is of rare occurrence, and, in addition to the examples cited by Allis, it has been recorded at Newton Kyme, where the late Rev. J. W. Chaloner saw three on the Wharfe in 1818 or 1819 ; one was captured alive in central Ryedale in 1852, and another at Masham " many years ago." It has occurred on the river Hull near Beverley, and on Howden Mere ; at Goole ; at Cold Hiendley Reservoir in December 1875 ; at Banks Hall, near Staincross ; on Blackstone Edge Reservoir ; Slingsby ; Birdforth, near Thirsk, where one was killed on the ice during a storm in January 1887 ; on Fewston Reservoir in 1888 ; near Wakefield in March 1888, and October 1890, on the last occasion a male, in partial summer plumage, being obtained. Generally speaking this bird is of solitary habits, but 734 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. occasionally two are seen together, as on 4th December 1877, at West Scar Head, Redcar ; again on i6th March 1892, I watched through a telescope a couple feeding near the shore ; and in November 1893 two were near my boat inside the Redcar rocks. The marvellous rapidity with which this bird can swim and dive under water has frequently been commented upon ; I have known one remain under the surface, after diving, and not re-appear until it had traversed a distance of at least half a mile, whilst in swimming it can easily out- distance a pair-oared boat. A specimen that I had alive for some time, when placed in the water, gave utterance to a mournful, not unmusical, cry. The average weight of a Northern Diver is stated to be between nine and ten pounds ; the heaviest I have note of is a female example, obtained at the Teesmouth in November 1886, which weighed twelve pounds. Local names : — Loon or Leaan, in general use r Herring Loon on the Humber ; Big Northern Diver at Redcar ; and Penwings is an old Redcar name, probably a corruption of Penguin. WHITE-BILLED NORTHERN DIVER. Colymbus adamsi (G. R. Gray). Accidental visitant from northern America. The only claim of this bird to be admitted to the Yorkshire list rests on the occurrence of an example recorded by the late J. Cordeaux ("Birds of the Humber District," 1899, p. 38), as having been obtained in January 1897, at Filey, which came into the possession of the late D. Brown of that place. I have been unable, however, to obtain any further information regarding this specimen. 735 BLACK-THROATED DIVER. Colymbus arcticus (L.). Winter visitant, uncommon ; rarer on the coast than C. glacialis, but more frequently observed inland. The earliest known occurrence of this species in the county is, apparently, that included in Hogg's "Birds of S.E. Durham and N.W. Cleveland," where it is stated that one was shot on the coast in January 1830 (ZooL 1845, p. 1181). Thomas Allis's Report contains the following, written in 1844 : — Colymbus arcticus. — Black-throated Diver — Hugh Reid says one was shot near Doncaster in most perfect plumage, and is now in the possession of the Rev. J. R. Miller of Walkingham ; and that another equally fine specimen, killed there, remains in his own possession ; it is rare near Hebden Bridge ; a young bird was shot at Elland, near Halifax, 1 7th November 1832 ; and I have had two or three immature birds, without the black throat, from the neighbourhood of Sutton-on- Derwent ; it is very rare near Huddersfield, but a few stray specimens have been taken. This handsome bird is a winter visitant on the coast, but later in its arrival, and less numerous, than the preceding species. Like the Great Northern Diver, it is very seldom met with in the adult stage ; a female, in the late W. W. Boulton's collection, was procured on the river Hull, near Beverley ; and another, taken in the Humber on i6th February 1870, is in the collection of Capt. Seddon ; one was noted at Bridlington in February 1876 ; one at Filey on loth December 1875 ; and my collection contains a male example, in almost full breeding plumage, captured within twenty yards of the shore opposite Redcar, on ist December 1890. Immature specimens have been reported from most stations on the coast line at irregular intervals, and it was especially abundant in 1876. I have obtained two at Redcar : one on 2ist Nov- ember 1878, and the other on 3rd February 1893 ; whilst I have examined three others which occurred there. The Black-throated Diver, although rarer than C. glacialis 736 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. on the coast, appears to be more frequently found on inland waters, and, in addition to those mentioned by Allis, and in the text, it has been recorded from Halifax — one on Pelton Reservoir, in December 1874, and a second in January 1886, both of which are in the Halifax Museum ; — irom Sowerby Bridge ; Hambleton ; Wakefield, and near Bingley (in the winter of 1887-88). The latest occurrence on the River Hull was on 28th February 1905. RED-THROATED DIVER. Colymbus septentrionalis (L.). Winter visitant, common, and regular in appearance ; immature birds sometimes remain off the coast all the year round. Occurs on inland waters, but not numerously. The reference to the Speckled Diver in the Allan MS. (1791), is probably meant for this species, which is described as " Common in winter in our seas and rivers — called by the fishermen Sprat Loon, being often seen in vast numbers among the shoals of sprats." Though, in his description of its plumage and eggs, that writer seems to have confused the bird with its larger congener, the Great Northern Diver (Fox's " Synopsis," p. 93). Thomas Allis, in 1844, referred to this bird as follows : — Colymbus septentrionalis. — Red-throated Diver — One specimen is reported by Dr. Farrar as shot at Woolley Park, the seat of Godfrey Wentworth, Esq., in July 1833, which is now in his possession ; he met with a young bird which fell exhausted at Bankes Hall, near Barnsley, and another that was shot at Staincross ; the young birds have been taken several times near Sheffield in winter ; it is rare at Hebden Bridge, and also at Doncaster ; several have been shot near Huddersfield ; W. Eddison has one specimen, now in the Huddersfield Museum ; it is rare about Leeds, but one was at Harehills Lane in January 1829 ; another in the river Aire in 1838 ; the immature bird is not infrequently obtained in winter near York ; in full plumage it is very rare. This, the smallest of the Colymbidae, is also the most a hi 3 RED-THROATED DIVER. 737 numerous, and is never altogether absent from the neighbour- hood of the coast-line, as a few individuals, probably immature and non-breeding birds, may be observed at sea throughout the spring and summer months. It is a regular and common autumn or winter migrant to the seaboard and estuaries, immature birds arriving in early September and October, sometimes in great numbers ; on 20th September 1883, I saw at least fifty at sea, flying to the south-east in advance of an approaching storm, and during that autumn it was unusually abundant. This bird occurs with tolerable frequency on inland waters, and has been reported from the river Hull at Beverley, Scampston Lake, the Derwent at East Cottingwith, Gormire Lake, and Semerwater, the Wharfe at Newton Kyme, Malham Tarn, and the reservoirs and large sheets of water supplying the populous West Riding manufacturing towns. It has also figured in the list of casualties at our coast beacons, an immature female, now in the York Museum, being picked up below the Spurn Lighthouse in October 1900. The red gular patch, indicative of the adult bird, is assumed early in spring ; on 28th March 1875, I obtained an example in full nuptial garb, and on ist April 1891, distinctly saw three others near the rocks. This plumage is retained until late in autumn ; specimens have been seen and procured in August, September, and October, whilst in 1887 one with partly red throat was killed as late as 9th November. Divers are occasionally taken in the nets of the herring fishermen, and one, captured on a fishing line at Redcar in January 1884, was brought to me alive and uninjured. From personal observation I have found that the Red-throated Diver, when pursuing its prey, remains under water for a length of time varying from forty-five to seventy seconds, and it often approaches very near to the shore ; I have seen one within two yards of where I was standing on the beach. The rapacious appetite of this bird was exemplified in the case of an individual killed at the Teesmouth in December 1901, which disgorged eight sand eels, three of them being eight inches in length, and only two partly digested. 738 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. Birds of the Colymbidae family are not subject to great variation ; the only Yorkshire example reported being of this species, and pure white in plumage, with pale yellow legs, feet, and bill; it is in the collection of Mr. J. Whitaker, who informs me it was shot at Spurn. The vernacular names are : — Sprat Loon and Speckled Loon, used in the Humber district, which in the Yorkshire dialect is rendered Leaan at Flamborough, Scarborough, Whitby, and Redcar. To the river Tees fowlers it is known as Sparling Whew ; in the East Riding it receives the cog- n^men of Guinea-bird Diver, from its speckled back being similar to that of a Guinea-fowl, and at Bridlington it is sometimes called by the peculiar name of Sheep's-head-and- pluck, as indicating its resemblance to that portion of a sheep's anatomy. GREAT CRESTED GREBE. Podicipes cristatus (L.). Resident, breeding irregularly and in limited numbers on protected sheets of water in various localities. Also winter visitant, both inland and on the coast, though not common. The first mention of this as a county species is, apparently, that referred to by the celebrated John Ray, who stated that one was sent by Mr. Jessop out of Yorkshire (Ray's " Synopsis,' 1713, p. 125). Thomas Allis, 1844, wrote : — Podiceps cristatus. — Great Crested Grebe — Has been obtained once or twice near Sheffield. F. O. Morris reports it to breed near Hornsea ; in the winter plumage it is not infrequent near Sutton-on-Derwent ; in the male summer plumage it is very rare in this district. A. Strick- land states that it breeds at Hornsea Mere, and probably used to be abundant in the Carrs. Notwithstanding the persecution to which it has been subjected, this singular looking and beautiful bird is still resident in Yorkshire, though very local and few in numbers, Guillemots on Staple Neuk. R. Fortune. Page 722. GREAT CRESTED GREBE. 739 being restricted to sheets of inland waters where it is protected from molestation, and where it finds the seclusion necessary for its nidification, one of which is Hornsea Mere in Holderness ; in 1888 no fewer than six nests were observed there. It occasionally occurs in summer plumage on the river Hull, near Beverley, though its numbers are decreasing in the East Riding ; it was, in olden days, one of the inhabitants of the famous Potteric Carr, near Doncaster, before the levels of Hatfield were drained and reclaimed ; one or two pairs usually breed on the lake at Castle Howard ; there are generally two, and sometimes three, pairs on Hemsworth Dam ; whilst Mr. Rosse Butterfield tells me he discovered nesting birds on four different sheets of water in the Wakefield district. It has nested on the lakes at Sandbeck Park, and Woodhouse ponds near Kineton Park ; on Ryhill and Worsborough Reservoirs, near Barnsley, and in one or two localities near Sheffield ; I saw two pairs on the lakes at Harewood and Allerton Parks in the spring of 1902, and it nests on a preserved lake in Nidderdale. At the Swinsty and Fewston Reservoirs the first example was noted in 1894 ; in 1902 two pairs nested, but, unfortunately, one of the old birds was killed in the early part of 1904, though there were still two pairs on the water, and it is to be hoped that strict protection will in future be afforded to the survivors. It is a casual visitor to Malham Tarn, where a fine adult male was observed in 1890, and another on 7th June 1895, but there is no evidence of its nesting there. In autumn the Hornsea birds leave the mere and retire to the sea or the Humber ; at this period the species is more generally distributed, and may be met with both on inland waters and on the coast, its numbers being augmented by immigrants from more northern latitudes. In very hard winters, when its inland haunts are frozen up, it is more frequently found on the tidal waters, and has been reported from most of the coast stations, though usually considered a rare bird. J. Hogg, writing in 1845, mentioned that it frequented the Tees in severe weather in his day ; one was captured there on igih December 1876 ; and I have seen and 740 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. obtained specimens, since that year, both in the estuary and off Redcar. During the stormy weather of January 1891, when the Red-necked species was so abundant, I noticed several Great Crested Grebes, one of which was procured at sea, while another was caught asleep on the sands early one morning ; and on I7th January 1901, three of these birds were swimming within a few yards of the shore in front of my house. The examples obtained off the Cleveland coast are usually in immature or winter plumage ; I have only two records of specimens in the breeding dress, viz., in spring of the years 1882 and 1900. The following particulars of the bill and legs of a bird, examined in January 1904, may be of interest, as these parts are not usually described by authors* of works on British Birds. Bill, pink flesh colour, with top of upper mandible of a dark horn hue, and lighter towards the point. Legs, on the outside dark brownish black, other parts yellowish white, with dark purple spots and blotches. The only vernacular name we have note of is Tippet Grebe, used in the Tees (Hogg, 1845), and at Hornsea Mere. RED-NECKED GREBE. Podicipes griseigena (Bodd.) Winter visitant, of uncommon occurrence, and irregular as to numbers. Occasionally observed on inland waters. The first allusion to the Red-necked Grebe in Yorkshire occurs in FothergilTs Wensleydale list of 1823, where it is enumerated amongst the birds observed in that district. l Thomas Allis, 1844, wrote : — Podiceps rubricollis. — Red-necked Grebe — One or two shot near Doncaster every winter ; it is very rare near Barnsley ; a specimen was shot on Worsborough Reservoir in 1830; many have been shot or taken near Huddersfield, but they are among the rare birds of Eggs of Guillemots, Razorbill, and Black Guillemot, shewing comparative sizes. T. H. Nelson. 1. Typical egg of Common Guillemot. 2. Typical egg of Ringed Guillemot. 3. Typical egg of Razorbill. Egg of Black Guillemot taken at Flamborough. From the collection of the late Charles Waterton. See page 726. RED-NECKED GREBE. 741 the district ; it is rare near Leeds ; a specimen was shot at Ripponden in 1800; it is met with near York occasionally, in immature and winter plumage ; I once had a male nearly arrived at its full summer plumage ; a specimen in full plumage was shot in the Ouse a few years ago, close to the City, and is inrthe Museum at York ; it is rare at Hebden Bridge ; it is occasionally- met with in winter in Bridlington [Bay], but it is by no means common. This bird is a winter visitant to the coast-line from September to March, of very irregular and uncertain appear- ance, in some years being altogether absent, whilst in very severe seasons it has been observed in considerable numbers. In the winter of 1855 five specimens were taken to a Scar- borough taxidermist ; several occurred in Holderness in the winter of 1884-85, and since that date it has occasionally been obtained in the neighbourhood of the Humber. Odd individuals have also been met with at intervals at Bridlington, Flamborough, Whitby, and in the Teesmouth area, where I have notes of its occurrence on six occasions between 1875 and 1890. In the early part of the year 1891, however, it appeared in such surprising numbers as to excite the attention of ornithologists on the whole length of the seaboard, that year having since been known as the " Grebe year." On I9th January I was off at sea and obtained three of these Grebes, the first I had had an opportunity of observing, whilst, at the same time, twelve others were seen, but I could not follow them owing to cold snow showers and darkness coming on ; two Redcar boatmen, who were about a mile distant from my craft, told me they had seen at least twenty more. During the following week, the weather being stormy, the fishermen reported astonishing quantities of Grebes at sea between Huntcliffe and Teesmouth ; on the 27th another example was procured, and several more seen, and, from that time until ist April, these birds were noticed in the vicinity of the rocks, some being shot, while others were driven ashore and taken alive on the sands. Twenty-eight specimens were killed in the Scarborough neighbourhood, seven at Filey, and it was also reported as unusually abundant off the Head- land of Flamborough (Zool. 1891, pp. 193-253 ; and Nat. 1891, p. 123). 742 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. The extraordinary superabundance of this species was, in all probability, to be accounted for by the intensely cold weather, then prevailing, having frozen up their continental haunts, thus driving them to our shores ; still it is difficult to under- stand why, in other years of equal severity, it has not been noticed in like quantities. In the year 1893 it was again numerous off Flamborough ; and in February 1895 several occurred off Redcar and the Teesmouth, though not in such numbers as in 1891. The examples which have been procured are generally in the winter or immature stage, but, on rare occasions it has been reported in adult summer dress ; one was noted at Bridlington in September 1852 ; another at Flamborough in the same month in 1875 ; and one at Scarborough on I9th October 1899. The Red-necked Grebe has been observed on inland waters in many parts of the county ; it is mentioned in Hatfield's "Historical Notices of Doncaster " (1866), as occurring on the Carrs ; also in Fothergill's Wensleydale list of 1823, and Barker's " Wensleydale " (1854). On various open sheets of water in the West Riding it has been obtained ; it was mentioned by Allis in his Report ; at Acaster and York it was noted in 1850 ; at Newmiller Dam in 1858, and at Kirkthorpe in 1860 ; one was killed near Danby in 1870 ; an example was captured in a farmyard at Owldray, near Helmsley, in 1880 ; and another in a stackyard at Skeming in November 1895 ; near Beverley one was shot on a flooded field in 1872, and in 1891 one was killed at Waghen. The York Museum contains several specimens which have been taken in the county, one being an immature bird picked up dead near the city. This species is occasionally immolated by flying against the telegraph wires, one such instance being recorded at Horsforth in 1865, and a second at Scarborough in January 1891. The only local name of which I am cognizant is Greve, used at Redcar. Bempton and Speeton Cliffs, looking west. Nesting places of the Puffin are on the grassy slopes midway down the cliffs. See page 727. 743 SCLAVONIAN GREBE. Podicipes auritus (£.)• Winter visitant, not uncommon on the coast. Occasionally met with on inland waters. Fothergill's Wensleydale list, in Whitaker's " Richmond- shire " (1823), contains what is probably the first Yorkshire mention of this Grebe, it being noted amongst the birds of that district, under the name of " Dusky Grebe." Thomas Allis, in 1844, tnus referred to it : — Podiceps cornutus. — Sclavonian Grebe — One shot at Barmby-on- Dun several years ago, according to F. O. Morris. I had myself a beautiful male specimen in summer plumage, but it is very rare in this neighbourhood in that state ; not infrequently met with in winter and immature plumage. Like its preceding congener, this bird is a winter visitant, usually appearing in September or October, and remaining until March, though instances are known when it has occurred in August ; one, obtained on the 3rd of that month, in the year 1876, is now in the Hull Museum. Although never very numerous, it is the commonest of the Grebes except the Dab- chick, and occurs annually on the coast, chiefly in the neigh- bourhood of the river estuaries or amongst the half-tide rocks in shallow water ; I have several times watched birds of this species fishing close inshore near the Redcar " scars," and in 1901 procured one, in a channel at the Teesmouth, which had been feeding on sprats, one fish hanging out of its bill when the bird was brought ashore. Several were killed in the Tees estuary in the winter of 1874-75, and also in 1896-97, when it was more than usually abundant, and it was reported in some numbers from Scarborough during the same season. An adult female was shot off Flamborough on 29th October 1874, while Allis referred to an example in summer plumage in his possession, but, as a rule, the bird is met with in the dusky or winter dress. It takes its departure in March or April, an unusually late lingerer being reported in May 1883, when one was observed on a pond near Barnsley. VOL. II. 2 B 744 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. On inland streams and lakes this Grebe has often been noted ; it is recorded from near Beverley ; Scampston ; Selby ; Malton ; the Derwent at East Cottingwith, where in some seasons it is not uncommon ; in Wensleydale on the Ure ; at Thirsk ; near Waekfield, in which locality it was, for several years before 1876, a regular visitor to the reservoir ; Waterton mentioned it at Walton^ Park ; and it has also been reported from Halifax, Fewston, Bolton Bridge in Craven, and in Ribblesdale. The local names formerly applied to it were Horned Grebe and Dusky Grebe ; in the Humber it is called Small Diver. EARED GREBE. Podicipes nigricollis (C. L. Brehm). Occasional visitant, of rare occurrence. The first published Yorkshire notice of the Eared Grebe appears to have been made by J. Hogg, who remarked that one was reported to have been taken at the Teesmouth in January 1823 (Zool. 1845, p. 1182). Thomas Allis, in 1844, wrote : — Podiceps auritus. — Eared Grebe — A few stray specimens have been found about Huddersfield ; it is rare about Hebden Bridge ; it has been obtained near York in full plumage, but is very rare ; it is occa- sionally met with in immature and winter dress. A. Strickland says, "It is probable that the breeding places of these two birds, cornutus and auritus, are very distant from this country, as the mature birds are of the rarest occurrence, at the same time the young or immature bird of both these species, under the common name of Dusky Grebe, is often met with in winter ; to distinguish these two species in this state can only be done by minute attention to the form of the bills." Though it has been captured in spring and summer, when in full breeding plumage, there is no evidence that the Eared Grebe has ever bred in Yorkshire, and it is to be ranked as a casual visitant, chiefly in winter, from the Continent of Bempton Cliffs, looking east. The nesting holes of the Puffin are on the grassy slopes midway down the cliffs. See page 728. EARED GREBE. 745 Europe ; though it is probably of more frequent occurrence than the records imply, as, off the coast of Northumberland and in the Firth of Forth, it is a regular winter visitor. In addition to the example recorded by Hogg and those mentioned in Allis's Report, of which no further particulars are now available, the instances of this bird's occurrence may be set forth as follows : — One, near the lighthouse at the Teesmouth, I2th April 1846 (Nat. 1856, p. 308). One, near York, i8th December 1849 J exhibited by D. Graham at a meeting of the Yorkshire Naturalists' Club, on 1 6th January 1850. An adult male, in splendid plumage, at Bubwith, near Selby, in the year 1854 ; formerly in the late W. W. Boulton's collection, now in the possession of Mr. T. Boynton (Boynton MS.). One, at Scarborough, in February 1855 (Roberts, Zool. 1855, P- 4660). One, at Thornes on the Calder, in February 1861 (Talbot, " Birds of Wakefield," p. 31). A female example, on the Humber near Hull, 20th February 1864 ; formerly in the late W. W. Boulton's collec- tion, now in that of Mr. T. Boynton (Zool. 1864, p. 9048). One, near Ripon, in the possession of Mr. Parkin (H. H. Slater MS.). A female specimen, at Spurn, 2oth December 1872 (Zool. 1873, p. 3413). One, at the Teesmouth, in the winter of 1874-75 ; in my collection. One, at Easington, near Spurn, I9th December 1882 (Loten MS.). One, at the same place, 3rd September 1887, shot by Mr. W. Eagle Clarke ; formerly in the collection of Mr. J. Back- house, now in the York Museum. One, in the collection at Thicket Priory ; obtained near that place by Capt. Dunnington-Jefferson. A pair of adults, in perfect breeding plumage ; taken alive in Whitby harbour, loth March 1888, by John Harland. 746 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. Acquired by Mr. Thomas Stephenson ; afterwards in the possession of Mr. J. Braim, and now in the Halifax Museum. A female specimen, with eggs in an advanced state, at Scarborough, i6th December 1889 ; in the possession of Mr. Head (Zool. 1890, p. 77). One, near York, 23rd October 1890 (Nat. 1891, p. 6). One, off Scarborough, 20th January 1892 ; in the Scar- borough Museum (Zool. 1892, p. 144). A female example, at Easington, 23rd August 1896 (Cor- deaux, Nat. 1897, p. 14). One, found on the beach at Redcar, loth February 1897 ; in my collection. An adult female, at Scarborough, I2th January 1901 (W. J. Clarke MS.). One, at Hinderwell, in January 1901 ; preserved by Mr. John Morley, Scarborough. One, on a pond at Great Ayton in Cleveland, in the spring of 1902 (F. Atkinson MS.). And, finally, a specimen in the possession of Mr. Thomas Machen, procured in Bridlington Bay in the winter of 1903. The only name, other than its ordinary appellation, is Black-necked Grebe. LITTLE GREBE. Podicipes fluviatilis (Tunstall}. Resident, generally distributed, and not uncommon. Also winter visitant, arriving in September and October. Probably the first reference to this, as a Yorkshire bird, is in the Allan MS. (1791) in connection with the Tunstall or Wy cliff e Museum, thus : — " Little Grebe, Didapper, Dipper, Dabchick, Small Ducker. Frequents same places as other Grebes, even more common. Makes a large nest floating in the water, and lays 5 or 6 eggs. Always covers them when it leaves the nest. They eat fish, insects, and plants. Is an excellent diver " (Fox's " Synopsis," p. 91). s •? LITTLE GREBE. 747 Thomas Allis, in 1844, wrote : — Podiceps minor. — Little Grebe — Common near Hebden Bridge and Doncaster ; occasionally met with near Halifax ; uncommon in the vicinity of Sheffield ; not uncommon about Barnsley and Huddersfield, where it stays through the year ; not infrequent near Leeds and York. A. Strickland says, " It is by no means uncommon in this county, and probably breeds in various parts of it, and it is often found ia winter." The Little Grebe, or Dabchick, is resident, and the most numerous of the genus, being found in the breeding season in most parts of the county where there are secluded ponds, lakes, and streams which afford the concealment requisite for its nest ; it is known to breed at Malham Tarn at an elevation of 1,250 feet. An early allusion to its haunts in Wensleydale was made by W. G. Barker, who stated that "near East Witton, on the banks of the Yore, is a fish-pond where Dabchicks are plentiful" (" London's Magazine," 1832). From twelve to thirty of these birds have been observed on Hems- worth Dam in spring, before the reeds grew up ; in the East Riding many nest annually on the Drifneld streams, and in South Holderness it was formerly plentiful enough to have a local name. In the autumn, from September to November, there is an influx of immigrants on the coast, sometimes in considerable numbers, and examples have been killed by striking against the Lighthouses on dark nights ; on i6th October 1891, during a south-west gale, one took refuge in Redcar Station, where it was captured by the Company's policeman, who brought it to me ; I have occasionally observed specimens in the Tees estuary, and, on 8th November 1905, I saw a party of seven on the sea off Redcar ; the species has also been noticed on migration in the Beverley district. There is but one example in breeding plumage reported on the coast ; this was caught near Redcar Pier in June. An interesting account of the nidification habits of the Little Grebe is related by Mr. J. W. Dent of Ribston Hall, near Harrogate, who, in the spring of 1896, noted a pair on a pond near his house, which had a late brood in September, 748 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. whilst in 1897 he found eggs as early as 3rd March. The birds, owing to disturbance, built no fewer than nine nests, four of which contained eggs. Mr. Riley Fortune tells me he has found several nests near Harrogate built on branches of trees which hung down to the water. Local names : — Dabchick (general), Didapper, Dipper, Small Ducker (Allan MS., 1791) ; Tom Pudding (North and West Ridings) ; Dobber (Zool. 1848, p. 2290) ; Tom Puffer and Tom Puffin, or Tom Poofin (North and East Ridings) ; Dipper Duck (Central Ryedale), Peep o' Day (East Cottingwith). STORM PETREL. Procellaria pelagica (L.). Winter visitant, not infrequent on the coast in stormy weather ; sometimes found inland after very severe gales. The first published allusion to this bird in Yorkshire occurs in the Rev. John Graves's " History of Cleveland " (1808), where it is enumerated in the list of birds. Thomas Allis, in his Report, made in 1844, wrote :— Thalassidroma pelagica. — Storm Petrel — J. Heppenstall informs me that one was found swimming in the river in a populous part of Sheffield ; it flew up and settled on a house, where it was shot. It is rare at Leeds ; rarely seen about Hebden Bridge ; one specimen was shot at Keighley about four years since ; it is met with about Hudders- field. A. Strickland has known considerable flights of this bird occa- sionally, on the east coast, where many specimens have been procured, but these visits are very uncertain, and seem entirely the effect of accidental causes. This little wanderer is an autumn or winter visitant, not uncommon in some years, but, being essentially a rover of the deep sea, it is not often observed close to land, unless in wild and stormy weather, when it is compelled to fly before the gale and seek refuge from the storms which rage with terrible frequency on our eastern seaboard. Arthur Strick- I STORM PETREL. 749 land informed Allis that considerable flights occurred before ''.844, and, in October and November 1867, a number of these Petrels appeared in Bridlington Bay, where eight or nine were killed ; they exhibited no fear of the presence of man, and one was knocked down by a short gaff. Off the Redcar coast some were seen in November and December 1877 ; as also at Redcar, Spurn, and other stations on 28th October 1880, and the I4th of the same month in the year following, during heavy northerly gales ; on the latter date one was blown against a bathing van and captured alive ; I kept it for some days, when it readily fed on oil which it took from the surface of water in a saucer, skimming to and fro like a Swallow. In the great hurricane from the north-north-east, on i8th November 1893, five or six of these birds were storm- driven and picked up dead or exhausted on the sands. Although not usually observed before the month of October, it occasionally occurs at an earlier date ; I saw one at sea on 23rd September 1883 ; two were noted on 20th August 1889, off Spurn, near a fishing boat, fluttering and beating for food as the men hauled their crab-pots ; and at Masham one was seen on the river Ure on 2ist August 1880. It sometimes comes within the influence of the Lighthouse rays, and the Migration Reports contain references to its immolation against the lanterns on dark and stormy nights ; several struck the Spurn Light on I4th October 1881, and also on i6th-i7th Nevomber 1898, whilst between the nth and I2th November 1906, no fewer than five were thus killed at the same station. In districts remote from the coast this little bird has many times been found after stormy weather at sea, in north or east gales, blown in from the North Sea, and, in westerly gales, from the Irish Sea. One was found so long ago as 1813 at Knaresborough ; it has also occurred in the recesses of the West Riding dales, and on the moorlands of the north and north-west, though the instances of these occurrences are too numerous to be given in detail ; it is probable that, owing to its small size, it has often passed unnoticed. The specimen from which Bewick drew his figure of this 750 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. bird was sent to him by Col. Dalton, who found it dead at Tanfield (Bewick, " British Birds," ist Ed. ii. pp. 249-251). Local names : — Storm Finch (Tunstall, 1784) ; Stormy Sea-runner, Cleveland (Hogg, 1845). LEACH'S FORK-TAILED PETREL. Oceanodroma leucorrhoa (Vieillot). Casual visitant on the coast in winter, of rather rare occurrence after severe gales it is sometimes found dead in inland localities. The first Yorkshire reference to this bird was made by Thomas Allis, in " London's Magazine " for 1832, where several examples were recorded, and these were also men- tioned in his Report on the Birds of Yorkshire, written in 1844 :- Thalassidroma leachii. — Fork-tailed Petrel — H. Reid informs me that one was shot by a boatman on the river Don near Sprotborough, in 1837. which is now in the excellent collection of George Foljambe, Esq. ; one was found dead in the streets of Halifax, i6th December 1831 ; another was found dead on Button Common, near Doncaster ; three or four were found some winters ago near York, at which time they had been met with over most of the midland counties ; very rare near Leeds ; a specimen was found at Halifax a few years ago ; this, as well as several of the tribe, is often attracted by the light at night, where they remain till exhausted. When winter gales sweep across the North Sea, the Fork- tailed Petrel, though an ocean-loving bird, is compelled to seek shelter near the land, being sometimes driven by the fury of the storm on to the beach, or even into country districts far removed from the seaboard. An opinion has been expressed that, as it is a western species, it is blown across from the Western Sea, though I have met with it more often in north-east gales than at other times. The earliest date on which it has appeared, so far as I am aware, is I7th September in the year 1903, when a female bird, now in my possession, was shot at the Teesmouth. Nest of Great Crested Grebe, Hornsea Mere. Fortune. See page 738. LEACH'S FORK-TAILED PETREL. 751 It is an autumn or winter visitant, in very limited numbers, and not at all regular in its appearance. Thomas Allis, in " London's Magazine " for 1832, recorded that, in the winter of 1831-32, several examples occurred far inland, driven in by stormy weather, and in his Report on the Birds of York- shire, quoted above, he mentioned others near York, though at most of the Yorkshire coast stations it was considered a very rare species until the year 1881, when some were taken in October and November ; while in Cleveland I had known of but one instance before 1891 ; in that year it was reported as being unusually plentiful on several parts of the west coast, and doubtless, the Cleveland specimen, which was brought into the kitchen at Easby Hall by a cat, had been blown across from the Irish Sea. During the prevalence of a hurricane from north-north-east, on i8th October 1893, several indi- viduals were storm-driven, and cast on the beach, where they became " sand- warped," and, in some instances, were blown up to the foot of the sand-hills ; at Redcar six were picked up under these conditions. Other occurrences at Redcar were in 1900, when one was immolated against the telegraph wires ; on I2th November 1901, one was shot during a gale from east-north-east, and came into my possession ; another, also in my collection, was, as stated above, captured in 1903, and, in the first week of October 1905, a specimen was picked up below the telegraph wires between Redcar and Marske. A female example, in the Hull Museum, was found at Flam- borough in December 1883. Inland it has occurred at several places, in addition to those mentioned in Allis's Report and in the text, and for convenience of reference a list is here appended : — One or two near Hull. One near Thirsk. Near Beverley, one taken alive, autumn 1854 (Zool. 1865, PP- 9493-4). One at Kirkhammerton, before 1857 (Morris, " British Birds," vi. p. 248). Leeds, one, purchased in the market about 1863 (" York- shire Post," 6th February 1875). 752 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. An example in the York Museum, labelled " Bolton Park, 1872." Hornby Park, one, found dead some years ago (W. Wade Dalton MS., 1880). Riplingham, near Beverley, one picked up ; now in the collection of Mr. John Stephenson (Nat. 1882, p. 100). Western Ainsty, one, picked up dead at Newton Kyme (op. cit. 1891, p. no). (The example reported at Southowram, near Halifax, I3th November 1874, is evidently to be referred to Wilson's Petrel, which see.) WILSON'S PETREL. Oceanites oceanicus (Kuhl). Accidental visitant from the Atlantic, of extremely rare occurrence. This long-legged Petrel is common on the west coast of North America, and ranges southward to the Cape of Good Hope, the South Atlantic, and the South Pacific ; it has been found breeding on Kerguelen Island. Yorkshire can lay claim to a single example of this bird which was killed, or found dead, at Southowram, near Halifax, on I3th November 1874, and is now in the possession of Mr. Christopher Ward of Wray, near Lancaster, to whom it was taken in the flesh, while quite fresh (Ward MS.). GREAT SHEARWATER. Puffinus gravis (O'Reilly). Autumn and winter visitant of uncertain occurrence, generally speaking rare, but appears to be more frequent off Flamborough Head than elsewhere. This bird extends its range northward to the shores of Iceland, Greenland, and North America, and probably GREAT SHEARWATER. 753 resorts to the Southern Ocean for breeding purposes, although as yet nothing authentic is known of its nesting haunts. Thomas Allis's Report on the Birds of Yorkshire, written in 1844, contains the following allusion to this species, but, in the light of more recent knowledge, it is doubtful if the specimens mentioned were to be referred to the Great Shear- water or to P. griseus : — Puffinus major. — Greater Shearwater — I am informed by my friend James H. Tuke that a specimen of this bird has been procured at Robin Hood's Bay ; another specimen was shot at Bridlington about two weeks ago, and it was procured by Mr. from near Warwick. A. Strickland remarks, ' The two specimens from which this bird was first constituted a British bird were both killed on different parts of this coast, and are still in my collection ; I have since heard of another killed near Whitby ; it is now ascertained that this is not the same as the Cinerius Shearwater, as was supposed by Mr. Gould, but a distinct species, this bird frequenting the northern regions, and the latter in the Mediterranean and a more southern range." The early Yorkshire records appertaining to the Shear- water are now known to be inextricably entangled with those of its congener, the Sooty Shearwater, which was supposed to be a dark, or immature, form of this bird, and thus it is extremely difficult to give correct details of occurrences without examination of the specimens. The Great Shearwater is an autumn and winter visitant to the Yorkshire seaboard, but is not of frequent or regular occurrence. As in the case of some of the rarer Gulls, Skuas, and Petrels, it is met with most frequently in the neighbourhood of the Headland of Flamborough, being attracted to that locality by the shoals of fish which are found there in the herring season, and an instance is known of one being taken on a hook attached to a fishing line. It was unusually abundant in September 1881 ; and in August 1876 several " Big Shearwaters " were reported to me by the Redcar fishermen. For purposes of reference a list of occurrences is here appended, though it must be borne in mind that, in considering it, the instances are not all authenticated, and the reader is requested to peruse the history of the next species, P. griseus 754 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. Robin Hood's Bay, one, before 1844 (Allis's Report, fide J. H. Tuke). Bridlington, one, in 1844 (Allis). The above two specimens and a third, are also referred to by A. Strickland in Allis's Report. Robin Hood's Bay, one, taken alive in a fishing-net, 1848 (Milner, Zool. 1848, p. 2027). Leeds, one, 6th October 1854 J taken in Leeds. Purchased by the Leeds Philosophical Society (35th Report, 1854-55). Flamborough, one, i8th July 1866, shot by Thomas Leng. Formerly in the Sunderlandwick collection, now in that formed by the late Sir Hy. Boynton at Burton Agnes. Same place, one obtained, others seen, autumn 1873 (Gurney, Zool. 1874, p. 3882). Same place, one adult, captured by Matthew Bailey on loth January 1874 (Bailey MS. In the collection of Mr. J. H. Gurney, who described the specimen ; torn. cit. p. 3882). Same place, one, 20th September 1881 (Tuck, op. cit. 1881, p. 472). Bridlington, an adult female, in winter plumage, shot on 5th September 1883 ; now in the Hull Museum. Rishworth Moor, Ripponden, Halifax, one, in 1885. Scarborough, one, caught on a fishing line, on 4th December 1889 (R- P- Harper, op. cit. 1890, p. 21 ; with the remark that this is the first specimen the recorder had seen at Scar- borough in the course of a long residence). Flamborough, several, September 1893 (Bailey, Nat. 1893, P- 323). Scarborough, one, December 1894 (W. J. Clarke MS.). Bridlington, one adult, November 1895 (Howarth, op. cit. 1896, p. 100). Same place, one, November 1898. In the collection of Sir Oswald Mosley of Rolleston Hall, Burton-on-Trent. Scarborough, a female, obtained by Mr. Joseph Morley, in the autumn of 1904. In my collection. The following, recorded as Great Shearwaters, have proved on investigation to be referable to P. griseus : — Teesmouth, one, August 1828 (P.Z.S. 1832, ii. p. 128). Little Grebe swimming to its nest. T. A. Metcalfe. See page 747. SOOTY SHEARWATER. 755 Flamborough, a male, I3th September 1865 (Boulton, Zool. 1866, pp. 29-30). Bridlington and Flamborough, two at the former place and one at the latter, 6th to igth September 1866 (op. cit. 1867, p. 543). Flamborough, one, I5th October 1869 (Field, 30th October 1869). Bridlington, one shot, others seen, 1876 (Zool. 1876, p. 5116). From other sources, three " immature Great Shearwaters," reported in the same year. At Redcar several Big Shearwaters were announced by the Redcar fishermen to be out in the offing, in the autumn of 1876, and I recorded them as Great Shearwaters, but, in all probability, they were referable to the next species. SOOTY SHEARWATER. Puffinus griseus (Gmelin). Autumn and winter visitant, of fairly regular occurrence, but uncertain as to numbers. The Sooty Shearwater is found in the North Atlantic, and breeds in the Chatham group of islands off the coast of New Zealand. The earliest known British example of this bird is that originally recorded as a Great Shearwater, which was shot by the late George Marwood, then of Busby Hall, in Cleve- land, near the mouth of the Tees, on a very stormy day in the middle of August 1828. It was seen early in the morning sitting on the water like a duck, and was killed as it was rising ; its manner of flight was consequently not noticed. It afterwards passed into the possession of Arthur Strickland of Boynton, near Bridlington, the friend and correspondent of Thomas Allis, and was exhibited by its possessor at a meeting 756 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. of the Zoological Society on I2th July 1832 (P.Z.S. 1832, ii. p. 128 ; Zool. 1883, p. 121. See also Allis's Report under heading of Great Shearwater). Strickland's collection was afterwards acquired by the Yorkshire Philosophical Society, and the specimen in question is now in their Museum at York. Until comparatively recently there was considerable con- fusion existing between »this and the preceding species, of which it was considered to be the immature form ; there is therefore great difficulty, without examination of specimens, in disentangling the earlier records and assigning each to its proper species ; the lapse of time has also tended to prevent correct identification. This bird is now known to be a fairly regular visitant to the Yorkshire coast in autumn and winter, but, like its congeners, prefers the open sea to the propinquity of the land. The famous Headland of Flamborough is the locality most favoured by its visits, and at sea off that point it has occurred in some seasons in large numbers. Mr. Matthew Bailey, in the course of conversation with me at various times, has told me that in autumn he has seen scores, and even hundreds, in flocks off the Headland in a single day. In one day, in the autumn of 1887, he secured three in the course of a few minutes, and, if he had wished, could have killed a score. In the year mentioned several specimens, two of which were old birds, were brought in to Flamborough and Filey. In the autumns of 1895 and 1904 also, the species was abundant off Flamborough and Bridlington, where several examples were captured, and from twenty to thirty others reported as seen by the fishermen and boatmen. I have met with it on one occasion only on the Cleveland coast, on I7th September 1883, a fine calm day ; it was resting on the water, and at first I thought it was a Skua, but discovered my error on handling the bird, which fought and scratched with its claws as savagely as the Pomatorhine Skuas did in 1879. The history of the Sooty Shearwater in Yorkshire must be read in conjunction with that of its congener, P. gravis ; a list of Yorkshire examples is here appended, and if errors have unfortunately crept in, the fault must be attributed to .~. : i SOOTY SHEARWATER. 757 the difficulty of tracing specimens, some of which have been altogether lost sight of. * Tees Bay, one shot in August 1828, at the Teesmouth (mentioned at the commencement of this chapter). * Flamborough, a male, I3th September 1865 (Boulton, Zool. 1866, pp. 29, 30). * Bridlington and Flamborough, two at the former place and one at the latter, 6th to igth September 1866 (op. cit. 1867, p. 543). * Flamborough, one, I5th October 1869 (Boyes, Field, 30th October 1869). Whitby, one, September 1870. In the local Museum (T. Stephenson MS. ; W. Eagle Clarke, Zool. 1884, p. 180). Bridlington, one obtained by Mr. J. Elton, 1872. Presented to the Oxford Museum (H. A. Macpherson, op. cit. 1883, p. 121). * Same place, one killed, others seen, 1876 (op. cit. 1876, p. 5116) ; and from other sources, three immature Great Shearwaters, but probably referable to this species, were reported in the same year. Scarborough, one 1879 ; m tne possession of Sir W. Fielden, who shot it (Harting's " Handbook," 2nd Ed. p. 488). Filey, one is recorded in the same year as in the possession of Sir W. Fielden, doubtless the same specimen (Harper, Zool. 1887, p. 430). Flamborough, one, October 1881 ; in Mr. J. Whitaker's collection. Redcar, one, I7th September 1883 ; in my collection. Exhibited by Mr. T. Southwell before the Norfolk and Norwich Naturalists' Society, and by Mr. Howard Saunders at the Zoological Society meeting (P.Z.S. 1884, p. 150 ; Zool. 1884, pp. 157, 180 ; Yarrell's " British Birds," 4th Ed. pp. 17, 18). Redcar, one, in Admiral Oxley's collection at Ripon (Ex. litt. J. H. Gurney, 27th June 1887). (But I did not see this when looking over the collection.) Flamborough, two, September 1883. Examined by Mr. W. Eagle Clarke (Zool. 1884, p. 180). Those marked (*) were erroneously recorded as Great Shearwaters. 758 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. Same place, two adult, male and female, 23rd August 1887. Preserved by E. Allen, York. Now in the York Museum (Backhouse, Nat. 1887, p. 291). Filey, four, 26th August 1887. Preserved by Helstrip of York (Backhouse, torn. cit. p. 354). Two of these specimens were utilized by Lord Lilford for the figures of this species in his work on "British. Birds," Vol. vi. Plate 59. Flamborough, one, 27th August 1887. Preserved by J. Morley, Scarborough (Harper, Zool. 1887, p. 430). Same place, five captured in the neighbourhood, October 1887. Three were killed in one day by Mr. Matthew Bailey. All five specimens were examined by Mr. F. Boyes (Bailey MS.). One of the birds Mr. Bailey procured is in Mr. J. Whitaker's collection ; another in that of Sir Vauncey Crewe at Calke Abbey, Derby ; and the third in the Rev. J. G. Tuck's collection. Scarborough, two, 25th October 1888 (op. cit. 1889, p. 150). Same place, one, 28th October 1889. Flamborough, one, on the same date (op. cit. 1890, p. 21). Same place, two, ist October 1895, shot by G. Emmerson. Twenty to thirty others seen (Bailey, Nat. 1895, p. 312 ; Cordeaux, op. cit. 1896, p. 7). Bridlington, one adult, November 1895. Preserved by A. S. Hutchinson of Derby (torn. cit. p. 100). Same place, two, December 1895. Preserved by E. Allen, York, and presented by him to the Leeds Museum. Same place, one, November 1898. In the collection of Sir Oswald Mosley, Rolleston Hall, Burton-on-Trent. Scarborough, two, male and female, apparently adults (W. J. Clarke, Zool. 1901, p. 477). Same place, two, in October 1904 ; others reported off Flamborough and Bridlington. The Scarborough specimens came into the possession of Mr. W. J. Clarke of that town, and were afterwards purchased by Mr. C. J. Carroll, Rocklow, Ireland. This bird is called the Black Shearwater by Flamborough fishermen. 759 MANX SHEARWATER. Puffinus anglorum (Temminck) Bird of passage, sometimes in considerable numbers in autumn. Occasionally occurs inland. As a Yorkshire bird, the earliest reference to the Manx Shearwater may be found in Allis's Report of 1844, thus : — Puffinus anglorum. — Manx Shearwater — A. Strickland says it is seldom found on the east coast, but occasionally met with, generally in the autumn. The Manx Shearwater is a bird of passage, usually occurring on the fishing grounds, or off the Headland of Flamborough in autumn, but occasionally earlier in the year, whence it would appear that the individuals seen in the summer are non-breeding birds, as the Yorkshire coast is far removed from their nearest nesting station. In August, September, and October it is often noticed by the deep-sea fishermen when hauling the herring nets ; at these times it also approaches the shore, being then brought under the observation of naturalists. In the " sixties " it was considered to be a rare bird off Flamborough, as stated by the late W. W. Boulton (ZooL 1864, pp. 9291-9330), who expressed his surprise at meeting with eight specimens off Filey. In 1876 it was common off the East Riding and Cleveland coasts ; several were obtained near Bridlington ; in the Teesmouth area I saw a flock of ten on the 7th July, and one in August, whilst the Redcar and Staithes fishermen assured me it was very numerous in the offing. In 1887 it was plentiful off Flamborough from August until October ; several were seen in late spring off Redcar ; in August and September of the same year three were pro- cured, and numerous others reported (Nat. 1889, p. 83) ; it was also very abundant along the coast from Flamborough Head to the Tees Bay in the years 1885 and 1904. A most unusual date on which to observe this bird in Yorkshire is i8th January in the year 1888, when one was seen off Redcar, VOL. n. 2 c 760 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. where it remained on the water for some time near a fishing boat. The Manx Shearwater has been known to fall a victim to the attractions of the lanterns of our sea-marks ; one struck the Spurn Light on 5th August 1883, and another was picked up there on 3rd September 1888. In many inland localities it has been reported, being prob- ably storm- driven from its accustomed haunts, but the communicated and recorded instances are so voluminous that a recapitulation of them would prove tedious, and is unnecessary. LEVANTINE SHEARWATER. Puffinus yelkouanus (Acerbi). Accidental visitant from the Mediterranean, of very rare occurrence. This is the Mediterranean representative of our well-known Manx Shearwater, and is the " Ame damnee " of Turkish superstition, which is to the effect that the souls of the wicked pass into the bodies of these birds, and are doomed, for their sins, to wander for all eternity over the waters. I have seen immense flocks, which are amongst the most noticeable features of the Bosphorus, passing and re-passing all day long, between the Sea of Marmora and Kavak, at the entrance to the Black Sea, as many as fifteen flocks being within the range of vision at one time. It was only within comparatively recent years discovered to be a visitant to the Yorkshire coast, and is, so far as at present known, of rare occurrence there in autumn and winter ; but it is quite possible it may have been overlooked, and may be of more frequent appearance than is supposed ; an examina- tion of specimens of alleged immature or dark-breasted Manx Shearwaters might lead to the identification of more examples of this species. The first specimen known to me is one in my own possession, LEVANTINE SHEARWATER. 761 obtained near Redcar in the autumn of 1877, which is probably the first Yorkshire example of this bird. One, in the collection formed by the late Sir Henry Boynton at Burton Agnes, is labelled " Manx Shearwater, immature ; shot by M. Bailey, Flamborough." I have seen this indi- vidual, and, on asking Mr. Bailey as to its occurrence, he replied that he could not remember the exact date, but he thought it was about 1880. Another, killed at Flamborough on i6th August 1890, by Thomas Leng, was preserved by Mr. John Morley ; the sex was not ascertained. This specimen is now in the York Museum. At Scarborough, an adult female was procured near the Castle Foot on 4th February 1899 ; & was taken in the flesh to Mr. W. J. Clarke, and by him forwarded to Dr. R. Bowdler Sharpe, who identified it (Zool. 1900, p. 521). An immature female occurred in the South Bay, Scar- borough, on I3th September 1900, and was identified by Mr. Howard Saunders. This specimen is now in the collection of Mr. Riley Fortune, where I have seen it (W. J. Clarke, torn. cit. p. 521 ; Fortune, Nat. 1900, p. 352). In the autumn of 1900 another specimen was obtained near Scarborough, and was afterwards sold to a collector in the south of England. An adult male, which was captured at the same place on ist September 1902, was forwarded to me for identification ; it afterwards passed into the collection of Sir Vauncey Crewe. The latest occurrences took place in the autumn of 1904, when three examples were reported between Scarborough and the Headland of Flamborough. One of these, an adult female, was purchased by the Hon. N. C. Rothschild ; and an adult male is in my collection. A specimen in Admiral Oxley's collection at Ripon, labelled " Manx Shearwater," may have been obtained in the Redcar district. Admiral Oxley's father, the late Charles Oxley, lived at Redcar for many years, and most of his birds were collected in that neighbourhood. 762 BULWER'S PETREL. Bulweria bulweri (Jar dine & Selby). Accidental visitant from the Atlantic, of extremely rare occurrence. This small Petrel neste on the Canary Isles and Maderia, and is found as far south as Japan. Thomas Allis, in 1844, wrote : — Thalassidroma bulwerii. — Bulwer's Petrel — This bird has lately been met with in the neighbourhood of Ripon, as I learn from W. Stubbs, a bird-stuffer of that city. The first authentic record of the appearance of this species in Europe relates to a Yorkshire example picked up dead on the banks of the Ure at Tanfield on 8th May 1837, and formerly in the collection of Col. Dalton (Yarrell, " British Birds," 1843, iii. p. 514). From 1843 until 1903 this bird remained unique as a British specimen. It was long lost sight of, and in order, if possible, to rescue it from oblivion, Mr. W. Eagle Clarke set to work to investigate its history, fortunately with success, and the specimen is now deposited in the York Museum. It was exhibited at a meeting of the Zoological Society on I5th November 1887, by Professor Newton, who remarked that " Some doubt having, it seems, been expressed as to the occurrence of Bulwer's Petrel in this country, which was announced by Gould in the concluding part of his ' Birds of Europe/ published on ist August 1837, Mr. Wm. Eagle Clarke, Curator of the Museum of the Phil, and Lit. Society at Leeds, determined to investigate the facts, and as his search for the specimen in question has been successful, I have great pleasure in exhibiting it to you, on his behalf, to-night. I have the greater pleasure in doing this, as but for his per- severance and that of a local naturalist, Mr. James Carter of Burton House, Masham, the specimen would probably have been for ever lost sight of, whereas we may now hope that it will find a permanently safe abode. Gould's statement was that the specimen, having been found dead on the banks of BULWER'S PETREL. 763 the Ure, near Tanfield in Yorkshire, on 8th May 1837, was brought to Capt. Dalton of Slenningford, near Ripon, a gentleman, as I learn, who had succeeded to a collection of stuffed birds begun by his father. The father was Col. Dalton, who, curiously enough, had sent Bewick the specimen of the Common Stormy Petrel (also found dead in that neighbour- hood) from which the figure and description in his well-known work was taken (' British Birds/ ist Ed. ii. pp. 249-251). At the end of last May Mr. W. Eagle Clarke applied to Mr. Carter, and the first result of the latter's inquiry was to find that the Dalton collection had been dispersed by sale just a week before. Fortunately all the cases of stuffed birds had been bought by persons living in Ripon, and, having obtained their names from the auctioneer, Mr. Carter, after many failures and some loss of time, discovered in the possession of Mr. Jacobs, the head-master of the Choir School in that city, the case and the specimen before you, labelled Procellaria bulwerii, which he had bought with others at the Dalton sale. Beyond this fact, however, there was no note or anything to identify the specimen with the object of the search. Mr. Carter thereupon undertook to inquire of the surviving members and connections of the Dalton family, and, fortunately, again, one of the latter, being Mr. George Clarke of Tanfield House, Bedale, a son-in-law of Capt. Dalton, was found, who not only remembered the specimen perfectly well, having seen it ' scores of times,' but produced an old manuscript note he had made on the margin of a ' Bewick ' (in which he had been accustomed to record ornithological observations), to the effect that this bird was ' found dead on the bridge at Tanfield/ and had been given to his father-in-law, who had it ' preserved by the late John Stubbs of Ripon, fishing-tackle maker and bird-stuffer.' Mr. George Clarke also remembered the owner having several times refused the offer of twenty guineas for the specimen, which, it appears, had been put away in a lumber room and wholly forgotten. I think, therefore, that no doubt can be entertained of our having before us the remains of the very bird which was found dead at Tanfield, as recorded by Gould, and that we are much indebted to the 764 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. gentlemen concerned in hunting out this specimen, which had so long disappeared " (P.Z.S. 1887, pp. 562-3 ; see also Nat. 1888, p. 156). This specimen was used by the late Lord Lilford for the illustration of this species in his splendid work on " British Birds." An alleged occurrence of Bulwer's Petrel at Scarborough in spring 1849 (Higgins, fide Graham, ZooL 1849, P- 2569). is unsatisfactory, from the lack of details necessary to sub- stantiate its accuracy. FULMAR. Fulmarus glacialis (L.). Casual visitant in autumn and winter, rather rare inshore, but in some seasons plentiful on the fishing grounds. Has been occasionally met with in summer. Probably the earliest notice relating to the Yorkshire status of this bird is contained in Allis's Report, 1844, thus :— Procellaria glacialis. — Fulmar Petrel — Reported by F. O. Morris as uncommon ; by W. Eddison to have been taken near Huddersfield ; by A. Strickland to be rare on the east coast. To the Yorkshire deep-sea fishermen the Mollemoke, as it is called by them, is well known in the autumn herring season, when numbers of these birds beset the boats of the smacksmen to take their share of the fish when the nets are being hauled in ; so voracious are they at these times as to often allow themselves to be taken by hand on the decks of the smacks. In November 1868 it was particularly numerous in the offing, as reported by the fishermen (ZooL 1869, pp. 1518-19), and off Flamborough in 1872 many were captured on the fishing grounds and brought in by the boatmen. On the coast, that is, near the shore, it is a casual visitant, chiefly in autumn and winter, and generally after storms at sea, when it is driven in by stress of weather, and found dead or in an exhausted state ; an opinion has been expressed that these are weak FULMAR. 765 or diseased birds, the healthy ones keeping further out to sea, but this can hardly be so in every case, though I have no doubt that those seen on the beach in summer are suffering from some fatal disease. After the " Skua Gale " on I4th-i5th October 1879, several Fulmars were observed on various parts of the coast ; eleven were reported from Flamborough, and examples were picked up at Redcar and Teesmouth ; the autumn of 1887 was also noticeable for the comparative abundance of this bird after a storm on 28th October. It has been met with at most of the coast stations, though the instances of its occurrence are too numerous for mention in detail ; Flam- borough, Scarborough, and Redcar are the localities whence it has been most frequently recorded. As stated above, the autumn and winter are the periods when the Fulmar is usually met with, though in the year 1869 one was found at Saltburn in the month of June, and I have on four occasions seen examples in summer : — on ist July 1888 a specimen was washed ashore on Coatham sands ; on the 3ist of the same month in 1891 another occurred at Redcar ; on 25th May 1902 I found a splendid adult specimen on the beach east of Redcar, but, unfortunately, my taxidermist was unable to preserve it, and on 22nd June 1903 a very fine adult was picked up. Mr. J. H. Gurney commented in the Naturalist (1879, p. 74) on the number of Yorkshire specimens he has examined (he had eleven in October 1879), and on the discrepancy in their weights and the size of their bills ; the heaviest scaling 26oz., whilst the smallest weighed only i4oz. The white-breasted and the dark northern forms are both met with, and I have had specimens of each kind on the Cleveland coast. A Fulmar, taken on a hook at Filey on 26th October 1868, was found to have swallowed a Redwing (Zool. 1868, p. 1483). The example recorded from Flamborough, in October of the same year, was figured by Gould in his work on British Birds. The only vernacular name is Mollemoke or Mollemawk, which is probably derived from the Norwegian sailors, with whom Yorkshire fishermen formerly frequently associated. APPENDIX. WILD BIRDS' PROTECTION. The Orders under the Wild Birds Protection Acts, at present in force in the County, are as follows : — FOR THE NORTH RIDING. The time during which the taking and killing of Wild Birds is prohibited is extended, so as to be from the ist day of March to the 3ist day of August in any year, both days inclusive, except with respect to the following Birds : — Mallard, Golden Plover, Snipe, Teal, Widgeon, Wild Duck, and Woodcock. The time during which the taking and killing of the Birds, so excepted, is prohibited, is extended so as to be from the ist day of March to the nth day of August in any year, both days inclusive. FOR THE EAST RIDING. (a] The period during which the killing or taking of Wild Birds is p-ohibited by the Act of 1880 shall be extended throughout the Administrative County of the East Riding of Yorkshire, except as regards the Mallard (Wild Duck), Golden Plover, Snipe, and Woodcock so as to be between the last day of February and the ist day of September in each year. (b) As regards the Mallard (Wild Duck), Golden Plover, Snipe, and Woodcock, the close time shall be altered so as to be between the last day of February and the I2th day of August in each year. Certain Birds protected during the whole of the year. During the period between the 3 ist day of August in any year and the ist day of March following, the killing or taking of the following species of Wild Birds is prohibited VOL. II 2 D 768 APPENDIX. throughout the administrative County of the East Riding of Yorkshire : — Bittern, Little Bittern, Black-headed Bunting, Cirl Bunting, Corn Bunting, Reed Bunting, Snow Bunting, Yellow Bunting (Yellow Hammer), Buzzard, Honey Buzzard, Dipper or Water Ouzel, Dotterel, Eagle, Peregrine Falcon, Goldfinch, Great Crested Grebe, -Blackheaded Gull, Kittiwake Gull, Kestrel or Windhover, Kingfisher, Linnet, Nightingale, Nightjar (Goat Sucker, Night Hawk, or Fern Owl), Nuthatch, Osprey, Long-eared Owl, Short-eared Owl, Tawny or Brown Owl, White or Barn Owl, Raven, Lesser Redpole, Mealy Redpole, Swallow, Swift, Tern (all species) Green Woodpecker. Great Spotted Woodpecker, Lesser Spotted Woodpecker. All Birds protected within certain Areas. During that period of the year to which the protection afforded by the Wild Birds' Protection Act, 1880, as extended, so far as certain of the birds are concerned by Clause I. of this Order does not apply, the killing or taking of Wild Birds is prohibited. (a) On or from the piers or seashore of Bridlington. (b) On or from the sands or seashore between the south landing in the parish of Flamborough and the Skipsea Watch House, in the parish of Skipsea. All Birds protected on Sundays within certain Areas. V. During the period between the 3ist day of August in any year and the ist day of March following, the killing or taking of Wild Birds on Sundays is prohibited throughout the undermentioned Urban and Rural Districts, including the foreshore within the East Riding of Yorkshire, the estuary of the Humber, and the tidal portion of the River Hull : — URBAN DISTRICTS. — Beverley (except in the parish of St. Martin), Bridlington, Cottingham, Driffield, Filey, Hedon, Hessle, Hornsea, Norton, Pocklington, and Withernsea. RURAL DISTRICTS. — Beverley, Bridlington, Driffield, Escrick, Howden, Norton, Patrington, Pocklington, Riccall, Sculcoates, Sherburn, and Skirlaugh. APPENDIX. 769 EGGS. Certain Eggs protected throughout the East Riding. The taking or destroying of the Eggs of the following species of Wild Birds is prohibited within the Administrative County of the East Riding of Yorkshire for a period of five years from the date of this Order : — Bittern, Blackhead Bunting, Cirl Bunting, Corn Bunting, Reed Bunting, Snow Bunting, Yellow Bunting (Yellow Hammer), Common Buzzard, Honey Buzzard, Curlew, Stone Curlew, Dipper or Water Ouzel, Dotterel, Dunlin (Ox Bird, Purre), Peregrine Falcon, Pied Flycatcher, Goldfinch, Great Crested Grebe, Little Grebe, Blackheaded Gull, Hen Harrier, Marsh Harrier, Montagu's Harrier, Heron, Hobby, Kestrel, Kingfisher, Merlin, Nightjar (Fern Owl, Goat Sucker, Night Hawk), Nightingale, Nuthatch, Owl (all species), Ringed Plover, Raven, Redpoll, Redshank, Snipe, Swallow, Swift, Tern (all species), Bearded Tit (Reedling or Reed Pheasant), Turtle Dove, Grey Wagtail, White Wagtail, Yellow Wagtail, Reed Warbler, Land Rail, Water Rail, Wild Duck, Woodcock, Green Woodpecker, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, Wryneck (Cuckoo's Mate or Snakebird). EGGS. All Eggs protected within certain areas. The taking or destroying of Wild Birds' Eggs is prohibited for a period of five years from the date of this Order : — (1) On the Promontory of Spurn, including Kilnsea Warren south of the line taken by the road leading from the Village of Kilnsea towards the site of the old Village of Kilnsea. (2) On Hornsea Mere and the lands immediately adjoining, the boundary of which area (outlined in pink on an Ordnance map sealed with the Seal of the Secretary of State, dated the 29th January, 1906, and deposited with the Clerk of the County Council) commences at a point on the Hornsea and Seaton Road 7 chains east of Mill Lane, and proceeds in a south-easterly direction along the road past the north-east side of ' Great Wassand ' for a distance of about 51 chains, 770 APPENDIX. thence along a footpath on the south side of the Mere to Lelly Lane, thence north-easterly for ij chains along the north side of Lelly Lane, thence in a north-westerly direction along the boundary fence dividing property belonging to Mr. William Bethell and Mr. Constable to the Mere, thence along the edge of the water of the Mere to and along a stream passing the west front of Ventnor House, to the Hornsea and Seaton Road, and then along the south side of the said road to the above- mentioned point 7 chains east of Mill Lane. FOR THE WEST RIDING. (a) Birds protected from the last day of February to the I2th day of August in any year ; — American Quail. Auk. Avocet. Bonxie. Colin. Cornish Chough. Coulterneb. Curlew. Divers : Great Northern Diver. Red Throated Diver. Dunbird. Fulmar. Gadwall. Gannet. Godwit : Bartailed Godwit. Blacktailed Godwit. Golden Plover. Goosander. Grebes : Rednecked Grebe Slavonian Grebe. Eared Grebe. Greenshank, Guillemot. Gull (except Blackbacked Gull). Common Gull. Herring Gull. Kentish Plover. Lapwing. Loon. Mallard. Marrot. Merganser. Murre. Oyster Catcher. Peewit. Petrel. Phalarope. Grey Phalarope. Rednecked Phalarope. Plover. Ploverspage. Pochard. Puffin. Quail. Razorbill. Scout. Sealark. Seamew. Sea Parrot. Sea Swallow. Shearwater* Sheldrake. Shoveler. Skua. Smew. Snipes : Great Snipe. APPENDIX. 771 Snipes (continued) : Common Snipe. Jack Snipe. Solan Goose. Spoonbill. Stonehatch. Teal. Tystey. Whaup. (b) Birds protected Bee Eater. Bittern. Little Bittern. Bullfinch. Buntings : Blackheaded Bunting. Cirl Bunting. Corn Bunting. Reed Bunting. Snow Bunting. Yellow Bunting. Yellow Hammer. Buzzards : Common Buzzard. Honey Buzzard. Rough Legged Buzzard. Chaffinch. ChiffchafL Corncrake (Landrail). Crossbill. Cuckoo. Dipper or Water Ouzel. Diver (Black-throated). Dotterel. Dunlin : Purre, Ox Bird. Eagles : Golden Eagle. Sea Eagle. Falcon. Flycatchers : Pied Flycatcher. Spotted Flycatcher. Goldfinch. Whimbrel. Widgeon. Wild Ducks : Eider. Pintail. Scoter. Tufted Duck. Willock. Woodcock. all the year round. Grebes : Great Crested Grebe. Litttle Grebe (Dabchick). Gull (Blackheaded). Harriers : Marsh Harrier. Hen Harrier. Montagu's Harrier. Heron (Common). Hobby. Hoopoe. Kestrel. Kingfisher. Kite. Kittiwake. Larks : Skylark. Woodlark. Linnet. Martins : House Martin. Sand Martin. Merlin. Nightingale. Nightjar. Goat Sucker. Night Hawk or Fern Owl. Nuthatch. Oriole (Golden). Osprey. Owls. Long-eared Owl. Short-eared Owl. Tawny or Brown Owl. 772 APPENDIX. Owls (continued) : White or Barn Owl. Pallas's Sandgrouse. Peregrine Falcon. Pipits : Alpine Pipit (Water Pipit). Meadow Pipit. Richard's Pipit. Rock Pipit. Tree Pipit. Raven. Redpolls : Lesser Redpoll. Mealy Redpoll. Redshank. Redstart. Ring Ouzel. Robin. Roller. Ruff or Reeve. Sanderling. Sandpipers : Common Sandpiper (Summer Snipe). Green Sandpiper. Shrikes : Great Grey Shrike. Lesser Grey Shrike. Redbacked Shrike (Butcher Bird). Woodchat Shrike. Siskin. Sparrows : Hedge Sparrow. Tree Sparrow. Spotted Crake. Stint. Stonechat. Stone Curlew or Thick Knee. Swallow. Swift. Song Thrush. Terns : Arctic Tern (Tarrock). Black Tern. Common Tern. Terns (continued) : Lesser Tern. Roseate Tern. Sandwich Tern. Tits: Bearded Tit (Reedling or Reed Blue Tit. Pheasant). Coal Tit. Crested Tit. Great Tit. Long-tailed Tit. Marsh Tit. Treecreeper. Turtle Dove. Twite. Wagtails : Grey Wagtail. Pied Wagtail. White Wagtail. Yellow Wagtail. Warblers : Aquatic Warbler. Blackcap Warbler. Dartford Warbler. Garden Warbler. Grasshopper Warbler. Marsh Warbler. Reed Warbler. Sedge Warbler. Willow Warbler. Wood Warbler. Water Rail. Wheatear. Whinchat. Whitethroat. Lesser Whitethroat. Woodpeckers : Green Woodpecker. Great Spotted Woodpecker. Lesser Spotted Woodpecker. Wrens : Common Wren. Fire-crested Wren. Golden Crested Wren. Wryneck : Cuckoo's Mate or Snakebird APPENDIX. 773 All other Birds not included in the above Schedules, other than the House Sparrow, are protected between the last day of February and the I2th day of August in each year, except as against the owners and occupiers of land, or persons authorised by them. EGGS. Any person will be liable to the penalties in the Acts mentioned who takes or destroys the Eggs of any of the Wild Birds mentioned in the above Schedules ; except the eggs of the Plover (Green Plover, Lapwing, or Peewit), which may be taken before the i5th day of April in any year. EXTRACTS FROM ANCIENT RECORDS. A LTHOUGH Yorkshire does not possess evidence so definite or so •** complete as that which exists for some other counties, there are records extant which in some degree serve to throw light on the fauna which once inhabited the district. A brief summary of the birds mentioned in three of the principal documents will not be devoid of interest, and therefore, with the permission of the authors of the "Vertebrate Fauna of Yorkshire," I reproduce their account. In 1466, as Leland writes in his " Collectanea," a great feast was given in the archiepiscopal palace at Cawood, on the occasion of the " intronization " of " George Nevell, Archbishop of York, and Chaun- celour of Englande, in the vj. yere of the raigne of Kyng Edwarde the fourth " ; the goodly provision made for which included : — Swannes, CCCC. ; Geese, MM. ; . . . . Plovers, iiii.C. ; Quayles, C. dosen. ; Of the Fowles called Rees, CC. dosen. ; In Peacockes, Ciiii. ; Mallardes and Teales, iiii.M. ; In Cranes, CC.iiii. ; . . . . Pigeons, iiii.M. ; In Bittors, CC.iiii. ; Heronshawes, iiii.C. ; Fessauntes, CC. ; Partriges, v.C. ; Woodcockes, iiii.C. ; Curlewes, C. ; Egrittes, M. The document next in point of age dates 1512, and is entitled" The Regulations and Establishment of the Household of Henry Algernon Percy, the Fifth Earl of Northumberland, at his castles of Wresill and Lekinfield in Yorkshire. Begun Anno clomini M.D.XII." This valuable book, usually called the " Northumberland Household Book," well shows the almost regal state maintained by the Percys, and no doubt other great nobles, in the time of Henry the Eighth.* Therein we find that while " chekyns " cost a halfpenny each and " hennys " 2d. each, it was " thought good that no pluvers be bought at noo Season bot oonely in Chrystynmas and princypall Feestes and my Lorde to be servyde therewith and his Boordend and non other and to be boght for \d. a pece or ]d. ob. at moste." Then it was thought good that " my Lordes Swannys " be taken and none bought " seynge that my Lorde hath Swannys inew of hys owne." Other birds were to be bought for " my Lordes owne Mees," and the prices are duly set forth. " Cranys " were to be at " xvjd. a pece," " Hearonsewys " at " xijrf.," " Mallardes " at " i}d.," " Teyles " at " }d." " bot if so be that other Wyldefowll cannot be gottyn," " Woodcockes " at " \d. a pece or jd. ob. at moste," " Wypes " at " jd.," " Seegulles " " so they * See the Naturalist, 1906, pp. 52-56. EXTRACTS. 775 be good and in season and at \d. a pece or \d . ob. at the moste," " Styntes " so they be after vj a id." " Quaylles " at " i]d." " Snypes " " after iii a id." " Pertryges " at " i]d. a pece yff they be goode," " Rede- shankes " after " \d. ob. the pece," " Bytters " at " xij^. a pece so they be good," " Fesauntes " at " xi]d.," " Keys " at " i]d.," " Sholardes " at " v']d." " Kyrlewes " at " xijd.," " Pacokes " at " xijd. a pece and noo Payhennys to be bought," " Seepyes " have no price allotted, " Wegions " were to be at \d. ob.," " Knottes " at " id.," " Dottrells " " when thay ar in Season and to be at }d. a pece," " Bustardes " with no price affixed, " Ternes " " after iiij a id." " Great Byrdes after iiij a ']d." " Smale Byrdes " " after xij a id." and " Larkys " " after xij for iid." There is an interesting memorandum that "it is thought good that all manner of Wyldfewyll be bought at the first hand where they be gotten and a Caytor to be apoynted for the same For it is thought that the pulters of Hemmyngburghe and Clyf hathe great advantage or my Lorde Yerely of Sellynge of Cunys and Wyldefewyll." Copies of warrants too long to be quoted are given, one for " Twentie Signettes To be takenne of the breide of my Swannys within my Carre of Arromme within my Lordeschip of Lekinfield " for the Christmas feast of 1514. In the year 1526 another member of the great family of the Neviles, Sir John Nevile of Chevet, near Wakefield, High Sheriff of Yorkshire, gave a banquet to celebrate his daughter's marriage. Some of the charges are thus given : — " Swans, 155. ; nine Cranes, i/. los. ; twelve Peacocks, 165.; thirty dozen Mallards and Teal, 3/. us. 8d. ; two dozen Heron-sewes, i/. 45. ; twelve bitterns, i6s. ; eighteen Pheasants, i/. 45. ; forty Partridges, 6s. Sd. ; eighteen Curlews, i/. 45. ; three dozen Plovers, 55. ; five dozen Stints, 95." In 1530, another daughter was married, and the expenses are returned pretty much as before. The prices were : — for Swans, 65. each ; Cranes, 35. 4d. each ; Heronsewes, i2d. ; Bytters, i^d. In 1528, Sir John acted as Sheriff, and returned his charges as follows : — At the Lammas Assizes twelve Shovelards were priced at 125. ; item, ten Bytters, 135. 4^. ; item, eighty Partridges, il. 6s. Sd. ; item, twelve Ffesants, i/. ; item, twenty Curlews, i/. 6s. Sd. ; item, Curlew Knaves, thirty-two, i/. 125. ; six dozen Plovers, 125. ; item, thirty dozen Pigeons, 75. 6d." etc., showing a slight advance on the prices of 1526. LITERATURE CONSULTED. The Ornithology of Francis ^Villughby. Ed. by John Ray, 1678. Ray's Synopsis Methodica Avium. (Posthumous), 1713. Philosophical Transactions. Vol. 28. Dr. Richardson, 1713. Philosophical Transactions. Vol. 60. G. Edwards, 1757. A Natural History of Uncommon Birds. 4 Vols. G. Edwards, 1743-1756. Gleanings of Natural History. 3 Parts. G. Edwards, 1760. Birds of Great Britain. 8 Vols. W. Lewin, 1795. Montagu's Ornithological Dictionary, 1813. Synopsis of Newcastle Museum, late the Allan, formerly the Tunstall Museum. Ed. by G. Townshend Fox, 1827. (The major portion of this collection is now in the Middlesbrough Museum.) Extracts from the Correspondence of Dr. Richardson of North Bierley, 1835. Memorials of Ray. Ed. by Lankester, 1846. Correspondence of John Ray. Ed. by Lankester, 1848. British Birds. 3 Vols. W. Yarrell, 1843. British Birds. 4th Ed. 4 Vols. By Prof. Newton and Howard Saunders, 1871-1885. Essays on Natural History. By Charles Waterton, 1871. Handbook of British Birds. J. E. Harting. 2nd Ed., 1901. British Birds. 4 Vols. H. Seebohm, 1883. The Book of Duck Decoys. Sir R. Payne-Gallwey, 1886. Birds of the Humber District. J. Cordeaux, 1872. List of British Birds belonging tc the Humber District. J. Cordeaux, 1889. Birds of Europe. 8 Vols. 1871-1881, and Supplement, 1895-1896. H. E. Dresser. Handbook of the Vertebrate Fauna of Yorkshire. W. Eagle Clarke and W. Denison Roebuck (Birds by W. E. Clarke), 1881. Ackworth Birds. W. B. Arundel, 1898. Manual of British Birds. 2nd Ed. Howard Saunders, 1899. Of published records all available sources of information, whether natural history journals and publications, or the appendices to topo- graphical works, have been carefully examined. The principal district-lists which have been contributed to the natural history periodicals include Leyland's list of Halifax birds (Loudon's Mag. N.H., 1828), Williamson's notes on Scarborough LITERATURE CONSULTED. 777 birds (Proc. Zool. Soc., 1830), Denny's list of animals occurring near Leeds (Ann. and Mag. N.H., 1840), Hogg's Catalogue of Birds observed in south-eastern Durham and north-western Cleveland (Zool. 1845), and Talbot's Birds of Wakefield (Nat. 1876). The chief lists which have appeared in, or as appendices to, topo- graphical works are to be found in Miller's " History of Doncaster " (1804), Graves's "History of Cleveland" (1808), Young's "History of Whitby " (1817), Whitaker's "History of Richmondshire " (1823), Hinderwell's " History of Scarborough " (1832), Lankester's " Account of Askern " (1842), Barker's "Three Days of Wensleydale " (1854), Hobkirk's "History and Natural History of Huddersfield " (1859, 2nd Ed. 1868), Hobson's " Life of Charles Waterton " (1866), Roberts' - " Topography and Natural History of Lofthouse " (1882-5), Swains son's "Folk-lore and Provincial Names" (1886), Atkinson's "Forty Years in a Moorland Parish" (1891), and Backhouse's "Upper Tees- dale" (1896). In addition to these lists, there are innumerable records in the periodicals and in natural history and topographical works generally, chiefly in the pages of the " Zoologist," the " Ibis," the " Field," " Land and Water," " Loudon's Magazine of Natural History," the various publications bearing the name of " Naturalist," which have appeared under the editorship of Messrs. Wood, Morris, Hobkirk, Porritt, Eagle Clarke, Roebuck, Sheppard, Woodhead, and others, and in the earlier volumes of the " Annals and Magazine of Natural History," and of the " Proceedings of the Zoological Society." The late John Cordeaux's " Birds of the Humber District " (1872) and "List of Brit. Birds belonging to the Humber District" (1899), are valuable contributions — not only to the Yorkshire and Lincolnshire fauna— but to British ornithology generally ; and lastly — but in point of value first and most important — is Mr. W. Eagle Clarke's bird portion of the " Handbook of the Vertebrate Fauna of Yorkshire," which was published in 1881, and contains in a condensed form the results of previous research in Yorkshire ornithology. The Reports of the British Association Migration Committee (1880-1887), to which I furnished information from the Teesmouth area, have been freely quoted in connection with the interesting subject of migration. I have also had the advantage of consulting the MS. Report of Thomas Allis on "The Birds of Yorkshire" (1844). This list, which includes 258 species, has been of much assistance from the evidence it contains as to the faunistic position of various species at that and earlier dates, besides the numerous records of occurrences. INDEX OF BIRDS. 'Aberdevine' (Siskin), 174 [Acadian Owl], 305 Accentor, Alpine, 100 Hedge, 97 Accentor collaris, 100 modularis, 97 Accipiter nisus, 343 Acredula caudata, 106 Acrocephalus phragmitis, 91 streperus, 89 turdoides, 91 JEgialitis cantiana, 576 curonica, 575 hiaticula, 573 Agelaus phceniceus], 221 [Alauda arbor ea, 257 arvensis, 255 ^4/Cfl torda, 708 Alcedo ispida, 278 - Alder Finch,' 174 4 Alke ' (Razorbill), 708 4 Allan ' (Richardson's Skua), 705 Big, 702 Alpine Accentor, 100 [760 Ame damnee (Levantine Shearwater) American Bittern, 403 - [Kestrel], 372 [Passenger Pigeon], 498 [Purple Martin], 161 - [Saw- Whet Owl], 305, 306 [Scaup], 465 Teal, 456 Wigeon, 461 Ammer, Yellow, 204 Ampelis garrulus, 145 Anas albifrons, 419 Anas anser, 417, 419 boscas, 434 ferns, 417, 419 paludosus, 419 segetum, 419 strepera, 450 [Andalucian Hemipode], 353 ' Annett ' (Kittiwake), 693 [Anous stolidus], 655 Anser albifrons, 411 arvensis, 415, 420 brachyrhyncus, 415 cinereits, 408 erythropus, 413 paludosus, 415, 420 segetum, 413 Anthus campestris, 134 obscurus, 134 pratensis, 132 rupestris, 136 trivialis, 130 Aquila chrysatus, 331- Arctic Tern, 658 Ardea alba, 392 cinerea, 393 garzetta, 393 purpurea, 391 ralloides, 395 Ardetta minuta, 396 Asiatic Houbara, 559 ' Asilus ' (Wood Warbler), 87 Asio accipitrinus, 296 otus, 295 Astur palumbarius, 339 Athene noctua, 306 'Auk' (Razorbill), 708, 710 779 780 INDEX OF BIRDS. Auk, ' Dwarf/ 732 - ' Iceland/ 732 - Little, 730 -- ' Sea/ 710 Avocet, 588 Baillon's Crake, 539 ' Bald Buzzard ' (Osprey), 374 Coot, 547 headed Coot, 547 ' Bank Lark ' (Tree Pipit), 131 (Meadow Pipit), 133 Martin' (Sand Martin), 163 Swallow' (Sand Martin), 163 Wren ' (Willow Warbler), 86 [Barbary Partridge], 531 [130 'Barley-seed Bird' (Yellow Wagtail), Barn Owl, 292 ' Barn Swallow ' (Swallow), 158 Barred Warbler, 74 Bar-tailed Godwit, 639 ' Bastard Plover ' (Lapwing), 582-5 ' Beam Bird ' (Spotted Flycatcher), 148, 149 (Garden Warbler), 73 Bean Goose, 413, 416 Bearded Reedling, 104 Titmouse, 104 ' Beccafigo ' (Garden Warbler), 73 ' Bee-Bird '(Spotted Flycatcher), 149 Bee-eater, 283 [Blue-tailed], 284 ' Beech Owl ' (Tawny Owl), 303 ' Bell Wigeon ' (Scaup), 470 ' Bent Linnet ' (Linnet), 186 Bernacle Goose, 423 Bernicla brenta, 425 [canadensis], 427 leucopsis, 423 ruficollis, 423 ' Bessy ' (Yellow Bunting), 204 ' Bessie Ducker ' (Pied Wagtail), 123 ' Betty ' (Sedge Warbler), 93 Bewick's Swan, 429 1 Big Allan ' (Pomatorhine Skua), 696 ' Big Black and White Duck' (Velvet Scoter), 482 Bunting ' (Corn Bunting), 203 (Pomatorhine Skua), 702 ' Bighead ' (Greenfinch), 163 (Pochard), 465 ' Big Northern Diver ' (Great Nor- thern Diver), 734 ' Big Peggy ' (Whitethroat), 66 Whitethroat, 66 [654 Sea Swallow (Sandwich Tern), Shearwater(Great Shearwater), 753. 755 1 Bilcock ' (Water Rail), 543 (Moorhen), 545 «Biltor'( ), 545 ' Billy ' (Hedge Accentor), 100 Hedge Sparrow/ 100 Biter ' (Great Titmouse), 109 (Blue Titmouse), 114 Bluecap (Blue Titmouse), 114 Birds assisted on Migration, 78 Bittern, American, 403 Common, 399 Little, 396 1 Bitter ' \ ' Bittor ' I (Common Bittern), ' Bittoun ' j 399, 402 ' Bit tour ' J ' Black and White Gull ' (Great Black-backed Gull),, 685 Wagtail ' (Pied Wag- tail), 123 ' Black Back ' (Great Black-backed Gull), 685 Lesser (Lesser Black- backed Gull), 683 ' Black-backed Gull ' (Great Black- backed Gull), 685 [683 (Lesser Black-backed Gull) Hannock (Great Black-backed Gull), 685 Black-bellied Dipper, 103 Blackbird, 14 Moor, 21 Mountain, 21 INDEX OF BIRDS. 781 Blackcap, 70 ' Black-Cap ' (Black-headed Gull), 674 (Great Titmouse), 109 (Coal Titmouse), no (Marsh Titmouse), 112 (Stonechat), 32 (Reed Bunting), 210 Little, no ' Black-capped Billy ' (Great Tit- mouse), 109 — Peggy' (Blackcap),' 71 [674 ' Black-cap Gull ' (Black-headed Gull) — Mew' (Black-headed Gull), 670-4 Titmouse(MarshTitmouse),ii2 Black-Cock (Black Grouse), 509 ' Black Diver ' (Common Scoter), 477 ' Black Duck ' (Common Scoter), 479 Blackgame, 509 ' Black Goose ' (Brent), 427 Black-Grouse, 505 Guillemot, 726 ' Black-headed Bully ' (Bullfinch), 194 ' Black-headed Bunting ' (Reed Bunting), 210 Black-headed Gull, 670 Mediterranean, 675 Blackey, Water, 103 ' Blackie ' (Blackbird), 17 Collared, 21 — Fell, 21 Moor, 21 ' Black Martin ' (Swift), 266 ' Black Neb ' (Hooded Crow), 249 ' Black-nebbed Crow ' (Carrion Crow), 243 Black-necked Grebe, 746 * Black Ouzel ' (Blackbird), 17 'Black Pheasant' (Carrion Crow), 243 ' Black Pocker ' (Tufted Duck), 467 ' Black Poker Duck ' (Scaup), 470 Black Redstart, 36 ' Black Scaup ' (Scaup), 469 ' Black Scoter ' (Stoter), 479 ' Black Shearwater ' (Sooty Shear- water), 758 Black Stork, 405 Black-tailed Godwit, 641 Black Tern, 648 White-winged, 650 Black-throated Diver, 735 [ Wheatear], 26 [467 ' Black-toppin'Duck' (Tufted Duck) 'Black Uzzle ' (Blackbird), 17 Black- winged Stilt, 590 ' Blakeling ' (Yellow Bunting), 204 'Blue-back' (Fieldfare), 12 ' Blue-backed Crow ' (Hooded Crow) 249 Falcon ' (Peregrine), 361 Gull ' (Herring Gull), 680 ' Blue Bonnet ' (Blue Titmouse), 1 14 ' Blue Cap ' (Blue Titmouse), 114 'Blue Hawk' (Hen Harrier), 321 (Sparrow Hawk), 344 Blue-headed Wagtail, 126 ' Blue Jay ' (Jay), 227 ' Blue-pen ' (Cuckoo), 292 Blue-Rock (Stock Dove), 493 (Rock-Dove), 495 'Blue-rump' (Fieldfare), 12 'Blue-tail' (Fieldfare), 12 [Blue-tailed Bee-eater], 284 Bluethroat, Red-spotted-, 39 White-spotted-, 38 Blue Titmouse, 112 ' Blue Wing ' (Jay), 227 ' Bluey ' (Blue Titmouse), 114 ' Bogey ' (Razorbill), 710 Bohemian Waxwing, 148 ' Bo'sun ' (Great Skua), 696 Botaurus lentiginosus, 403 stellar is, 399 ' Bottle Bump ' (Bittern), 402 ' Bottle Jug' (Long-tailed Titmouse), 107 1 Bottle Tit ' (Longtailed Titmouse), 107 Bramble Finch (Brambling), 184 Brambling, 182 ' Bramlin ' 212 ' Brancher ' (Young Rook), 254 4 Brand-tail ' (Redstart), 36 782 INDEX OF BIRDS. Brent Goose, 425 Bridled Guillemot, 723 Broad-billed Sandpiper, 607 ' Brook-Ouzel ' (Water Rail), 543 Runner ' (Water Rail), 543 Brown Hawk (Kestrel), 352 Brown-headed Gull (Black-headed Gull), 671 ' Brownie ' (Linnet), 186 Brown Linnet (Linnet), 186 ' Brown Owl ' or ' Hoolet ' (Tawny Owl), 302, 303 Brown Tern (Common Tern), 656 Brunnich's Guillemot, 724 Bubo ignavus, 312 Buffel-headed Duck, 471 Button's Skua, 705 Bullfinch, 193 Northern or Russian, 194 - Grosbeak (Bullfinch), 194 ' Bullflinch ' (Bullfinch), 194 'Bullspink' (Chaffinch), 182 4 Bully Black-head ' (Bullfinch), 194 'Bullspink' (Bullfinch), 194 ' Bully ' (Bullfinch), 194 ' Bully ' Bullie Bulwena bulweri, 762 Bulwer's Petrel, 762 ' Bulking Lark ' (Tree Pipit), 131 Bunting (Corn Bunting), 203 Big (Corn Bunting), 203 Black-headed (Reed Bunting), 209 « Cirl, 204 Common, 202, 203 Corn, 201, 203 Lapland, 201 [Little], 208 Mountain, 215 Ortolan, 206 Reed, 208 Rustic, 207 Siberian Meadow, 206 Snow, 212 Tawny, 215 (Chaffinch), 182 Bunting [White-throated], 215 Yellow, 203 ' Burgomaster' (Glaucous Gull), 686 ' Burrow Chat ' (Wheatear), 25 ' Burrow Duck ' (Sheld-Duck), 434 ' Burrow Pigeon ' (Stock-Dove), 493 ' Bush Chat ' (Whinchat), 28 Bustard, Asiatic Ruffed, 559 - Great, 548 - Little, 557 McQueen's, 359 - Ruffed, 559 Thick-kneed, 561, 564 Butcher-bird (Great Grey Shrike), 1 40 (Red-backed Shrike), 144 Greater, 138 Buteo lagopus, 328 vulgaris, 325 ' Butter-Bump ' (Bittern), 402 ' Butther-Bump ' (Bittern), 402 Buzzard,' ' Bald, 374 Common, 325 Honey, 350 Moor, 315-317 Rough-legged, 328 ' Byttor ' (Bittern), 402 [Caccabis petrosa], 531 rufa, 527 ' Cad Crow ' (Carrion Crow), 243 Calcarius lapponicus, 210 Cahdris arenaria, 620 [Canada Goose], 427 Capercaillie, 503 Caprimulgus europceus, 265 ' Captain ' (Goldfinch), 172 ' Car Crow ' (Carrion Crow), 243 Carduelis elegans, 169 spinus, 172 Can* Lag Goose, 419 ' Carrion Craw ' (Carrion Crow), 243 Carrion Crow, 240 ' Carr Sparrow ' (Reed Bunting), 210 Swallow ' (Black-headed Gull), 674 INDEX OF BIRDS. 783 Caspian Tern, 652 ' Caw Daw ' (Jackdaw), 234 Certhia familiaris, 120 Chaffinch, 180 'Chaffy' (Chaffinch), 182 Charadrins plurialis, 577 1 Charlie Cock ' (Mistle Thrush) 3 ' Chaser ' (Richardson's Skua), 705 Big, 605 Chat,' ' Burrow-, 28 — ' 'Bush-, 28 - Desert-, 25 — ' 'Grass-, 28 — ' 'Hay-, 28 — ' ' Sedge-, 93 -' 'Wall-, 149 Whin-, 26 ' Chatty ' (Wheatear), 25 Chelidon urbica, 158 [Chenalopcx czgypticd], 427 Chen hyperboreus, 422 ' Chep Starling ' (Starling), 220 4 Chetstone ' (Wheatear), 25 ' Cherry Finch ' (Hawfinch), 168 " Cheverel ' or ' Chevil ' ( Goldfinch ) , 1 7 1 4 Chevy Linnet '(Lesser Redpoll), 190 4 Chickstone ' (Stonechat), 32 Chiffchaff, 81 Chimney Swallow, 158 ' Chippet Linnet ' (Lesser Redpoll), 190 'Chit Lark' (Meadow Pipit), 133 4 Chit ty ' (Wren), 120 4 Chitty Prat ' (Sedge Warbler), 93 ' Chivey ' (Lesser Redpoll), 190 'Chivey Linnet '(Lesser Redpoll), 190 Chough, 223 4 Chub Lark ' (Corn Bunting), 203 ' Chucker ' (Fieldfare), 12 ' Churcock ' (Mistle Thrush), 3 4 Church Owl ' (Barn Owl), 292, 295 ' Churn Owl ' (Nightjar), 268 Ciconia alba, 403 nigra, 405 Cinclus aquations, 101 melanogaster, 301 VOL. II. Cinclus melanogaster, 103 [334 Cinereous Eagle (White-tailed Eagle Circus aruginosus, 315 — cineraceus, 321 cyaneus, 318 Cirl Bunting, 204 Clangula glaucion, 470 albeola, 471 ' Clatter-Dove ' (Ring-Dove), 490 ' Cliff-Pigeon ' (Rock-Dove), 495 ' Coal Hood ' (Bullfinch), 194 ' Hoodie' (Blackcap), 71 Coal Titmouse, 109 Coatham Crow (Hooded Crow), 249 Coccothraustes vulgaris, 165 Cock, Black- (see ' Black-Cock ') Gor- (see ' Gor-Cock) Heath- (see ' Heath-Cock) Moor- (see ' Moor-Cock) Red- (see ' Red-Cock ') [Colin, Virginian], 533 ' Collared Blackie ' (Ring Ouzel), 21 Collared Pratincole, 565 ' Collier ' (House Sparrow), 177 (Swift), 264 Columba livia, 494 esnas, 490 palumbus, 487 Colymbus adamsi, 734 a-rcticus, 735 glacialis, 732 maximus caudatus, 732 septentrionalis, 736 Common Bittern, 399 Bunting, 202, 203 Buzzard, 325 Cormorant, 375 Crane, 547 Crossbill, 197 Curlew, 643 Guillemot, 711 Gull, 675 Heron, 384 Pochard, 462 Quail, 531 Sandpiper, 620 2 E 784 INDEX OF BIRDS. Common Scoter, 477 Sheld-Duck, 432 - Skua (Great Skua), 694 Snipe, 602 Teal, 454 Tern, 655 [107 Continental Long-tailed Titmouse, Coot, 545 Bald or Bald-headed, 547 ' Cooshat ' (Ring-Dove), 490 1 Cooshout ' (Ring-Dove), 490 Coracias garrulus, 281 4 Corbie ' (Raven), 240 ' Craw' (Carrion Crow), 243 Cormorant, Common, 375 Crested, 380 Great, 375 Green, 380 Corn Bunting, 203 Crake, 534, 535 • Drake' (Corn Crake), 535 ' Rake' (Corn Crake), 535 4 Corvorant ' (Cormorant), 375 Corvus cor ax, 235 comix, 244 corone, 240 frugilegus, 249 monedula, 232 Cosmonetta histrionica, 474 Cotile riparia, 161 Coturnix communis, 531 4 Coulterneb ' (Puffin), 727 Courser, Cream-coloured, 566 'Cow-bird' (Yellow Wagtail), 130 4 Cowscot ' (Ring-Dove), 490 ' Crag Ouzel ' (Ring Ouzel), 21 Crake, Baillon's, 539 Corn, 534, 535 Grass, 535 Hay. 535 Little, 538 Spotted, 536 Water, 103 ' Crake ' (Corn Crake), 536 4 Cracker ' (Corn Crake), 536 4 Creek ' (Corn Crake), 536 Crane, Common, 547 Lang, 379 4 Craw ' (Carrion Crow), 243 (Rook), 254 Cream-coloured Courser, 566 - Gull (Iceland Gull), 688 — (Glaucous Gull), 687 Creeper, 120 Tree, 120 4 Creepy-tree ' (Creeper), 121 4 Crested Cormorant,' 380 Crested Titmouse, 114 Crex pratensis, 534 Crossbill, Common, 197 European White-winged, 201 Parrot, 200 Two-barred, 201 4 Croupy Craw ' (Raven), 240 4 Crow ' (Rook), 254 Carrion, 240 Crow, Hooded, 244 Black-nebbed, 243 Blue-backed, 249 — Cad, 243 Car, 243 Coatham. 249 Corbie, 243 Croupy, 240 — Daup, 243 Denmark, 249 — Dutch, 249 Dun, 249 — • Flesh, 243 . Ger, 243 Gor, 243 Grey, 249 Grey-backed, 249 — Ket, 243 • Moor, 249 Night, 268 — Northern, 249 Norway, 249 [249 Royston (see 4Royston Crow*), Scare, 648-9 Sea, 244 Water, 103 INDEX OF BIRDS. 785 Crow, Woodcock, 249 Cuckoo, 287 •Cuckoo's Maiden,' (Wryneck), 271 Mate' (Wryneck), 271 Messenger' (Wryneck), 271 Cuculus canorus, 287 'Cuddy '(Tree Sparrow), 180 (Hedge Accentor), 100 [100 Whooper ' (Hedge Accentor), Cuneate-tailed Gull, 665 Curlew, Common, 643 Half ' (see ' Half Curlew ') Jack' (Whimbrel), 648 Knave ' (Whimbrel) , 646, 648 Pygmy, 615 Curlew Sandpiper, 615 Curlew, Stone, 561 [641 Whelp' (Bar-tailed Godwit), Cursorius gallicus, 566 'Cushat' (Ring-Dove), 490 ' Cushard ' (Ring-Dove), 490 ' Cut-Bill ' (Green Woodpecker), 274 Cyanecula leucocyana, 38 suecica, 39 Cygnus bewicki, 429 ferus, 428 immutabilis, 431 mansuetus, 431 musicus, 428 olor, 430 Cypselus apus, 261 melba, 264 Dabchick, 746, 748 Dafila acuta, 453 'Daker Hen' (Corn Crake), 535 [Dartford Warbler], 97 ' Daup ' (Carrion Crow), 243 ' Daup Crow ' (Carrion Crow) , 243 ' Daupee ' (Carrion Crow), 243 ' Daw ' (Jackdaw), 234 ' Red-legged, 224 Decoys, 437 Dendrocopus major, 274 minor, 276 [vilhsus], 276 - Denmark Crow' (Hooded Crow), 249 Desert Chat, 25 Wheatear, 25 'Devil-bird' (Swift), 264 -bitch' (Swift), 264 screamer ' (Swift) , 264 -screw ' (Swift), 264 shrieker' (Swift), 264 -squeaker ' (Swift) , 264 ' Develin' (Swift), 264 ' Develling ' (Swift) , 264 ' Dibbling ' (Swift), 264 ' Dicky Develling ' (Swift), 264 Dunnock'( Hedge Accentor), i oo ' Didapper ' (Little Grebe) , 746, 748 4 Dipper ' (Little Grebe) , 746, 748 'Dipper Duck' (Little Grebe), 748 Dipper, 101 Black-bellied-, 103 4 Ditch Lark ' (Meadow Pipit), 132 Diver,' ' Black, 477 Black-throated, 735 ' Dun, 484 Great Northern, 732 ' Guinea-bird, 738 ' Lough, 485-486 ' Red-throated, 736 ' Small, 744 White-bellied Northern, 734 ' Dob ' (Carrion Crow) , 243 ' Doup ' (Carrion Crow) , 243 ' Dowp ' (Carrion Crow) , 243 ' Dowk ' (Carrion Crow), 243 ' Dobber ' (Little Grebe). 748 'Dor-hawk' (Nightjar), 269 Dotterel, 567 'Dotterel' (Turnstone), 586 'Land (Dotterel), 573 'Moor (Dotterel), 573 ' Sand, 575 'Spring (Dotterel), 573 Ring or Ring-necked (Ringed Plover), 575 ' Doucker ' or ' Greatest Doucker ' (Great Northern Diver), 732 ' Douk ' (Dipper), 103 Dove,' « Clatter, 786 INDEX OF BIRDS. Dove, Ring, 487 Rock, 494 ' ' Ring, ' Rock, ' Rocket (see local names of Stock-Dove), 493 ''Stog (see 'Stog-Dove), 490 Stock, 490 « Stock, 487 Turtle, 495 Rufous Turtle, 498 [632 ' Drain Swallow ' (Green Sandpiper), Drake,' 'Corn, 536 'Dress, 536 'Grass, 535 'Gress, 535 hen,' 535 'Land, 535 'Meadow, 535 ' Draker-hen ' (Corn Crake), 535 - Dress Drake ' (Corn Crake), 536 Duck, Big Black and White, 482 Bimaculated, 461 Black, 479 — ' Black Poker, 470 ' Black Toppin, 467 Buff el-headed, 471 Burrow, 434 Common Sheld, 432 ' Dipper, 748 Eider, 475 Ferruginous, 465 Grey, 437 Golden-eye, 470 ' Gors or ' Gurs, 536 Harlequin, 474 Hawk (Peregrine Falcon), 361 Hawk (Marsh Harrier), 317 Long-tailed, 472 ' Mussell, 479 Pintail, 453 ' Pheasant, 454 [Ruddy Sheld], 434 ' Sawbill, 484-5 Scaup, 468 ' Sly, 434 Steller's Western, 476 Tufted, 466 Duck, Velvet, 482 ' Whew, 46 1 - White-eyed, 465 Wild, 434 Ducker,' ' Small, 746-8 ' Dunbird ' (Pochard), 465 ' Dunpocker ' (Pochard), 465 ' Dun Crow ' (Hooded Crow), 249 ' Dutch Crow ' (Hooded Crow), 249 ' Dun Diver ' (Goosander), 484 (Red-breasted Merganser), 485 Dunlin, 608 (Knot), 620 ' Dunnock ' (Hedge Accentor), 100 ' Dicky (Hedge Accentor), 100 ' Dusky Grebe ' (Sclavonian Grebe), 743. 744 Redshank, 635 ' Dwaft Auk ' (Little Auk), 732 Gull* (Little Gull), 670 ' Eagle Fisher ' (Osprey), 374 Cinereous, 334 Golden, 331 Owl, 312 - White-tailed, 334 Eared Grebe, 744 ' Eaves ' or ' Easin Swallow ' (House Martin), 161 [Ectopistes migratorius], 498 Egret, Little, 393 ' Egritte ' (Lapwing), 581 [Egyptian Goose], 427 Eider Duck, 475 - King-, 476 Steller's, 476 [Elanoides furcatus], 347 'Elk' (Whooper Swan), 429 Emberiza cioides, 206 cioides castaneiceps, 207 cirlus, 204 citrinella, 203 hortulana, 206 milaria, 201 [pusilld], 207 rustica, 207 schceniclus, 208 INDEX OF BIRDS. 787 4 Emmet Hunter ' (Wryneck), 271 Erithacus rubecula, 41 Endromias morinellus, 567 'Eutic' (Whinchat), 26 ' Eve-chur ' or ' Jar ' (Nightjar), 269 Falco CB 'salon, 365 - candicans, 352 - cenchris, 372 - [furcatus], 349 -- islandus, 355 -- peregrinus, 357 - rufipes, 368 -- [sparverius], 372 -- subbuteo, 362 -- tirinunculus , 370 - vespertinus, 367 Falcon, Blue-backed, 361 -- Greenland, 352 -- ' Grey, 357 - G-yr, 353. 354, 35<5 -- Iceland, 355 - Peregrine, 357 - Red-footed, 367 - 'Stone, 367 -- [Swallow-tailed], 349 ' Fanny Redtail ' (Redstart), ' Featherpoke ' (Chiff chaff), - (Willow Warbler), 86 -- (Greenfinch), 165 -- (Long-tailed Titmouse), 107 -- ' Ground, 86 ' Feathersack ' (Long-tailed Tit- mouse), 107 ' Feldy ' ' Felf er ' ' Felfor ' - Fellf er ' ' Fellfor ' ' Feint ' ' Feltyfare ' Fentyfare f Felfer ' (Redwing), 9 1 Fell Blackie ' (Ring Ouzel), 21 ' Fern Owl ' (Nightjar), 268 ' Ferny Hoolet ' (Tawny Owl) , 303 36 83 (Fieldfare), 12 Ferruginous Duck, 465 Fieldfare, 9 ' Fig-eater ' (Garden Warbler), 73 Finch, 'Alder, 174 — 'Bramble, 184 — 'Cherry, 168 Lesser Mountain, 212 Mountain, 184 ' Storm, 750 ' Thistle, 172 — 'Twate, 192 ' Twite, 192 Fire-crested Wren, 79 ' Fire - crown ' (Golden - crested Wren). 78 ' Firetail ' (Redstart), 36 'Fisher' (Kingfisher), 281 ' Flambro' Head Pilot ' (Puffin), 729 [Flamingo], 408 ' Flasher ' or ' Flesher ' (Red-backed Shrike), 144 'Flaxfinch' (Chaffinch), 180, 182 'Fleck Linnet' (Chaffinch), 182 'Fleingair (Kestrel), 372 \Flesh Crow ' (Carrion Crow) , 243 ' Flirt-tail ' (Redstart), 36 ' Flusher ' (Red-backed Shrike) , 140-4 Flycatcher, Grey, 149 Pied, 149 Red-breasted, 152 — Spotted, 148 ' Foolish Guillemot ' (Common Guillemot), 724 ' Fork-tail' (Kite), 347 Fork-tailed Petrel, 750 Swallow' (Swallow), 158 Fratercula arctica, 727 ' French Linnet ' (Chaffinch), 182 (Lesser Redpoll), 190 or 'Lenny' (Brambling), 184 'Frenchman' (Black Tern), 649 (Red-legged Partridge), 530 French Partridge (Red-legged Par- tridge), 530 Sparrow ' (Snow Bunting), 215 Fringilla ccelebs, 180 788 INDEX OF BIRDS. Fringilla montifyingilla? 182 Fulica atra, 545 Fuligula cristata, 466 ferina, 462 mania, 468 nyroca, 465 Full Snipe (Common Snipe), 605 Fulmar, 764 Fulmarus glacialis, 764 ' Gabble-ratch ' (Nightjar), 268, 269 * Gabriel-ratch ' (Nightjar), 268, 269 ' Gabriel's-hounds ' (Grey Lag Geese) , 411, 415, 427 (Brent Geese), 427 Gadwall, 450 Gallinago ccelestis, 602 major, 60 1 Gallinula chloropus, 544 kypoleucos, 626 minuta, 538 pusilla, 538 Gallinule,' 'Little, 539 ' Olivaceous, 539 [Purple], 545 - 'Spotted, 537 Gannet, 381 ' Gant ' (Gannet), 384 'Mackerel (Gannet), 384 Garden Warbler, 72 Garganey, 457 Garrulus glandarius, 225 [249 ' Garton Greyback ' (Hooded Crow), ' Gawk ' (Cuckoo) , 292 Gecinus viridis, 272 ' Ger Crow ' (Carrion Crow), 243 ' Gid ' (Jack Snipe), 605 Glareola pratincola, 565 Glaucous Gull, 685 ' Glead ' or ' Gled ' (Common Buz- zard), 328 'Glead' or 'Gled' (Kite), 347 Glossy Ibis, 406 ' Greedy Glead ' (Kite) , 347 Goatsucker, 266, 268 ' Godwin,' ' Goodwin ' (Godwit), 641 Godwit, Bar-tailed, 639 (Goldfinch), 172 Godwit, Black-tailed, 641 Goldcrest, 76-78 Golden-crested Wren, 75 Kinglet, 78 Golden Eagle, 331 Golden-eye, 470 - (Scaup), 470 — Oriole, 136 Plover, 577 Thrush' (Mistle Thrush), 3 Goldfinch, 169 ' Goldie ' ' Goldspink ' ' Gowdspink ' ' Gold Linnet ' ' Gowd Linnet ' ' Gold Lenny ' ' Goldfinch ' ' Goldie ' ' Goldspink ' I (Yellow Bunting) ' Gowdspink ' 204 ' Goldring ' ' Gold Le^nny 'Gold-tip' (Sparrowhawk), 344 Goosander, 482 Goose, Bean, 413 Bernacle, 423 — ' Black, 437 - Brent, 425 — [Canada], 427 Carr Lag, 419 — [Egyptian], 427 — Grey Lag, 408 ' Laughing, 412 — • Lesser White-fronted, 413 Long-billed, 419 - Pink-footed, 415 — Red-breasted, 423 'Road, 'Rood,! (Brent Goose), 425,427 'Rhode, 'Rock, , 'Rott, 'Rat J ' Scotch, 427 Snow, 422 Solan, 384 White-fronted, 411 Yellow-billed Bean, 420 INDEX OF BIRDS. 789 •Gor-cock' (Red Grouse), 510, 522 * Gor Crow ' (Carrion Crow), 243 'Gors-duck' (Corn Crake), 536 ' Goss ' or ' Gorse Linnet ' (Linnet), Goshawk, 339, 357 [186 'Go-west' (Long-tailed Duck), 474 'Gowk* (Cuckoo), 292 ' Grass-chat ' (Whinchat), 28 ' Grass Crake ' "^ I (Corn Crake), 535-6 Drake' - Quake ' ' Gress Drake •GursDuck' J Grasshopper Warbler, 93 'Grass Warbler' (Chiffchaff), 83 - (Willow Warbler), 86 - Wren' (Chiffchaff), 83 - (Willow Warbler) , 86 ' Grass Whew ' (Wigeon), 461 Great Black-backed Gull, 684 - [Black Woodpecker], 278 - Blue Hawk' (Peregrine), 361 Bustard, 548 - Crested Grebe, 738 — Grey Shrike, 138 Northern Diver, 732 [73 - Pettychaps ' (Garden Warbler) , - Plover (Stone Curlew), 564 - [Reed Warbler], 91 - Shearwater, 752 Skua, 694 - Snipe, 60 1 - Spotted Woodpecker, 274 Titmouse, 108 White Heron, 392 1 Greater Billy Bluecap ' (Great Tit- mouse), 109 Butcher Bird (Great Grey Shrike), 138 — Pettychaps' (Whitethroat), 66 — Tit' (Great Titmouse), 109 ' Greatest Doucker ' (Great Nor- thern Diver), 732 Speckled Diver ' (Great Nor- thern Diver), 732 Grebe, Black-necked, 746 Grebe, 'Dusky, 743-744 - Eared, 744 - Great Crested, 738 ' ' Horned, 744 - Little, 746 - Red-necked, 740 Sclavonian, 743 — ' ' Tippet, 740 Green Cormorant, 380 Greenfinch, 163 'Green Grosbeak' (Greenfinch), 163-5 Linnet' (Greenfinch), 165 Lenny ' (Greenfinch), 165 ' Greeny ' (Greenfinch), 165 Greenland Falcon, 352 - Mealy Redpoll, 189 Green Plover, 584 Sandpiper, 631 Greenshank, 637 Green -winged Teal, 456 Woodpecker, 272 ' Greve ' (Grebe), 742 ' Grey-back ' (Hooded Crow), 249 -backed Crow,' 249 Crow, 249 'Grey-bird' (Sedge Warbler), 93 Grey Duck or Grey Drake (Mallard) , 437 Falcon ' (Peregrine Falcon) ,357 - Flycatcher (Spotted Flycat- cher), 149 Grey-headed Yellow Wagtail, 127 Grey-hen (Black Grouse), 509 - Kate ' or ' Grey Pate ' (Gold- finch), 172 - Lag Goose, 408, 416 - Linnet ' (Linnet) , 1 86 Linnet ' or ' Grey Lenny * (Twite), 192 Phalarope, 591 Plover, 579 - Plover ' (Knot), 620 Wagtail, 125 Grosbeak (Hawfinch), - Green, 163-165 , Pine, 195 168 INDEX OF BIRDS. ' Ground Featherpoke ' (Willow Warbler), 86 Wren' (Willow Warbler), 86 Wren ' (Chiffchaff), 83 Lark ' (Common Bunting), 203 Lark ' (Meadow Pipit), 133 Laverick ' (Meadow Pipit) , 133 Grouse, Black, 505 Pallas's Sand, 498 Red, 510 Grus communis, 547 Guillemot, Black, 726 Bridled, 723 Brunnich's, 724 Common, 711 ' Foolish, 724 Ringed, 723 - Thick-billed, 724 ' Guinea-bird Diver ' (Red-throated Diver), 738 Gull [American Laughing], 674 billed Tern, 651 ' Black-cap, 674 Black-headed, 670 Black and White, 685 Blue-backed, 680 Brown-headed, 671 Common, 675 Cream-coloured, - Cuneate-tailed, 665 ' ' Dwarf, 670 Glaucous, 685 Great Black-backed, 684 - Great Saddle-back, 684 Herring, 677 Iceland, 687 Iceland (Glaucous Gull), 687 Ivory, 693 Kittiwake, 689 [Laughing], 674 Lesser Black-backed, 68 1 Little, 667 — ' ' Mackerel, 693 [675 Mediterranean Black-headed, Parasitic, 705 ' ' Peewit, 674 Gull,' ' Pigeon, 674 Ross's, 665 Rosy, 665 Sabine's, 662 ' ' Tumbler ' or ' Tumbling/674 ' ' Wagel, 685 Wedge-tailed, 665 ' Gypey,' ' Gyp,' ' Gipey ' (Star- ling), 220 ' Gyp Starling,' ' Gyp Starnil ' (Star- ling), 220 H&matopus ostralegus, 586 ' Hair-tail ' (Garden Warbler), 73 [Hairy Woodpecker], 276 ' Half-Curlew ' (Whimbrel), 648 Halicetus albicilla, 334 Harelda glacialis, 472 Harlequin Duck, 474 Harrier, Marsh, 315 Montagu's, 321 Hen, 315 Ringtail, 321 Hawfinch, 165 Hawk, 'Blue, 321 ' Brown, 372 ' Dor, 269 ' Duck, 361, 317 Gos, 339, 375 ' Great Blue, 361 - ' Hover, 372 - ' Jack, 372 . ' Little, 367 - ' Little Blue, 367 - ' Little Blue Pigeon, 367 — ' Little Red, 372 ' Marsh, 317 ' Moor, 317 ' Mouse, 372, 297, 301 ' Mullet, 374 • 'Night, 268 — [Owl], 301 ' Perry, 361 — ' Pigeon, 344 ' Red, 372 ' Rock, 367 Sparrow, 343 INDEX OF BIRDS. 791 Hawk, ' Stand, 372 — • — ' Standing, 372 - ' Stone, 367 ' Vanner, 372 ' Yellow, 372 'j.Hay-bird ' (Whinchat), 28 - (Wood Warbler), 88 ' Hay-chat ' (Whinchat), 28 ' Hay-Crake ' (Corn Crake), 535 ' Hayhoe ' ^ ' Heflald ' I (Green Woodpecker), ' Hefful ' I 272, 274 ' Hewhole ' j 'Heath-Cock' (Blackgame), 509 ' Heath-Throstle ' (Ring Ouzel) ,18,21 ' Heather-Bleater ' (Common Snipe). 605 — Lintie ' (Meadow Pipit), 133 Hedge Accentor, 97 ' Hedge Chanter'1 — Creeper ' -Sparrow' V (Hedge Accentor), — Warbler ' 100 ' Hempie ' / ' Hernshaw ' ' Heronshaw * (Common ' Heronsew ' Heron), 390 and other variants Heron, Common, 384 - Purple, 391 Great White, 392 Night, 395 — Squacco, 395 Heronshew, Speckled, 402 Herring Gull, 677 [734 — Loon ' (Great Northern Diver) Spink ' (Goldcrest), 79 Himantopus candidus, 590 Hirundo rustica, 153 - Hissing Owl ' (Barn Owl), 295 Hobby, 362 ' Hollin-Cock ' (Mistle Thrush), 3 Honey Buzzard, 350 Hooded Crow, 244 Merganser, 486 'Hoodie' (Hooded Crow), 249 ' Hoolet,' ' Howlet/ ^ (Tawny ' Hoot Owl,' ' Hullot,' ) Owl), 303 ' Hoolet, ' Brown, 302, 303 ' Ferny, 303 ' White, 295 Hooper, 428 Hoopoe, 285 Horned Owl (Long-eared Owl), 296' Grebe (Sclavonian) , 744 ' Homer ' (Goosander) , 484 Houbara, Asiatic, 559 House Martin, 158 Sparrow, 175 Swallow' (House Martin), 161 ' Hover Hawk ' (Kestrel), 372 'Humming-bird' (Goldcrest), 79 Hybrids, 437, 454, 461, 509, 520, 524, 527, 678 Hydrochelidon hybrida, 651 leucoptera, 650 nigra, 648 Hypolais icterina, 88 Ibis, Glossy, 406 'Iceland Auk' (Little Auk), 732 Falcon, 355 Gull, 687 . Gull ' (Glaucous Gull), 687 Icterine Warbler, 88 Ivory Gull, 693 ' Ivy Owl ' (Tawny Owl), 303 lynx torquilla, 269 'Jack' (Jackdaw), 234 ' Jack Curlew ' (Whimbrel), 646 Jackdaw, 232 'Jack Hawk' (Kestrel), 372 Plover ' (Dunlin), 612 -saw ' (Goosander), 484 — Snipe, 605 'Jacky' (Jackdaw), 234 BlueCap' (Blue Titmouse), 114 ' Jacob ' (Starling), 220 ' Jar-Owl ' (Nightjar), 269 Jay, 225 ' Jay Piet/ •Jenny Jay,' \ (Jay), 227 'Jinny Jay,' 792 INDEX OF BIRDS. (Wren), 120 ' Jenner-hen ' • Jenny Wa-ren ' ' Jenny Wren ' • Jinties ' ] 1 Jenny Howlet ' (Barn Owl), 295 • (Tawny Owl), 303 ' Jenny Redtail ' (Redstart), 36 -- Wrentail' (Redstart), 36 • ' Jenny Wren ' (Blue Titmouse), 1 14 ' Jeremy Joy ' (Mistle Thrush), 3 ' Jim- Jam ' (Chiff chaff), 83 ' Jinny Hullut ' (Tawny Owl), 303 - Jewlatt ' (Tawny Owl), 303 ' Jinny Wren ' (Gold-crest), 79 • Jinties ' (Creeper), 121 ' Judcock ' (Jack Snipe), 605 -- (Dunlin), 612 ' Kerne ' (Stone Curlew), 564 'Kell-bird' (Young of Guillemot) Kentish Plover, 576 Kestrel, 370 — [American], 372 -- Lesser, 372 ' Ket-Crow ' (Carrion Crow) , 243 King Eider, 476 Kingfisher, 278 King Harry ' 'U Goldfinch), ' King Harry Redcap '/ 172 Kite, 344 ' Kite ' (Common Buzzard), 328 -- [Swallow-tailed], 347 Kittiwake Gull, 689 24 ' Kitty' (Wren), 120 Knot, 618 Lagopus scoticus, 510 Land Dotterel (Dotterel), 573 -- Drake ' (Corn Crake), 535 - Maul' (Black-headed Gull), 674 Land Rail, 534, 535 'Lang Crane' (Cormorant), 379 Lanius collurio, 140 -- excubitor, 138 -- meridionalis, 139 -- minor, 140 Lanius pomeranus, 144 Lapland Bunting, 210 Lapwing, 581 Lark,' ' Bank-, 131-133 ' ' Bulking-, 1 3 1 — ' 'Chit-, 133 ' ' Chub-, 203 ' ' Ditch-, 132 ' ' Ground-, 203 Lesser-crested-, 130-131 — ' ' Rock-, 1 36 ' ' Sand-, 575, 136 -' ' Scribbling-, 204 ' • Sea-, 575 Shore-, 259 ' ' Tree-, 131 Wood-, 257 — ' ' Wood- (Tree Pipit), 131 — ' ' Writing-, 204 ' Lark,' 1 'Laverack' V (Skylark), 257 ' Laverock,' J Larus argentatus, 677 - [atricilla], 674 — canus, 675 catarractes, 694 eburneus, 693 fuscus, 68 1 glaucus, 685 leucopterus, 687 marinUs, 684 melanocephalus, 675 minutus, 667 niger, 648 parasiticus, 705 richardsonii, 703 ridibundus, 670 tridactylus, 689 ' Laughing Goose ' (White-fronted Goose), 412 [Laughing Gull], 674 ' Laverack/ 257 Laverick,' ' Ground-, 133 ' Leaan ' (Great Northern Diver), 7 34 (Red-throated Diver), 738 Leach's Fork-tailed Petrel, 750 INDEX OF BIRDS. 793 ' Least Willow Wren ' (Chiff chaff), 83 ' Lemon-bird ' (Linnet) , 1 86 ' Lennert ' (Linnet), 186 Lenny, ' Gold, 172 - ' Over-sea, 184 ' White, 215 ' Yellow, 204 Lesser Black-backed Gull, 68 1 - Crested Lark (Tree Pipit), 1 30- 1 Grey Shrike, 140 Kestrel, 372 Mountain Finch ' (Snow Bun- ting), 212 Pettychaps ' ( Chiff chaff ), 83 Pettychaps ' (Lesser White- throat), 68 - Redpoll, 189 [Ringed Plover], 575 - Saddle-back' (Lesser Black- backed Gull), 683 Spotted Woodpecker, 276 Tern, 660 White-fronted Goose, 413 Whitethroat, 67 Lestris pomarinus, 696 Levantine Shearwater, 760 Ligurinus chloris, 163 4 Liltie-Cock ' or ' Lintie-Cock ' (Cormorant), 379 Limicola platyrrhyncha, 607 Limosa csgocephala, 641 lapponica, 639 'Ling-bird' (Meadow Pipit), 133 ' Ling-tit ' (Meadow Pipit), 133 'Ling-Linnet' (Twite), 193 Linnet, 185 - ' Bent, 1 86 ' Brown, 186 ' Chevy, 190 ' Chippet, 190 ' Chivey, 190 ' Fleck, 182 ' French, 1 84 Gold, 172 ' Goss, 1 86 ' Grey, 186 Linnet, ' Ling, 193 ' Mountain, 192 'Over-sea, 215 ' Red, 1 86 ' Robin, 1 86 ' Rose, 190 ' Song, 1 86 - ' Thorn, 1 86 ' Thorny, 193 'Whin, 1 86 'White, 180-182 Linota cannabina, 185 exilipes, 188 flavirostris, 190 hornemanni, 189 linaria, 186 rufescens, 189 Lintie,' 'Heather, 133 ' Lintie-Cock,' 379 Little Auk, 730 ' Little Billy-Bluecap ' (Blue Tit- mouse), 114 Little Bittern, 396 ' Little Blackcap ' (Coal Titmouse) , 1 1 o - Blue Hawk ' (Merlin), 367 Blue Pigeon Hawk' (Merlin), 367 [Bunting], 208 Bustard, 557 Crake, 538 Egret, 393 Gallinule' (Little Crake), 539 Grebe, 746 - Gull, 667 Hawk' (Merlin), 367 — Owl, 306 - Peewit ' (Twite), 193 - Red Hawk' (Kestrel), 372 [Screech Owl], 312 Snipe' (Dunlin), 612 Stint, 612 Tern, 660 - Woodpecker ' (Lesser Spotted Woodpecker), 277 Woodpecker' (Creeper), 121 Wren'(Golden-CrestedWren)79 Locustella ncevia, 93 794 INDEX OF BIRDS. Lomvia troile, 711 Long-billed Goose, 419 eared Owl, 295 • -horned Ullat ' (Long-eared Owl) , 296 — - Neb ' (Common Snipe) , 605 -Neck' (Common Heron), 390 - -tailed Duck, 472 — - -tailed Mag ' (Magpie), 231 -tailed Nan ' (Magpie), 231 tailed Pie ' (Long-tailed Tit- mouse), 107 tailed Skua(Buffon'sSkua) ,705 -tailed Titmouse, 106 - -tailed Tom ' (Long-tailed Tit- mouse), 107 Tongue ' (Wryneck), 271 ' Longwings ' (Swift), 264 'Loon' (Great Northern Diver), [732-734 (Red-throated Diver), 738 ' Herring, 734 ' ' Speckled, 738 ' ' Sprat, 738 ' Lough Diver ' (Smew), 485, 486 Loxia bifasciata, 201 curvirostra, 197 pityopsittacus, 200 •Luteola' (Wood Warbler), 87 Machetes pugnax, 622 ' Mackerel Gant ' (Gannet), 384 Gull' (Kittiwake), 693 Macrorhamphus griseus, 638 MacQueen's Bustard, 559 Magpie, 228 ' Mag,' ' Maggie,' ' Miggy,' Mallard, 434 Mallemoke ' (Fulmar), 765 (Glaucous Gull), 687 Manx Shearwater, 759 Mareca americana, 461 penelope, 458 Marsh Harrier, 315 Hawk' (Marsh Harrier), 317 Titmouse, 1 1 1 (Magpie), 231 Martin, 161 [American Purple], 161 ' Bank, 163 — ' Black, 266 House, 158 • Pit, 163 Sand, 161 ' Mattagasse,' 138 Maul,' ' Land, 674 ' Mavis ' (Song Thrush), 6 Maw,' ' Pet, 677 ' Meadow Drake ' (Corn Crake), 535 - Pipit, 132 ' Mealymouth ' (Lesser White- throat), 68 (Willow Warbler), 86 Mealy Redpole, 186 — Redpole, Greenland, 189 — Redpole, Northern, 188 MediterraneanBlack-headedGull,67S Megalestris catarrhactes , 694 Merganser, Hooded, 486 Red-breasted, 484 Mergulus alle, 730 Mergus albellus, 485 — cuculatus, 486 • merganser, 482 serrator, 484 ' Merle Hen ' (Great Skua), 696 Merlin, 365 Merops apiaster, 283 [phillipensis], 284 Mew,' ' Black-cap, 670-674 ' ' Sea-, 677 ' Midden Daup ' (Carrion Crow), 243 Migration, Birds assisted on, 78 Fieldfare, n Golden-crested Wren, 76 Hedge Accentor, 98 — Lapwing, 583 Redbreast, 43 Redwing, 7 Redstart, 34 Remarks on (Introduction). Rook, 251 Skylark, 256 INDEX OF BIRDS. 795 Migration, Song Thrush, 5 Starling, 217 Swallow, 155 Wheatear, 23 White Wagtail, 124 ' Miller's Thumb ' (Chiffchaff), 83 (Willow Warbler), 86 - (Wood Warbler), 88 (Long-tailed Titmouse), 107 'Mealy Miller's Thumb' (Long- tailed Titmouse), 107 Milvus ictinus, 344 - Mire Drum' (Bittern), 402 Mistle Thrush, i 'MockNightingale'(Whitethroat),66 (Sedge Warbler), 93 ' Mollemawk ' (Fulmar), 764 (Glaucous Gull), 685 Montagu's Harrier, 321 Monticola saxatilis, 21 *Moor Blackbird ' (Ring Ouzel), 21 Blackie' (Ring Ouzel), 21 Thrush ' (Ring Ouzel), 21 Buzzard' (Marsh Harrier), 3 1 5-7 -bird ' (Red Grouse), 522 -Cock' (Black Grouse), 505 (Red Grouse), 510, 522 Crow' (Hooded Crow), 249 Dotterel ' (Dotterel), 573 fowl' (Red Grouse), 510 Game ' (Red Grouse), 522 Hawk* (Marsh Harrier), 317 Hen ' (Black Grouse), 505 (Red Grouse), 522 Pout ' (Red Grouse), 522 Moorhen, 544 - Moor Tit ' (Meadow Pipit), 133 (Stonechat), 32 Red-breasted, 32 Titling' (Stonechat), 32 'Morrel Hen' (Great Skua), 695-6 (Richardson's Skua), 705 4 Moss Hen ' (Red Grouse), 522 Owl' (Short-eared Owl), 301 Motacilla alba, 123 Motacilla borealis, 127 ftava, 126 lugubris, 121 melanope, 125 raii, 128 Mottled Owl, 312 ' Mouse Hawk ' (Kestrel), 372 (Short-eared Owl), 297, 301 ' Mountain Blackbird ' ( RingOuzel) , 2 1 Bunting' (Snow Bunting), 215 Finch ' (Brambling), 184 Great Pied, 212 Lesser, 212 Linnet' (Twite), 192 Sparrow' (Tree Sparrow), 180 ' Muggie ' or ' Meggie ' (White- throat), 66 ' Mullet ' (Puffin), 727, 729 ' Mullet Hawk ' (Osprey), 374 ' Murre ' (Guillemot), 724 ' Murrel Hen ' (Great Skua), 696 Muscicapa atricapilla, 149 grisola, 148 parva, 152 ' Musket ' (Sparrowhawk), 344 'Mussel Cracker '(OysterCatcher), 588 Duck' (Common Scoter), 479 (Scaup), 470 Mute Swan, 430 'Nanny Red tail' (Redstart), 36 ' Nanpie ' (Magpie), 231 ' Nan-piannot ' (Magpie), 232 Nanpie,' ' Sea- (Oyster Catcher), 588 Netta rufina, 462 Nettion carolinensis, 456 crecca, 454 ' Nettle Creeper ' (Whitethroat), 66 (Garden Warbler), 73 Monger ' (Whitethroat), 66 (Reed Bunting), 210 Wren ' (Whitethroat), 66 ' Nickle ' (Green Woodpecker), 274 ' Night-Churr ' (Nightjar), 269 Crow ' (Nightjar), 268 -Hawk ' (Nightjar), 268 Heron, 395 796 INDEX OF BIRDS. Nightingale, 47 « Mock (Whitethroat), 66 Sedge Warbler, 93) Nightjar, 265 ' Nightsinger ' (Sedge Warbler) , 93 ' Night Raven ' (Bittern), 402 ' Noddy ' (Common Guillemot), [Noddy Tern], 655 Norfolk Plover, 561, 564 ' Norman Thrush ' (Mistle Thrush), 3 Northern Bullfinch, 194 Crow' (Hooded Crow), 249 Diver, Great, 732 WThite-billed, 734 Mealy Redpoll, 188 ' Norway Crow ' (Hooded Crow), 249 Nucifraga caryocatactes, 224 Numenius arquata, 643 phaepus, 646 Nutcracker, 224 Siberian, 224 Nuthatch, 115 'Nut-jobber' (Nuthatch). 115. 117-8 Nyctala [acadica], 305 tengmalmi, 303 Nyctea scandiaca, 309 Nycticorax europceus, 396 griseus, 395 Oceanites oceanicus, 752 Oceanodroma leucorrhoa, 750 CEdemia fusca, 480 nigra. 477 [perspicillata], 482 '(Edicnemus scolopax, 561 Olivaceous Gallinule, 539 Oriole, Golden, 136 Oriolus galbula, 136 Orphean Warbler, 68 Ortolan Bunting, 206 [Ortyx virginianus], 533 Osprey, 373 Otis Macqueeni, 549 tar da, 548 tetrax, 357 Otocorys alpestris, 259 ' Ouzell' (Blackbird), 17 ' Ouizle ' (Blackbird), 17 Ouzel, ' Brook, 543 • Crag. Ring, 17 ' Rock, 2 1 ' Water, 101 ' White-breasted, 103 'Over-sea Bird' (Snow Bunting). 21 5 Linnet ' (Snow Bunting), 215 Lenny' (Brambling), 184 Owl [Acadian] or [American Saw- whet], 305 Barn, 292 ' Beech, 303 Brown, 302-303 ' Church, ' Churn, Eagle, 312 ' Fern, 268 Hawk, 301 ' Hissing, 295 Horned, 296 ' Ivy, 303 Little, 306 [Little Screech], 312 Long-eared, 295 ' Moss, 301 Mottled, 312 [Saw-whet,] 303 Scops, 301 Screaming, 295 ' Screech, 295 'Short-eared, 296 Snowy, 309 [Sparrow], 306 Tawny, 301 Tengmalm's, 303 White, 295 Wood, 274 ' Woodcock, 297-301 ' Yellow, 295 ' Oxeye ' (Great Titmouse), 109 Oyster Catcher, 586 Pagophila eburnea, 693 Pallas's Sandgrouse, 498 Pandon haliatus, 373 INDEX OF BIRDS. 797 / Panurus biarmicus, 104 ' Parasitic Gull ' (Buffon's Skua), 705 Parrot Crossbill, 200 ' Parrot 'or 'Sea-Parrot' (Puffin), 729 'Partrick' or 'Partrig' (Partridge), Partridge, 524 [527 [Barbary], 531 French, 530 Red-legged, 527 Parus ater, 109 caeruleus, 112 cristatus, 114 major, 108 palustris, in Passer domesticus, 175 minor, 159 montanus, 178 Pastor, Rose-coloured, 221 Pastor roseus, 221 ' Pearker ' (Young Rook), 254 Pectoral Sandpiper, 607 ' Peep-o'-day ' (Little Grebe), 748 Peewit, 584 Gull ' (Black-headed Gull), 674 ' Little, 193 'Peggy' (Blackcap), 71 (Chiff chaff), 83 (Garden Warbler), 73 — (Willow Warbler), 86 (Wren), 120 (Whitethroat), 66 - Chatter' (Whitethroat), 66 Whitethroat,' 66 (Willow Warbler), 86 Dishwash ' (Pied Wagtail), 123 ' Pendle Whew ' (Wigeon), 461 1 Penwings ' (Great Northern Diver) , Perdix cinerea, 524 [734 Peregrine Falcon, 357 Pernis apivorous, 350 ' Perry Hawk ' (Peregrine), 361 ' Pet-Maw ' (Common Gull) , 677 (Kittiwake), 693 'Petrel' (Kittiwake), 689, 693 Bulwer's, 762 Fulmar, 764 Petrel, Leach's Fork-tailed, 750 Storm, 748 Wilson's, 752 'Pettychaps' or ' Great Pettychaps ' (Garden Warbler), 72, 73 ' 'Lesser(Lesser Whitethroat) ,68 (Chiff chaff), 83 Phalacrocorax carbo, 375 graculus, 379 Phalarope, Grey, 591 Red-necked, 593 ' Phalaroe ' (Phalarope), 593 Phalaropus fulicarius, 591 hyperboreus, 593 Phasianus colchicus, 523 torquatus, 523 Pheasant, 523 ' Black, 243 — Duck' (Pintail), 454 — 'Sea, 454 Philomela luscinia, 47 [Phcenicopterus roseus'], 408 Phylloscopus borealis, 86 brehmi, 83 • rufus, 8 1 sibilatrix, 86 superciliosus, 80 trochilus, 83 Pica rustica, 228 1 Pickie ' (Mistle Thrush) , 3 [Picus martins], 278 ' Pie,' ' Pianate,' - ' Pyenate,' ' Pinot,' ' Pienet,' ' Pynot,' 'Piannot/ 'Pianet,' I (Magpie), 231. ' Pyannot,' ' Pyet,' 232 ' Pied Margaret,' ' Pie-nanny,' Pied Flycatcher, 149 Wagtail, 121 Pigeon [American Passenger], 498 ' Burrow, 493 — 'Cliff, 495 - Gull ' (Black-headed Gull), 674 • Hawk' (Sparrowhawk) , 344 Plover' (Grey Plover), 581 798 INDEX OF BIRDS. Pigeon, ' Ring (see Ring Pigeon) 'Rock (Rock-Dove), 495 (Stock-Dove), 493 ' Sea, 581 - Wild, 490 - Wood, 488 - Pincon ' (see Chaffinch) Pine Grosbeak, 195 Pinicola eneucleator, 195 'Pink' (Chaffinch), 182 footed Goose, 415 Pintail, 453 Pipit, Meadow, 132 Rock, 134 • ' Sea-beach, 136 - Tawny, 134 Tree, 130 ' Prt Martin' (Sand Martin), 163 Platalea leucorodia, 406 Plectrophanes nivalis, 212 Plegadis falcinellus, 406 ' Ploughman's Bird ' (Redbreast), 47 Plover,' ' Bastard, 582-585 Golden, 577, 581 - Great, 564 Green, 584 - Grey, 579 'Jack, 612 Kentish, 576 - Knot (Knot), 620 - [Lesser Ringed], 575 Norfolk, 564 Pigeon, 581 Ringed, 573 'Sand, 581 ' Silver, 581 Turnstone (Turnstone), 586 'Whistling, 564 Pochard, Common, 462 Red-breasted, 462 ' Silver, 470 Pocker,' ' Black, 467 Podicipes auritus, 743 - cristatus, 738 - fluviatilis, 746 griseigena, 740 I Podicipes nigricollis, 744 j ' Poker ' or ' Pokker ' (Pochard) , 465 [Polish Swan], 431 Pomatorhine Skua, 696 ' Pool Snipe ' (Redshank), 635 ' Popinjay ' (Green Woodpecker), 274 [Poryphyrio coeruleus'], 545 Porzana bailloni, 539 maruetta, 536 paw a, 538 Pratincola rubetra, 26 rubicola, 28 Pratincole, Collared, 565 Procellaria lencorrhoa, 750 pelagica, 748 [Progne purpurea], 161 Puffin, 727 ' Tom, 748 Puffinus anglorum, 759 gravis, 752 griseus, 755 yelkouanus, 760 [Purple Gallinule], 545 Heron, 391 [Martin], 161 Sandpiper, 617 ' Purre ' (Dunlin), 612 Pygmy Curlew, 615 Pyrrhocorax graculus, 223 Pyrrhula europasa, 193 major, 194 Quail, Common, 531 Quake,' ' Grass, 536 Querquedula circia, 457 ' Rafter ' or ' Rafter-bird Flycatcher), 149 Rail, Land, 534, 535 Spotted, 537 Water, 540 ' Rain-bird,' "1 ' ' (Green Woodpecker). 274 (Spotted ' Rain-fowl,1 ' Rain-pie,' J Rake,' 'Corn, 535 Rallus aquations, 540 pusillus, 538 'RalphieandDykie' (Cormorant), 379 INDEX OF BIRDS. 799 ' Rat-bird/ 'Rat-hen' ( Wat erRail) ,543 'Rat,' or ' Rott Goose' (Brent Goose), 427 4 Rattle Thrush ' (Mistle Thrush), 3 Raven, 235 (Carrion Crow), 243 Crow ' (Carrion Crow) , 243 ' Night, 402 Ray's Wagtail, 130 Razorbill, 708 Recurvirostra avocetta, 588 Red-backed Shrike, 140 Redbreast, 41 Red-breasted Flycatcher, 152 Goose, 423 Merganser, 484 Moor Tit' (Stonechat),32 Snipe, 638 'Redcap' (Goldfinch), 172 (Lesser Redpoll), 190 ' Red-Cock ' (Red Grouse), 510, 522 Red-crested Pochard, 462 •Reddy,' 'Red-legs' (Redshank), 635 Reeve, 622 Red-footed Falcon, 367 Red-game, 510, 522 Red Grouse, 510 ' Red Hawk ' (Kestrel), 372 •Red-head1 (Pochard), 465 ' Red-headed Sparrow ' (Tree Spar- row), 178 ' Red-legged Daw ' (Chough) , 224 Red-legged Partridge, 527 ' Red Linnet ' (Lesser Redpoll), 190 (Linnet), 186 Lenn ' (Linnet), 186 necked Grebe, 740 Phalarope, 593 Redpoll, Mealy, 186 Greenland Mealy, 189 Lesser, 189 Northern Mealy, 188 ' Red Sandpiper ' (Knot), 620 Redshank, 633 Dusky, 635 Spotted, 635 VOL. II. Red-spotted Bluethroat, 39 Redstart, 33 Black, 36 ' Redster,' ^ •Redstare,' I Red-rump,' j - Red-tail,' J Red-throated Diver, 636 Redwing, 6 ' Redwing Felf er ' (Redwing) ,9 Throlly' (Redwing), 9 [Red-winged Starling], 221 Reed Bunting, 208 Reedling, Bearded, 104 ' Reed Sparrow' (Reed Bunting),2io Reed Warbler, 89 ' Ree,' ' Reeve,' Rey,' 622 Regulus cristatus, 75 ignicapittus, 79 Regulus, Fire-crested, 79 Gold en -crested, 75 ' Rhode Goose ' (Brent Goose), 425 Rhodostethia rosea, 665 [Richards' Pipit], 134 Richardson's Skua, 702 Ring, or Ringed Dotterel, 573 Ring-Dove, 487 (Stock-Dove), 493 Ringed Guillemot, 723 Plover, 573 4 Ring-eyed Scout ' (Ringed Guille mot), 724 'Ring-neck' (Ringed Plover). 575 Ring Ouzel, 17 Pigeon ' (Ring-Dove), 487, 490 Sparrow ' (Reed Bunting), 210 'Ringtail' (Hen Harrier), 319, 321 ' Ring Uzzle ' (Ring Ouzle), 21 Whistle' (Ring Ouzel), 21 Rissa tridactyla, 689 ' River Swallow ' (Sand Martin), 163 Robin, 47 Linnet ' (Linnet), 186 Redbreast,' 47 Rock-Dove, 494 (Stock-Dove). 493 2 F 8oo INDEX OF BIRDS. 'Rocket Dove' (Stock-Dove), 493 'Rhode-,' 'Road-,' 'Rock-,' 'Rood-,' or ' Rott-Goose' (Brent Goose) , 427 ' Rock Hawk ' (Merlin), 367 Ouzel ' (Ring Ouzel), 21 Pigeon' (Rock-Dove), 495 (Stock-Dove), 493 Lark' (Rock Pipit), 136 Pipit, 134 Sparrow' (Tree Sparrow), 180 Rock Thrush, 21 Roller, 281 Rook, 249 Rose-coloured Pastor, 221 Roseate Tern, 654 ' Rose Linnet ' (Lesser Redpoll), 190 Ross's Gull, 665 Rosy Gull, 665 ' Rotche ' (Little Auk), 732 Rough-legged Buzzard, 328 ' Royston Crow ' (Hooded Crow), 249 'Ruddock' (Redbreast), 47 .[Ruddy Sheld-Duck], 434 Ruff or Reeve, 622 Ruffed Bustard, 559 Rufous Turtle Dove, 498 ' Runner ' (Water Rail), 543 'Runt' (Wren), 120 Russian Bullfinch, 194 Rustic Bunting, 207 Ruticilla phasnicurus, 33 titys, 36 Sabine's Gull, 662 Snipe, 606 ' Saddle-back ' (Great Black-backed Gull), 687 ' Lesser (Lesser Black-backed Gull), 683 •Sand Dotterel' (Ringed Plover), 575 Sanderling, 620 Sand-Grouse, Pallas's, 498 'Sand Lark' (Ringed Plover), 575 (Rock Pipit), 136 Martin, 161 Plover' (Grey Plover), 581 ' Sand Runner ' (Ringed Plover), 575 (Sanderling), 622 Sandpiper, Broad-billed, 607 Common, 626 Curlew, 615 Green, 631 Pectoral, 607 Purple, 617 ' ' Red, 620 Spotted, 628 Wood, 629 [628 'Sand-Snipe' (Common Sandpiper), Swallow ' or ' Sandy ' (Sand Martin), 163 Sandwich Tern, 652 Sardinian Starling, 220 ' Sawbill ' or ' Sawbill Duck ' (Goos- ander), 484 (Merganser), 485 ' Saw-whet' or ' Saw-whetter ' (Great Titmouse), 109 [Saw-whet Owl], 305 Saxicola deserti, 25 cenanthe, 22 [stapazina], 26 ' Scare Crow ' (Black Tern), 648-49 Scaup, 468 [American], 465 ' Black, 469 Sclavonian Grebe, 743 ' Scobby ' or ' Scobbie ' (Chaffinch) ,182 Scolopax gallinula, 605 rusticola, 595 sabini, 605 'Scoot,' 'Scout,' or 'Skout' (Guille- mot), 711, 724 « Ring-eyed (Ringed Guil- lemot), 724 ' Silver-eyed (Ringed Guillemot), 724 Scops asio, 312 giu, 310 Scops Owl, 310 ' Scotch Goose ' (Brent), 427 Scoter,' ' Black, 479 Common, 479 . INDEX OF BIRDS 801 Scoter [Surf], 482 — Velvet, 480 ' Screaming Owl ' or ' Screech Owl ' (Barn Owl), 295 ' Screecher ' (Swift) , 264 ' Screw' (Swift), 264 'Scribbler' (Yellow Bunting), 204 ' Scribbling Lark ' (Yellow Bunting), ' Sea- Auk ' (Razorbill), 710 [204 ' Sea-beach Pipit ' (Rock Pipit), 136 Crow ' (Hooded Crow), 244 (Black-headed Gull), 674 (Common Gull) , 677 Lark' (Ringed Plover), 575 (Shore Lark), 251 Mew ' (Common Gull), 677 Nanpie ' (Oyster Catcher), 588 Parrot ' (Puffin), 729 — Pheasant ' (Pintail), 454 (Long- tailed Duck), 474 Pie' (Oyster Catcher), 587-8 Pigeon' (Grey Plover), 581 Swallow ' (Arctic Tern), 659 (Common Tern), 657 ' Big, 654 ' Seave-cap ' (Reed Bunting), 210 ' Seed-bird ' (Pied Wagtail), 121-123 ' Seg-bird,' 1 4 Sedge-bird,' I (Sedge Warbler), -chat,' 93, chatter,' J Sedge Warbler, 91 Serin, 174 Serinus hortulanus, 174 [641 ' Set Hammer ' (Bar-tailed Godwit), Shag, 379 ' Sharpie ' (Black-headed Gull), 674 Shearwater, Big, 753, 755 Black (Sooty), 758 Great, 752 Levantine, 760 Manx, 759 Sooty, 755 ' Sheelfa,' 1 Sheelie,' \ (Chaffinch), 182 ' Shilfa,' ' Sheep's Head and Pluck ' (Red- throated Diver), 738 Sheld-Duck, Common, 432 [Ruddy], 434 Sheldrake,' ' Swallow- tailed, 474 'Shell' (Sheld-duck), 434 ' Shepster,' ' Sheep-stare/ ' Shepstare,' ' Shipster.' ' Shep-starling,' } (Starling), 220 ' Sheep-starling,' 'Shep,' 'Sheppy,' ' Shepstey,' ' Ship,' ' 'Ship-starling,' J ' Shercock ' (Mistle Thrush), 3 ' Sholard ' or ' Shovelarde' (Spoonbill) , Shore Lark, 259 [4°7 Short-eared Owl, 296 Shoveler, 451 Shrike, Great Grey, 138 Lesser Grey, 140 Red-backed, 140 Woodchat, 144 'Shuffle-wings' (Hedge^ccen tor), 100 Siberian Meadow Bunting, 206 Siberian Nutcracker, 214 ' Sibilous Brakehopper (Grasshopper Warbler), 96 ' Silk-tail ' (Waxwing), 146, 148 ' Silver-eyed Scoot ' (Ringed Guille- mot), 724 ' Silver Plover ' (Grey Plover), 581 Pochard' (Scaup), 470 Siskin, 172 Sitta c&sia, 115 ' Skell ' or ' Skell-duck ' (Sheld- duck), 434 ' Skout ' 724 Skua, Arctic, 702 Buffon's, 705 Common, 694 Great, 694 Long-tailed, 705 Pomatorhine, 696 Richardson's, 702 802 INDEX OF BIRDS. 'Sky' (Skylark), 257 Skylark, 255 ' Slab ' (Wryneck), 271 [12 ' Slate-backed Throstle ' (Fieldfare) , ' Sleightholme Throstle ' (Snow Bunting), 215 'Sly-Duck' (Sheld-duck), 434 ' Small Diver' (Sclavonian Grebe) ,744 Ducker ' (Little Grebe) , 746-8 Spotted Water-hen ' (Spotted Crake), 537 ' Small- straw ' or ' Straw -small ' (Whitethroat), 66 Lesser Whitethroat), 68 (Blackcap), 71 Garden Warbler), 73 (Wood Warbler), 88 (Sedge Warbler). 93 Smew, 485 Snipe, Common, 602 Full, 605 Jack, 605 'Little, 612 ' ' Pool, 635 Red-breasted, 638 Sabine's, 605 ' ' Sand, 628 Solitary, 60 1 ' ' Summer, 628 Snow Bunting, 212 ' Snow Flake ' or ' Snow Fleck ' (Snow Bunting), 215 Snow Goose, 422 Snowy Owl, 309 Solan Goose, 384 Solitary Snipe (Great Snipe), 601 Somatena mollissima, 475 spectabilis, 476 stelleri, 476 'Song Lark' (Skylark), 257 Linnet' (Linnet), 186 Song Thrush, 3 Sooty Shearwater, 755 [Sooty Tern], 655 ' Spadge,' ' Spadger,' ' Spuggy/ (House Sparrow), 177 Sparling Fowl ' (Goosander) , 484, Whew ' (Red-throated Diver), Sparrowhawk, 343 [73$ [Sparrow Owl], 306 Sparrow/ ' Carr, 210 ' French, 215 Hedge, 100 House, 175 ' Mountain, 180 ' Red-headed, 178 ' Reed, 210 ' Ring, 210 ' Rock, 1 80 — 'Tile, 177 Tree, 178 ' Water, 210 ' Willow, 93 Spatula clypeata, 451 ' Speckled Diver ' (Red-throated Diver), 736 Heronshew ' (Bittern), 402 Loon '(Red throated Diver), 738 ' Spink,' ' Spinky,' (Chaffinch), 180-2 ' Spink ' (Yellow Bunting), 204 Spoonbill, 206 'Spoonbill' (Shoveler), 452 Spotted Crake, 536 Spotted Flycatcher, 148 Gallinule (Spotted Crake), 537 Rail' (Spotted Crake), 537 Redshank, 635 Sandpiper, 628 ' Sprat Loon ' (Red-throated Diver), 736, 738 ' Spring Dotterel ' (Dotterel), 573 Wagtail' (Yellow Wagtail), 1 30 Squacco Heron, 395 Squatarola helvetica, 579 ' Stanchel,' ' Stannel,' ' Stand Hawk/ V(Kestrel), 372 ' Standing Hawk/ | ' Stannel Hawk/ J ' StanninHawk' (Sparrowhawk) , 344 Starling, 215 Rose-coloured, 221 INDEX OF BIRDS. 803 Starling [Red-winged], 221 Sardinian, 220 4 Stare,' ' Starnil ' (Starling), 220 Stangall (Kestrel), 372 Steller's Eider, 476 Stercorarius crepidatus, 702 parasiticus, 705 pomatorhinus, 696 Sterna anglica, 651 cantiaca, 652 caspia, 652 dougalli, 654 fuliginosa, 655 hirundo, 655 macrura, 658 minuta, 660 portlandica, 659 Stilt, Black-winged, 590 Stint, Little, 612 Temminck's, 614 - Stint,' 'Tommy Stint' (Dunlin), 609, 612 [622 - Stint,' ' White Stint ' (Sanderling) , Stock-Dove, 490 (Ring-Dove), 490 ' Stockie ' (Stock-Dove), 493 'Stoggie' (Stock-Dove), 493 4Stog-Dove' (Ring-Dove), 490 'Stoggie' (Ring-Dove), 490 Stonechat, 28 4 Stonechack.' 4 Stone-chacker,' ' Stone-chatter,' - Stone-check,1 4 Stone-clink,' 1 Stone-smich,' 4 Stone-smick,' - Stone-smith,' 4 Stonechat ' (Whinchat), 28 4 Stonechat' (Wheatear), 25 4 Stone-chopper ' (Wheatear), 25 4 Stoney-crop ' (Wheatear), 25 Stone Curlew, 561, 564 4 Stone Falcon ' (Merlin), 367 4 Stone Hawk' (Merlin), 367 Stork, Black, 405 (Stonechat), 32 Stork, White, 403 ' Storm-Cock,' ' Stormy ' (Mistle Thrush), 3 ' Storm Finch ' (Storm Petrel), 750 Storm Petrel, 748 [750 ' Stormy Sea-runner ' (Storm Petrel) ' Straw-small ' (Blackcap), 71 Strep silas interpres, 585 [Strix acadica], 306 aluco, 301 flammea, 292 passerina, 307 'Stump-tail' (Wren), 120 Sturnus vulgaris, 215 unicolor, 220 ' Stynt ' (Dunlin), 608 Sula bassana, 381 ' Summer Snipe ' (Common Sand- piper), 628 Teal' (Garganey), 457 [Surf Scoter], 482 [Surnia funerea], 301 nyctea, 310 Swallow, 153 (House Martin), 161 'Bank, 153 'Barn, 158 ' Big Sea, 654 ' Carr, 674 ' Chimney, 674 ' Drain, 632 ' Eaves, or ' Easin, 161 - 'Fork-tailed, 158 ' River, 163 - 'Sand, 163 ' Sea, 657 - 'Tile, 264 'Window, 161 [Swallow-tailed Falcon]. 349 [Swallow-tailed Kite,] 347 ' Swallow-tailed Sheldrake ' (Long tailed Duck), 474 Swan, Bewick's, 429 Mute, 430 [Polish], 431 Whooper, 428 804 INDEX OF BIRDS. 'Swat ' (Redshank), 635 4 Swinepipe ' (Redwing), 9 Swift, 261 - White-bellied, 264 Sylvia, atricapilla, 70 cinerea, 65 curruca, 67 hortensis, 72 nisoria, 74 orphea, 68 [undata], 97 Syrrhaptes paradoxus, 498 [Tadorna casarca], 434 cornuta, 432 vulpanser, 432 'Tarrock' (Kittiwake), 693 ' Tawny Bunting ' (Snow Bunting), Owl, 301 [215 Pipit, 134 Teal, American, 456 Common, 454 Garganey, 457 Green-winged, 456 ' Summer, 457 ' Tell-pie,' ' Tell-pie-tit,' ' Tell-piet,' ' Tell-pienot,' Temminck's Stint, 614 Tengmalm's Owl, 303 Tern, Arctic, 658 Black, 648 Brown, Caspian, 652 Common, 655 Gull-billed, 65 1 Little, 660 [Noddy], 655 Roseate, 654 Sandwich, 652 [Sooty], 655 Whiskered, 651 White-winged Black, 650 Tetrao tetrix, 505 urugallus, 503 Tewit,' 'Tewhit' (Lapwing), 585 (Magpie), 232 ' Tewet/ ' Tuet,' ] ' Tuit,' ' Teewit,' I (Lapwing), 585 ' Tewfit,' ' Teafit,' j •Thickbill* (Bullfinch), 194 Thick-billed Guillemot (Brunnich's Guillemot), 724 ' Thick-knee ' or 'Thick-kneed Bus- tard,' 561, 564 'Thistle-finch' (Goldfinch), 172 ' Thorn Linnet ' (Linnet), 186 ' Thorny Linnet ' (Twite), 193 ' Thorn Warbler' (Sedge Warbler), 9 3 'Thrattle' (Redshank), 635 ' Throstle ' (Song Thrush) , 6 ' Heath (see ' Heath Throstle) ' Slate-backed, 12 • Wood, 3 ' Throlly ' (Song Thrush), 6 ' Throttler' (Red-backed Shrike), 144 ' Thrush ' (Song Thrush), 3 ' Golden, 3 Mistle, i ' Moor, 2 1 ' Norman, 3 'Rattle. 3 Rock, 21 Song, 3 White's, 12 ' Wind, 6 ' Thrushie ' (Song Thrush) , 6 ' Tile Sparrow' (House Sparrow), 177 Swallow' (Swift), 264 ' Tillie Littie ' (Common Sandpiper), [628 Tippet Grebe (Great Crested Grebe), Tinnuculus cenchris, 373 [7; Tit,' ' Bottle, 107 ' Titinaup ' (Blue Titmouse), 114 ' Titlark ' (Corn Bunting) , 203 (Meadow Pipit), 132, 133 (Rock Pipit), 136 (Tree Pipit), 131 Tit,' 'Ling, 133 'Moor, 133 'Red-breasted Moor, 132 ' Titling ' (Meadow Pipit), 133 INDEX OF BIRDS. 805 107 -(Little Grebe), 748 Titling,' 'Moor, 32 Titmouse, Bearded, 104 Blackcap, 112 Blue, 112 Coal, 109 Crested, 114 Great, 108 Long- tailed, 106 Continental, Marsh, in 'Titty' (Meadow Pipit), 133 ' ToadSnatcher' (Reed Bunting), 210 ' Tod Bird ' (Great Skua) , 696 ' Tom Piper ' (Fieldfare), 12 (Long- tailed Titmouse), 107 ' Tom Poofer,' Pudding,' Puffer,' Puffin,' ' Tommy,' ' Tommy Tit,' ' Tom Tit ' (Wren), 120 •' Tommy Noddy ' (Puffin), 729 'Tommy Stint' (Dunlin), 608 'Tom Tit' (Blue Titmouse), 114 (Coal Titmouse), no (Great Titmouse), 109 (Marsh Titmouse), 112 'Tom Tit's Nest' (Chiff chaff's), 83 (Willow Warbler's), 86 'Tongue-bird' (Wryneck), 271 Totanus, calidris, 633 canescens, 637 flavipes, 632 fuscus, 635 glareola, 629 hypoleucus, 626 macularius, 628 ochropus, 631 ' Tot - o'er - seas ' (Golden - crested Wren), 79 [274 ' Tree Climber ' (Green Woodpecker) Tree Creeper, 121 'Tree Lark' (Tree Pipit), 131 Tree Pipit, 1 30 Tree Sparrow, 178 ' Tricker ' (Wren), 120 Tringa alpina, 608 canutus, 618 maculata, 607 minor, 626 minuta, 612 temmincki, 614 striata, 617 subarquata, 615 Troglodytes parvulus, 118 Tufted Duck, 466 ' Tumbler ' or ' Tumbling Gull ' (Black-headed Gull), 674 'Tunny' (Black-headed Gull), 674 Turdus iliacus, 6 merula, 14 musicus, 3 pilaris, 9 torquatus, 17 varius, 12 viscivorus, i \Turnix sylvatica], 533 Turnstone, 585 ' Turnstone Plover' (Turnstone), 5 86 Turtle-Dove, 495 Rufous, or Oriental, 498 Turtur communis, 495 orientalis, 498 'Twate' (Twite), 192 Twite, 190 "Twite - finch ' or ' Twate - finch ' (Twite), 192 •TwitteringWren' (WoodWarbler) ,88 ' Twitty Blue ' (Blue Titmouse), 114 Two-barred Crossbill, 201 ' Ullat ' (Tawny Owl), 303 (Barn Owl), 295 ' Ullot ' (Barn Owl), 295 Upupa epops, 285 Uria bruennichi, 724 grylle, 726 lachrymans, 723 ' Utic ' or ' Yewtic ' (Whinchat), 28 Uzzle,' 'Black, 17 ' Ring, 21 Vanellus vulgaris, 581 4 Vanner Hawk ' (Kestrel), 372 8o6 INDEX OF BIRDS. 'Velvet Duck' (Velvet Scoter), 482 Scoter, 480 [Virginian Colin], 533 'Wall-bird' (Spotted Flycatcher), 149 ' Wall-chat ' (Spotted Flycatcher) , 149 (Wheatear), 25 'Wally' (Wheatear), 25 ' Wagel Gull ' (Great Black-backed Gull), 685 Wagtail, Blue-headed, 126 Grey, 125 Grey-headed Yellow, 127 - Pied, 121 'Spring, 130 White, 123 'Winter, 126 Yellow, 126, 128 ' Waggy Wagtail' (Grey Wagtail), 1 26 Warbler, Barred, 74 Blue-throated, 38, 39 - [Dartford], 97 Garden, 72 - Grasshopper, 93 - [Great Reed], 91 — Hedge, 100 — Icterine, 88 Orphean, 68 - Reed, 89 Sedge, 91 [Siberian Willow], 86 ' Thorn, 93 — Willow, 83 - Wood, 86 'Yellow, 88 Yellow-browed, 80 'Washtail' (Grey Wagtail), 126 ' Water Blackey ' Crake ' Crow ' Drill ' Waterhen, 544, 545 Water Ouzel, 101 Waggy ' ^j Wagtail ' I (Pied Wagtail), 'Watterty' 123 ' Watterty-wag ' I (Dipper), 103 ' Water Wagtail' (Yellow Wagtail) ,130 Sparrow ' (Reed Bunting), 210 Waxwing, or Waxen Chatterer, 145-8 Bohemian, 148 Wedge-tailed Gull, 665 ' Weetie' (Chaffinch), 182 ' Wet-bird ' (Chaffinch), 182 [249 ' WetwangGreyback' (Hooded Crow), ' Weirangle ' } ' Worrier ' I (Red-backed Shrike), 'Wurger' 144 ' Whaup ' (Curlew), 645 ' WheatBird ' (Green Sandipiper) ,632 Wheatear, 22 [Black-throated], 26 Desert, 25 ' Wheel-bird ' (Nightjar) , 269 ' Whew ' "I ' Whewer ' I (Wigeon), 461 ' Whew Duck ' J Whew,' ' Grass, 461 ' ' Pendle, 461 ' ' Sparling, 738 ' Whillock,' 724 Whimbrel, 646 ' Whinchacker ' (Whinchat), 28 Whinchat, 26 'Whinchat' (Stonechat), 32 ' Whin Linnet ' (Linnet), 186 ' Whip' (Swift), 264 Whiskered Tern, 65 1 ' Whistling Plover'(Stone Curlew) ,564 ' Whistling Swan ' (Whooper), 429 White-bellied Swift, 264 White-billed Northern Diver, 734 ' White-breasted Ouzel' (Dipper), 103 ' White-cap ' (Redstart), 36 ' White-eyed Duck ' (Ferruginous Duck), 465 White-fronted Goose, 411 ' White-headed Harpy ' (Marsh Harrier), 317 ' White Hoolet ' (Barn Owl), 295 Lenny' (Snow Bunting), 215 Linnet' (Chaffinch), 180, 182 Nun ' (Smew), 485, 486 INDEX OF BIRDS. 807 'White Owl' (Barn Owl), 295 Rump ' (Green Sandpiper) ,63 2 rump' (Wheatear), 25 - Spotted Bluethroat, 38 -Stint' (Sanderling), 622 Stork, 403 straw '(LesserWhitethroat), 68 tailed Eagle, 334 Whitethroat, 65 Lesser, 67 [White-throated Bunting], 215 ' White-throated Fauvet ' (White- throat), 66 White Wagtail, 123 White-winged Black Tern, 650 White's Thrush, 12 Whooper Swan, 428 Wigeon, 458 American, 461 'Bell, 470 Wild Duck, 434 4 Wild Pigeon' (Ring-Dove), 490 ' Willock ' (Guillemot), 724 •Wilk' (Guillemot), 724 Willow Warbler, 83 [Siberian], 86 Wren' (Willow Warbler), 86 ' 'Least (Chaffinch), 83 - Sparrow ' (Willow Warbler), 86 (Reed Bunting), 210 Wren ' (Sedge Warbler), 93 Chit ' (Sedge Warbler) , 93 Sparrow ' (Sedge Warbler), 93 'Willy Fisher' (Dipper), 103 ' Willy Wagtail ' (Pied Wagtail), 123 Wilson's Petrel, 752 4 Windlestraw ' (Sedge Warbler), 93 or ' Winnel Straw ' (White- throat), 66 'Wind-fanner' (Kestrel), 372 hover' (Kestrel), 372 Thrush ' (Redwing), 6, 9 ' Window Swallow ' (House Martin) , 161 ' Winter Wagtail' (Grey Wagtail), 126 •Wintie' (Chaffinch), 182 ' Wood-awl ' Nj borer ' I (Green Wood- tapper' | pecker), 274 -weel ' J Woodchat Shrike, 144 Woodcock, 595 ' Woodcock Crow ';( Hooded Crow) , 249 Owl' (Short-eared Owl) ,297, 30 1 Pilot ' (Golden-crested Wren) . 76,79 'Wood-cracker' (Nuthatch), 118 ' Woodie ' (Ring-Dove), 490 Wood Lark, 257 (Tree Pipit), 131 ' Wood Owl ' or ' Ullot ' (Tawny Owl), 303 Woodpecker [Great Black], 278 Great Spotted, 274 Green, 273 [Hairy], 276 Lesser Spotted, 276 ' Wood Pigeon ' (Ring-Dove), 488 (Stock-Dove), 493 Wood Sandpiper, 629 ' Wood Throstle ' (Mistle Thrush), 3 Wood Warbler, 86 Wood Wren (Wood Warbler), 88 Wren, 118 ' Bank, 86 Fire-crested, 79 Golden-crested, 75 ' Grass, 83 ' Ground, 86 ' Jenny, 114 ' Jinny, 79 ' Little, 79 ' Twittering, 88 ' Willow, 93 ' Yellow, 86 ' Wrenny ' (Redstart), 36 Redtail' (Redstart), 36 ' Writhe Neck ' (Wryneck), 271 ' WritingLark' (Yellow Bunting), 204 Wryneck, 269 ' Wullock,' 724 ' Wype ' (Lapwing), 582, 585 8o8 INDEX OF BIRDS. Xema sabini, 622 ' Yaffle ' or ' Yaffier ' (Green Wood- pecker), 274 ' Yeldrock ' (Yellow Bunting) , 204 Yellow Ammer, or Hammer (Yellow Bunting), 204 Yellow Bunting, 203 £204 ' Yellow Yowley ' (Yellow Bunting), ' Yellow-backed Hawk' (Kestrel), 372 Yellow-billed Bean Goose, 420 Yellow-browed Warbler, 80 ' Yellow Owl ' (Barn Owl). 295 [Yellowshank], 632 [88 1 Yellow Warbler ' (Wood Warbler), Yellow Wagtail, 128 (Grey Wagtail), 126 Water Waggy ' (Yellow Wag- tail) , 1 30 ' Yellow Water Waggy ' (Grey Wag- tail), 126 Wren' (Willow Warbler), 86 (Wood Warbler), 88 ' Yellow Yowley Youldring ' Yowring ' Lenny ' 'Yolering.' 1 (Yellow ' Yoldring ' Bunting), 204 ' Youldring ' ' Yowlring ' ' Yowley ' ' Youldie ' Yoolat (Tawny Owl), 303 ' Yewtic,' 28 ' Yony Crony ' (Heron), 390 [Zonatrichia albicollis], 215 INDEX OF PERSONAL AND PLACE NAMES. Aberdeen 314 Aberdeen, Countess of 331 Aberdovey 707 Abberford 49, 56 Acaster 66 1, 742 Acaster Malbis 324 Acklam 147 Acklam-in-Cleveland 283 Ackworth 9, 30, 50, 53, 67, 82, 83, 85. 89, 95, 116, 127, 143, 169, 187, 198, 270, 277, 279, 346, 369, 406, 412, 425, 464, 466, 469, 496, 529, 532, 536, 574, 581, 593, 634, 638, 642, 649, 669, 729 Ackworth Moor 53 Acomb 667 Addingham 143 Addleston 652 Adel 24, 95 Ad el Moor 29, 191, 455 Agar, Wm. Keld, 283 Agars, Robert, 550, 551, 552, 553 Aike 393, 591 Aike Carr, Beverley, 394, 590 Ainley Wood 54 Aire xx., 487 Airedale 52, 142, 173, 596 Aire Valley 81, 95, 124, 166, 179, 185, 187, 191, 236, 279, 672, 685 Airmyn 541 Ake, T., 405 Albert Park 280 Aldbrough 30, 144, 171, 204, 223, 377 Aldwarke Bridge 538 Allan, Ed., 308 Allan, George, 270, 423, 473, 479 Allan MS. 30, 172, 209, 261, 296. 365, 482, 540, 568, 573, 579, 637. 736, 746 Allan Museum 674 Allen, E., 444, 758 Allerston Marishes 558 Allerthorpe Common 277 Allerton 469, 500 Allerton-Mauleverer Lake 546 Allerton Park 116, 236, 454 Allis, Thomas (numerous) — I to 764 Allison, G., 336 Almondbury 29, 69, 70, 95, 145, 346 Almondbury Bank, Huddersfield 99 Alston 512 Altham, Thomas, 102, 163 Anderson, J. E., 572 Anderson, J. H., 318, 568 Anderson, Sir Charles, 549, 550, 554, 556 Annals of Natural History 313 Annual Register 246, 583 Anston Stones 53 Apperley Bridge 53 Appersett Bottoms 537 Appleby 558 Appletrewick 634 Archer, late H. T., 283 809 8io INDEX OF PERSONAL AND PLACE NAMES. Ardsley 729 Ardsley Reservoir 501 Ardwick-le-Street 221 Argyll, Duke of, 216 Arkengarthdale 147, 155, 162, 167, 191, 216, 237, 266, 300, 326, 354, 366, 389, 455, sg7, 518, 572, 610, 673, 676 Armistead, J. J., 398 Armitage Bridge 79 Armitage, Rev. G. D., 225, 358, 549, 556, 563 Armitage, W., 556 Arncliffe 507, 596 Arncliffe Woods 277 Arthington 19, 513, 642 Arundel, Major, 346, 369, 385, 406, 466, 467, 536 Ashby 449 Ash Head Moor 327 Aske 351 Askern 89, 166, 221 Askham Bog xxiii., Si, 83, 95, 320, 400 Askrigg 237, 348, 381, 538 Aspden 636 Aswarbey 306 Atkinson 236, 566 Atkinson, F., 24, 746 Atkinson, John, 149 Atkinson, Canon J., 6, 13, 14, 16, 20, 34, 164, 182, 184, 206, 224, 247, 366, 406, 491, 508, 532, 604, 606 Audas, T., 300, 502, 564 Audubon 258, 312 Audubon's " Birds of America" 306 Austwick 291 Austwick Moors 541 Aysgarth 85 Ay ton 199 Ay ton Moor 305 Azerley Hall 386 Backhouse, Edward, Junr., 694 Backhouse, James, 2, 13, 54, 117, 209, 258, 308, 320, 336 351, Backhouse, James (continued) — 372, 388, 400, 403, 451, 498, 499. 504, 505, 540, 546, 576. 611, 694, 696, 745, 758 Backhouse, W., 450, 636, 654, 694 Badcock 41 Bagby 59, 641 Bagshaw, George, 440 Bailey, H., 36 Bailey, Matthew, 143, 151, 200, 207, 211, 224, 246, 304, 324, 336, 337, 338, 340, 361, 377, 410, 424, 455, 458, 473, 500, 576, 590, 663, 668, 669, 688, 692, 695, 701, 704, 706, 707, 709, 722, 723, 754, 756, 758, 761 Bainbridge 320 Baisdale 527 Baker, J., 487, 652 Baldersby 272 Baldersby Park 58, 184 Balne Moor 532 Banks Hall, Staincross, 733 Bannister, A., 333 Barchard 379 Barden 365, 366 Barden and Hauxwell Moor 507 Barden Fell 242 Barden Moor 323 Barker 388, 464, 481, 661, 742 Barker, W. G., 747 Barkley, R., 308 Barkley, Samuel, 308 Barlow Moor 309 [528 Barmston xxvi., 6, 404, 442, 443 ^ Barnard 527 Barnard Castle 150, 366, 472, 473 Barnsley xxi., xxii., 29, 50, 51, 67, 70, 81, 87, 92, 94, 116, 119, 141, 150, 151, 154, 161, 166, 198, 221, 228, 229, 266, 317, 320, 337, 345, 358, 362, 363, 365. 371, 393, 404, 467, 48i. 486, 516, 534, 596, 614, 625, 634, 659, 729, 739, 743 INDEX OF PERSONAL AND PLACE NAMES. 8n Barnsley Naturalists' Society 265 Barrett 449 Barrow-in-Furness, Bishop of, 570 Barry, Joshua, 391 Bartlett 417, 418, 432 Basedale Moor 522 Bashall 279 Bashall Hall 102, 454, 673 Bashall Lane 163 Batley Wood 277 Battersby 500 Battersby-in-Cleveland 160 Bawtry 186, 222, 404, 547 Bayford, E. G., 265 Baynes MS. 365 Bean 463 Beaumont, Alfred, 190, 349 Beaumont, T. W., 404 Beaver Dam 501 Beckwithshaw 493 Bedale 68, 90, 95, 117, 167, 179, 191, 192, 205, 206, 280, 313, 326, 366, 458, 469, 530. 541, 545, 546, 671, 763 Bedale Wood 336 Bedlington (Northumberland) 476, 565 Bedlington, Thomas, 21 Beech Lawn, Wakefield, 515 Bell, AlwinS., 145, 300, 482, 5 5 3, 5 56 Bell Bros. 285 Bell, John, Esq., M.P., 282 Bell, Sir Hugh, 285 Bell, Sir I. L., 530 Bell, R. J., 477 Bellerby Moor 507 Belle Vue Museum 13 Bempton xxix. 30, 66, 93, 114, 179, 185, 233, 238, 241, 329, 358. 359, 368, 377. 494. $68, 678, 682, 689, 690, 710, 713, 714, 719, 722, 723, 724, 729 Bempton Cliffs 368 Beningborough, 55, 332 Bennison, W., 321, 345 Ben Rhydding 166 Bentham 151, 283, 300, Berkeley Castle 449 Berkenhout, Dr. John, 307 Berwick 76 Bessingby 225, 408, 474, 629 Bessingby Beck 471 Beswick Rush 387, 388 Bethell, William, 387, 772 Beverley xxvi., 2, 9, 18, 21, 27, 30, 46, 50, 62, 63, 67, 71, 72, 73, 8or 90. 95, 99, 101, 104, 113, 119, 126, 129, 141, 147, 157, 160, 163, 164, 166, 170, 173, 174, !77. J79, 181, 186, 187, 199, 200, 203, 218, 222, 226, 229, 233, 234, 242, 247, 251, 252, 262, 267, 273, 275, 277, 282, 283, 304, 306, 308, 317, 324, 327. 337. 350, 363, 364, 368, 374. 379, 385, 387. 393, 394* 397, 401, 412, 422, 427, 430.. 433, 442, 443, 444, 451, 452. 453. 457. 465, 466, 469, 47i. 483, 485, 486, 492, 493, 496, 497. 501. 502, 528, 529, 531, 533. 537, 541, 542, 544, 556. 558, 562, 564, 590, 591, 601, 602, 603, 606, 613, 616, 625, 627, 629, 630, 632, 634, 636, 638, 642, 649, 676, 731, 733, 735, 737. 739, 742. 747, 751, 752, 770 Beverley Minster 35, 234, 237, 378, 442 Bewerley 151, 192 Bewerley Hall 239, 696 Bewick 206, 380, 674, 749, 750, 763 Bewick's " British Birds " 335 Bickley 305, 324 Bishop Auckland 397, 565, 590 Bielby Field, Everingham, 395 Bilham 363 Bilsdale 34, 160, 218, 236, 509, 597 Bilsdale Moors 20 Bilton 249, 563, 625 8i2 INDEX OF PERSONAL AND PLACE NAMES. Bilton Banks, Harrogate, 109 Bingley 37, 137, 173, 279, 282, 672 Bingley Moor 519 Bingley Spring Wood 53 Binnie, F., 326 Birch worth Reservoir 592 Bird 276 Birdforth 733 Birdsall 396, 442 Birdsall Decoy 446 "Birds of Europe" 184 " Birds of Great Britain " 394, 567 " Birds of the Humber District " 336, 341, 350, 354. 523, 533. 615, 619, 622, 650, 688, 734 " Birds of Norfolk " 335 " Birds of Northumberland and Durham " xxxviii., 282, 284, 316, 318, 335, 350, 461, 498 Birk Brow 508 Birkdale Tarn xx. Birmingham 145, 207, Birstwith 198 Bishop Auckland 356 Bishop's Wood 236, 273, 325 Bishop Wood, Selby, 363 Bishop Thornton 387, 529 Blackburn 548 Black Hambleton 358 Blackley 661 Blackmore Museum 557 Blackstone Edge 321 Blackstone Edge Reservoir 733 Blakeborough, R., 268 Blankney 39, 317, 324, 340, 347, 365, 369 Blenkhorn, C., 535 Blow, Rev. W., 558 Bluberhouse 507, 516, 520, 527, 588, 606, 659 Bluberhouse Moor 183 Bluecoat Boys' School, York, H3. 449 Boat Bottom 137 Blyth, Edward, 4, 21, 27, 32, 34, 43, 76, 82, 85, 131, 181, 267 Bolckow, Vaughan & Co. 285 Boltby 282, 330 Bolterstone 520 Bolton 64, 158, 365 Bolton Abbey 123, 166, 242, 273, 337, 374 Bolton Bridge 744 Bolton-by-Bowland 116, 166, 226, 548 Bolton Gill 320 Bolton Hall 262 Bolton, Lord, 507 Bolton-on-Dearne 205, 526 Bolton Park 389, 752 Bolton, Thos., 591 Bolton Woods 73, 117, 151, 349 Bond, F., 527 Bonny Grove 530 Booth Deane 610 Booth, E. T., 699 Booth, Haworth, 405 Booth, H. B., 289 Booth, Mark, 105, 614, 637 Boroughbridge 49, 50, 114, 151, 381, 386, 586 Borrow 552 Borrow Greens Wood, Easby in Cleveland 150 Boston Spa 56, 71, 95, 166, 289, 530. 532, 541. Boulby xxviii., xxix., 135, 160, 162, 238, 376, 678, 679, 683 Boulton, W. W., 30, 35, 101, 137, 177, 200, 282, 304, 308, 324, 333, 350, 361, 363, 368, 396, 397, 465, 496, 556, 557, 558, 562, 576, 592, 602, 615, 624, 637, 662, 735, 745, 755, 757, 759 Bower, J., 339 Bowes 515, 522 Bowes Moor 237, 366, 508 Bowland 87, 242, 320, 507, 519, 546 Bowland, Forest of, xxi., 72, 92, 596, 634 INDEX OF PERSONAL AND PLACE NAMES. 813 Boyes, R, 43, 62, 63, 74, 78, 80, 104, 109, 113, 141, 175, 177, 199, 234, 238, 258, 259, 265, 271, 276, 283, 317, 324, 337, 350, 363, 364, 388, 397, 398, 401, 420, 430, 437, 450, 451, 457, 486, 489, 491, 492, 511, 524, 532, 533, 535, 536, 544, 579, 59i, 594, 606, 612, 615, 629, 630, 661, 722, 757, 758, Boynton 64, 138, 222, 337, 550, 755 Boynton Hall 554 Boynton, Sir Griffith, 550 Boynton, Sir Henry, 6, 277, 304, 308, 324, 363, 391, 396, 405, 413, 576, 607, 663, 754, 761 Boynton Park 34 Boynton, Thomas, 134, 222, 225, 282, 304, 308, 381, 397, 408, 465, 475, 549, 550, 554, 55^, 557. 558, 576, 616, 629, 637, 662, 664, 668, 669, 694, 695, 745 Boynton Woods 199, 225 Bradfield 317 Bradfield Moors 506 Bradford xxi., 5, 23, 50, 53, 115, 164, 288, 313, 334, 354, 476, 54i, 731 Bradford Corporation 323 Bradford-on-Tees 157 Bradley 53 Brady, W. E., 265 Braim, John, 71, 151, 322, 533, 562, 594. 746 Braithwaite, C., 208 Bramham 56, 387, 529 Bramham Park 54, 198 Bramham Woods 226 Bransdale 329, 411, 509 Brayshaw Hill 532 Brayton Bridge 406 Bree, Dr. C. R., 351 Bretton Park 478 Bret ton Park. Barnsley, 404 Bretton Park, Huddersfield, 405 Bridlington 30, 64, 90, 104, 134, 135, 138, 147, 170, 199, 201, 213, 218, 225, 282, 304, 308, 3ii, 323, 337. 34L 346, 35L 354, 363, 365, 368, 378, 397. 404, 408, 412, 417, 424, 443, 458, 460, 465, 469, 471, 476, 480, 483, 486, 513, 532, 548, 549, 554, 557, 564, 565, 573. 576, 590, 594, 595, 608, 615, 616, 619, 621, 628, 630, 642, 647, 662, 663, 664, 665, 668, 669, 684, 686, 687, 688, 695, 696, 699, 700, 704, 707, 724, 727, 731, 735, 74i, 742, 754, 755, 756, 757, 758, 759, 77O Bridlington Bay xxxi., xxxii., xxxiii., 286, 381, 478 Bridlington Quay 476, 550 Brierley Common 123 Briggs, J. J., 534 Briggs, Riley, 446 Brigham, James, 371, 403 Brigham 592 Brignall, Greta Bridge, 65, 115, 121, 125, 146, 175, 212, 215, 287, 292, 362, 373, 392, 400, 425, 457, 468, 472, 473, 477. 480, 485, 494, 593, 598. 609. 646, 648, 656, 658, 711, 732 Brimham 151 Brimham Rocks 532 British Association xxxiii.. 4, 18, 3i, 34, 43, 71, 77, 98, 126, 129, 131, 133, 138, 244, 262, 275, 288, 343, 371, 392, 393, 414, 417, 420, 489, 490, 542. 598, 619, 644 "British Birds" 183, 282, 283, 301, 309, 313, 450, 483, 519, 549, 594, 596, 608, 624, 688, 750, 751, 763 British Museum (Nat. Hist.) 195, 223, 487 British Ornithologist's Club 1 27,208 814 INDEX OF PERSONAL AND PLACE NAMES. British Orn. Union xxxvii. "British Zoology" 73, 178, 312, 357, 379, 394, 689 Broadfield 515 Brock-o'-dale 53, 369 Brokesly, Rev. Francis, 444 Brompton 323, 526 Brook, George, 324, 359 Brooksbank, Major, 358 Broomhall 424, 596 Broomhead 515, 516, 520 Brotten 563 Brough 59, 424, 509, 528 Brough-on-Humber 167 Brown 195, 725 Brown, D., 500, 734 Brown, John, 570 Brown, Sir Thomas, 477 Browsholme 386, 387 Browsholme Tarn 673 Bubwith 745 Buckden 33, 65 Buckley, T. E., 606, 616 Buckton xxix., 358, 689, 709, 713, 7H Buckton Cliffs xxx., 711 Buckton Hill 710 Bulby 400, 402 Bunker, Thomas, 191, 300, 340, 398, 541, 672 Burlington 712 Burnham, R. T., 13 Burniston 500 Burniston Bay 678 Burnsall 387 Burnsall Moor 374 Burnt Wood 52 Burnt wood Hall 337 Burton Agnes 6, 138, 277, 304, 308, 347, 391, 396, 405, 412, 413, 50i, 576, 594, 607, 629, 663, 754, 761, Burton Agnes Museum 324, 636 Burton Bushes 62 Burton Constable 234 Burton Head xxiv. Burton-on-Trent 754, 758 Burton Pidsea 558 Bury 306 Bury, Dr. John, 555 Bury St. Edmunds 665 Busby 383 Busby Hall 755 Bushy Cliff 52 Butterfield, R., 288, 290, 334, 739 Butterfield, E. P., 23, 24, 27, 85, 115, 120, 137, 167, 191, 282, Buxton, Hugh, 563 [323 Buzzard Scar 326 Byers Green 284 Caistor 216 Caldbergh 519 Calder 123, 487, 576, 745 Calder Valley 464 Calke Abbey, Derby, 153, 403, 758 Calverley Church 234 Calvert, F., 529 Calvert, S., 365 Cambridge 196, 553, 652 Cambridgeshire 61 Camden 409 Cam Fell 618 Campsall 61, 204, 225, 258 Campsall Hall 156 Cannon Hall, Barnsley. 151, 516 Cannon Hall Park 270 Cantley 538 Cardigan, Earl of, 312 Carlton 365 Carnaby 405 Carperby 90, 143, 151, 205, 299, 389, 533, 70i Carperby Moor 507 Carlisle 512, 570, 670 Carr End 348, 381, 538 Carr Hill 500 Carroll, C. J., 758 Carter, James, 107, 112, 113, 124, 137, 155, 184, 192, 205, 224, 247, 302, 308, 313, 317, 327, 343, 410, 497, 500, 597, 604, 628, 762, 763 INDEX OF PERSONAL AND PLACE NAMES. 815 Carter, Thomas, 377, 682 Casson, Rev. H. C., 61 Castle Cliff 238 Castle Holmes, Scarborough, 145 Castle Howard 60, 90, 117, 150, 167, 235, 236, 435, 467, 546, 739 Castle Sayle Hill 54, 365 Castle Yard, York, 170 Catterick xxiii., 258, 636 Cattersty 336, 433 Cattle, Mrs., 55 Cawthorne 51, 385, 399, 406, 455, 475, 523, 525. 53L 547. 595. 622, 643, 732 Cay ton Bay 37, 577 Cay wood 54 Central Plain, York, 54, 72, 275, 497, 546 Chalk Wolds 50 Challand, George, 539 Chaloner, J., 105 Chaloner, Rev. J. W., 56, 114, 137, 483, 486, 532, 733 Champley, Robert, 314, 463 Chandler, William, 714 Chan trey 600 Chapeltown 1 8 1 Chapman, E., 320, 572, 614 Charlesworth, J. C. D., 408, 666 Chase, R. W., 145, 207 Chatsworth 337 Chaytor, A. W., 520 Chaytor, Lady, 519 Cherry Burton 64, 374, 526 Chester Museum 345, 394, 477, 625 Chevet 385, 399, 407, 430, 435, 455, 523. 525, 547. 609, 643, 646 Chilton, late R. F.. 540 Cholmley, Sir George, 388 Church Fenton 529 Christie, A., 345 Christy, R. M., 227 [53 Cinderfield Dyke Wood, in Bradley VOL. II. Clarke, W. J., 211, 337, 381, 473, 577, 595, 650, 665, 688, 725, 746, 754, 758, 76i Clarke, W. Eagle, xxxiii., xlv., n, 13, 29, 35, 37, 38, 39, 40, 45, 48, 59, 71, 74, 78, 87, 88, 89, 99, 101, 127, 140, 143, 152, 205, 206, 207, 208, 259, 265. 271, 301, 302, 304, 305, 320, 321, 325, 333, 358, 360, 391, 398, 403, 405, 406, 460, 471, 475, 478, 487, 498, 501, 512, 532, 549, 552, 560, 575, 588. 595, 606, 608, 630, 632, 637, 638, 644, 659, 671, 676, 680, 688, 708, 745, 757, 762, 763 Clark-Kennedy, late Capt., 408 Clapham 29, 481, 504 Clapham, A., 309, 317, 322, 323, 335, 340, 344, 347. 349, 35<5, 357, 369, 37i Clarke, George, 763 Clayton West 143 Clay Wheel Dam, Wadsley Bridge, 393 Cleveland, Duke of, 512 Cleveland, Florence, 253 Cleveland Golf Club 433, 435, 575 Cleveland Hills xxiv., 50, 191, 280, 359, 366, 578, 602 " Cleveland, History of " i Cleveland Moors 18, 159, 331, 508 Cliff e 511 Cliffe Castle 46 Cliff e Wood 51, 141, 242, 267 Clifton 80 Clifton Castle 247, 313 Clifton, Lord, 201, 431, 510 Clifton, York, 55 Clitheroe 107, 326, 386 Clough Hey Reservoir 672 Clubley, John, 323, 558, 560, 591 Clubly, G. E., 74, 337, 338 Coates 590 Coatham 424, 442, 469, 497, 530, 688, 765 2 G 816 INDEX OF PERSONAL AND PLACE NAMES, Coatham Decoy 436, 446, 465 Coatham Marsh xxviii., 222, 447, 452, 459, 462, 465, 466, 467, 542, 570, 630 Coatham Pier 378, 380 Cobcar Wood 51 Cockett Wood, Upper Ribhies- dale, 387 Cockroft, Dr., 521 Cold Hiendley 614 Cold Hiendley Reservoir, Wake- field, 397, 401, 464, 586, 619, 733 Colemire Wood, Swainby, 200 Cole, Rev. E. Maule, 501 Collta 397 Colne 616 Colne Bridge 161, 365 Colsterdale 507 Commondale 508 Coniston 364 Coniston Moor 563 Constable, Henry Strickland, 388, 463, 772 Cooke, Lieut. -Gen. A. C., 551 Cooke, Rev. R. B., 467, 552 Cook, W., 238, 508, 524, 600 Copgrove 117, 151, 730 Cordeaux, J., 10, 19, 26, 30, 40, 44, 60, 74, 80, 86, 88, no, 127, 131, 135, 137. 139, 142, 145, 188, 195, 211, 315, 247, 259, 263, 267, 285, 289, 297, 310, 314, 321, 324. 336, 337, 341, 350, 354, 357, 358, 363, 368, 381, 472, 474, 481, 501, 523, 529, 542, 548, 549, 560, 580, 595, 607, 608, 616, 618, 619, 621, 625, 630, 636, 650, 659, 661, 685, 688, 733, 734, 746, 758 Corner, Edward, 396 Cotherstone 481 Cottingham 157, 222, 397. 434, 533, 770 Cottingham Common 396 Cottingley Wood 85 Cottingwith 464, 485 Cottonian MS. xxvii., xxviii., 408, 656, 677, 588 Coucher, " Book of Sallay " 64 Coupe, Pearce, 364, 559 " Courant " 332 Court Moor, Kildale, 333 Coverdale 519, 520 Cover Head 237 Cowcliffe 314 Cowick 61, 201 Cowling-in-Craven 291 Cowthorpe 95 Coxley Valley 52 Coxwold 150, 597 Crabtree, A., 13, 127, 128, 202, 258, 321, 374, 474, 638 Cranswick 548 Crag Bank, Kildale, 388 Crossthwaite 31 Crathorne-in-Cleveland 338 Craven xx., 29, 33, 64, 89, 228, 242, 253, 291, 360, 366, 464, 596, 744 Crawforth 405 Crawshaw, Samuel, 400, 402 Crewe, Sir Vauncey, 153, 340, 403, 758, 761 Creyke 117 Crimwith Moors 520 Croft-on-Tees 149 Crompton, R. S., 386 Cronkley Scar 237, 336 Cropton 528 Crosby, T., 339 Crosscliffe, 322 Cross Fell 20, 263, 572 Cross Keys 552 Crossland Moor, Huddersfield, 191, 563 Crowe, Captain, 336 Crowe, R., 364 Crowle 445, 452 Cumberland & Westmorland Antiq. & Archaeol. Soc. Trans. 670 INDEX OF PERSONAL AND PLACE NAMES. 817 Cumberland, Earl of, 510 Cummins 331 Cunningham, late James, 13, 127, 308, 638 Cusworth 339 Curzon 477 Dallas, W. S., 373 Dalton 53, 133, 465. 555 Dalton Holme 630 Dalton, Col. Wade, 282, 326, 507, 750, 762, 763 Dalton, Rev. James, 151 Dalton, Rev. W., 730 Dalton, W. Wade, 752 Danby 16, 20, 34, 78, 83, 151, 165, 167, 236, 247, 271, 301, 327, 364, 365, 406, 454, 491, 508, 532, 604, 606, 742 Danby Beacon 319 Danby Lodge 335 Danby Moor 319, 366 Dane's Dyke 238, 359, 377, 678, 714 Danford, C. G., 145 Daniel 520 Dark Lane 51 Darley 74, 405, 501 Darley Abbey 456 Darley, J., 222 Darlington 348 Darlington, Lord, 182 Dawnay, Hon. Francis H., 58, 59 Dawnay, Hon. Guy, 184 Dawnay, Hon. Payan, 54, 55 Dawnay, Hon. W., 403 Dawson, G. P., 446 Day House 51 Dean Hall Wood 270 Dearne Valley 51 Dee Side 341 Deepdale 123 Deighton 218, 288, 427, 530, 625 Deighton Manor 414, 654, 701 Denby 592 Denny, Henry, 141, 270, 282, 313, 319. 33L 365, 651 Denny's Leeds Catalogue 221, 350, 386, 450, 453 Dent, J. W., 571, 747 Dent Vicarage 235 Dentdale 319, 341 Derby 79, 265, 393, 397, 403, 456. 725, 729, 758 Derbyshire 153, 510, 511 Derwent xxiv., xxv., 425, 452, 458, 465, 471, 474, 485, 487. 545. 737, 744 Derwent River, 412, 414 Devonshire, Duke of, 337 Dimlington Height xxi. Dixon 97, 354 Dixon, Charles, 224 Dixon, John, 365 Dob Park Wood, Fewston, 386 Dobree, N. F., 451, 562, 660 Dodsley's " Annual Register " 331 Dodwoth Bottom 51 Don xxii., xxiii. Don, Banks of, 81 Doncaster xxiii., r48, 50, 61, 89, 95, 97, 116, 137, 147, 163, 166, 196, 198, 201, 204, 205, 220, 225, 227, 258, 266, 270, 292, 316, 319, 322, 339, 363, 368, 369. 394. 397. 400, 401, 402, 412, 414, 427, 435, 438, 439, 441, 450, 453, 456, 474, 481, 486, 496, 527, 536, 538, 546, 556, 561, 583, 589, 596, 622, 624, 634, 641, 642, 730, 739, 742 Doncaster Decoy 462, 467, 471 Doncaster Mills 440 Donovan, Rev. A.. 377 Dormer, Mrs., 389 " Dotterel " Inn 569 Douthwaite Dale 327 Dove Valley 51 Dowker, James, 555, 556 Downe, Lady, 336, 340 Downe, Lord, 201, 508 Downs 242 8i8 INDEX OF PERSONAL AND PLACE NAMES. Dowson, C., 336 Dresser, H. E., 25, 140, 184, 220, 312, 356 Dresser's " Birds of Europe " 366 Driffield 90, 333, 404, 443, 444, 450, 474, 501, 548, 649, 747, 770 Dropping Well, Knaresborougli, Dublin 665 [103 Dublin Museum 624 Dudley 489, 522, 527, 530, 600 Duff 476 Duff, Joseph, 356, 397, 565, 590 Duff, Theo., 356 Duncombe, Capt., 342 Duncombe Park 150 Dungeon Wood, Huddersfield, 225 Dunnington, near York, 222 Durham xxxii., xxxiii., xxxviii., xxxix., xl.f xlii., 135, 207, 244, 284, 335. 407. 423, 452, 455. 457, 504, 540, 541 Dutch River 445 Dymond, J., 337 Easby, 277 Easby Hall 525, 751 Easby-in-Cleveland 150, 154, 199, 271. 533. 537. 600 Easington 25, 40, 46, 80, 88, 127, 139, 142, 145, 173, 186, 187, 188, 2OI, 2O7, 214, 222, 247, 267, 271, 293, 303, 310, 314, 337, 338, 339. 34L 365. 397, 405, 406, 458, 499, 545, 559, 569, 608, 629, 630, 688, 745, 746 Easington Church 405 Easington Lane End 121 Easingwold 55, 56 East 649 East Cottingwith 412, 425, 430, 433, 437, 451, 452, 453, 458, 474, 485, 619, 625, 636, 637, 737. 744 Eastholme Bridge 143 East Scarr 592 East Scar, Redcar, 693 East Witton 747 East Witton Moors 507 Eavestone 95, 216, 236, 279, 514 Ecclesfiekl 193, 240 Eccup 23, 277 Eccup Reservoir 467 Eden xx. Eddison, W., 572 Eddystone Lighthouse 438, 680 Edgerton 222 Edinburgh University 326 Edlington 345 Edlington Woods xxiii., 61 Edwards, G., 178, 591, 592 Edwards, T. M., 693 " Eggs and Nests "224 Egton 304, 311 Egton Bridge 46, 321, 345, 369 Egton Moor 301, 321 Elland Woods 54 Ellerton 237, 327 Ellerton Moor 354 Elley, S.f 288 Elliot 316 Ellis, Henry, 445 Ellotson, T., 363, 607 Elton, J., 757 Emerson, E. B., 199, 200, 218, 288, 338, 427, 508, 520, 530, 561, 600, 606, 630, 654, 686, 693. 695, 702, 707, 729 Emerson, J. J., 154, 525 Emmerson, George, 664, 758 Emmet, J., 541 Endcliff Woods 79, 258 Escrick 233, 277, 308, 323, 342. 388, 442, 453, 485, 770 Escrick Park Decoy 445 Esholt Woods, Airedale, 52 Eshton Hall 387 Esk xxiv., 280 Eskdale 230 Esk Hall 396 Esk Valley 68, 92, 150, 271, 465 49L 597 INDEX OF PERSONAL AND PLACE NAMES. 819 " Essays on Natural History " 294 Eston 262, 284 Ethersley Wood 51 Etton 501 Evans, Col, John, 456 Everingham 144, 388, 395 Everingham Park 59, 363 Faith 448 Falsgrave 176 Farndale 331 Farndale Head 329 Fame Islands xxx., 77, 475, 654, 655, 656, 709, 727 Farnley Hall, Otley, 222 Farnley Pool, Otley, 392 Farrar, Dr., 135, 141, 350, 362, 374, 393. 407, 504, 506 Farsley 5 Faversham, Lord, 411 Fawkes, Rev. F., 392 Fellbeck 29, 270 Fells, Langden, 366 Fells, Slaidburn, 326 Fells, Swaledale, 359 Fen Bog, 205, 460 Fenton, Wm., 441 Fern Hill, Warley, 127 Ferriby xxv. Fewster, Tom, 333 Fewston 19, 119, 151, 160, 166, 170, 187, 198, 218, 270, 277, 279. 317, 371, 386, 507, 541, 410, 634, 659, 676, 744 Fewston Reservoir 426, 471, 478, 546, 574, 584, 638, 733, 739 Feversham, Earl of, 155, 349 "Field" (see "The Field") Fielden, H. W., 8, 555 Fielden, Sir W., 757 Fife 404 Filey xxix., 16, 24, 37, 60, 104, 195, 259, 283, 320, 358, 377, 406, 424, 473, 474, 475, 477, 486, 500, 528, 552, 564, 608, 617, 647, 653, 662, 664, 665, 669, 678, 682, 686, 694, 695, Filey (continued) — 699, 702, 725, 731, 734, 735. 741, 756, 757, 758, 759, 765, 770 Filey Bay 693 Filey Brigg xxix., 238, 339, 356, 398, 687 Filey Road 529 Filey Rocks 310 Firth, Jos., 314 Firth 408 Fisher, Theo., 40 Fitzhardinge, Lord, 449 Fitzwilliam, Earl, 467 Fixby 314 Flamborough xxv., xxix., xxx., xxxii., xxxiii., 4, 7, 8, 11, 18, 23, 24, 30, 34, 35, 36, 37, 66, 77, 80, 86, 95, 113, 118, 126, 139, 143, 151, 152, 154, 160, 162, 170, 173, 174, 179, 180, 185, 188, 190, 192, 199, 200, 201, 207, 210, 211, 213, 217, 218, 224, 233, 234, 238, 241, 245, 246, 259, 263, 271, 282, 286, 289, 293, 298, 304, 308, 310, 313, 324, 329, 336, 337, 338, 340, 346, 352, 354, 358, 359, 361, 364, 377, 378, 379, 380, 381, 382, 384, 411, 412, 424, 453, 455, 458, 473, 475, 480, 483, 484, 488, 491, 492, 493, 494, 497, 500, 528, 548, 550, 557, 574, 576, 579. 597, 598, 599, 617, 618, 627. 632, 649, 653, 661, 663, 665, 668, 669, 677, 679, 681, 685, 686, 688, 689, 691, 692, 694, 695, 697, 699, 703, 706, 708. 711, 712, 713, 714, 719, 722. 723, 725, 726, 727, 728, 729. 741, 742, 743, 751, 753, 754. 755, 756, 757, 758, 759, 761. 764, 765, 770 Flamborough Lighthouse 54, 544, 590 820 INDEX OF PERSONAL AND PLACE NAMES. Flanshaw 143 Flashy 364, 387 Flasby Hall 364 Fletcher, T., 397 Flixton 550 Flixton Wold 553 Flotmanby 104 Foggit 373 Foljambe, H. S., 306, 310, 368 Foljambe, F. J. Saville, 666 Folkton 554 Forbes 389 Ford 216 Forest Moors 337 Forster, W. F., 64, 201, 341, 352, 576, 590, 642 Fortune, R., 24, 30, 109, 130, 149, 201, 205, 258, 305, 324, 497, 501, 539, 572, 576, 604, 608, 664, 673, 748, 761 Forth, Firth of, 745 Fossgate, York, 220 Foster 147, 504 Foster, John, 520 Foster, R., 474 Foster, Wm., 504 Foston 552 Foston Trout Club 551 Fothergill, late Charles, 81, 83, 278, 311, 348, 378, 381, 403, 404, 425, 426, 428, 451, 464, 466, 470, 481, 547, 631, 638, 641, 740, 742, 743 Fothergill, William, 81, 83, 348, 538 Foulds 354 Fountain, J., 377, 680, 694 Fountaine, Rev. M., 449 Foxholes 549, 554 Fox's "Synopsis" 209, 261, 297, 334, 363, 380, 423, 473, 479, 482, 511, 540, 549, 554, 568, 573, 575, 58o, 609, 713, 718, 736, 746 Fraisthorpe 30, 594 Frank, W. M.. 342 Frankland, Sir Thomas, 507 Frickley Hall 61 Friend's " Natural History Jour- nal " 320 Frohawk 219 Fryer, J. H., 127 Fryup 283, 363, 495, 508 Gallwey, Sir Ralph Payne, 59, 612 Galway, Lord, 440 Ganton 563 Ganton Wolds 568 Garforth 323 Gargrave 387 Garsdale 507 Garth, J. C.f 201, 234, 345, 381, 539, 575, 594, 704. 706 Garwood, C. R., 667 Garwood, Rev. W., 667 Gatke, H., xxxii., 275, 298 Gatherley Moor 330 Gaunt, Leonard, 5, 532 " Gentleman's Magazine " 344, 526 Gibbon, Wm., 207 Gibbons, Thos., 78 Gibbs, G. S., 339 Giggles wick 252 Gill, E. L., 71 Gill, Leonard, 649 Gill's " Vallis Eboracensis " 56 Gilling 198 Gilling Castle 45 Gin Hole, Staithes, 679 Gisburn 124, 151, 387 Glaisdale 283, 304, 311, 329, 345. 349, 369, 508, 533 Glassholme Reservoir 464 " Gleanings in Craven " 64 " Gleanings of Natural History " 178, 59i Gmelin, J. F., 655 Goathland 30, 289, 357, 389 Goit Stock Valley 85 Goldsborough 387, 501 Goodmanham 558, 559 Goole 30, 50, 61, 89, 95, 162, 166, 300, 398, 442, 444, 445, 481, 540. 541, 574, 642,672,733,762 INDEX OF PERSONAL AND PLACE NAMES. 821 Goole Moor 454 Goole New Decoy 445 Goole Old Decoy 445 Goosnargh 319 Gordale Scar 236, 326 Gormire 546 Gormire Lake 737 Gough, Roger, 440, 464 Gould 394, 418, 419, 420, 487, 533. 567, 600, 666, 763, 765 Gouthwaite Hall 387 Gowerdale 236 Graham, David, 69, 134, 304. 333, 336, 337. 339, 340, 349, 356, 373, 396, 404, 628, 633, 665, 666, 667, 706, 745, 764 Graham, Sir Reginald, 254 Granby, Marquess of, 440 Grassington 29, 64, 198, 673 Graves, F., 131 Graves, Rev. George, 506 Graves, Rev. John, i, 91, 173, 316, 432 Graves, Rev. J., " History of Cleveland" 70, 108, in, 120, 161, 228, 238, 257, 270, 274, 301, 335, 343. 370, 534. 544, 545, 675, 681, 748 Gray 238 Greame, Rev. Lloyd, 340 Great Ayton, 186, 404, 746 Great Whernside 239, 325 Greatham 428 Green Hammerton 372, 539 Greenhough 171 Greenland 666 Greenwich xix. Greetland 313 Greta Bridge 65, 115, 121, 125, 146, 212, 215, 242, 287, 292, 362, 373, 392, 400, 457. 472, 477, 480, 494, 593, 609, 646, 648, 656, 658, 670, 732 Grey, Earl de, 518, 526 Grey, John, 323, 335, 358, 628 Greygreth 347 Grimshaw, Percy, 514 Grimston Park, Tadcaster, 137 Grindale Field 554 Grindleton 366 Grinkle 84, 90, 191, 193, 198, 238, 320, 508, 524, 597, 600 Grinkle Park 117 Grinkle Woods 106, 226, 277, 327, 389 Gristhorpe 482 Gristhorpe Cliff 714 Grosmont 282, 329 Grosvenor Museum, Chester, 394 Guernsey 77 Guisborough 143, 206, 236, 239, 321, 323. 335. 355, 483. 500. 508, 600 Gunnergate 113, 142, 402, 530 Gunter, Col., 56 Gunter, Sir R., 386 Gurney, J. H., xxxviii., 26, 35, 41, 74, 101, 104, 153, 196, 220. 323, 333, 394, 395. 458, 462, 474, 481, 563, 565, 589, 628. 662, 663, 669, 695, 710, 723, 724, 754, 757 Guyscliffe 29, 151 Gyngell, Walter, 66, 142, 198, 264 Hackfall 151, 236 Hackness 30, 145, 246, 293, 322, 330, 333. 351. 369 Hagg Wood 386 Halifax xxi., 29, 54, 67, 70, 92, 95, 106, 127, 128. 151, 154, 158, 166, 173, 190, 191, 222, 226, 265, 282, 302, 307, 313, 316, 319, 345, 346, 349, 357, 363, 365, 366, 381, 432, 454. 486, 497, 525, 541, 570, 591, 600, 610, 615, 619, 638, 736, 752 Halifax Museum 13, 222, 638, 736, 746 "Halifax Naturalist" 13. 258, 308, 321, 374 Hall 369 822 INDEX OF PERSONAL AND PLACE NAMES. Hall, Dr., 141 Hall, General, 516 Hall, James, 393, 394, 556, 590 Hall, Miss, 591 Hambleton 103, 150, 303, 319, 524, 592, 594 Hambleton Hills xxiv., 272, 381, 492, 511, 522, 563, 569, 58*1, 597 Hamer 137 Hancock, John, xxxviii, 80, 152, 282, 284, 316, 318, 350, 353, 355, 463, 465, 470, 476, 565, 572 Handale Woods 305 " Handbook of British Birds " 368 " Handbook of Vertebrate Fauna of Yorkshire " 531, 632 " Handbook of Yorkshire Verte- brata " 97 Hann, Thomas, 284 Hannaford, S., 303 Hanson, C. C., 313, 314, 365, 605 Hardrow Scarr 349 Harefield 151 Harewood 17, 116, 151, 261, 350, 387, 392 Harewood Bridge 398 Harewood, Earl of, 387, 429, 567 Harewood Lake 546 Harewood Park 429, 739 Harland, John, 404, 745 Harland, Wm., 325, 363 Harlow Moor 258 Harlsey Hall 403 Harmby 388, 521 Harome 93, 349 Harper 143, 289, 394, 757, 758 Harper, R. P., 305, 321, 405, 754 Harrison, Charles, 345 Harrison, John, 236, 239, 324, 325, 327, 341, 372, 373, 381, 403, 431, 449, 474, 594 Harrogate 17, 24, 30, 46, 50, 56, 57, 84, 90, 95, 109, 116, 124, 130, 149, 151, 155, 159, 160, Harrogate (continued) — 163, 166, 184, 193, 201, 205, 220, 234, 258, 262, 270, 273, 275, 305. 313. 324, 340, 370, 493, 496, 497, 513, 519, 539, 563, 583, 586, 593, 608, 624, 625, 634, 644, 645, 747, 748 Harrogate Irrigation Farm 536 Harrop Hall, Slaidburn, 386, 387 Harswell Rectory 59, 290 Hartforth Hall, Richmond, 103 Harting, J. E., 24, 74, 91, 154, 225, 278, 368, 370, 371, 393, 420, 427, 464, 482, 528, 549, 551, 552, 725, 757 Hartley, J. E., 178 Harvie-Brown 216 Harwood Dale 333 Harwood, L., 75 Hatfield 30, 176, 224, 282, 410, 414, 435, 441, 456, 463, 464, 529, 540, 624, 739, 742 Hatfield, Chas. W., 400, 469 Hatfield Chase xxiii., 321, 344, 400, 438 Hatfield Levels 435, 438, 441, 442, 456 Hatfield Moor 624, 642 Hatfield's " Doncaster " 402 Hauxwell Hall, Bedale, 326 Haverah Park 336 Haw Park 52, 386 Hawes 3, 31,348, 381,515. 535.537 Hawke, Lord, 386 Hawkridge, Patrick, 282, 313, 318, 336, 363, 558 Hawksworth Cover 312 Hawksworth, Peter, 565 Hawnby 117, 345 Haworth 366 Haworth-Booth, Col. B. B., 91, 151, 166, 503, 558, 628 Hawsker 16, 305 Hawsker Bottoms 238 Haxby 150, 173, 614 Hay, R., 282 INDEX OF PERSONAL AND PLACE NAMES. 823 Hay burn Wyke 395, 529 Hayden, Rev. F. W., 54 Haydyn, Rev. J. A., 235 Hayton 602 Haywold 556 Hazlewood 49, 56 Head 498, 746 Headingley 29, 493 Healagh 534 Healey, Captain, 449 Healey Vicarage, Masham, 156 Heaton, Gerald, 398 Hebden, E. H., 549, 552 Hebden Bridge 19, 29, 151, 166, 181, 320, 325, 366, 374 Hebden Valley 506 Hebrides 192, 420 Heckmondwike 181 Hedon 167, 171, 239, 560, 770 Heligoland xxxii., 275 Helmsley 31, 117, 150, 156, 167, 236, 349, 372, 388, 470, 581, 597, 742 Helpholme 450 Helstrip 364, 758 Hemsworth 95, 335, 385 Hemsworth Dam 454, 536, 649, 739, 747 Henderson's Folk-lore 157 Henley, Dr., 732 Heppenstall, John, 20, 222, 270, 362, 368, 596 Herries, Lord, 59 Heslington 151 Heslington Hall 266 Hessle 770 Hewetson, H. B., 26, 80, 145, 188, 206, 310, 341, 374, 434 Hewett, W., 80, 143, 341, 694 Hewitson 362, 451, 463 Heworth 252, 291 Heysham, Dr., 570 Heysham, T. C., 570 Hick, Rev. T. M., 284 Hicks, Robert, 403 Hiendley 546 Hiendley Reservoir 469, 481 Higgins, E. T., 276, 628, 705, 764 High Bentham 284 [516 High Force, Teesdale, 173, 280, High Gardham 502 High Stake 572 Highcliff 236 Highfields 326 Hikeley, J., 423 Hildenley 549 Hill 456, 626 Hill, Colonel, 430 Hill, Lord, 456 Hill, R., 346 Hill, Squire, 333 Hill, T., 442 Hillingdon, Lord, 342 Hinderwell 238, 258, 746 " History of Cleveland " i, 91, 432 Hoare, Francis, 333, 450, 469 Hob Green, Ripon, 137 Hobkirk, 53, 222, 465, 653 Hobson, Dr., 307, 312, 355 Hodder xx., 386 Hodder Valley 279, 292, 464 Hodgson, Edward, 3 58, 689, 713, 720 Hodgson, Grindale, 713 Hodgson, John, 233, 710, 713 Hodgson, William, 713 Hodroyd 440 Hogg, John, 8, 31, 71, 136, 173, 239, 270, 316, 355, 357, 362, 380, 407, 412, 414, 423, 424, 563, 589, 628, 661, 697, 735, 739, 744 Holden Clough 507 Holderness xix., xxv., xxvi., xxxi., 6, 10, 15, 34, 45, 50, 61, 64, 68, 76, 95, H9, 131, 134, 138, 143, 147, 148, 151, 171, 176, 179, 183, 204, 209, 213, 215, 229, 233, 246. 247, 252, 265, 271, 273, 285, 305, 320, 324, 339, 377, 38o, 437, 442, 450, 455, 458, 502, 536, 537, 539, 546, 558, 568, 583, 599, 603, 607, 824 INDEX OF PERSONAL AND PLACE NAMES. Holderness (continued) — 611, 624, 628, 631, 634, 671, 731, 739, 74i, 747 Holdsworth 532 Hole Bottom, Nidderdale, 143 Holgate 54 Hollym 500, 502, 625 Holme xxvi., 267 Holme Decoy 444 Holme Moss xxi. Holme- on-Spalding-Moor 388, 442, 511, 562, 567 Holmes, B., 558 Holmfirth 20, 506 Holmpton 305, 539 Holmfirth Reservoir 70 Holtby 114 Holy Island 329, 572 Honley 270 Hood Hill 236 Hook 6 1 Hooton Pagnall Common 61 Hopperton 704, 706 Horbury 190, 592 Horbury Mill Dam 408 Horbury Reservoir 614 Hornby 258, 449, 453, 636 Hornby Castle xxiii., 247, 313, 442, 461, 526, 530, 630, 651 Hornby Castle Decoy 450, 452, 544 Hornby Decoy 408, 456, 464, 475 Hornby Grange 515 Hornby Park 752 Horner 666 Hornsea 50, 136, 160, 265, 316, 379, 388, 405, 500, 541, 739, 770 Hornsea Mere xxvi., 90, 105, 238, 350, 388, 391, 393, 436, 451, 463, 467, 471, 474, 546, 607, 611, 649, 657, 671, 739, 771, Horrocks, T., 512 Hors Dam, Kirkheaton, 539 Horsecar Wood 345 Horsfall, F. W., 430, 509 Horsfall, H., 107 ' Horsfall, M. A., 515 Horsfall, W. Christy, 52, 346, 487 Horsforth, 52, 346, 487, 742 Horton 288, 313, 520 Hotham 387 Hotham, Lord, 496, 591 Houghton, Great, 52 House 559 Hovingham, 31, 33, 83, 84, 107, 117, 150, 251, 530, 638 Howard, R. J., 548 Howardian Hills xxiv. Howarth 754 Howdah Wood 320 Howden 403, 444, 528, 770 Howden, Lord, 666 Howden Mere 733 Howe 527 Huby 56 Huddersfield xxi., 5, 13, 29, 50, 53. 70, 79, 82, 99, 123, 124, 133, 141, 145, 151, 154, 157, 161, 166, 177, 191, 192, 198, 205, 206, 213, 222, 225, 228, 265, 266, 270, 277, 279, 291, 302, 314, 319, 320, 324, 345, 346, 349, 352, 359, 365, 378, 397, 405, 426, 465, 489, 502, 507, 529, 533. 539, 563, 570, 592, 615, 616, 653, 661 Huddleston, John, 548 Hudson, Rev. C., 341 Hudson, Harrington, 225 Hudson, Robert, 441 Hudswell Scar 237 Hull 46, 74, 90, 91, 95, 137, 143, 152, 157, 199, 215, 222, 223, 245, 252, 255, 329, 333, 387, 405, 434, 442, 444, 456, 469, 577, 582, 595. 608, 609, 615, 639, 645, 646, 649, 745 Hull, River, 104, 320, 363, 379, 393. 398, 429, 430, 443. 45L 453. 457, 465. 466, 469, 470, 483, 485, 536, 542, 624, 627, 629, 630, 638, 733, 735, 737, 739. 770 INDEX OF PERSONAL AND PLACE NAMES. 825 Hull Museum 222, 311, 317, 320, 346, 364, 369, 405, 422, 451, 457. 475, 501, 590, 613, 615, 629, 696, 743, 751, 754 Hull Museum Guide 137 Humber xxv., xxvii., xxxi., xxxiv., 23» 35. 50, 61, 122, 124, 126, 128, 133, 135, 155. 184, 203, 213, 229, 241, 245, 259, 367, 368, 371, 378, 382, 414, 418, 420, 421, 422, 424, 426, 428, 430, 433, 444, 445, 450, 451, 453. 459. 460, 464, 466, 469, 470, 471. 473, 478, 483, 486, 528, 563, 573, 574, 575, 580, 581, 585, 586, 587, 589, 607, 611, 612, 616, 619, 625, 634, 637, 640, 641, 643, 647, 656, 660, 679, 68 1, 684, 686, 709, 712, 733. 735, 739. 74L 745> 770 Hummersea 314, 376 Humphrey, John, 538 Hunmanby 137, 195, 304, 332, 374,528, 550, 553, 554.569.632 Hunslet 398 Huntcliffe xxviii., 239, 358, 375, 478, 677, 679 Hunter 515 Husband 541 Hutchinson, A. S., 79, 265, 393, 397. 520, 729, 758 Hutchinson, Massey, 368 Hutton 387, 508, 600 Hut ton Cranswick 387 Hutton Rudby 338, 731 Hutton, Timothy, 237 I'anson 452 I'anson, Colonel, 527 " Ibis " see " The Ibis " Ilkley xxi., 29, 225, 283, 314, 366, 458, 485, 634 Ilkley Moors 95, 96, 366 Illingworth, W., 190 Inchbald, late P., 71, 160, 346 365 Ingbirchworth 29, 574 Ingham, L., 707 Ingilby, Sir W. A., 336 Ingleborough 222, 504 Ingleby 150, 489, 514, 597, 600 Ingleby Greenhow, Cleveland, 124 Ingleby-in-Cleveland 327 Ingleby MS. 236 Ingleby Manor 530 Ingle ton 239 Ingmanthorpe 387, 529 Ingmire Hall, Sedbergh, 389 Inverary 216 Irby, Col., 195 Ireland 758 Irish Sea xx., 749 Irton 305, 528 Isle, Lord de L', 489, 508, 522, 527, 530, 600 Jackson, J., 406 Jacobs 763 Jalland, G. W., 41, 74, 569, 595, 637 Jalland, J. W., 215 Jefferson, Capt. Dunnington, 388, 458, 487, 564, 624, 745 Jeffreys, Dr. Gwyn, 427 Jesse 678, 683 Jessop, Francis, 72, 75, 185, 191, 295, 424, 477, 505, 596, 727, 738 Johnson, Ralph, 65, 94, 115, 121, 125, 128, 130, 132, 146, 175, 212, 215, 242, 244, 287, 292, 362, 373. 392, 400, 425, 457, 468, 472, 473, 477, 480, 485, 494, 539, 593, 59^, 609, 646, 656, 658, 711, 732, 754 Johnstone, Sir John. 333 Jones 104, 323, 357, 548, 630 Jonas Wood 52 Keadby Canal 444 Kedleston 477 Keighley xxi., 20, 29, 46, 115, 191, 280. 302, 499, 532, 570 Keighley Moor Dam 672 Keighley Museum 532 826 INDEX OF PERSONAL AND PLACE NAMES. Keld 216, 237, 280, 327, 455 Kelfield 198 Kell, A. R., 363 Kells Springs, Slingsby, 403 Kemp 333 Kendal 648 Kent, Richard, 440 Keresforth Woods 5 1 Kerr, H., 99 Kershaw, Dr., 707 Kettering 364 Kettleness 380, 493, 500, 529, 678, 679 Kettleness Point 376 Kettlewell 333 Kexby 378 Kexwith 507 Kildale 282, 333, 388, 508, 597 Kildale Hall 282 Kilham 318, 501, 554, 568 Killerby 105, 614, 632, 637 Killingbeck 52, 258, 365 Killinghall 163, 474 Killingnab Scar 357 Kilner Bank 124 Kilnsea 19, 25, 30, 41, 71, 74, 138, 139, 186, 187, 192, 195, 217, 259, 289, 315, 320, 329, 337, 338, 364, 381, 453, 474, 492, 558, 560, 569, 591, 608, 613, 630, 636, 686, 771 Kilnsea Warren 89, 323 Kilnsey 325 Kilnsey Crag, Wharf edale, 160, 263 Kineton Park 739 King and Queen Rocks 238 King's Mill, Huddersfield, 157 Kipling Cotes 496, 570 Kirkburton 187, 265, 485 Kirby Hill 386 Kirby 666, 667 Kirby Malzeard 308 Kirby Underdale 117 Kirbymoorside 230 Kirk, H., 339 Kirkby-in-Cleveland 160, 288 Kirkby Misperton 396 Kirkdale Cave 223, 235, 427 Kirkham Abbey 107 Kirkhammerton 751 Kirkheaton 190, 365, 539 Kirkleatham 112, 113, 177, 446, 448, 500, 533 Kirkleatham Hospital 105 Kirkless 365 Kirkless Hall 276 Kirkstall Abbey 312 Kirkthorpe 592, 742 Kitching, G., 196 Kitching, J., 211, 324, 339, 346, 351. 356, 38°. 39i, 460, 462, 54i, 694 Kitroyd Jump 51 Kiveton Park 303, 452 Knapton 30, 90, 162, 170, 320, 363, 532, 597, 629, 663 Knapton Hall 293 Knapton Wolds 568 Knaresborough 46, 47, 57, 58, 82, 89, 95, 116, 151, 166, 169, 198, 201, 232, 234, 249, 535, 539, 575. 594, 659, 704, 706, 730, 749 Knaresborough Dropping Well 103 Knavesmire 219 Knubley, Rev. E. P., 49, 192, 501 Laidlaw, T., 89 Lakin, Thomas, 395 Lambert, T. M., 451 Lambert, W., 657 Lammas Assizes 523, 643, 646 Lancaster xxii., 752 Lancaster's " Askern " 225, 282 "Land and Water" 45, 310, 456 Landesburg 178 Langden 366 Langden Fell 319 Langdon 242 Langsett 265 Langstrothdale 279 Langtoft 552, 562 Langwith 258 INDEX OF PERSONAL AND PLACE NAMES. 827 Langwith Moor 266 Lartington 508 Latham, Dr., 49, 56, 146, 158, 159, 189, 276, 423, 566 Laughton-eu-le-Morthen 336, 526 Lawson, M., 365 Lawson, Major, 135 Lawton, F., 268 Lawton, M., 222 Lazenby, H., 2 Lea 549 Leach, Dr., 350 Leadbitter 144 Lealholm 363 Leckby Carr 117 Lee, Robert, 115, 282, 320, 321, 347, 362, 364, 371, 373, 451, 527 Leeds xxi., 7, 20, 23, 27, 29, 37, 50, 52, 78, 82, 90, 92, 116, 124, 141, 146, 149, 166, 169, 176, 177, 181, 206, 213, 258, 261, 277. 279, 312, 314, 319, 331, 355, 365. 371, 391, 398, 426, 450, 455, 461, 486, 487, 496, SGI, 513. 532, 593, 614, 626, 666, 672, 701, 731, 751, 754 Leeds, Duke of, 313, 408, 449, 630, 651 Leeds Museum 69, 99, 335, 404, 408, 594, 633, 758 Leeds Naturalists' Club 455, 471 Leeds Phil. Soc. 754 Leeman, Frank, 13 Leeming Lane 731 Lekinfield Castle 385, 399, 407, 455,458, 525, 531, 549, 567,586 Leland 525, 531, 595, 622, 643, 776 Leng, Thomas, 336, 354, 384, 663, 692, 723, 754, 761 Leppington, Aaron, 713 Leven 558 Levisham 341 Lewin, W., 114 Lewis 298 Lewisham 190 Leyburn 299, 366, 507 Leyburn Shawl 31 Leyland, R., 165, 276, 281, 307,, 316, 319, 365, 506, 601, 610, 615, 617 Lilford, Lord, 189, 195, 278, 408, 462, 539, 550, 608, 665, 725, 758, 764 Lindholme 176 Lindley Wood 364 Lingdale Moor 31 Linnncus 511 Linnean Society 348, 368, 538, 725 Linton-upon-Ouse 29, 35, 88, 179, 180, 181, 341 Lipscombe, Wm., 515 Lister, J., 266 Lister, Dr. Martin, 17, 19, 42, 97, J45, J53, 201, 410, 416, 605 Lister, Thomas, 51, 123, 131. 320, 365, 481, 534 Lister, Wm., 221, 283, 300, 304, 311, 345, 349, 369 Littlebeck 196 Littlethorpe 64, 641, 642 Liverpool 78 Liversedge 29, 95, 279 Liver ton 406 Liverton Wood 389 Livesey, late R., 508 Lloyd 322 Locker Tarn 455, 546, 673 Lockton Moors 340, 356 Lockwood 53 Lofthouse 3, 52, 91, 92, 151, 205, 339 Loftus 424, 509, 529, 532 Loftus Fox Cover 49 Loftus-in-Cleveland 16, 31, 37, 72, 102, 150, 167, 170, 224, 239, 259, 280, 305, 314, 329, 346, 365, 374, 376, 4H Londesborough, Earl of, 38, 39, 314, 317, 369 Londesborough, George, 238, 494, 713, 717, 7i8, 720, 722 Long, Joseph, 502 828 INDEX OF PERSONAL AND PLACE NAMES. Long Pain, Bedale Wood, 336 Lorrimer 356 Loten, Philip W., 3, 41, 46, 88, 139, 200, 207, 305, 321, 337, 405, 406, 499, 501, 503, 558, 608, 617, 629, 630, 671, 688, 745 London's Magazine of Nat. Hist. 67, 107, 146, 325, 345, 747, 750, 75i Low Mills 541 Low Row 216 Lower Wensleydale 597 Lower Wharf e 72, 574 Lower Wharf edale 87, 89, 170, 483, 632 Lowthorpe 179, 237, 304, 338, 391, 451, 454, 491, 492, 496, 501, 550, 562, 632, 730 Lubbock's " Fauna of Norfolk " 342 Lucas, Joseph, 52, 143 Luddenden 258 Luddenden Dean 13 Lumb, G., 91, 225 Lune xx., 150, 379 Lunedale 546, 610 Lunn Wood 345 Lydekker. R., 223, 427 Machen, H., 282 Machen, Thos., 138, 337, 346, 364, 368, 472, 564, 595, 687, 727, 746 Machen, W., 687 Maclean, K., 24, 105, 194, 222, 223, 305, 3H, 320, 336, 365 Macpherson, Rev. H. A., 432, 570, 625, 757 Maddox, John, 439 " Magazine of Natural History" 393 Maharajah Dhuleep Singh 529 Major, E., 714 Major, Wm., 663 Malcolm, J., 688 Malham 29, 68, 87, 103, 216, 279, 300, 410 Malham Cove 160, 263 Malham Ings 563 Malham Tarn xx., 454, 460, 464, 467, 471, 483, 543, 546. 634, 709, 737. 739, 747 Mallinson, J. W., 333, 334 Maltby 258 Malton, 46, 60, 90, 96, 138, 1 86, 272, 340, 388, 396, 446, 454, 469, 485, 486, 491, 493, 557, 574, 634, 744 Manchester Museum 319 Mansfield 368, 663 " Manual of British Birds " 303 Mappleton 379, 405, 500 Mar Lodge, N.B., 313 Marble Mills 571 Marfield Pond 452 Market Weighton 30, 63, 157, 170, 173, 187, 199, 226, 229, 267, 271, 273, 345, 363, 405, 421, 444, 496, 501, 511, 558. 562 Market Weighton Wolds 59 Marr, Henry, 238, 494, 710, 717, 720 Marr, Richard, 238 Marsden 291, 452 Marshall 3, 265, 669 Marshall, Benjamin, 439 Marske-by-the-Sea xxviii., 127, 335, 364, 430, 433, 500, 559, 729, 75i Marston Moor 355 Martin 396 Marton-in-Cleveland 159, 204, 277 3". 497 Marton Hall 19, 341 Marwood, George, 755 Marwood, Rev. G. J., 383 Masham 16, 66, 70, 84, 85, 99, 103, 107, in, 117, 124, 138, 149, 150, 151, 156, 168, 184, 205, 224, 277, 299, 302, 303, 308, 313, 327, 343, 366, 372, 389, 407, 408, 410, 430, 452, 455, 464, 467, 471, 478, 485. INDEX OF PERSONAL AND PLACE NAMES. 829 Masham (continued) — 492, 497. 500, 526, 530, 539, 545, 584, 597. 604, 627, 632, 634. 673, 733, 749, 762 Masham, Lord, 389 Matthewman's Selby List 450 Maude, Moorsom, 387 Mausoleum, Castle Howard, 236 May Moss 316 Meanwood Road, Leeds, 170 Meaux xxvi., 442, 624 Meaux Decoy 401, 443, 444 Meersbrook Park 183 Meltham 324, 507 Merton Farm 325 Metcalf, John, 249 Metcalf, Thos., 305 Metcalfe, Mrs., 554 Metcalf e, T. T. S., 537 Mickle Fell xix., 23, 546, 572 Micklefield 176 Mickleton 398 Mickley 247 Middledale 554 Middleham 388, 520, 521 Middlesbrough xxvii., 21, 90, 96, 99, 107, 113, 147, 184, 222, 280, 283, 284, 320, 364, 451, 530, 594, 685 Middlesbrough Museum 346 Middlesbrough Park 275 Middleton-in-Teesdale 64, 162, 280, 316, 319, 327, 358, 622 Middleton, Lord, 446 Midgeley 581 Migration Committee (British Association) 15, 18, 24, 31, 71, 77, 98, 126, 129, 131, 138, 245, 256, 262, 288, 343, 371, 489, 542, 598, 644 Migration Reports (British Associa- tion) I, 4. 7. 34. 40, 41. 43. 68, 73, 82, 87, 92, 96, 108, 113, 119, I2i, 122, 133, 143, 152, 164, 167, 171, 179, 181, 186, 194, 209, 213, 217, 223, 226, Migration Reports (British Associa- tion) continued — 232, 241, 246, 251, 262, 275, 289, 293, 434, 488, 492, 594, 599. 615, 6l6» 619, 630, 656, 657, 660, 684, 749 Milbank, Sir Frederick, 516 Milburn, C. E., 19, 37, 66, 90, 97, 127, 696 Milford-cum-Kirby 666, 667 Miller 61, 278, 315 Millington 503 Mills 530 Milne-Redhead 86 Milner 754 Milner, Henry, 451, 666, 667 Milner, John, 554 Milner, Sir Wm., 69, 306, 316, 404, 408, 463, 467, 565, 594, 628, 665, 666, 667 Misson 633 Mitchell, F. S., 326, 390, 548 Mitford, Admiral, 137, 304, 332,406 Moiser, Cyril, 664 Mollicar Wood, Huddersfield, 53 Montagu, F., 64 Montagu's " Ornithological Dic- tionary" 73, 87, 121, 130, 702, 730 Moore, James, 151 Moorsholm-in-Cleveland 406, 532 " Moorland Parish " 236, 533 More, A. G., 173, 300, 330, 362, 464, 528, 589, 624, 642, 648 More, A. J., 105 Moreby 116, 437, 454 Moreby Park, York, 388 Morecambe 151 Morley, J., 265, 300, 305, 321, 463. 630, 758 Morley, John, 152, 493, 718, 746, 761 Morley, Joseph, 354, 398, 725, 754 Morrell's " Selby " 384 Morris 282, 283, 450, 549, 688, 751 830 INDEX OF PERSONAL AND PLACE NAMES. Morris, Rev. F. O., 60, 102, 163, 309, 313. 319. 39L 404, 435. 483. 533, 547. 555. 594. 608, 624 Morris, Dr. Beverley R., 62, 304, 316, 405 Morris, Richard, 368, 471 Morris, Wm., 124, 142, 174, ic?6, 219, 320, 365, 366, 379, 389 Morris's "Naturalist" 20, 21, 52, 53, 81, 102, 141, 143, 222, 322, 326, 339, 366 Mortimer, R., 562 Mosley, Sir Oswald, 725, 754, 758 Mosley, S. L., 53, 133, 192, 206, 225, 230, 265, 324, 365, 405, 539, 610, 615 Mosley Wood, Horsforth, 52 Mowbray, Vale of, 527 Mowbraydale 340 Moyle, Walter, 75, 109, no, 178 Muker 327, 610 Mulgrave 324, 389, 498, 524, 529, 597 Mulgrave Castle 325, 342 Mulgrave Woods 150, 277, 327 Murdock, G. W., 283 Murray, Dr., 461, 557 Murton 345 Mussell, George, 147, 275, 283, 284, 320, 321, 346, 364, 424, 451, 453, 484, 594, 685 Needle Eye Wood 51 Nelson, T. H., 128 Netherton 5 Nevell, Archbishop, 394, 523, 525, 53L 577. 582, 643 Nevell, George, 385, 399, 595, 776 Neville, Elizabeth, 400 Neville, Sir John, 385, 399, 407, 430, 435, 455, 523, 525, 547, 577, 608, 643, 646 Newbald Lodge Farm 502 Newbould 520 Newburgh Priory 546 Newburn 284 Newby, C., 323 Newby Wiske 389, 541 Newcastle-on-Tyne 258, 393, 559, 572 Newcastle Museum 80, 206, 247, 355. 559. 649 Newcomen, G. H. T., 446, 448 New Forest 507 New Hall 51, 393 Newham 530 Newholme 346 Newman 276 Newman, Colonel, 339, 730 Newmiller Dam 742 New Park Spring 52 Newsome 65, 279 New Spring Wood 228 Newstead 345 Newstead, Robert, 394 Newton 388 Newton, A., 74 Newton Dale 236 Newton Fell 672 Newton House, Whitby, 356 Newton-le-Clay 501 Newton Kyme 56, 114, 116, .137, 205, 270, 454, 483, 486, 532, 624, 625, 701, 733, 737. 752 Newton-on-Derwent 471 Newton, Professor, 94, 144, 207, 208, 294, 307, 313, 342, 348, 549, 553, 554. 652, 726, 762 New Zealand Decoy 445 Nicholson, Bishop, 670, 671 Nichtgaleriding 64 Nidd, River, xx., 57, 58, 72, 129, 410, 412, 467, 486, 546 Nidderdale 4, 27, 29, 33, 87, 95, 143, 151, 155, 159, 160, 162, 166, 191, 198, 236, 239, 267, 270, 273, 467, 513, 535, 596, 610, 739 Nidd Valley 68, 116, 170, 179, 216, 277, 279, 317, 426, 454. 464, 541, 574, 685 Noble, Heatley, 342 INDEX OF PERSONAL AND PLACE NAMES. 831 Norfolk xxxiii., xxxiv., xxxviii., xxxix., xl., 45, 104, 251, 312, 335. 367, 368, 558 Norfolk and Norwich Soc., Trans, of, xxxviii., 41, 757 Norland 205 Norland Moor 308, 638 Normanby-in-Cleveland 50,305,355 Normanby House, Cleveland, 59 Normanby, Marquis of, 325 Norris, John, 393 Northallerton 31, 117, 150, 177, 179, 181, 191, 192, 216, 218, 280, 323, 403, 414, 427, 515, 526, 527, 541, 625, 632, 634, 637, 654, 701 North Bierley 75, 106, 109, 178, 510, 596, 712 North Burton 222, 558 North Cave 60, 528 North Cliffe 63 North Dalton 549, 555, 556 North Duffield 671 North Grimston 446 North Landing.Flamborough.xxx., 695 North Stainley 68, 70, 166, 524, 535 Northumberland xxxiii., xxxviii., 335, 476, 565, 745 Northumberland, Earl of, 385, 548 Northumberland Household Book 40, 399, 434, 455, 458, 523, 525, 531, 547, 567, 577, 582, 586, 595, 602, 618, 622, 633, 643, 645, 655 Norton Conyers 254 Norton 770 Norwich xxxviii., 101, 342 Norwich Museum 333 Norwood, Thos., 557 Nostell 469 Nostell Priory 386 "Notes and Queries" 177, 254 Nottinghamshire xxiii., 50, 54, 633 Notton Wood 69 Nova Scotia Wood, Skelton. 54 VOL. II. Nunappleton 218, 665, 666 Nunburnholme 102, 166, 435 Nun Monckton 696 Nuttall 294 Oakdale 317 Oglethorpe Whin Cover 170 Okeley 336 Oliver's Mount, Scarborough, 60, 142, 305 Ord's " History ot Cleveland " 282 Ormesby 500, 530, 60 1 Osbaldeston 554 Osberton 306, 310, 666 Oscar Wood 51 Osgodby 227, 442 Osgodby Decoy 446, 449 Osmond thorpe 37 Osmotherly Oswaldkirk 339, 513, 583 Other, Capt., 320 Otley 50, 161, 166, 222, 266, 268, 278, 392, 529 Otley Moors 300 Otley Road 29 Otterington 530 Oughtybridge 265 Ouse 433, 444, 528, 615 Ousefleet 528 Ousefleet Grange 340 Ovenden 151, 363, 532 Ovenden Moor 617 Overton, Rev. J., 55 Overton Wood 55 Owen, Joseph, 312 Owldray 742 Owston Hall 61 Oxenhope 20, 673 Oxford Museum 757 Oxley, Admiral C. C.f 271, 319, 335, 340, 345, 355, 3^5. 375. 398, 408, 642, 757, 761 Oxnop Scar 237 Page, A., 225 Page, G., 320, 335 Palmer, J. E., 539, 584 Pannal 5 2 H 832 INDEX OF PERSONAL AND PLACE NAMES. Pannant 323 Parke 487 Parker 386 Parkin, G., 496, 524, 745 Parrington, Thomas, 59 Pateley Bridge 17, 95, 162, 192, 198, 236, 239, 366, 464, 469, 507, 519, 520, 574, 696 Pateley Moor 570 Paterson, A., 369 Patrington 3, 46, 50, 61, 148, 161, 164, 176, 329, 330, 770 Paull 394, 469 Payne, Dr. H., 149 Payne-Gallwey, Sir R., 445, 446, 449, 451, 460, 461 Peak 238, 377 Peake, Rev. E., 92 Peake, Rev. Ed., 341, 347, 360, 504, 541, 632 Peake's Scar 236 Pearey 508 Pease, Claude, 329, 430 Pease, Sir A. E., 25, 75, 483, 500, 508. 528, 530 Peasholme, Scarborough, 405 Pelton Reservoir, Halifax, 736 Pennant's " British Zoology " 146, 307 Pennant, Thomas, xxix., xliv., 47, 61, 73, 148, 155, 178, 240, 312, 357, 375, 377, 379, 394, 623, 639, 677, 689, 726 Penistone 265, 320, 345, 366, 506, 618, 729 Penyghent 2, 570 Penny Spring Wood 69 Percy, Earl, 399, 407, 455, 458, 523. 525, 53L 567, 577. 586, 618, 633 Petch, G., 237, 532 Petch, T., 144, 209, 377 Petre, Rt. Hon. E. R., 368 Peven 337 Phillips, J. H., 569 [591 Philosophical Transactions 75, 1 18, Pickering xxiv., xxv., xxviii., 31 95. 179, 236, 252, 266, 272, 319, 340, 356, 500, 528, 558, 562, 594, 601 Pierce Bridge 242 [634 Pilmoor xxiii., 192, 454, 546, 625, Pilmoor Farm, Hunmanby, 374 Pinchinthorpe 530 Piper's Wood 387 Pittlebeck 324 Plompton 201 Pocklington 13, 30, 90, 101, 102, 117, 143, 151, 166, 170, 173, 187, 258, 273, 308, 317, 321, 395, 398, 454, 496, 529, 539. 701, 729, 770 Pollard's Woods, Leeds 78 Pontefract 124, 154, 166, 246. 385, 458 Pool, T. W., 608 Portland, Duchess of, 276 Posting Inn, Northallerton, 216 Potter 119, 143, 662 Potterick Carr 438, 624, 739 Potts, late Thomas, 394 Powell, Rev. T., 156 Pratt, J. F., 58 Preston 319 Preston, Captain, 387 Preston, Major, 388 Priestley 265 Priestman 104 Pringles 335 Prodham 333 Pryme, Rev. Abraham de la, xxvi., 442, 657 Plumpton 1 1 6, 524 Public Pasture 167 Pulfin 629 Pulleine, J., 341 Punchard Head 673 Pye 338 Pyman, W., 509, 664, 669 P.Z.S. 498, 533, 538, 562, 599. 614, 620, 668, 754, 756, 757, 764 INDEX OF PERSONAL AND PLACE NAMES. 833 Quarry Bank, Helmsley, 349 Radcliffe, Sir Joseph, Bart., 393 Raikes' Wood 65 Raincliffe 377, 380, 728 Raincliffe Wood 60 Raine, Thomas, 460 Rainworth Lodge 368, 398, 472, 474, 628, 663, 723, 729 Raithwaite Hall 664 Rampton 130 Ramsden 442 Randy Mere, Goathland, 389 Ranson, J., 83, 88, 99, 180, 204, 229, 341 Rash Gill 324 Raven Hill 239 Raven's Cliff 236 Raven's Crag 237, 239 Raven's Gill 236, 239 Raven's (or Jackdaw's) Well 236 Raven's Roe 239 Raven's Scar 237, 239 Ravenscar 678 Rawcliffe 61 Raw, Robert, 319, 365 Rawson (F.G.S.) MS. 173, 265, 363 Rawson, H. E., 664 Raw, W. H., 301, 319, 363, 508 Ray, John, 18, 42, 65, 75, 94, 97, 101, 115, 121, 132, 138, 145, !53> I75, 185, 202, 242, 287, 410, 415, 416, 424, 472, 598 Rayner Stones 516 Read, W. H. Rudston, 61, 706 Redcar (numerous) Redcliff 22, 27, 32, 34 Red Crag, Richmond, 326 Redhead, R. Milne, 548 Redhouse Wood 345 Reid, Hugh, 201, 220, 222, 292, 345. 363. 397, 401, 453, 426, 481, 536. 538, 557, 589, 624, 641, 642 Reighton 30, 550, 564, 569 Reighton Hall 145 Reighton, Vicar of, 554 Rennie's Field Naturalist 22, 27, 32, 34, 43, 75, 82, 85, 131, 181, 216, 267, 318, 568 Report on the Birds of Yorkshire i Reynard 404 Reynolds 63 Ribble xx., 279, 483 Ribble Valley 464 Ribblesdale 64, 143, 191, 198, 241, 242, 360, 370, 412, 541, 572, 596, 610, 618, 641, 744 Ribblesdale, Lord, 387, 519 Ribblesdale, Upper, 387 Ribston 486 Ribston Hall 747 Ribston Park 116, 166 Rishworth Moor 754 Riccall 404, 474, 770 Riccall Common xxiii., 454, 624, 634, 671 Riccaldale 388 Richardson, Dr. R.f 75, 106, 109, 117, 118, 178, 283, 324, 364, 457, 510, 396, 712 Richardson, Thos., 304 Richardson 559 Richmond 20, 31, 102, 103, 117. 141, 143, 167, 187, 198, 205, 233, 247, 282, 326, 339, 352, 366, 408, 485, 507, 511, 518, 520 Richmond Park, Sheffield, 54, 99 Rickaby, Miss Charlotte, 550 Rievaulx 117, 236 Rivelin, River, 101 Rivelin Valley 97, 397 Rillington 307 Rimington- Wilson, R. H., 516, 518, 520 Rimswell 1 3 Ripley 58, 109, 116, 166, 222, 233, 278, 387 Ripley Castle 336 Riplingham 752 Ripon 30, 50, 58, 68, 70, 81. 90, 95, 137, 151, 166, 170, 191, 834 INDEX OF PERSONAL AND PLACE NAMES. Ripon (continued) — 198, 236, 251, 254, 266, 319, 335. 340, 345, 346, 355, 3<56, 370, 408, 496, 519, 524, 526, 570, 597. 634, 745, 757, 761, 763 Ripon, Marquis of, 518 Ripon Museum 458 Ripon Park 604 Ripponden 265, 292, 754 Roberts, Alfred, 38, 101, 123, 137, 143, 144, 222, 238, 258, 280, 296, 305, 308, 314, 316, 320, 324, 332, 333, 336, 340, 346, 365, 369, 381, 397, 406, 463, 474, 481, 532, 541, 558, 592, 594, 629, 632, 699, 701, 706, 708, 745 Roberts, George, 3, 52, 91, 226, 339, 653 Roberts, W., 144 Robin Hood's Bay 21, 354, 424, 678, 696, 707, 754 Robinson 706 * Robinson, H. P., 405 Robinson, John, 571 Robinson, Thos., 665 Robinson, Wm., 60 Roche Abbey 50, 54, 107, 258 Roche Court 537 Rocklow, Ireland, 758 Rodd's " Birds of Cornwall "178 Roe Beck 354 Roebuck 48 Roebuck, W. D., 552 Rolleston Hall, Derby, 725 Rolleston Hall, Hull, 223, 754, 758 Romanby 191, 192 Rombalds Moor 314 Rooke, Dr., 351 Rowleston Hall 405 Rowley, G. D., 463 Rowlstone 628 Rossington xxiii. Rossington Warren 686 Rossington Wood, Doncaster, 363 Rotherham 50, 54 Rothschild, Hon. N. C., 761 Rothschild, Hon. Walter, 664 Rothwell 392 Roulston 503 Roulston Scar 236 Roundhay Park, Leeds, 95, 314 Rounton Grange 530 Routh Head 518 Royal Scottish Museum 74, 80, 88, 189, 195, 258, 514, 608 Rudding Park 87, 116, 166 Ruddock 345 Rudd, T. S., 465, 607 Rudston 393, 408, 558, 559 Rudstone-on-the-Wolds 550 Rufforth Moor 557 Runswick Bay 669 Russell, Thomas, 52 Ruswarp 319, 565 Ruswarp Dam, Whitby, 391, 397 Ruswarp Fields 211 Rutherford Bridge 389 Rutson 389 Rye xxv. Ryedale 33, 263, 433, 464, 597, 604, 733 Rye Valley 117 Ryhill Reservoir 739 Rylston Fell 320 Ryshworth and Edwarde's Moors 516 St. Quintin, Mrs., 552 St. Quintin, Sir Wm., 550 St. Quintin, W. H., 109, 277, 287, 307. 333, 361. 364, 388, 391, 411, 412, 414, 429, 437, 454, 460, 496, 501, 532, 541, 549, 550, 551, 552, 562 St. Quintin, Wm. Thos., 552 Salisbury 537, 557 Saltaire 29 Saltburn xxviii., 117, 135, 160, 162, 233, 239, 263, 286, 288, 375, 402, 493. 563. 573, 641, 674, 677, 678, 765 INDEX OF PERSONAL AND PLACE NAMES. 835 Salterhebble 541 Salt Scar 378, 475, 617, 619 Saltwick 402 Sandal 398 Sandbeck Park 739 Sandhutton 170 Sandsend 239 Saunders, Howard, 303, 394, 496, 525, 608, 633, 659, 667, 757, 761 Saunders' "Manual" xxxvii., 372, 432, 456, 498, 674, 675 Savage 369 Savage, Anthony, 408 Savile, Henry, 516 Saxby 24 Saxton 665 Sayer, Arthur, 572 Scalby 30, 337, 574, 655 Scalby Beck 280, 397, 398 Scalby Mills 650 Scalby Ness 381, 688 Scampston 90, 102, 109, 166, 170, 173, 181, 199, 233, 237, 267, 273. 277, 361, 364, 388, 411, 412, 414, 429, 452, 460, 464, 470, 496, 528, 532, 541, 549, 562, 594, 616, 625, 631, 634, 744 Scampston Lake 737 Scampston Park 117, 226, 229, 307 Scarborough (numerous) Scarborough Castle 216 Scarborough Mere 397 Scarborough Museum 247, 282, 332, 336, 354, 363, 396, 404, 555, 556, 557, 632, 650, 663, 746 Scarborough Philosophical Socy. 271 Scargill 366 Scarrow Fell Moor 641 Scarthingwell 105, 386 Scarth Nick 266, 338 Scarsdale, Lord, 477 Science and Art Museum, Dublin, 624 Scorborough xxvi., 387, 393, 394, 442, 443, 444, 451, 556, 557, 590, 624 Scollit 327 Scout Nab 377 Scrafton Lodge, Coverdale, 520 Scriven Park 57 Scugdale 366 Scugdale-in-Cleveland 290 Sculcoates 770 Sea Birds Preservation Act xxx., 687, 690 Seamer 281, 308, 317, 340, 346, 352, 528, 636 Seamer Carr 198 Seamer Moor 324, 329, 331, 336 Seaton Carew 262 Seaton Snook 208, 284, 285 Sealey 196 Sedbergh 17, 31, 46, 82, 85, 87, 88, 95, 103, 124, 131, 141, 150, 160, 167, 174, 186, 191, 219, 233, 266, 271, 273, 277, 303, 326, 365, 366, 379, 389, 454, 5°7, 546, 597, 634, 644 Seddon, Captain, 735 Seebohm, Henry, 40, 147, 183, 207, 301, 366, 498, 596 Selby 30, 46, 50, 76, 95, 100, 166, 198, 227, 236, 273, 319, 325, 341, 363, 368, 406, 412. 445, S32, 562, 582, 624, 661. 671, 744, 745 Selby Abbey 384, 430, 524 Sellaby 182 Semerwater xx., 464, 673, 737 Sessay 597 Sessay Wood 55 Settle 24, 29, 95, 163, 181, 242, 502, 504, 520, 627, 632 Sewerby 147, 564 Sewerby Hall xxxi., 340 Sharp, H., 422, 636 Sharp, Sir Cuthbert, 468 836 INDEX OF PERSONAL AND PLACE NAMES. Sharpe, Dr. R. Bowdler, 761 Shaw Gill 348 Sheffield xxi., 29, 50, 54, 67, 70, 72, 79, 81, 83, 89, 92, 95, 98, 99, 101, 116, 125, 147, 151, 166, 183, 185, 191, 193, 196, 198, 224, 240, 270, 266, 279, 283, 302, 316, 319, 362, 366, 426, 430, 496, 505, 506, 520, 529, 532, 570, 574, 596, 601, 610, 634, 661, 728, 739 Sheffield Museum 368 Sherard, Dr., 75, 109, 178, 712 Sherborn 770 Sherburn-in-Elmet 169 Sherburn Wolds 568 Sheffield " Daily Telegraph " 317, 339 Shetland Isles xxxiv. Shipley 53, 464, 476 Ship ton 55 Sidney, late Hon. H., 600 Silsden 142 Sinclair, Jack, 236 Simonstone 348 Sims, Dr., 348 Simpson, Martin, 13, 304 Simpson 326 Skeffling 142, 188, 742 Skelmanthorpe 23, 29, 47, 95, 151, 268, 279 Skinningrove 222, 336, 433 Skelton 48, 50, 54, 117, 486 Skelton, George 446, 449 Skelton-in-Cleveland 282 Skelton Springs 54, 55 Skelton, T. Gilbert, 449 Skerne 333, 450 Skewkirk 56 Skipton 143, 148, 187, 239, 300, 310, 320, 525, 535, 672, 673, 692 Skipton Bridge 254 Skipton Castle 505, 510 Skipton-in-Craven 95, 478, 497 Skipton-on-Swale 430 Skipsea 404, 669, 770 Skipsea Watch House 770 Skipwith 452, 496 Skipwith Common, 454, 460, 589, 624, 634, 645, 669, 671, 673, 700 Skipwith Manor 323 Skirlaugh 74, 770 Slaidburn 326, 386 Slaithwaite 572 Slater 192 Slater, Rev. H. H., 74, 191, 201, 512, 539, 745 Sledmere 199, 551, 552, 553 Sleights 140, 151 Sleights Moor 304 Sleights, Snowden, 437, 487, 636 Slenningford 763 Slingsby 302, 371, 403. 425, 500 574, 707, 733 Sloane, Sir Hans, 510, 596 Smeaton, John, 438, 441 Smith, Rev. H., 466, 592, 595 Smith, Matthew, 312 Smith, S., 608 Smith, S. H., 186 Smorfitt 501 Smurthwaite, H., 20, 102, 141, 326, 366 Snailsworth 239 Snaith 201, 532 Sneaton Thorpe 16 Snilesworth Moor 321 Snook 262 Snowdon, Dr., 338 Southampton 394 South Bay, Scarborough, 761 South Cave 60, 527 South Dalton Park 496 South Gare Breakwater 502, 617 South Kensington 195, 487 South Kensington Museum 276 South Kirby 337 Southowram 752 Southwell, Thomas, xxxviii., 342, 432, 651, 757 South Woods 569 Sowerby Bridge 474, 610 INDEX OF PERSONAL AND PLACE NAMES. 837 Spalding Moor 267, 444 Speeton xix., 30, 238, 336, 354, 358, 568, 678, 689, 690, 708, 7". 714 Speeton Cliffs 336, 528, 713 Spofforth 67 " Sporting Magazine " 549, 550 Sproatley 95, 258 Spurn (numerous) Spurn Lighthouse 41, 139, 298, 351, 434, 534, 587, 618, 627, 660, 737 Stainborough Park, Barnsley, 116 Stainborough Woods 151, 596 Staincross 407, 733 Stainer Wood 368 Staingate 335 Stainland 365 Stainsacre 346, 437 Stainton Moor 507 Staithes 31, 102, 135, 167, 233, 259, 280, 346, 376, 629, 661, 678, 679, 683, 696, 759 Stamford Bridge 102 Stanbury 291 Standedge 610 Standen, R., 319, 320 Stanhope, W. Spencer, 506, 516 Stanley 52 Stape Moor 237 Stapleton 369 Stapleton Estate 53 Starbottom 333 Staveley 30, 47, 49, 58, 90, 166, 170, 425, 502, 529, 667 •Staveley Bridge 502 Staxton Wold 565 Steels, George, 101, 143, 308, 321, 395, 398 Stephenson 698 [752 Stephenson, John, 304, 556, 590, Stephenson, T., 100, 115, 140, 211, 283, 304, 305, 311, 324, 335, 341, 345, 349, 356, 388, 391, 396, 397, 46o, 462, 508, 541, 565, 654, 694, 695, 746. 757 Stephenson and Wilson 196 Sterland's " Birds of Sherwood Forest " 336 Stevens 71, 347, 351, 695 Stevens, J. C., 319 Stevenson 294, 335 Stevenson's " Birds of Norfolk " 312 Steward, Dr., 90, 508 Stillingfieet 60 Stockton 244, 468, 484, 590 Stockton-on-Tees 265, 320, 323, 339 Stockton-on-the-Forest 198, 323, 499 Stockburn, R. N., 364 Stockfield 331 Stockeld Park 56 Stocksmoor 228 Stokesley 99, 252, 333, 522, 636 Stokesley Moor 522 Stonegate Ghyll 335 Stonehouse, Rev. W. B., 445 Stone House, Dent, 57- Storey, Wm, 160, 317, 371, 386, 47L 507 Storthes Hall, Wakefield, 95, 108, 352 Storthwaite 353 Stork Hill, Beverley, 387 Stourton, Hon. Chas., 567 Strangwayes, R., 205 Strathmore, Lord, 515 Strickland 270, 401, 413, 420, 421. 475, 491, 559, 610, 625, 726, 730, 756 Strickland, Arthur xliv., 222, 333, 38o, 393, 404, 410, 412, 417, 443, 460, 531, 549, 555. 557, 558, 561, 567, 568, 569. 589, 618, 646, 649, 694, 697, 754, 755 Strickland, Mrs., 569 Strickland, Sir C. W., 337, 549, 550 Strickland, Sir George 388, 550 Strickland, Sir Wm., 550, 553. 554 838 INDEX OF PERSONAL AND PLACE NAMES. Strensall 186, 512. 546 Strensall Common xxiii., 17, 161, 191, 290, 300, 371, 427, 430, 454. 509. 545, 601, 671, 707 Stuart 143, 234, 310, 337, 564, 630 Stubbs, John, 763 Studley 151, 272, 277 Studley Park 116, 166 Studley Royal 518 Summer Lodge Tarn 673 Summerfield, Rev. R. A., 535 Summerside 216 Sunderlandwick 324, 636, 754 Sunk Island 442, 625, 636 Sunk Island Decoy 444 Sunny Bank 51 Sutton 486 Sutton-on-Derwent 353, 388, 429, 433, 467 Swailes 80 Swailes, G. C., 174 Swailes, Johnson, 457, 502 Swainby 150, 167, 199, 200, 288, 299, 329, 338, 383, 597> 73i Swainby-in- Cleveland 561 Swainby Moor 155, 329, 331, 338, 383, 520, 570, 606 Swale xx., 129, 237, 408, 651 Swaledale 33, 68, 82, 162, 167, i?9, 191, 192, 216, 239, 266, 280, 302, 324, 326, 330, 354, 359, 366, 455, 464, 507, 513, 572, 597, 610, 673 Swale Valley 360, 685 Swanland 387 Swarth Fell, Ribblesdale, 191 Swillington 450 Swillington Hall 142 Swinefleet 89 Swinnergill, 237, 326 Swinsty 634 Swinsty Reservoir 471, 574, 627, 739 Swinton, Lake, 594 Swinton Park, Masham, 137, 273, 389, 530 Sykes, Bowland, 320 Sykes, George, 516 Sykes Moor 519 Sykes, Sir Tatton, 199, 553 Tadcaster 92, 137, 326, 534, 593, 665, 666, 667, 732 Talbot, William, 12, 19, 52, 96, 137, 143, 162, 270, 316, 363, 408, 452, 471, 481, 496, 535, 546, 576, 601, 614, 616, 745 Talbot's " Birds of Wakefield " 397 Tanfield 750, 762, 763 Taunton 3, 669 Taylor 397 Taylor, Jonathan, 349 Tegetmeier, W. B., 219, 509 Temple Newsam 452 Temple Thorpe 391 Tenbury 504 Tennant, J., 142, 222, 289; 325, 345, 398 Tees (numerous) Tees Bay 469, 476, 484, 654, 662, 663, 697, 705, 757, 759 Tees Breakwater 10, 32, 34, 78, 214, 297, 299, 338, 476, 497. 526, 537, 575, 597, 598, 606 Teesdale 27, 31, 72, 82, 155, 159, 162, 167, 173, 179, 180, 191, 199, 237, 266, 273, 336, 366, 398, 433, 464, 505, 511, 515, 546, 644 Tees Marshes 217, 246, 407, 459, 635 Tees Lighthouse 194 Tees Light Vessel 434 Teesmouth (numerous) Tees Valley xxiii., xxiv., 272, 685 Thackerey Beck, Bluberhouse, 588 Thackley 476 " The Field " (numerous) "The Ibis" 105, 166, 173, 182, 184, 207, 208, 223, 225, 300, 330, 362, 427, 464, 528, 642, 648 " The Naturalist " (numerous) INDEX OF PERSONAL AND PLACE NAMES. 839 Thainston-on-Don 381 Thicket Priory 427, 458, 464, 471, 474, 487, 545, 564, 624, 637, 745 Thirkleby 347 Thirkleby Park 59, 442, 451, 460, 461, 464, 467 Thirkleby Park Decoy 447, 449 Thirsk 31, 50, 56, 58, 59, 79, 82, 115, 117, 167, 179, 184, 187, 218, 268, 280, 282, 320, 330, 333. 347. 362, 364, 371, 373, 425, 427, 461, 527, 530, 625, 634, 638, 641, 701, 706, 707 729, 73i. 733. 744. 751 Thompson 353 Thompson, Edward, 310, 398 Thompson, E. V., 398 Thompson, R., 386 Thompson, Wm., 355 Thompson, W. H., 553 Thoresby 146 Thorleby Springs 364 Thorne 222, 442, 445, 624 Thorne Waste xxiii., 20, 30, 162, 191, 300, 452, 454, 509, 610, 634, 644, 672 Thorne Waste Decoy 444 Thornhill 51 Thornes 745 Thornsetts Moors 317 Thornthwaite 267 Thornton 333, 454, 541, 581 Thornton, Colonel, 358 Thornton Bridge 670, 671 Thornton Rust 198, 389, 614 Thorn wick 713 Thorp Arch 56, 319, 320 Thorpe 408 Throxenby Mere 60 Thwaite, John, 515 Thwing 364 Tickhill 222 Tindall, E., 162, 238, 363, 369, 396, 404, 532, 629, 650, 655. 663 Tinkler, J. E., 326, 354, 408, 572, 676 Tivy Dale 51 Todd, Wm., 224 Todmorden 19 Tod Point 124, 262, 447 Tollerton 56 Tollerton Ings 696 Tollesby 59, 427 Tollesby Hall 693, 702, 729 Tong Park Reservoir 476 Toothill 564 Tostock Rectory 665 Townend, J. S., 393 Townhead 60 1 Towton 701 Tranby Park, Hull, 333, 450 Travis, Rev. W. T., 109 Trefrie, Aberdovey, 707 Trent xxiii., 433, 528, 589 Tristram, Canon H. B., 207 Trowler's Gill 236 Tuck, Rev. Julian G., 38, 104, 665, 674, 682, 686, 693, 710, 754. 758 Tuke, J. H., 754 Tunstall, Marmaduke, 3, 10, 14, 17, 26, 33, 49, 56, ii2, 117, 122, 146, 154, 157, 160, 163, 169, 180, 182, 193, 194, 197, 203, 213, 235, 252, 269, 270, 272, 285, 286, 288, 290, 291, 334. 378, 380, 400, 402, 423, 487, 489, 505, 510, 520, 521, 532. 536, 549. 550, 561, 601, 645, 660 Tunstall Museum 30, 46, 172, 209, 296, 365, 482, 540, 568, 573. 575, 580, 609, 637, 674 Turton, Captain, 261 Turton, E. R., 282, 286, 496 Tuton, W. J., 13 Tyne xx. Ugthorpe 31, 320 Ulladale Force 302 Ulleskelf 365 840 INDEX OF PERSONAL AND PLACE NAMES. Ulrome 549, 576 Upgang 30 Upper Nidderdale 501 Upper Poppleton 356 Upper Ribblesdale 454 Upper Teesdale 359, 455, 481, 504, 507, 519, 610, 625, 634 Upper Wharf edale 29, 65, 95, 228, Upsall 286, 496 [387 Upsall Castle 261, 282, 333 Upton Beacon 53 Ure xx., 129, 151, 247, 429, 744, 749, 762, 763 Ure Valley 685 Vale of Pickering 272 Vale of York 272 Vane, Hon. Fred, 182 Vansittart, H., 447, 448 Varley, James, 53, 69, 79, 99, 141, 145, 206, 222, 320, 326, 346 Vaughan, Thomas, 320 Vavasour, Sir Walter, 49, 56 Ventriss 305 Vermuyden, C., 438, 441 Vermuyden River 509 [54° " Vertebrate Fauna of Yorkshire " Victoria Cave, Settle, 504 Vigors, A. N., 309 Waddington 366 Wadsley Bridge 393 Wadwith Wood 369 Waghen 742 Waite, E. R., 205, 320, 324, 326, 341, 425, 495, 633 Wakefield (numerous) Walden Head 237 Waupley 191, 327, 508 Waupley Moors 31, 316 Wales, North, 347 Walker, J. C., 341 Walkington 64 Walsingham, Lord, 451, 507, 516, 518, 520, 527, 588, 606, 659 Walton Hall 52, 105, 173, 228, 236, 270, 294, 325, 374, 378, 386, 469 Walton Park xxii., 229, 274, 389, 410, 481, 649, 744 Walton, W., 316, 319, 327, 345, 622 Wansford 404, 550 Wanesford, Sir Christopher, 670 Waplington 101, 199, 622 Ward, A., 460 Ward, C, 388, 752 Ward, J., 91, 205 Warley 127 Warley Clough, Halifax, 222, 591 Warner, C. J. Lee, 302 Warrenby 447 Warter Priory 166, 529 Warwick, Earl, 385, 595 Wash xxxv. Washburndale u, 364, 507, 584 Washburn Valley 29, 91, 95, 116, 166, 170, 216, 277, 467, 596 Wassand 316, 317, 388, 463 Waterton, Charles (numerous) Wath-upon-Dearne 149 Watson, Cuthbert, 406, 693 Watson, Harold, 93 Watson, J., 688 Watson, T., 365 Wattam. W. E. L., 618 Wat ton xxvi., 442, 444, 624 Watton Beck 398 Watton Decoy 443 Wear xx. Weaverthorpe 562 Webb. J. S., 125 Webster 397 Wedgewood 346 Weeton 513 Wetherby 56, 67, 69, 95, 222, 311, 320, 331, 365, 566, 592, 729 Wetherby Grange 56, 386 Wetherill 101 Wetwang 501 Welbeck Wath 65 Welbury 625 Wellburn, T., 503 Wellburn, W., 391 INDEX OF PERSONAL AND PLACE NAMES. 841 Welwick 104 Wilstrop 432 Winestead 119 Wemmergill 516 Wemmergill Moors 316, 318, 356 Wenlock, Lord, 404, 445, 672 Wensley 538 Wensleydale 31, 33, 67, 82, 90, 96, 117, 143, 147, 150, 159, 198, 205, 230, 237, 266, 272, 277, 292, 299, 320, 327, 348, 389, 401, 412, 427, 429, 433, 455, 458, 464, 466, 467, 481, 507, 513, 514, 519, 520, 521, 533. 546, 569. 572. 6l°. 6l4> 625, 641, 661, 673, 701, 740, 742, 743, 744, 747 Wentworth Castle 16 Wentworth Park 467 West 525 West Burton 230 West, E., 388 West, L., 59, 424, 509, 528 West Scar 617 West Scar Head, Redcar, 734 West Hartlepool 262 Western Ainsty 205, 275, 320, 365, 400, 414, 425, 501, 532, 535, 624, 638, 752 Westmorland 151, 237, 326, 327, 355. 507, 528 Westerdale 342, 541 Wharfe xx., 123, 283, 333, 410, 467, 483, 546, 733, 737 Wharfe and Nidd Valleys 82 Wharfe, Banks of, 29 Wharfedale 19, 33, 52, 64, 122, 151, 160, 166, 167, 263, 302, 323, 330, 507, 535. 54L 584. 596 Wharfedale, Upper, 191, 198, 325 Wharfe Valley 116, 179, 216, 426, Wharncliffe Chase xxii. [464 Wharncliffe Wood 350 Wharton, W. H., M.F.H., 282 Wheatley Wood 496 Wheelclale 341 Wheldon, J. A., 695 Whernside 519, 520 Whichcote, Sir Thomas, 306 Whitaker's " Craven " 64 Whitaker, J., 305, 308, 368, 426, 431, 451, 472, 474, 505, 510, 538. 575. 628, 663, 702, 723, 738. 743. 757. 758 Whitaker's " Richmondshire " 378 Whitby (numerous) Whitby High Lights 679 Whitby Museum 211, 271, 304, 391, 397. 4H. 565. 688, 695, 707, 757 Whitby Museum, Curator of, 13 White, Colonel, 560 White, Gilbert, 94 White Mare Cliff 236 [507 Whitwell, T., 299, 338, 383, 411, Whixley 575 Widdas, G. A., 103, 334 Winson, Thomas, 40 Wike 35 Wighill Ings 624, 625 Wighill Park 529 Wilberfoss 408, 539, 594 Wild Birds Protection Acts 302, 596, 66 1, 769 Wiley, Wm., 550 Wilf holme 457 Wilkinson, George, 714, 717, 722 Wilkinson, W., 690, 716, 718, 720 Williamson's Scarborough Cata- logue 242, 247 Williamson, Prof. W. C., 538, 562, 614, 620, 668 Willis, R. A., 652 Willoughby, H. 396 Willughby, Francis, 72, 86, 94, 125, 148, 183, 191, 272, 400, 426, 473, 510, 593, 594, 596, 609, 646, 648 Willughby's " Ornithology " 28 121, 128, 130, 140, 212, 215, 265, 287, 295, 362, 373, 392, 842 INDEX OF PERSONAL AND PLACE NAMES. Willughby's "Ornithology" (cont.) 423, 425, 457, 468, 472, 477, 480, 485, 494, 605, 656, 658, 708, 711, 727, 732 Wilsden 20, 24, 29, 67, 85, 92, 163, 191, 275, 277, 279, 323, 334, 497, 529, 638 Wilson 515 Wilson, J., 78 Wilson, J. A., 695, 708 Wilson, J. H., 305, 325 Wilson, Sir M. W., 387 Wilson, W., 364 Wilstrop 95, 179, 205, 236, 239, 281, 324, 325, 327, 341, 345, 387, 403, 412, 454, 474, 634 Wilstrop Hall 372 Wilsden 570 Wilton 117, 262, 597 Wilton Beacon xxv. Windermere 664 Windy Hill Farm 559 Winestead 388 Winsetts, Easington, 142 Winston 60 1 Winter burn 634 Wintringham 528 Wiske, River, 150 Witherby, H. R, 560 Withernsea 92, 405, 500, 594, 625, 669, 770 Wolds xxv., xxvi., 123, 162, 213, 273, 275, 287, 414, 418, 420, 421, 422, 490, 491, 528, 550, SSL 552, 553, 555, 56i, 562, 569, 578, 597, 616 Wolley, John, 555 Wombwell Wood 506 Wood 141, 397 [332 Wood, Neville, 52, 154, 204, 225, Wood's (Neville) " Naturalist " 61, 97, 119, 156, 163, 186, 282, 313, 319, 336, 353. 363, 393. 622 Woodall, Henry, 549, 555 Woodall, J. W., 549, 554 Woodend 79 Woodcock, Michael, 335 Woodhall 56, 551 Woodhall Bridge 497 Woodhouse 560, 739 Woodhouse, W., 721 Woodlands 227 Woodruff e-Peacock, A., 335 Woodsome 205 Woof ell 571 Wooley Park, Wilstrop, 387 Worksop 666 Worsborough 176 Worsborough Reservoir 467, 739 Wray, Canon, 558 Wray, Mrs. 558 Wray 752 Wressill and Lekinfield Castles 255 Wressill Castle 385, 399, 407, 455, 458, 525, 531, 549, 567, 586 Wright, G., 220 Wycliffe-on-Tees 3, 17, 49, 96, 117, 146, 154, 182, 197, 213, 235, 269, 270, 285, 288, 378, 400, 423, 482, 487, 505, 532, 536, 550, 561, 579 Wycliffe Museum 296, 365, 746 Wykeham 336, 340, 497 Yarm 17, 167, 208, 278 Yarrell, W., 144, 278, 307, 394, 418, 419, 420, 456, 470, 477, 496, 5J5, 519, 615, 674 Yarrell's " British Birds " 69, 73, 94, 130, 146, 172, 294, 313, 348, 393, 477, 509, 520, 527, 538, 605, 687. 730, 757, 762 Yeadon Moor Reservoir 614 Yearby 4 Yearby Bank 448 Yore 538, 747 Yoredale 610, 627, 673 York (numerous) York & Dist. Field Naturalists' Society 364 York, Archbishop of, 385, 399, 400, 455, 547, 595, 776 INDEX OF PERSONAL AND PLACE NAMES. 843 York Blue Coat Boys School 220 " York Herald " 289 York Museum 13, 41, 75, 104, 137, 208, 222, 351, 364, 365, 372, 373, 39L 393, 395, 408, 430, 451, 471, 481, 498, 540, 548, 557, 558, 559, 590, 602, 625, 665, 669, 727, 737, 742, 745, 752, 758, 761, 762 Yorke, J., 507 York Nurseries 117 Yorkshire Philosophical Society 405, 627, 666, 706, 756 Yorkshire Coalfield 50, 51 Yorkshire Magazine 249 Yorkshire Naturalists' Club 337, 403, 437, 661, 745 Yorkshire Naturalists' Union, 3, 321, 333 "Yorkshire Post" 339, 751 " Yorkshire Weekly Post " 46 Youlton 529 Young, A., 317, 324, 340, 347, 365. 369 Young, D., 39, 305, 528 Young, John, 38, 317, Young, J. J. Baldwin, 54, 99 Young's " Whitby " 230 Zetland, Marquis of, 352 Zimmerman 300 Zoological Society 25, 74, 153, 195, 207, 208, 309, 417, 462. 756. 757, 762 " Zoologist " (numerous) PRINTED AT BROWNS' SAV1LE PRESS, DOCK STREKT, HULL. RETURN TO the circulation desk of any University of California Library or to the NORTHERN REGIONAL LJBRARY FACILITY Bldg. 400, Richmond Field Station University of California Richmond, CA 94804-4698 ALL BOOKS MAY BE RECALLED AFTER 7 DAYS 2- month loans may be renewed by calling (510)642-6753 1-year loans may be recharged by bringing books to NRLF Renewals and recharges may be made 4 days prior to due date DUE AS STAMPED BELOW APR 2 0 1996 RETURNtu JUN 0 2 Santa Cruz Jitney 20,000 (4/94) .1:1--.. .- FFB 5 1934 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA UBRARY