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FOR  THE  PEOPLE 

FOR  EDVCATION 

FOR  SCIENCE 

LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM 

OF 

NATURAL  HISTORY 

Northern    News,    etc.  403 

of  Nature's  Noblemen.       Take  him   all  in    all,    we    shall  not 
look  upon  his  like  again. 

After  a  few  days'  illness,  he  passed  away,  October  6th,  in 
his  76th  year,  and  was  interred  in  the  Churchyard  of  St. 
Bartholomew's,  Armley.  He  was  a  bachelor.  Representatives 
of  the  Society  attended  the  funeral,  which  took  place  on  October 
nth,  exactly  a  fortnight  after  that  of  his  old  friend,  Mr.  W. 
Barraclough,  which  he  had  attended.  It  is  now  made  public 
that  the  deceased  gentleman,  amongst  numerous  other  chari- 
table bequests,  has  left  to  his  Society  the  sum  of  £100. 

E.G.B. 


The  Biynti)ighain  and  Midland  Inslitiile  Scientific  Society  has  issued 
its  annual  antl  valuable  '  Records  of  Meteorological  Observations,  taken 
at  the  Observatory,  Edgbaston,  1915,  by  Mr.  Alfred  Cresswell,'  at  2s.  In 
addition  it  has  published  Mr.  Ernest  Crocker's  Presidential  Address  {24 
pages)  entitled  '  Science  as  Enemy  and  Ally.' 

The  Report  of  the  Natural  History  Society  of  Northumberland,  Durham 
and  Newcastle-on-  Tyne,  shows  that  the  work  of  this  excellent  Society 
and  its  ISIuseum  has  still  fvirther  b3en  interfered  with,  by  the  fact  that 
the  Curator,  Mr.  E.  L.  Gill,  is  in  France  on  ambulance  work,  and  that  the 
caretaker  has  died.  Under  the  care  of  the  assistant  Curator,  Mr.  H. 
Fletcher,  some  progress  has  bsen  made,  which  is  detailed  in  the  Report. 

At  the  Annual  Meeting  of  the  Lincolnshire  Naturalists'  Union,  held  at 
Lincoln  on  November  gth,  the  Rev.  F.  L.  Blathwayt  mentioned  that  in 
June  last  he  went  to  see  the  work  of  a  pair  of  starlings  nesting  in  a  barn 
at  Black.  ]\Ioor  Farm,  Doddington.  For  about  a  fortnight  the  birds 
persevered  in  pushing  hay  and  straw  through  a  hole  in  the  roof,  but  there 
bsing  no  support,  the  stuff  all  fell  through  to  the  ground  below,  and  formed 
a  large  pile,  four  feet  six  inches  high  and  four  feet  wide  at  the  base,  and 
weighing,  he  was  told,  10  lb.  The  attempt  was  at  last  given  up.  Mr. 
Guy  W.  Mason  was  elected  president  for  the  year,  and  the  Rev.  F.  L. 
Blathwayt  vice-president.  The  secretary,  treasurer  and  .sectional  officers 
were  all  re-elected. 

'  Enquirer  '  writes  as  follows  : — '  I  should  be  much  obliged  if  any  of 
your  readers  could  tell  me  what  are  "  Terlalogims."  From  the  facts  before 
me  I  infer  that  there  are  several  classes  of  them,  one  of  which  is  called 
■'  Index  Terlalogims,"  but  I  do  not  know  the  names  of  the  others.  They 
would  appear  to  present  great  variations,  for  2,300  coloured  figures  can 
be  purchased  for  £2.  They  have. been  studied  by  an  author  named  Wood. 
This  is  all  the  knowledge  I  have  been  able  to  acquire  up  to  the  present, 
but  any  further  information  would  be  gratefully  received.' 

We  must  confess  that,  at  first,  the  enquiry  puzzled  us,  but  as  we  were 
asked  a  little  while  ago  to  pay  a  visit  to  a  suburb  of  London,  in  order  to 
see  a  toad's  nest  in  a  gooseberry  bush,  we  naturally  felt  our  correspondent 
was  of  this  harmless  variety.  It  appears,  however,  that  on  the  cover  of 
a  certain  well-known  natural  history  journal,  a  copy  of  '  Wood's  Index 
Terlalogims  '  was  offered  for  sale.  We  found  that  the  editor  of  the  journal 
had  no  control  of  the  advertisements  and  knew  nothing  of  the  matter  ; 
but  the  publishers  kindly  allowed  us  to  see  the  MS.  for  the  advertisement, 
and  we  must  admit  that,  frona  a  compositor's  point  of  view,  the  word  was 
clearly  '  Terlalogim-s,'  but,  as  the  printer  explained,  'naturalists  are  gener 
ally  suchbad  writers  '  (even  in  the  letter  by  '  Enquirer  '  who  is  a  naturalist 
of  some  standing,  the  word  looks  like  '  Julalogirus  '  !).  The  book  offered 
for  sale,  of  course,  should  have  been  Wood's  Index  Testaceologicus. 

1916  Oct.  1. 


+J 


'Z^^^y 


404 


3n  riDemoriam. 

T.  H.  NELSON,  J.P.,  M.Sc,  M.B.O.U. 


YORKSHIRE   Ornithology  has  sustained  ^.  ^^J^^J^^J^^^; 'J,\^ 
death   of    T.    H.    Nelson,    which    occurred    at    Harrogate    on 

Sunday,   November  5th.  nrnin^pd   a 

Mr:  Nelson  has  for  a  great  number  of  years  occupied  a 


foremost  position  among  ^^^^^f^^^:rsMS^ 
was  formerly  an  active  "^^^"^^^^^^,^^V  health  has  considerably 
Union,    but    of   late,    unsatisfactory   health   lias  ^^^^ 

curtailed  his   field   activities.     The   area  of   the    i 

Naturalist 


In  Memoriam  :    T.  H.  Nelson,  J. P.,  M.Sc,  M.B.O.U.      405 

Despite  his  activities,  he  did  not  publish  any  really  im- 
portant work  until  his  "  Birds  of  Yorkshire  '  appeared.  His 
field  notes,  scattered  in  the  pages  of  'The  Ibis,'  'Zoologist,' 
'Naturalist,'  'Field,'  'British  Birds,'  etc.,  were,  however,  both 
numerous  and  valuable.  For  a  considerable  time,  he  acted 
as  referee  for  Ornithology  for  The  Naturalist. 

When  Mr.  Eagle  Clarke  left  Yorkshire,  a  substitute  had 
to  be  found  to  undertake  the  writing  of  '  The  Birds  of  York- 
shire.' The  unanimous  choice  of  the  Executive  Committee 
of  the  Union  fell  upon  Mr.  Nelson,  and.  it  would  have  been 
impossible  to  select  anyone  better  fitted  for  the  task.  The 
work  was  in  a  true  sense  '  monumental,'  an  example  of  the 
best  kind  of  county  avi-fauna,  and  one  which  will  stand  for 
all  time  as  a  fitting  memorial  to  the  author.  The  present 
writer  was  closely  associated  with  Mr.  Nelson  during  the 
progress  of  this  work,  and  can  bear  testimony  to  the  great  and 
unceasing  care  which  was  exercised  by  him  to  ensure  that 
every  statement  contained  therein  was  thoroughly  reliable. 
In  order  that  this  should  be  so,  the  labour  entailed  was  enorm- 
ous, thousands  of  references  and  notes  had  to  be  carefully 
investigated  and  sifted,  some  of  them  time  after  time,  before 
they  were  admitted.  The  results  of  his  labours  are  universally 
recognised  to  be  as  near  perfect  as  it  is  possible'  for  works  of 
this  kind  to  be. 

When  the  University  of  Leeds  decided  to  confer  the  Honor- 
ary Degree  of  M.Sc.  upon  a  certain  number  of  members  of 
the  Yorkshire  Naturalists'  Union,  as  an  acknowledgement  of 
the  great  work  done  in  connection  with  Natural  Science  by 
the  Union  and  its  individual  members,  they  rightly  selected 
Mr.  Nelson  to  receive  the  honour  on  behalf  of  Yorkshire 
ornithology.  In  another  direction  he  was  honoured  by  being 
placed  upon  the  Commission  of  Peace  for  the  North  Riding, 
his  presence  upon  the  bench  being  frequent. 

Mr.  Nelson  was  of  a  kindly  and  somewhat  quiet  disposition, 
a  good  friend,  and  one  who  will  be  missed  by  a  large  circle  of 
friends  and  fellow  naturalists,  whose  sympathies  will  go  out 
to  Mrs.  Nelson  (who  took  a  keen  and  active  interest  in  all  her 
husband's  work)  in  her  great  trouble. — R.  F. 


In  "More  Nsw  Cecidomyid  Galls"  in  The  Entomologist's  Record  ior 
November,  Messrs.  R.  S.  Bagnall  and  J.  W.  H.  Harrison  record  many 
northern  county  species. 

To  a  note  on  '  Sphceriestes  {Rabocerus)  gabrieli,'  by  Prof.  T.  Hudson 
Beare,  in  The  Entomologist' s  Monthly  Magazine  for  November,  '  G.C.C 
adds  a  note  to  the  effect  that  '  The  insects  representing  S.  foveolatus  in 
the  collection  of  the  British  Coleopteva  in  the  National  Museum  are 
referable  to  S.  gabrieli,  as  are  those  (from  Scarborough)  in  my  own  col- 
lection.' 

1916  Dec.  ]. 


40  6 

NEWS  FROM  THE  MAGAZINES,  etc. 

The  Zoologist  for  Octob.^r  contains  some  short  notes  on  Yorkshire 
birds  and  insects. 

Dr.  E.  J.  Russell  writes  on  '  Chalking  :  a  useful  Improvement  for  Clays 
Overlying  the  Chalk  '  in  The  Journal  of  the  Board  of  Agriculture  for  October. 

Dr.  J.  A.  Clubb  writes  on  '  The  Educative  Value  in  Public  Museums 
of  Introductory  Cases  to  Animal  Groups  '  in  The  Museums  Journal  for 
November. 

The  Animal  World  for  November  contains  the  following  short 
papers  : — '  Newts,'  by  Edward  Step  ;  '  Sea- Birds  :  The  Poetry  of  Flight,' 
by  F.  G.  Aflalo  ;  and  'Animals  that  break  themselves  up,'  by  C.  F. 
Newall. 

In  The  Entomologist  for  November,  ]\Ir.  J.  \V.  H.  Harrison  writes 
'  Concerning  Certain  Cynipid  Galls  in  Durham,  Northumberland  and 
North  Yorkshire,'  and  Mr.  W.  G.  Clutten  records  Erebia  blandina  and 
Larentia  flavicinctata  at  Grassington. 

A  Punch  joke  : — -Private  Brown,  (inspecting  mud  on  tyre)  :  '  You 
must  have  had  a  wonderfully  interesting  ride.  I  see  you've  been  in  the 
Lower  Silurian,  Old  Red  Sandstone,  Crystallite  and  INIetamorphic  dis- 
tricts."    We  presume  that  '  Crystallite  '  is  the  joke  ? 

Wild  Life  for  September  contains  papers  on  'The  Peregrine  Falcon,' 
by  Rev.  D.  A.  Scott;  'The  Storm  Petrel  and  Manx  Shearwater,'  bv 
A.  Whitaker  and  T.  M.  Fowler  ;  '  Some  New  Facts  about  the  Nightjar,' 
by  A.  M.  C.  NichoU  ;    '  Sexual  Selection  in  Birds,'  by  Edmund  Selous. 

We  ha,ve  received  the  Annual  Report  of  the  Scottish  Marine  Biological 
Station  for  igi^f.  It  is  well  written,  well  printed  and  well  illustrated. 
It  contains  50  pages  and  is  an  excellent  record  of  a  good  year's  work  at 
Millport.  It  would  be  still  more  interesting  if  all  the  illustrations  were 
described,  common  objects  though  some  of  them  are. 

In  The  Journal  of  Conchology  for  October,  Mr.  B.  R.  Lucas  states 
that  "a  good  mixture  to  prevent  the  objectionable  fungoid  growth  in 
improperly  cleaned  land-shells  consists  of  linseed  oil,  10  per  cent.  ;  benzol, 
go  per  cent.,  and  2  grammes  of  thymol  crystals.  The  proportion  01 
linseed  oil  can  be  reduced  for  small  spinous  shells,  and  increased  to  give 
lustre  to  big  shells. 

Mr.  G.  C.  Crick  has  made  a  critical  study  of  the  specimen  from  Settle, 
described  as  Goniatites  vesiculifer  by  Dr.  Hind,  in  the  Proceedings  of  the 
Yorkshire  Geological  Society.  His  paper  is  printed  in  Vol.  XII.,  part  i, 
of  the  Proceedings  of  the  Malacological  Society.  He  concludes  that  the 
English  fossil  is  certainly  very  near  to,  and  probably  identical  with, 
De  Koenick's  species. 

The  Proceedings  of  the  Coventry  Natural  History  and  Scientific  Society 
for  the  year  ending  March,  1916  (30  pages),  contains  a  useful  illustrated 
summary  of  the  field  meetings  and  lectures  during  the  year.  It  is  edited 
by  Mr.  H.  J.  Wheldon,  and  is  sold  at  the  very  low  price  of  6d.  A  year 
earlier,  the  first  part  of  this  Society's  publication  appeared,  containing  a 
record  of  its  work  from  the  Society's  inauguration  in  1909,  to  1915. 

We  have  received //;<//  MuseumPuhlications  No.  106  (Quarterly  Record 
of  Additions,  No.  LIT),  by  T.  Sheppard,  M.Sc,  24  pp.,  illustrated,  price 
one  penny  (Hull :  A.  Brown  &  Sons,  Ltd.).  The  items  include  ; — Sixteenth 
Century  Powder  Horn ;  Rare  Type  of  Tinder  Box ;  Musketry  Fuse 
Holder  ;  Iron  Nutcrackers  ;  Rare  Type  of  Powder  Tester  ;  Two  Hitherto 
unknown  Seventeenth  Century  Tokens  of  Halifax  ;  Antarctic  Photographs 
for  the  Pickering  Museum  ;  French  and  German  War  Trophies  ;  Recent 
additions  to  Collections  ;  Staffordshire  Pottery ;  The  Little  Walshingam 
Font  ;  The  Old  Hull  Whaler  '  Truelove'  ;  The  Yacht  '  Queen  of  Eng- 
land '  ;  Turner's  Pictures  of  Hull  in  the  Wilberforce  Museum.  The  last 
item  is  written  bv  Mr.  H.  E.  Wroot. 


THE  BIRDS  OF  YORKSHIRE 


'V. 


l-ioiii  an  Oil  I'liiulin^  by  II'.  W'ooiihoiisc. 
Cliff  Climbing  at  Bempton,  on  'Old  Mosey.' 


Front I'spirrc,    J'"/.  11. 


''':    ^ 


THE  BIRDS 

OF  YORKSHIRE 

Being  a  Historical  Account  of 

THE   AVI-FaUNA   of  THE    COUNTY, 


T.    H.    NELSON.    /A.B.O.U. 

WITH     THE     CO-OPERATION     OF 

W    Eagle    Clarke,  f.r.s.e.,  f.l.s. 

AND 

F.     BOYES 


A\'    Tiro    I'ULrMKS. 
VOL.    II. 

LOXDOX : 

A.    BROWN    &    SONS,    LIMITin), 

5    I'.\RRINGDI).\    AVKMK,    E.C. 

A \  I )    AT    H  U  L  L    .\ N I )    ^' ( )  R  K . 


A 

^ 


1-907 


■^-^>^ 


V  >,  -  1  ,•  I  t'     I 


-L-n-iocjcfcu  W^T-'^ 


CONTENTS 


Vol.  II 


Genus  Phalacrocorax  (Cormorant,  &c.) 
SuLA  (Gannet)     . 
Ardea  (Heron,   &c.)  . 
Nycticorax  (Night  Heron) 
Ardetta  (Little   Bittern)     . 
BoTAURUS  (Common  Bittern,   &c.) 
CicoNiA  (Stork,   &c.)   . 
Plegadis  (Glossy  Ibis) 
Platalea  (Spoonbill)  . 
Anser  (Grey  Lag  Goose,   &c.) 
Chex  (Snow  Goose)     . 
Bernicla  (Red-Breasted  Goose,  &c.). 
Cygnus  (Whooper  Swan,  &c.) 
Tadorna  (Common  Sheld-Duck 
Anas  (Mallard,  &c.)    . 

Decoys 

Gemis  Spatula  (Shoveller) 
Dafila  (Pintail)  . 
Nettion  (Common  Teal,  &c.) 
QuERQUEDULA  (Gargancy)  . 
Mareca  (Wigeon,  &c.) 
Netta  (Red-Crested  Pochard) 
FuviGULA  (Common  Pochard,  &c.) 
Clangula  (Golden-Eye,  &c.) 
Harelda  (Long-Tailed  Duck) 
CosMONETTA  (Harlequin  Duck) 
Somateria  (Eider  Duck,  &c.) 
QiDE.vnA  (Common  Scoter,  &c.) 


PAGE 
375-381 
381-384 

384-395 
395-396 
396-398 

399-403 

403-405 
406 

406-408 
408-422 
422 
423-427 
428-432 
432-434 

434-437 
450-451 
437-449 
451-452 
453-454 
454-456 
457-458 
458-462 
462 
462-470 
470-472 
472-474 

474-475 
475-477 
477-482 


VI 


CONTENTS 


Genus  Mergus  (Goosander,  &c.)  . 
CoLUMBA  (Ring-Dove,  &c.) 

TuRTUR  (Turtle-Dove,  &c.) 

Syrrhaptes  (Pallas's  Sandgrouse) 

Tetrao  (Capercaillie,  &c.) . 

Lagopus  (Red  Grouse) 

Phasianus  (Pheasant) 

Perdix  (Partridge) 

Caccabis  (Red-Legged  Partridge) 

Coturnix  (Common  Quail) 

Crex  (Corn  Crake) 

PoRZANA  (Spotted  Crake,   &c.)  . 

Rallus  (Water  Rail) 

Gallinula  (Moorhen) 

Fulica  (Coot)      .... 

Grus  (Crane)       .... 
Otis  (Great  Bustard,  &c.) 
CEdicnemus  (Stone  Curlew) 
Glareola  (Collared  Pratincole)  . 
Cursorius  (Cream-coloured  Courser 
EuDROMiAS  (Dotterel) 
.^gialitis  (Ringed  Plover,  &c.) 
Charadrius  (Golden  Plover) 
Squatarola  (Grey  Plover) 
Vanellus  (Lapwing)  . 
Strepsilas  (Turnstone) 
H/Ematopus  (Oyster-Catcher) 
Recurvirostris  (Avocet)    . 
HiMANTOPUS  (Black-Winged  Stilt) 
Phalaropus  (Grey  Phalarope,   &c.) 
ScoLOPAX  (Woodcock,  &c.) 

Gallinago  (Great  Snipe,  &c.)    . 
LiMicoLA  (Broad-Billed  Sandpiper) 
Tringa  (Pectoral  Sandpiper,  &c.) 
Calidris  (Sanderling) 


PACK 
482-487 

487-495 
495-498 

498-503 
503-509 
510-522 

523-524 
524-527 
527-531 
531-533 
534-536 
536-540 
540-543 

544-545 
545-547 
547-548 
548-560 
561-564 

565 
566-567 

567-573 
573-577 
577-579 
579-581 
581-585 
585-586 
586-588 
588-590 
590-591 
591-595 

595-60 T 
605-606 
60 I -605 
607 
607-620 
620-622 


CONTENTS 


Genus  Machetes  (Ruff)  .... 

ToTANUS  (Common  Sandpiper,  &c.)  . 
Macrorhamphus  (Red-Breasted  Snipe) 
LiMOSA  (Bar-Tailed  Godwit,   &c.) 
NuMENius  (Common  Curlew,  &c.) 
Hydrochelidon  (Black  Tern,  &c.)     . 
Sterna  (Gull-Billed  Tern,  &c.)  . 
Xema  (Sabine's  Gull)  .         .         .         • 
Rhodostethia  (Ross's  Gull) 
Larus  (Little  Gull,  &c.) 
RissA  (Kittiwake)         .... 
Pagophila  (Ivory  Gull) 
Megalestris  (Great  Skua) 
Stercorarius  (Pomatorhine  Skua,  &c.) 
Alca  (Razorbill)  .... 

LoMViA  (Guillemot)      .... 
Uria  (Brunnich's  Guillemot,  &c.) 
Fratercula  (Puffin)    .... 
Mergulus  (Little  Auk) 
CoLYMBUS  (Great  Northern  Diver,  &c.) 
PoDiciPES  (Great  Crested  Grebe,  &c.) 
Procellaria  (Storm  Petrel) 
OcEANODROMA  (Leach's  Fork-Tailed  Petrel 

&c.) 

PuFFiNUS  (Great  Shearwater,  &c.) 
BuLWERiA  (Bulwer's  Petrel) 
FuLMARUS  (Fulmar)     .... 


PAGE 
622-626 

626-638 
638 
639-642 
643-64S 
648-65  I 
651-662 
662-665 
665-667 
667-688 
689-693 
693-694 
694-696 
696-708 
708-710 
711-724 
724-727 
727-729 
730-73- 
732-73!^ 

738-74« 
74S-749 

750-752 

752-7"5i 
762-764 
764-765 


APPENDICES 

Wild  Birds'  Protection 
Extracts  from  Ancient  Records 
Literature  Consulted 
Index  of  Birds      .... 
Index  of  Persons  and  Places     . 


767-773 

774-775 
776-777 
779-80S 
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  ....... 

Young  Cormorants  at  Whitby  High  Lights  . 

Nesting  site  of  Cormorants,  near  Filey 

Herons'  nests  at  Hornsea  Mere      .... 

Humber  mud  flats,  Spurn       ..... 

Faith,  the  Decoy  man,  taking  Ducks  out  of  the  net  a 
Coatham  Decoy       ...... 

Wild  Duck's  nest  at  Harrogate      .... 

Nest  of  Shoveler,  near  York  ..... 

Widgeon's  nest,  near  Scarborough 

Nest  of  Common  Teal,  Washburn  Valley 

View,    near   Filey,    nesting-  place    of   Stonechat,    Red 
Legged  Partridge,  and  Teal    .... 

Pochard's  nest,  Hornsea  Mere        .... 

Tufted  Duck  on  nest       ...... 

Pheasant  on  nest    ....... 

Nest  of  Tufted  Duck,  Nidderdale  .... 

Site  of  Coatham  Decoy,  1887  .... 

Island  in  Swinsty  Reservoir,  where   the  Golden  Eye  i; 
reported  to  have  nested  ..... 

Snowden  Sleights  in  his  Punt  on  the  Derwent,  near  the 
place  where  the  Hooded  Merganser  occurred 

Ring  Dove's  nest   ....... 

Regular  nesting-  place  of  Stock  Dove     . 

Nesting  place  of  Barn  Owl,  Jackdaw,  and  Kestrels 

Nest  of  Turtle  Dove,  at  Wykeham 

Nest  of  Black  Grouse,  north-west  Yorkshire 

Grouse  sitting  on   the   roof  of  a  moorland  cottage  in 

Teesdale,  as  mentioned  by  Tunstall         .         .         .510 


376 
378 
380 
388 
426 

448 
452 
452 
454 
454 

456 
462 
464 
464 
466 
470 

470 

486 
488 
490 
490 
496 
508 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 


A  fligfht  of  Grouse  ...... 

Nest  of  Red  Grouse        ..... 

Pheasant's  nest  with  twelve  eggs  in  spruce  fir,  22  feet 

from  ground,  near  Harrogate,  1906 
Partridge's  nest      ...... 

Nest  of  Red-Legged  Partridge,  near  Filey     . 
Nest  of  Land-Rail  in  the  Nidd  Valley    . 
Nest  of  Water-Rail  in  the  Nidd  Valley  . 

Ivy-covered  tree  in  which  a  Waterhen  has  had  her  nest 
for  many  years  .  .  .         .  . 

Waterhen  going  on  to  its  nest 

Coot's  nest  with  flags  interlaced  as  a  bower,  Hornsea 
Mere        ....... 

Macqueen's  Bustard,  the  first  of  the  two  Yorkshire 
examples.     Shot  at  Marske-by-the-Sea  . 

Stone  Curlew  on  nest,  near  Pickering    . 

Stone  Curlew's  nest        ...... 

Stone  Curlew's  nest  from  a  Wold  plantation,  under 
small  spruce  fir  with  spreading  branches 

Nest  of  Ringed  Plover  on  edge  of  sand-hills,  Redcar 

Nest  of  Ringed  Plover  on  slag-heap  at  Teesmouth 

Nest  of  Ringed  Plover,  Spurn         .... 

Nest  of  Ringed  Plover  amongst  plants  of  "sentry,' 
Teesmouth       ....... 

Nest  of  Golden  Plover,  north-west  Yorkshire 

Nest  and  Eggs  of  Lapwing,  Towthorpe,  York 

A  Teesmouth  Shore  Scene      ..... 

The  first  known  British  example  of  the  Grey  Phalarope 
shot    near    Halifax.       Described    and    figured    by 
George  Edwards  in  Feb.,  1757 

Woodcock  on  nest  ...... 

Nest  of  Woodcock,  near  Selby       .... 

Nest  of  Common  Snipe  ..... 

Heads  and  bills  of  the  large  and  small  races  of  Dunlin 
The  latter  is  sometimes  called  the  "  Drain  Dunlin  ' 
in  East  Yorkshire    ...... 

Nest  of  Dunlin,  north-west  Yorkshire    . 

Nest  of  Dunlin,  Teesmouth    .         .         .         .         . 


TO  FACE  PAGB 


LIST   OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 


XI 


Nest  of  Dunlin,  Teesmouth    .... 

Nest  of  Redshank  amongst  heather,  north-west  York 
shire        ....... 

Nest  of  Redshank,  Teesmouth 

Large  flights  of  Godwits  and  other  shore-birds  at  the 
Teesmouth  in  September  1895 

Curlew  on  nest       ...... 

Curlew's  nest  on  Skipwith  Common,  near  York 

Young  Curlews  just  hatching 

Curlew  perching  on  a  post,  on  a  moor  near  Harrogate 

Nest  of  Little  Tern  at  Spurn  .... 

Nest  of  Black-Headed  Gull,  north-west  Yorkshire 

Nest  of  Black-Headed  Gull's  eggs  destroyed  by  Crows 

Nesting  place  of  Black-Headed  Gull,  on  the  moors  near 
Whitby 

Nest  of  Black-Headed  Gull  in  North  Yorkshire 

Mediterranean  Black-Headed  Gull 

Herring  Gull  at  nest       ...... 

Herring  Gull's  nest  and  eggs,  Filey 

Herring  Gull's  nest  and  young,  Hawsker 

Cliffs  near  Whitby  High  Lights,  haunt  of  Herring  Gull 

Herring  Gulls  nesting  in  Captivity  at  Redcar 

Nest  of  Herring  Gull  at  Kettleness 

Kettleness,   the  nesting  place  of  Herring  and  Lesser 
Black-backed  Gulls  ..... 

Kettleness,  the  nesting  place  of  the  Herring  and  Black 
backed  Gulls    ....... 

Nest  of  Lesser  Black-backed  Gull  at  Kettleness     . 

Pomatorhine  Skuas,  Redcar  1879. 

Ringed  Guillemot  and  Razorbill  at  Staple  Neuk     . 

Razorbill  newly  hatched  ...... 

Young  Razorbill     ....... 

The  dimmer  going  over  the  cope  of  the  cliflF,  and  laying 
the  rope  over  the  pulley  .... 

A  dangerous  corner         ..... 

J.  Hodgson  seeking  Razorbill's  eggs 

The  dimmer  at  work     ..... 


TO   FACE    P4GE 
610 


634 
636 

640 
642 
644 
644 
646 
660 

666 
666 

668 
670 
672 
674 
676 
676 
678 
680 
680 

682 

684 
686 
700 
708 
708 
708 

710 

712 

714 
716 


xu 


LIST   OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 


The  Climmer  ascending".         ..... 

The  Climmer  ascending,  having  taken  up  the  pulley 

Cliffs  near  Hateley  Corner 

J.  Hodgson  descending  the  cliff 

The  Climmer  with  his  outfit   . 

After  the  ascent 

Sharing  the  spoil    . 

W.  Wilkinson  on  Jubilee  Corner 

Guillemots  on  Hateley  Shoot. 

Guillemots  newly  hatched 

Young  Guillemot  with  sand-eel 

Guillemots  on  Staple  Neuk     . 

Elg'gs    of   Guillemot,    Razorbill,    and   Black   Guillemot, 
showing  comparative  sizes 

Bempton  and  Speeton  Cliffs,  looking  west 

Bempton  Cliffs,  looking  east . 

Puffin  newly  hatched 

Young  Puffin  .... 

Great  Northern  Diver 

Nest  of  Great  Crested  Grebe,  Hornsea  Mere 

Hornsea  Mere 

Little  Grebe  swimming  to  its  nest 

Little  Grebe's  nest  (eggs  covered) 

Little  Grebe's  nest  (eggs  uncovered) 


PAGE 
718 

722 
724 
726 
728 

734 
736 
736 
738 

740 
742 

744 
746 
746 
748 


754 
756 
756 


THE  BIRDS  OF  YORKSHIRE. 


COMMON    CORMORANT. 
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  chffs,  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  fact  that  the  Cormorants  used  it  as  a  favourite  perching 
place)  ;  there  they  bred  until  1867,  when  some  mischievous 
youths  lowered  a  lighted  tar  barrel  at  night  on  to  the  nesting 
ledges,  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  humoroui  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'e 
this  place  I  " 


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  igo6  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  of^  young,  and  since  then  they  have  been  regularly 
observed  ;  sixteen  were  seen  on  31st  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  to  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  Wycliffe-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  (Z.). 


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), 


38o  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.  1 1 81),  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  14th  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  37S.  R.    Fortum 


G  AN  NET.  381 

in  the  Local  Museum,  and  two  others  are  chronicled  ,one  on 
23rd  January  1894,  and  the  last  on  19th  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)  ;  on  the 
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, 
17th  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  183 1,  and 
noticed  by  Thomas  Allis  in  his  Report  in  1884,  thus  : — 

Sula  bassana. — Gannet — 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  lUingworth  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  Dr. 
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  fomid  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  luider  observa- 
tion in  April  and  May  ;  a  singular  and  unaccountable  return 
movement  was  noticed  off  Redcar  on  12th  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  w^eak  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  2 J  in.  of  the  beak  of  a  garfish 
forced  into  one  eye,  leaving  only  i  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  ist 
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  AlHs's  Report. 


384  THE  BIRDS  OF  YORKSHIRE. 

lapse  of  two  or  three  mmutes  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, 
20d.  ..."  (Morrell's  "  Selby,"   1867,  p.  loi.) 

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  tor  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  Che  vet,  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  i8go, 
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  Wharfedale,  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  i860.  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  igoo  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, 


390  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 
15 12  ;  Heron-sew,  Hearin'-sew,  and  Herring-sew  in  the  Craven 
district ;  Heronseugh,  in  the  East  Riding  and  at  Scarborough  ; 
Heronshaw  at  Doncaster  (1849),  ^.nd  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. 


391 

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  ALUs  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  si.x  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-  2591)  ;  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  i860,  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  igth 

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  Hare  wood.  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. 


3  93 


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  Albs  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  v/as  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  IMuseum  is  positive. 
Mr.  Howard  Saimders,  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  ha\'ing  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  europceus. — 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  (/..). 


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 

Malton,  the  estate  of  Henry  Willoughby,  Esq.,  about  two  years  since  ; 
Hugh  Reid  of  Doncaster  informs  me  that  one  was  shot  at  Thorpe, 
near  BridUngton,  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,  by  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  Rainworth  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  is  the  only  one  he  ever 
possessed. 

This  is  the  same  as  recorded  by  Mr.  E.  V.  Thompson  in 
"  Land  and  Water,"  27th  December  1879,  "  shot  off  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. 
[i  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 
•dehcacies  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,  13s.  4d." 

Thomas  Allis,  in  his  Report,  1844,  wrote  : — 

Botaurns  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 
1 83 1  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  183 1  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  pecuhar  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  to  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, 
Summer  is   nigh." 

Mr.  F.  Boyes  has  heard  old  people  relate  how  on  still  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  ^  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  i8go  ;  while  four  were  seen,  on  13th  October  in  the 
same  year,  by  two  Spurn  boatmen  when  off  at  sea  ;  the  birds 
passed  close  to  the  boat,  and  were  described  as  in  flight  looking 
"  exactly  alike  fore  and  aft ;  legs  straight  out  behind,  and 
neck  and  head  in  front."  On  21st  November  1905  a  male 
example  was  killed  by  flying  against  the  lighthouse  at  Spurn. 

Concerning  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  {Motiiagu), 


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  {Bechstein). 


Casual  visitant  from  the  Continent,  of  rare  occurrence. 


The  first  mention  of  the  White  Stork  in  Yorkshire  is 
contained  in  Fothergill's  "  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  j^ears  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  1 831,  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  Common  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.  0.  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.  19).  The  last 
named  specimen  was  purchased  by  the  York  Philosophical 
Society,  and  is  now  in  their  Museum. 


GLOSSY    IBIS. 

Plegadis  falcinellus  (Z.). 

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  29th 
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,  13th  June  1874). 

And  lastly,  a  male  example,  for  a  notice  of  which  I  am 
indebted  to  Major  Walter  Arundel,  was  obtained  on  17th 
November  1902,  at  Ackworth. 


SPOONBILL. 
Platalea  leucorodia  (  I). 


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 

under  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,  12s."* 
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.  81  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 


4o8  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  {Phasnicopterus  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  tlie  \\'ild  Goose  in  Yorkshire 
is  found  in  the  Cottonian  MS.,  circa  1604,  and  though  the 
writer  of  that  day  may  i.ct  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  y,  Stanza  xiii.) 

Thomas  Allis,  in  1844,  wrote  : — 

Anser  ferns. — Grey-lagged  Goose — A  speciroen  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  Pnlli  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  deco}' 
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  count}^  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  cha.racter,  and  the 
bird  now  chiefly  occurs  in  the  neighbourhood  of  sheets  of 
v/ater  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  eg^.  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  .Aluseum  ;  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.  Ouintin 
MS.  ;    and  Field,  19th  July  1902). 

An  old  superstition  connected  with  W^ildgeese  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.— \Nhiie-ironied.  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  Alhs)  ;  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  i860  ;  near  Wakefield,  between  1847  ^.nd 
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 
(19th  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.  hrachyrhyncits,  pp.  415 
etseq,  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.  Compared  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!  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,  Whitby,  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 
lo  the  different  forms  of  Bean  Goose  differentiated  by  the 
specific  names  of  A.  segetum  and  A.  arvcnsis.  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.  pahidosus,  (?)  arvensis  {Brehm). 

Weight.  Length  of  bill.  Tarsus.    Middle  toe. 

J^o.  I.  ?  Shot  at  Marske-by-the 

Sea,  17th  November  1887  . .  6^  lbs.    2|  in.     3  in. 
No.  2.0^  Shot  at  East  Cotting- 

with,  January  1903 9  lbs.      2%  in.     4  in.       3^  in. 

No.  3.  %  Shot  at  the  same  time 

and  place  as  No.  2    8  lbs.      2-^  in.     3I  in.     3iin. 

The  only  local  name  is  Gabriel's  Hounds  {N.  &  Q.  1852, 

pp.  534,  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  (Baillon). 


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  suhptirpureum,  ipso  etiam  apice  nigro  : 
in  superiore  mandibula  nonnisi  unicus  denticulorum  ordo, 
atque  idem  simplex  in  inferiore  ;  item  huic  lingua  uno  den- 
ticulorum ordine  armatur.  Pedes  suhpurpurei  sive  carnei 
coloris,  tmgues  fere  albidi,  excepto  medii  digiti,  qui  ex  majori 
parte  nigricat.  Pendet  libras  yh  fere.  In  paludibus  agri 
Eboracensis  nidificant :  ipsi  <§-  eorum  Pulli  mense  Maio 
pinguescunt,  &  in  deliciis  habentur.  Hactemis  D.  Lister, 
qui  tamen  hanc  speciem  ab  Ansere  fero  vulgari  nobis  descripto 
diversam  esse  non  fidentur  affirmat,  quoniam  descriptiones  in 
omnibus  fere,  excepto  Rostri  &  pedum  colore,  conveniunt.' 
("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^  lbs.  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  the  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  Thorne  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  : — 

"  Atias  ferns  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 


4i8  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  which  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  drav/ings  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  albijrons. — 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. 

"  A^ias  paludosus. — Carr  Lag,  or  Long  billed-Goose— Bill 
long  and  weak,  being  exactly  twice  the  length  of  the  depth 
at  the  base,  being  2|in.  long  and  i|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  PLnk-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  Ansev 
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  hlack.  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  v.cre  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  other  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  i6tlx 
January  1891,  by  Mr.  Henry  Sharp,  a  practical  wildfowler. 
In  recording  the  facts  in  the  Field  (24  January  i8gi),  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. 

Bernicia  ruficollis  {Pallas). 


Accidental  visitant  from  northern  Asia,  of  extremely  rare  occurrence. 


Writing  of  this  handsome  Goose,  Marmaduke  Tunstall 
of  Wychffe-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. 

Bernicia  leucopsis  {Bechsteiti). 


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  in  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  ist  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  Alhs  ;  it  is  noted  in  Fothergill's  list 
("  Richmondshire,"  1823)  ;  Mr.  E.  R.  Waite  records  it  in  the 
Western  Ainsty  (Nat.  1891,  p.  loi)  ;  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 
forfasse,"  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  hrenta. — 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  14th  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  has  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  "  Carrs." 
It  has  also  occurred  at  Beverley,  Thicket  Priory,  Strensall 
Common,  near  York  (where  a  flock  of  twenty-eight  was  seen 
on  17th  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  1880-81  ;  I  obtained  a  pair  belonging  to  this  form 
at  the  Teesmouth  in  1879  ;  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,"  15th 
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  musicus  {Dechslehi). 


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  appea.rance  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  19th  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  {Farrell). 


Winter    visitant,    less    frequent    than    the    Whooper,    though    not 
uncommon  in  severe  weatlier. 


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  Museum  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  5  ^'^r-  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.   Gnielin). 


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  Chevet,  near  Wakefield, 
in  1526,  Swans  were  included  in  the  good  things  provided ; 


MUTE  SWAN.  431 

and  in  1652,  in  the  household  accounts  of  the  Qiffords,  is 
an  entry  of  a  Swanherd  with  his  coat  and  badge  ;  the  cost  of 
the  same  being  returned  as  23s.  lod.  (Whitaker's  "  Craven," 
2nd  Ed.  1812,  p.  321.) 

Thomas  Allis,  1844,  wrote  : — 

Cygnus  tnansueius. — Mute  Swan — I  have  obtained  a  specimen  of 
this  bird  from  near  Sutton-on-Derwent,  the  favourite  locaUty  of  Ferus, 
it  was  nevertheless  most  probablyan  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  ferce  natiircB.  Examples  of  this  species  have  occurred 
at  various  times  and  places,  but  in  the  majority  of  cases  it 
is  not  possible  to  discriminate  between  "  escapes  "  and  wild 
birds. 

[Polish  Swan  [Cygnus  immtitahilis,  Yarrell). 
Thomas  Allis,  1844,  observed  of  this  bird,  which  has  no 
claim  to  specific  rank  : — 

Cygnus  immutabilis. — Polish  Swan — Arthur  Strickland  writes  "  I 
have  no  doubt  this  bird  has  frequently  been  seen  on  this  coast  but  has 
not  been  discriminated  from  the  other  species,  most  probably  taken 
for  the  domestic  Swan.  On  the  13th  of  this  month  (1844)  a  flock 
of  pure  white  Swans  was  seen  on  the  sea  not  far  from  the  Pier  at 
Bridlington  ;  the  circumstance  of  finding  a  flock  of  white  Swans  at 
this  season  immediately  attracted  my  attention,  as  it  was  obvious 
they  must  be  all  old  birds  (a  very  unlikely  circumstance),  or  they  must 
be  a  family  group  of  the  changeless  Swan  ;  fortunately  one  was  pro- 
cured, and  upon  examination  I  have  no  doubt  of  the  species  ;  it  had 
every  appearance  of  a  young  bird,  but  if  so  could  only  be  of  this  species, 
but  it  must  be  observed  that  without  knowing  the  particulars  of  their 
plumage,  it  would  have  been  at  once  considered  the  domestic  Swan 
•with  the  knob  on  the  bill  partly  developed;  the  breast  bone  and  windpipe 
were  like  that  of  the  domestic  Swan,  not  that  of  the  Wild  or  the  Bewick 
species." 

In  addition  to  the  instance  of  this  doubtful  species  referred 
to  by   Allis,   one  was  reported   by  the  late  J.  Harrison  of 


432  THE  BIRDS  OF  YORKSHIRE. 

Wilstrop,  killed  from  a  party  of  two  or  three  in  late  autumn, 
about  i860  ;  and  five  others  are  said  to  have  been  obtained 
at  Scarborough  in  October  1890. 

In  the  so-called  Polish  Swan,  the  young  birds  are  white, 
but  it  is  now  considered  by  ornithologists  to  be  a  mere  variety 
of  C.  olor  as  regards  the  plumage  of  the  immature  bird. 

(See  Saunders'  "  Manual,  2nd  Ed.  p.  418  ;  and  the  letters 
of  Messrs.  Saunders,  Macpherson,  Bartlett,  and  Southwell, 
Field,  25th  August  and  ist  September  1894.)] 


COMMON    SHELD-DUCK. 
Tadorna  cornuta  {S.  G.  Gmelin). 


Resident  in  limited  numbers,  its  breeding  quarters  being  confined 
to  the  Humber  and  Teesmouth  districts.  Large  flocks  of  migrants 
observed  in  spring  and  autumn.     Occasionally  occurs  inland. 


The  Rev.  John  Graves  appears  to  have  first  mentioned  the 
Sheld-Duck  in  connection  with  this  county,  in  his  "  History 
of  Cleveland  "  (1808),  where  it  is  enumerated  amongst  the 
resident  birds. 

Thomas  Allis,  in  1844,  wrote  : — 

Tadorna  vtdpanser. — Common  Shieldrake — Has  been  shot  near 
Doncaster,  and  is  of  rare  occurrence  near  York,  though  small  flocks 
occasionally  appear  about  Sutton-on-Derwent  ;  I  at  one  time  obtained 
about  half-a-dozen  from  that  locality  ;  W.  Eddison  remarks  that  the 
Shieldrake,  Scaup,  Shoveler,  Wigeon,  Pochard,  Pintail,  Golden-eye, 
Tufted  Duck,  Garganey,  and  Teal  are  all  birds  of  passage,  and  are 
frequently  shot  as  they  rest  on  the  large  reservoirs  on  the  wild  moors 
near  Huddersfield,  particularly  after  stormy  weather  and  adverse 
"winds,  or  during  long  frosts,  when  keepers  frequently  shoot  numbers 
of  them,  many  of  them  rare  and  often  beautiful  specimens.  A.  Strick- 
land says  this  bird  used  to,  and  still  occasionally  does,  breed  in  rabbit 
burrows  a  little  north  of  the  banks  of  the  Humber,  to  which  place 
they  take  their  young  as  soon  as  they  are  able  to  travel  ;  a  pair  of 
young  birds  have  been  shot  within  the  present  month  near  Driffield  ; 
it  is  occasionally  shot  near  Thirsk. 

It  is  with  great  satisfaction  that  I  am  able  to  claim  this 
handsome  Duck  as  still  resident  in  the  county,  though  in  but 


COMMON  SHELD-DUCK.  433 

limited  numbers,  and  confined  to  the  Humber  and  Tees 
estuaries.  A  few  years  ago  it  was  subject  to  much  persecution 
at  Spurn,  and  also  suffered  through  being  sometimes  un- 
intentionally caught  in  traps  set  in  the  rabbit  burrows,  the 
result  being  that  it  was  almost  banished  as  a  nester  from  the 
district,  but,  owing  to  increased  protection,  it  has  now  become 
re-established  ;  it  also  breeds  in  the  higher  reaches  of  the 
Humber,  and  is  said  to  have  nested  near  the  junction  of  the 
Trent  and  Ouse  in  1900. 

Formerly  it  used  to  make  use  of  burrows  on  the  sand-hills 
between  Redcar  and  the  Teesmouth,  on  what  is  now  the 
Cleveland  Golf  Club  course,  and  one  or  two  pairs  occasionally 
breed  in  the  reclamation  walls  by  the  side  of  the  estuary, 
where  they  find  a  secure  home  amongst  the  slag  with  which 
the  walls  are  constructed,  the  nest  being  most  difficult  to 
discover ;  one  was  located  in  an  iron  water  pipe  fixed  in  a 
slag  wall,  and  I  knew  of  one  in  the  year  1883  with  fifteen  eggs, 
eleven  of  which  were  successfully  hatched. 

In  addition  to  the  Tees  estuary,  a  pair  sometimes  resort 
to  the  sandhills  between  Redcar  and  Marske,  the  latest  instance 
of  which  I  am  aware  being  in  1902  ;  the  old  Duck  brought 
her  young  brood  down  to  the  sea  when  they  were  a  few  days 
old,  and  five  of  them  were  captured  on  the  rocks  near  Redcar. 
A  pair  has  been  observed  in  the  breeding  season  on  the  sea- 
banks  at  Cattersty,  near  Skinningrove,  where  there  is  every 
reason  to  believe  a  nest  was  established. 

A  considerable  accession  to  the  numbers  of  the  resident 
birds  takes  place  in  autumn,  being  composed  of  immigrants 
from  more  northern  latitudes,  many  of  which  remain  in 
the  Tees  estuary  throughout  the  winter ;  at  this  period  the 
bird  occurs  sparingly  at  most  of  the  Yorkshire  coast  stations, 
and  also  in  localities  remote  from  the  seaboard,  being  found 
on  the  rivers  of  the  West  Riding  and  the  sheets  of  water  on 
the  high  moorlands  ;  it  has  also  been  noted  in  Wensleydale, 
Teesdale,  and  Ryedale ;  not  infrequently  near  Sutton-on- 
Derwent  and  East  Cottingwith,  Beverley,  and  other  portions 
of  the  East  and  North  Ridings. 

In  early  spring  a  migration  northward  is  observed,  large 


434  THE  BIRDS  OF  YORKSHIRE. 

flocks  being  then  seen  on  the  coast  and  in  the  estuaries  ; 
in  the  Fourth  Migration  Report  is  an  entry  to  the  effect  that, 
on  13th  January  1882,  a  flock  of  three  hundred  was  reported 
from  the  Tees  Light  Vessel,  and  I  have  frequently  noticed 
parties  of  from  thirty  to  upwards  of  a  hundred  individuals 
at  the  Teesmouth,  which  arrive  in  April,  remain  for  several 
weeks,  and  then  leave  for  their  northern  breeding  quarters. 
The  Sheld-Duck  is  included  in  the  list  of  victims  killed  by 
flying  against  the  Lighthouse  at  Spurn. 

Of  local  names,  Shell,  Skell  or  Skell-Duck  are  in  general 
use  ;  and  Sly  or  Burrough  (?  Burrow) -Duck  were  used  by 
Tunstall  (p.  99). 

[Ruddy  Sheld-Duck  {Tadorna  casarca,  L.).  The  only 
instance  of  the  occurrence  in  Yorkshire  of  this  southern  species 
is  that  mentioned  in  the  "  Handbook  of  Vertebrate  Fauna 
of  Yorkshire,"  p.  55,  as  "  killed  at  Cottingham  some  years  ago, 
and  seen  by  Mr.  H.  B.  Hewetson  "  ;  but  the  circumstances 
connected  with  this  record  are  of  so  dubious  a  nature,  that  no 
reliance  is  to  be  placed  on  them.] 


MALLARD. 
Anas  boscas  (L.). 


Resident,    local,    abundant.     Immense    flights   of    migrants   arrive 
in  autumn,  and  become  distributed  over  the  county. 


Historically,  the  connection  of  this  bird  with  Yorkshire 
is  of  great  antiquity,  for  we  find  that,  in  the  ordinances  issued 
by  Royal  proclamation  as  to  the  price  of  food  in  the  City  of 
York  in  the  year  1393,  i6th  Richard  11,  the  Wild  Duck  was 
put  down  at  4d.  ;  the  same  sum  was  fixed  as  the  value  of  a 
"  Mallerde  "  at  Hull  in  1560  ;  at  the  great  banquet  at  Cawood, 
in  1466,  four  thousand  Mallards  and  Teal  were  provided  ; 
it  figures  in  the  Northumberland  Household  Book  (1512), 
the  price  being  placed  at  2d. ;   and  again  at  the  marriage  feast 


MALLARD.  435 

of  Sir  John  Neville's  daughter  at  Chevet,  near  Wakefield, 
in  1526,  when  thirty  dozen  Mallards  and  Teal  were  priced  at 
£3  IIS.  8d.  ;  while  of  its  former  abundance  on  the  Carrs  of 
Doncaster  we  find  evidence  in  Hatfield's  "  Historical  Notices 
of  Doncaster,"  where  we  are  informed  that,  in  the  winter 
of  1692-93,  no  fewer  than  thirty-two  pairs  of  Duck  and  Teal 
were  killed  on  Hatfield  Levels,  in  a  single  shot,  by  a  fowler 
named  Hill. 

Thomas  Allis,  in  1844,  wrote  : — 

Anas  boschiis. — The  Wild  Duck — Of  rare  occurrence  near  Halifax 
and  Hebden  Bridge  ;  not  uncommon  about  Barnsley  ;  frequent  in 
the  vicinity  of  Sheffield  and  Doncaster  ;  it  occurs  near  Huddersfield  ; 
is  occasionally  seen  about  Leeds  ;  it  is  common  about  York  and  breeds 
in  several  localities  in  the  neighbourhood  ;  it  is  met  with  at  Pilmoor, 
near  Thirsk.  A.  Strickland  writes  "  In  the  year  1800  the  Act  for  the 
Beverley  and  Barmston  drainage  was  passed  ;  in  this  Act  compensation 
for  the  destruction  of  the  two  principal  decoys  in  this  country  was 
provided  for,  and  which  necessarily  took  place  soon  after  the  drainage 
of  the  country  :  these  were  the  decoys  of  Watton  and  Scorborough  ; 
two  other  decoys,  those  of  Holme  and  Meaux,  probably  ceased  to  be 
used  about  this  time  also.  I  am  informed  that  at  the  decoy  of  Watton 
only,  which  had  a  range  of  upwards  of  a  thousand  acres  of  water,  nearly 
four  hundred  ducks  have  been  known  to  have  been  taken  in  one  day  ; 
we  may  imagine  the  change  in  these  matters  in  a  country  where  now 
only  a  few  chance  birds  fall  by  the  gun  in  the  course  of  a  winter." 

The  present  status  of  the  Mallard  is  that  of  a  well-known, 
though  local,  resident,  breeding  in  those  parts  of  the  county 
where  marshes,  moorlands,  and  rush-covered  margins  of 
streams,  lakes,  or  reservoirs  afford  the  necessary  protection 
and  seclusion  for  its  nest.  Many  birds  are  also  kept  in  a 
semi-domesticated  state  on  ornamental  waters  of  private 
estates,  and  "  escapes  "  are  frequently  met  with  nesting  in 
unusual  situations,  of  which  two  only  need  be  here  referred 
to  : — one,  at  Castle  Howard,  was  found  in  a  tree  twenty-five 
feet  above  the  ground,  and  the  Rev.  F.  O.  Morris  recorded 
another  on  top  of  a  stack  at  Nunburnholme.  Some  fifteen 
years  ago  a  true  wild  bird  nested  and  brought  off  her 
brood  in  a  small  patch  of  corn  between  the  Cleveland 
Golf  Links  and  the  high  road  leading  from  Redcar,  where 
hundreds  of  people  passed  daily  within  a  few  yards,   and 


436  THE  BIRDS  OF  YORKSHIRE. 

within  half  a  mile  of  the  old  Coatham  Decoy.  It  used  to  breed 
plentifully  at  Hornsea  Mere,  where  as  many  as  sixty  drakes 
have  been  flushed  in  May,  when  the  ducks  were  engaged  either 
sitting  or  attending  to  their  young  ;  latterly  the  disturbance 
by  boat-sailing  reduced  the  numbers,  though  some  still  nest 
there  and  are  now  strictly  protected. 

In  the  autumn  large  quantities  of  foreign  fowl  arrive  on 
the  coast,  and  the  species  then  becomes  more  generally 
diffused.  As  early  as  the  third  week  of  August  I  have  observed 
flocks  of  Grey  Duck,  as  they  are  locally  termed,  passing 
along  shore,  and,  on  the  17th  of  that  month  in  the  year  1881, 
several  flights  were  noticed,  of  from  two  hundred  to  five 
hundred  in  each,  off  the  Cleveland  coast.  They  are  also 
occasionally  seen  in  September,  though  there  is  a  possibility 
of  these  early  birds  being  of  local  origin,  for  the  main  body 
does  not,  as  a  rule,  put  in  an  appearance  until  October  or 
November.  In  some  seasons  the  migration  continues  for 
days  together,  but  it  would  be  tedious  to  recapitulate  all 
the  "  great  rushes  "  of  such  a  regular  visitant.  If  the  weather 
is  fme  when  migration  is  progressing,  the  route  taken  lies  a 
considerable  distance  out  at  sea,  but  in  storms  with  on-shore 
gales,  the  flocks  are  compelled  to  hug  the  coast  and  so  are 
brought  under  observation.  On  30th  October  1900,  during 
an  easterly  gale,  the  heaviest  migration  known  for  many 
years  took  place  ;  and  in  the  winter  of  1903-04  Mallard  were 
exceptionally  numerous  about  Christmas,  as,  owing  to  the 
disastrous  effects  of  the  wet  autumn,  the  corn  and  bean  crops 
were  scattered  on  the  ground,  and  great  numbers  of  Duck 
resorted  to  the  stubbles  to  feed,  where  they  supplied  excellent 
sport  for  flight-shooters.  This  bird  figures  in  the  list  of 
"  casualities  "   at  the  lanterns  of  our  coast  beacons. 

A  very  remarkable  incident  occurred  at  Redcar  in  the 
winter  of  1879  >  ^^^  sea,  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  17th  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,  17th 
November  igoo). 

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  Cornehus  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.  459 

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  30th  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  31st  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  £^,  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  to  "  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  175 1. 

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.  44t 

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  suppHes  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.  Ko  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  Week  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-Gallwej-'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  Driffield  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  (formerly  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  S.W.  by  W.  of  Market  Weight  on. 
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  Decoy  man'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),  the  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  i860.  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 


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  other,  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.  ^^  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 


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 
(jimior)  and  the  Rev.  M.  Foimtaine  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. — Gad  wall — 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  31st  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  15th  December  1880,  as  recorded  by  Mr.  T.  M. 
Lambert  in  the  Field  (15th  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  Marfield  Pond,  near  Masham  ;  in  May  1880,  Messrs.  Talbot, 
lanson  and  Marsden  recorded  a  nest  with  four  eggs  on  Thome 
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  locahty  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. 


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I\.    Far/ line. 


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E.    G.   Potter. 


See  page  452. 


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  12th  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 
AUerton  Park,  near  Halifax,  and  in  Upper  Ribblesdale. 

Mr.  W,  H.  St.  Ouintin  informs  me  he  shot  a  hybrid  Pintail 
and  Mallard  some  years  ago,  at  Lowthorpe,  from  amongst 
Wnd  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  neighbourhoods 


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 


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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  15 12,  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  lis.  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," 
17th  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  (y.  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  Yarrell'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 
EUand  many  years  ago  ;  it  is  rare  near  Leeds,  but  was  obtained  from 
the  River  Calder,  near  Copley  Mill,  in  18 16;  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  ist  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  19th  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  (/.). 


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,  l)egun  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  otherw3'ze." 

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  saj-s  '  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  seeii  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 
1st  October  1887,  the  13th  and  14th  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  15th  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, 


46o  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.  Thomas  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 
i860,  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  yoimg  ;  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  {y.  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  sepured 
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. 

304,  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  (Z). 


Resident ;   extremely  local ;   breeds  at  several  places.     Also  winter 
visitant,  not  very  abundant. 


The  earhest  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. 


y?.    For/uiw. 


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  fprina. — 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  the  late  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  e^^  figured  by  Hewitson  from 
Sir  W.  Milner's  collection  had  probably  been  taken  at  that 


464  THE  BIRDS  OF  YORKSHIRE. 

place  [Zool.  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  of 
which  were  sent  to  Mr.  J.  E.  Harting  ;  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,  while  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  Fothergill's 
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'.   Siiilfh. 


Pheasant  on  Nest. 


1\.    Forfniu 


Sec  page  466. 


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  {Guldensiadi). 


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  17th  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,  15th  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  here.  The  irides  of  the  female 
were  slatey  brown."  In  a  later  communication  my  corres- 
pondent writes  that  two  pairs  were  noticed,  one  of  which 
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  : — 

Fuligiila  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  loth  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 


^ 


.;/ 


/£ 


*^'»- 


!« 


fi'w 


Nest  of  Tufted  Duck,  Nidderdale. 


A'.    Fmiinit 


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  i^  ^^^  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  m  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  190 1,  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  sta.te,  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  {L.). 


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  : — 

Fuligitla  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 
19th  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  2|d.  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  Ln  a  letter, 
dated  9th  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 
a^  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  smah  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.  A".  Loftliousc. 


Sec  paifc  447. 


Island  in  Swinsty  Reservoir,  where  the  Golden  Eye  is  reported 
to  have  nested. 

R.   Foiiiou 


Sec  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  igoo  ; 
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  Rainvvorth  Lodge. 


LONG-TAILED   DUCK. 
Harelda  g^lacialis  (Z.). 


Winter  visitant  ;  sometimes  not  uncommon  in  immature  plumage 
off  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  "  Swallow-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  defined  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 
18S7-88,  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  AUis  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  KiUinghall  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  Ea.st  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  : — 

Clangtila  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  Ahis, 
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  purcha.sed  by  him  from  the  late 
Alfred  Roberts  of  Scarborough,  who  procured  it  about  1862, 
at  Filey,  from  some  fishermen  who  informed  him  they  ha.d 
foimd  it  washed  up  on  the  beach  {Zool.  1878,  p.  135). 


EIDER  DUCK.  475 

The  Hornby  Decoy  example,  alleged  to  have  been  captured 
about  i860  ("  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  nioUtssima. — 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 
near  the  Tees  Breakwater,  and  an  adult  male  specimen  was 
secured. 

The  only  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  ^77 

strength  of  one  occurrence  at  Filey  (misprinted  "  Filby  "), 
a  male,  assuming  winter  plumage,  shot  on  15th  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 
seisons  ;  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.  Iti 
case  stuff  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  AlUs,  in  1844,  wrote  : — 

CEdemia  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 
17th  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  Teesmomh 
or  Hunt  cliff  e  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  Masham 
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. 


48o 

VELVET   SCOTER. 
GEdemia  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  21st  September  1891, 
when  one  was  captured  after  a  strong  on-shore  wind  ;  on 
nth  August  1877  ^our  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  18S8,  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)  5  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  appUed  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  i860  {Zool.  i860,  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  (Z.). 


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  plumage  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  Wycliffe,  in  January 
1789."     (Fox's   "  Synopsis,"  p.  95.) 

Thomas  Allis,  1844,  wrote  : — 

Mergtts  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.  4S3 

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  Wharfe,  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  Alhs'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  {£.). 


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."  (WiU.  "  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.  Boyes  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  19th  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 
coimtry.     Its    occurrence    in    Yorkshire   was    chronicled   by 


Snowden  Sleights  in  his  punt  on  the  Derwent,  near  the  place  where  the 
Hooded  Merganser  occurred. 


N.    //.    Snii/h. 


See  page    4S7. 


RING-DOVE.  487 

Gould  in  his  "  Birds  of  Great  Britain  "  in  the  following  words  : 
"  Mr.  W.  Christy  Horsfall,  of  Horsforth  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.  yy.) 

Thomas  Allis,  in  1844,  wrote  : — 

Cohimba  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  20th  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.    FariiDU 


Sec  page  48L). 


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. 


490  THE  BIRDS  OF  YORKSHIRE. 

Boyes's   collection,  and  an   albino  specimen,  procured  nea^ 
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  (/..). 


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  pahimbus.  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. 


M     ^ 


to 


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.  Albs  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  12th  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  of  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,  manj'  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,  19th  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 — Beverlej/',  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  {Bonnal.). 
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  feres  naturce  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  : — 

Coliimha  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  1S24  ;  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,  ^o^  ^  ^^^ 
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 
ot  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. 


A'.    Fiiilinii 


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  17th  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  aftenvards  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  instrumentahty  of  Mr.  James  Backhouse, 
who  procured  it  from  Mr.  Head,  a  naturahst  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  12th  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  15th  or 
1 6th  of  the  month. 


500  THE  BIRDS  OF  YORKSHIRE. 

was  washed  up  by  the  tide.  On  7th  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  13th  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  found  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  v;ere  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  9th  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  7th  a  part}^  of  fifty  was  noted  ; 
on  the  8th  one  of  twent3'-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  19th  November  two  males 
were  killed  at  Holl3'm  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  hght-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  31st  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  29th  May,  near  Etton.  On  the  open  land 
between  Kilham  and  Burton  Agnes  a  large  number  was 
observed  by  Mr.  W.  H.  St.  Ouintin  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  17th  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  Newton -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  30th  ;  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  14th  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  fact  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  15th  June  1888,  on  Newbald  Lodge  Farm,  by 
Joseph  Long,  rabbiter,  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  21st  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 
13th  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  uru^allus  (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  {L.). 


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 


5o6  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  Phoenix  or  a  Parrot  might  as  well 
be  seen  ;  in  short,  except  in  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  "" 
(18 13),  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  tetrix. — 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  coimty,  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  imder  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  Wharfedale.  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  14th  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  fi^om  Westmorland, 
occasionally  nest  in  Garsdale,     In  Upper  Teesdale  district 


5o8      '  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  '■>  ^  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  Grinkle,  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  i860.  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  i860,  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  LTsle  and  Dudley,  writing  on  i6th  December,  says  a 
Black-cock  was  observed  on  the  moors  near  Guisborough  in 


Nest  of  Black  Grouse,  norbh-west  Yorkshire. 


K .   Fdriiine. 


See  page  50S. 


BLACK  GROUSE.  509 

October  ;  one  was  procured  in  Bransdale  in  the  year  i8go, 
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  awa}^  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. 


510 
RED   GROUSE. 

Lagopus  scoticus  {Latham). 


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  Skipton  Castle  accounts  (1604-1639)  of 
Lord  Clifford,  last  Earl  of  Cumberland,  the  first  pubUshed 
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  pohte  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  : — 

Laqopus  scoitcus.— 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  moors  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  13th  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  man}^  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 
i860  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 


5i6  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.  ^^  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  13th  to  17th  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,  for 
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  Driv*. 

49 33 

64 38 

59 16 

79 18 

71 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 J  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  tw;o 
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. 


^^S^      'f 


^' 


^Jlkfk 


A  Flight  of  Grouse. 


(('.    }ro„<///,>//sc.   Del. 


See  page  50S. 


Nest  of  Red  Grouse. 


A*.    Forlitiit 


See  page  51 8. 


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  12th  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  13th  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  Yarreh'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  17th  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,  m  March  1779  ; 
from  which  it  appears  that  amongst  the  lands  offered  for  sale 
were  "  Two  very  extensive  moors  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  £$  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  count}-, 
the  folk-lore  is  very  meagre.  In  the  Craven  dialect  the 
crowing  of  the  ]\Ioor  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  15 1 2,  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  Chevet,  near  Wakefield,  in  1526,  and 
again  at  the  Lammas  Assizes  in  1528,  when  Sir  John  was 
High  Sheriff;    his  expenses  including  "12  ffesants  £1" 

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  weU-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  I  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,  21st  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  Grinkle,  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  {Latharn). 


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 


.  s 


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  £1  6s.  8d. 
Thomas  Allis,  in  1844,  wrote  : — 

Perdix  ctnerea. — 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  their  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  19th  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  14th  October,  at  Cherry 
Burton  {Field,  ist  November  1884).  On  21st  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 


9&  ^Ir^" 


■0: 

Partridge's  nest. 


'-^4  4   "r       i^ 


/v'.   Fortinw. 


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.  i86g,  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  i860,  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 
AlHs'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  the  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  27th  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  igoo. 

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  (14th  March  and 
4th  April  1881),  this  bird  was  first  made  known  about  i860  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  HovLngham, 
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. 


/C.    For/iiin 


See  page  530. 


COMMON  QUAIL.  531 

[An  example  of  the  Barbary  Partridge  {Caccahis  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  {Bonnai.). 


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  Bridhngton 
(cf.  Alhs'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  Knapton  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,  21st  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  (^^ 
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  ;  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  185 1,  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  {Oriyx  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  {Bechsiein). 


Summer    visitant,     generally    distributed  ;      common,     except    in. 
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-stuffers  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  15th  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 


^^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 ; 
fer  contra,  in  1868  it  was  very  scarce  in  the  Western  Ainsty  ; 
in  1877  in  Wharfedale,  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.  21st 
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.  Summerfield  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  maruetta  {LeacK). 

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  : — 

Crex  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  21st  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  i88g, 
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 
Fothergill'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  and  Asia. 

The  earhest  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  Rail  us  pusillus 
of  Gmelin  {Gallimtla  miniita  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,  iii.  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.  Fothergill, 
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.  Gai'th  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  17th  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  21st  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  (  Vteillol). 


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  (Z.), 


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  Bamsley. 

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. 

/v'.    ForlniH 


See  pctire  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  13th  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  13th  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,  1S44,  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. 


Sec  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. 
FuHca  atra  (Z.). 


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  commonly  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  igoi-02  several  specimens,  killed  on  the  brackish  "  fleets" 
during  the  frost,  were  brought  in  to  the  Redcar  taxidermists ; 


*i3i-'''*^t:':^.^im 


Coot's  nest  with  flags  interlaced  as  a  bower,  Hornsea  Mere. 


A'.    Furlnne. 


Sec  pni!ic  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    {Bechsteiii). 


Accidental    visitant    trom    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  Chevet,  near 
Wakefield,  on  the  marriage  of  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Sir  John 
Neville,  High  Sheriff  of  Yorkshire,  on  14th  January  1526, 
in  the  igth  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. 

lygy  ;  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  yoimg  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,  (cf.  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  (Craneswick),  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  Jolin  Cordeaux,  dated  14th 
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,"  imder  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 
Wilham  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 
FHxton,  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,  writmg  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 
rehability  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    19,    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  accoimt  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  1S08  ?  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  181 1  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 
sohtary  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  shooting  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,  Mr.  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., 
1 8 14]  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.,  1829J  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  beheved,  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  i8og — 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  19th  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  31st  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),  and  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. 


56o  THE  BIRDS  OF  YORKSHIRE. 

Woodhouse.  (cf.  Zool.  1893,  p.  21  ;  Nat.  1892,  p.  373  ;  and 
Field,  17th  December  1892.) 

The  second  Yorkshire  specimen,  a  young  male,  was  seen 
at  Kilnsea,  near  Spurn,  on  17th  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 
3lbs.  iioz.  ;  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. 


Fniin  a  Water-Colour  Di arcing  by  IP.  U'codliomt 

Macqueen's  Bustard,  the  first  of  the  two  Yorkshire  examples. 
Shot  at  Marske-by  the-Sea. 


Sec  pcgt'  560. 


56i 
STONE   CURLEW. 

CEdicnemus  scolopax  {Gmeliti). 


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  : — 

QLdicnemus  crepitans. — The  Great  Plover — Breeds  at  Rossingtoa 
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  hmited,  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 
waiTens  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. 
Quint  in,  writes  as  follows  : — 

"  Scampston  Hall,  21st  May  i8go. 

"  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 
Weaver thorpe  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.  Metcalfe 


Stone  Curlew's  nest. 


A'.    Fortiim 


Sec  page  563. 


STONE  CURLEW.  563 

lovers  of  the  lonely  sheep-walks,  were  restricted  to  the 
remnants  of  these  once  famous  dowois,  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  15th  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  9th  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. 


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  (9th  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,  "  19th 
October  1871." 


566 
CREAM  COLOURED  COURSER. 

Cursorius  galHcus  {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  isahellinxis. — 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  18 16,  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.  5^7 

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  moors-about  Hahfax  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  but  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  Ganton,  Sherburn,  and  Knapton.  J.  H. 
Anderson  of  Kilham,  in  the  East  Riding,  stated  (Rennie's 
"  Field  Naturalist,"  January  1834),  "  The  Dotterel  visit  our 
large  open  fields  every  spring  and  autumn,  and  dire  is  the 
slaughter  committed  amongst  them."  It  seems  also,  from 
Stickland'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  20th  of  the  latter  month,  1869  ;  the 
latest  date  of  which  I  am  aware  is  29th  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,  Keighle}',  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,  15th  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 

15th  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  29th  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  AUis'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  i860  ;  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 


^i^r  '^ 


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  Jime  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. 

>Egialitis  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  Tunstall 
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  Wharfe, 
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  list  of 
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 


*Vw.. 


Nest  of  Ringed  Plover,  Spurn.        A',   luiilunc. 


Sec  page  573. 


'V^SWk    ^'^v?^-*     *->^^  ^L.' 

'>4  "" 


Nest  of  Ringed  Plover  amongst  plants  of  "sentry,"  Teesmouth. 

T.  H.  Xehoi 
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  30th  July 
1850  {Zool.  1850,  p.  2953),  but  an  examination  of  the  specimen 
in  Mr.  Garth's  collection  led  me  to  beUeve  that  it  is  merely 


576  THE  BIRDS  OF  YORKSHIRE. 

a  small  example  of  the  common  species  (^.  hiaticula),  in  which 
opinion  I  am  confirmed  by  Messrs.  J.  Backhouse  and  Riley 
Fortune. 

In  185 1,  three  were  said  to  have  been  killed  on  the  Calder 
(Talbot's  "  Birds  of  Wakefield,"  p.  25),  and  in  the  Field  of 
15th  October  1861,  the  late  W.  W.  Boulton  annoimced  the 
occurrence  of  one  at  Spurn  on  the  5th  of  the  same  month, 
but  it  is  highly  probable  that  these  also  were  referable  to  the 
large  race.] 


KENTISH     PLOVER. 

/Cgialitis  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  20th 
May  in  that  year  the  late  C.  Braithwaite  of  Seaton  Carevv  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  12th  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  Chryst5mmas  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  (i|d.)  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  12th  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. 


Sb't':^- 


-k. 


-  :\-:^_^^r' 


^aflbL*^^^' 


?f 


Nest  of  Golden  Plover,  north-west  Yorkshire. 

A'.    Fdl'tlDU 


See  page  578. 


GREY  PLOVER.  =^79 

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 


58o  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  A  His,  in  1844,  wrote  : — 

Squatarola  cinevea. — 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 
9th  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  {Bechsi.). 


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  i,ooo,  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. 


//.    Lazcnbv. 


Sec  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  21st  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. CATCHER 
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  aUotted,  thus  : — 


i 


t 


:h  ^^'-f 


OYSTER-CATCHER.  587 

"  Item,  See-Pyes  for  my  Lorde  at  Princypall  Feestes  and  non 
other  tyme." 

Thomas  ALUs,  in  1844,  wrote  : — 

H(smatopus  ostralegns. — 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  13th  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- 
house,  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  : — 


4V0CET.  s8g 

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,  taken  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  {Botinat.). 


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 


The  first  known  British  example  of  the  Grey  Phalarope,  shot  near  Halifax. 
Described  and  figured  by  George  Edwards  in  February  1757. 


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  {L). 


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  lohatus. — 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 
{Zool,  1867,  p.  540).  It  has  been  only  once  reported  in 
summer  plumage,  viz.,  in  AUis'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  (Z.). 


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  defined  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,  ^^'^  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  ;  and  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  i860  Geo.  Mussell  of  Middlesbrough  had  two 
specimens  brought  to  preserve. 

The  late  J.  C.  Garth's  collection  at  Knaresborough  con- 
tained one,  labelled  "  Arkendale,  7th  October  1871." 

At  Bridlington  a  male  occurred  on  14th  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.   Lcxsenhv- 


Sec  pngc  597. 


WOODCOCK.  595 

The  late  G.  W.  Jalland  of  Hull  procured  one  at  Spurn, 
on  8th  November  1889,  and  another  in  i8go.  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  flights.  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 
oi  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.  (i|d.)  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,  13th  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  riisttcola. — The  Woodcock — Common  in  most  parts  ;  W. 
Eddison  says  it  is  often  numerous  ;  it  comes  about  the  5th  November, 
and  departs  about  the  17th  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  occasionallj''  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  183 1  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. 


A'.   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  Grinkle 
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. 
(cf.  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  of  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  21st  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.     19th  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  journey  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  Grinkle,  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  120Z.  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|oz.,  obtained  by  Mr.  E.  B.  Emerson  at  Easby-in-Cleveland. 


GREAT  SNIPE.  60 1 

Of  Yorkiihire  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  21st  September 
185 1,  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. 

Qallinago  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  27th  September 
1836,  and  now  in  the  Halifax  Literary  and  Philosophical  Society's 
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  7^02.  to  8oz.,  and  an 
example  weighing  io|oz.,  which  occurred  near  Pickering, 
and  was  recorded  in  the  Field  (5th  October  1895),  calls  forth 


6o2  THE  BIRDS  OF  YORKSHIRE. 

an  editorial  comment  in  that  journal  on  the  unusual  weight. 
In  the  York  Museum  is  a  specimen  shot  at  Hay  ton,  in  Septem- 
ber 1878,  said  to  have  scaled  the  extraordinary  weight  of  140Z. 

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. 

Qallinago  coelestis  {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,  probabl3% 
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  21st  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. 


6o4  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  AUis's 
Report,  1844,  contains  the  following  observation  : — 


Nest  of  Common  Snipe. 


J?.  Foitum 


See  page  604. 


JACK  SNIPE,  605 

Scolopax  sabini. — Sabine's  Snipe — Arthur  Strickland  says  he  has 
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  (L.). 


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,  11.  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, 


6o6  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  190 1,  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 
188 1  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  Duniin  "  in  East  Yorkshire. 

J.  Bark/ioKsc,  Zool. ,  ifjoi. 


See  page  6 1 1 


6o7 
BROAD-BILLED  SANDPIPER. 

Limicola   platyrhyncha  {Temm). 


Accidental    visitant    from    northern    Europe,    of    extremely   raie 
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  17th  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  Zool.  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.  PI.  31). 

At  Bridlington  one  was  shot  on  15th  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  (L.). 


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, 
ever3^where  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  Thome  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  Thorne  moor,  and 
may  possibly  still  do  so,  as  one  or  two  pairs  have  been  noted 
in  summer  within  recent  years  ;  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  Dimlin,  however,  is  best  known  as  a  shore  bird,  and 


:x,z-    *:  .  '  jmi^f^^^s^'m^m^'s^ 


''^, 


'''-^ 


Nest  of  Dunlin,  Teesmouth. 


T  H.  Nchon. 


Sec  page  610. 


DUNLIN.  6ii 

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  21st  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 


6i2  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,  15th  March 
1884,  and  31st  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)  1  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  cii  cumstances  that  large  numbers 
are  met  with. 

The  earliest  date  of  which  I  have  note  of  its  arrival  in 
autumn  is  12th  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  year." 

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  14th  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 


6i4  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  15th  September,  in  the  same  year,  three  were 
seen,  and  one  killed,  at  Spurn  (Ninth  Migration  Report,  p.  32). 


CUIR'LEW    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 


6i6  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  seasons. 
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  17th  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  13th  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 


6i8  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  br.t 
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  maaiy 
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  gth  June  1887  ;  at 
Spurn  they  have  been  seen  coming  from  the  south  as  late  as 
13th  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 
bird?  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  AUis,  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  sam.e  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. — Sanderliag — 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 
17th,  20th,  14th,  17th,  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  beautiful 
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  imtil  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-bird^  ;  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  igo2. 

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  (L.). 


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  Thorne,  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,  and  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  Hollym, 
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  AUis,  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  {L.). 


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  Gallinida  hypoleucos  ;  Willughby  and  Ray 
Tringa  minor ;  .  .  .  .  and  our  people  in  Yorkshire  and 
some  other  places,  the  Sandpiper." 

Thomas  AUis,  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  httle  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  gth  April  1894  {Nat.  1896, 
p.  47)  ;  a  late  migration  took  place  at  Spurn  in  1881,  when 
from  14th  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  Com.mon  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. 

ajid  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  29th  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 (Mihier,  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,  iom.  cit. 
p.  2456). 

A  specimen  recorded  "  on  the  Tees "  by  John  Grey 
(Hogg,  op.  cit.  1845,  p.  1173),  proved  to  be  a  Green  Sandpiper 
(of.  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  AUis,  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  i88g. 

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  i860. 

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  7th  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  21st  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  Dalton  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  beheved  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  Leeds  ;  one  shot  at  Temple  Thorp,  October  28th  1839  ; 
another  at  Birstal,  in  1840  ;  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  17th 
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 
Wharfedale,  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  (Totaniis  flavipes, 
Gmelin),  an  American  species,  is  mentioned  in  the  "  Handbook 
of  the  Vertebrate  Fauna  of  Yorkshire  "  (p.  77),  as  having 


REDSHANK.  633 

occurred  at  Tadcaster  in  October  1858,  the  authorities  quoted 
being  Sir  Wm.  Mihier  {Zool.  1858,  p.  5958),  and  Graham 
{Nat.  1858,  p.  91).  On  examining  these  references,  I  find  that 
Sir  W.  Mihier  stated  the  bird  was  obtained  at  Misson  in 
Yorkshire,  This  place  is  in  reaHty  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. 
Tetanus    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.  (lid.)  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  stream* 
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  m  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  found  annually  for  several 
years  in  succession.  Nests  are  occasionally  found  in  quite 
open  positions,  like  Peewits'. 

As  a  rule  one  brood  only  is  reared  m  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. 
"  Om."  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. 
Tetanus  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  ;  has 
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  i8gi,  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  15th  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   21st  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. 


:  'ill 

1     x» 


T^i'' 


^^ 


.»•'«  • 


1^  ■^A'BJSr    ti' 


'•>'> 


Nest  of  Redshank,  Teesmouth. 


y.  //.  Nchoh 


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. 

Tetanus  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.  115)- 

Thomas  Allis,  in  1844,  wrote  : — 

Toianus  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  hst  ("  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  Cimningham,  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. 

Limosa  lapponica  (L.). 


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 
m  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  12th  July  ; 
while  on  ist  August  1879  I  ^^^  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  in  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 
v/alked  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  12th  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- 


1*^ . »?  ^B     > 


BLACK-TAILED    GODWIT.  641 

siderable  flocks  on  the  Tees  "  slems."  At  Spurn  it  was 
abund£int  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  nielanura. — 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  Riding.  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, 
uilike  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  9th  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.   Mt'tccdfe 


Sec  page  643. 


643 
COMMON    CURLEW. 

Numenius  arquata  {L.). 


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,  £1  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  13th  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. 

//.    Ldscubv. 
See  page  644. 


'P^* 


,^*K 


% 


?r 


^tr   />(T^^    644. 


Young  Curlews  just  hatching. 


H.    Laseuh] 


COMMON  CURLEW.  645 

from  is  Skipwith  Common,  where  eggs  were  found  on  8th 
May  1901,  and  a  pan*  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  phseopus  {L.) 


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, 
£1  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 — Arqitata  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  phcBopus. — 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  19th  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  15th  ;  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  fjelds  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 


BLACKJERN  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  Bamsley,  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  AUis'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  12th  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  lilt.)  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. 


650  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  [ScJiinz). 


Casual  visitant  from  southern  Europe,  of  extremely  rare  occurrence. 


This  species  breeds  in  central  and  south-east  Europf, 
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  i860,  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.  yj),  was  killed  ly 
G.  Mussell  in  the  marsh  at  Port  Clarence,  on  the  north  side  of  the  Tees, 
on  15th  May  1869  (cf.  Hancock's  "  Birds  of  Northd.  and  Dm."  p.  143). 


651 
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  Mongoha. 

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  AUis's  Report,  which  had  been  wounded,  and  was  brought 
alive  to  H.  Denny  in  the  last  week  of  July  1843. 

Thomas  AUis'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  (15th  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.  Wilhs, 
Franklands,    Addleston.)* 


SANDWICH   TERN. 

sterna  cantiaca  {Gmelin). 


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.  Gumey'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  12th  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  7th  October  1881,  when  I  saw  one  at  the 
Teesmouth,  though  a  later  date  for  the  county  is  given  in 

1875,  one  being  obtained  on  15th  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. 
5tema  doug:alli  {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  dougalli. — 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 
9th  September  1893  (Nat.  1893,  p.  359),  and  another  at  Whitby 
on  17th  September  1894  (T.  Stephenson,  in  Hit.  1902),  but 
I  regard  these  two  last  as  doubtful ;  whilst  five,  stated  to 
have  been  obtained  in  Tees  Bay  {Field,  13th  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,  hke  others  of  the  genus  which  nest  on 
the  east  coast  of  Britain,  but,  as  it  is  the  earHest  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  {Anous  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  (15 12). 
Amongst  the  birds  for  "  My  Lordes  own  Mees,"  are  included 
"  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  porta  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  9th  November  1892  an  immature 
example  was  procured  at  Redcar,  while  during  a  heavy 
storm  on  19th  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  5.  hinindo  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,  21st  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. 
5terna  macrura  (Nautnann). 


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  in 
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  19th  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  17th  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  Spur: , 
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  5.  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  earhest  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), 
15th  April  1885,  and  14th  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  Teru  at  Spurn. 


A".   For  I II  lit 


See  page  661. 


LITTLE   TERN.  66 1 

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  12th  July  ;  and  on  30th  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  17th  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  15th  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.  3316).  This  is  the  first  recorded  male  example  in  the 
adult  summer  dress. 

Flamborough,  one  immature,  15th  October  1873  (Gurney, 
in.  Hit.  and  op.  cit.  1873,  p.  3802).  This  specimen  is  in  Mr. 
Gurney's  collection. 

Bridlington,  one  immature,  14th  October  1875  (J.  Whitaker 
in  Hit.),  also  recorded  by  Mr.  Gurney  {op.  cit.  1876,  p.  4883), 
with  the  adjoinder  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, 
1st  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,  31st  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.    I'.  U 


664  THE  BIRDS  OF  YORKSHIRE. 

bird  was  in  adult  plumage.)  Two  at  the  same  place,  on  the 
15th  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  13th  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,  9th  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,  12th  October  1901  (Moiser, 
in  litt.).  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 


ROSS'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,  21st  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  Horner,  Lord  Howden's  head-keeper,  in  February  last 
(1847),  in  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,  14th  November.) 

("  It  is  precisely  because  the  bird  was  obtained  of  a  dealer 
that  its  alleged  history  has  been  doubted.  If  we  mistake  not , 
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,  21st  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  Horner,  Lord  Howden's 


■^ 

^ 


LITTLE  GULL.  667 

head-keeper,  in  February  1847,  i^  ^  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  e^g  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  minuius. — 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  Hawkridge,  an  industrious  and  persevering 
naturalist.  Another  specimen  was  killed  about  a  fortnight  ago  at 
Bridlington,  which  was  sent  to  Hugh  Reid  of  Doncaster  to  stufif.  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 


LITTLE  GULL.  669 

as  a  Yorkshire  species.  The  most  proHfic  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  and  1902  ; 
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  ist  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  9th 
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  Bridhngton 
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  29th  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, 


e>70  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  Zool. 
1890,  p.  19). 

Other  references  to  L.  minutus  are  : — Zool.  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  Archaeol. 
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  Thome  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.  A'.   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  earhest  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  Duffield  ; 
afterwards  the  birds  changed  their  quarters  to  nearer  the 


*  See  Common  Tern. 


6/2  THE  BIRDS  OF  YORKSHIRE. 

centre  of  the  Common  ;  in  1880  they  were  fairly  abundant, 
but  in  1881  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  1898  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  i860,  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  Skipton  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  27th  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 
Skip  with  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  GuUery  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  Laridas,  and 
has  occurred  in  most  parts  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.  YarreU, 
4th  Ed.  Vol.  iii.  p.  606,  and  Saunders's  "  Manual,"  2nd  Ed. 
p.  662.] 


j^. 


•  '^<l^m 


6/5 

MEDITERRANEAN    BLACK-HEADED 
GULL. 

Larus  melanocephalus  {Natterer). 


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 
Hudderslield.  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  ;)  1888,  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  19th 
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. 
\\'.  Eagle  Clarke  reported  two  at  Fewston  in  June  1884  ; 
the    individuals    thus    observed    are    immature    birds,   and, 


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,  31st  August 
1889). 

The  local  names  are  : — Sea  Mew,  Sea  Crow  (Western 
Ainsty),  and  Pet  Maw  (Redcar). 


HERRING   GULL. 
Larus  argentatus  {Gmclin). 


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  Enghsh  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  Gulf 


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  13th  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.    Fort  HI 


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  igoo  ;  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  hne  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  ;  the  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  1st  November  1900,  at  Redcar,  measured  27I  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  2f  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.  Fallot 


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  15th  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  the  sand-hills,  where  their  yellow  bills 
and  black  and  white  plumage  are  conspicuously  throwoi  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  Heiriiig  and  Lesser 

Black-backed  Gulls. 

T.   II.   Xclsoii. 

The  bird  in  the  centre  of  the  picture  is  a  Lesser  Black-bacls. 
Sec  pagi'  6S3. 


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  Alhs,  written  in  1844  : — 

Larus  tnatinus. — 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  ;  j^et  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. 

Fniiii   a  f>(iiii/iii^-  by   \V.    U'dod/iiiusc. 


Sec  page  683. 


GLAUCOUS  GULL.  685 

p.  36).  Another  strong  migration  took  place  on  17th  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  12th  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  {Faher). 


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  AUis'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  13th  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  19th  January  1867  ; 
one,  September  1887  ;  some,  autumn  1889. 

Whitby,  one  before  1880. 

Redcar,  one  on  19th  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  {jide  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  Kettleuess. 


T.    H.    Xch,>n. 


See  page  68?. 


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  {Faher). 


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,  a-s  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  i8g6  ;  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,  c>ne  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,  vi,  p.  177). 

Scarborough,  one,  15th  January  1867  {Zool.  1867,  p.  637). 

Flamborough,  one  on  12th  October  1867  {torn.  cit.  p.  loio). 

Bridlington,  a  male  on  15th  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  lilt.). 

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,  12th 
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  ist  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  (L.)- 


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  chffs  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  ;^i8  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  defining  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  besn  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  12th  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  igo2, 
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  5  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  15th  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  Hit.  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 
1  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  (L.). 


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  : — 

Larns  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  S.  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  {Zool.  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,  14th  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  {Zool.  1890,  pp. 21-100). 

Whitby,  two  in  the  harbour  in  1890,  reported  by  J.  A. 
Wilson  (Stephenson  MS.). 

Bridlington,  one,  12th  October  1894.  In  Mr.  T.  Boynton's 
collection. 

Scarborough,  one,  November  1894 (N'a^.  1895,  pp.  238,  308). 

VOL.    II.  Y 


696  THE  BIRDS  OF  YORKSHIRE. 

Redcar,  an  immature  example,  12th  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  ToUerton 
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  ofi  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  Allis's  Report, 
thus : — 

Lestyis  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,  but  very  uncertain  in   their  visits, 

•  Lesiris  pomarinus  (Temminck),  specific  nam©  amended  to 
pomatorhinus  by  Mr.  Sclater  {Ibis,  1862.  p.  297 J, 


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,  it  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  14th  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  11  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  17th,  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  fight  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  9th  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,  ist  November  to 
20th  December,  and  1880,  3rd  and  17th  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  14th  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  14th  October  the  fishermen  said  they  had  not 
seen  so  many  since  1879  ;  a  storm  arose  on  the  15th  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  13th  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. 

Fniiii   a   dnm'ing  by  John    Cliarllon. 


•The  Wounded  Friend. 


See  pnge  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  PockUngton,  Thirsk,  Towton,  and  Newton 
Kyme  ;  while  on  12th  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,  he  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  peculiai  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  14th  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,  ^^^  ^^st  recorded  examples  being 
two  which  I  obtained  at  Redcar  on  14th  and  15th  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, 
1st  November  to  20th  December  1879,  ^^^  ^7^^  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  gi^eat  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). 


niCHARDSON'S  SKUA.  703 

Thomas  Allis,  in  1844,  wrote  : — 

Larus  richardsonit. — 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  famUy  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  12th  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  igoi,  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  12th  September  i8gi,  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 


7o6  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  hmited  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,  3-  most  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,  3-^^  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,  12th  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,  ist  November  to  20th  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,  19th  October  1879  '■>  found 
dead. 

Whitby,  one  adult,  October  1879.     In  the  Whitby  Museum. 

Teesmouth,  one  immature,  5th  October  1881. 

Redcar,  one  adult,  ist  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,  9th  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,  21st  September  1892. 

Bridlington,  one  immature,  15th  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- 


7o8  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  15th  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  (L.). 


Resident,  breeding  in  large  numbers  on  the  cliflfs  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  21st  of  which  month  in  1884  Mr. 


Ringed  Guillemot  and  Razorbill  at  Staple  Neuk. 

/\.   Fart  line. 


Razor-Bill  uewly  hatched. 
Sec  pngc  709. 


Young  Razor-Bill. 


K.     W.    Wade. 


RAZORBILL.  yog 

Matthew  Bailey  noted  some  thousands  in  the  chffs,  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 


710  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  Hih  on  17  ch  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  clitf,  and  laying  the  rope 
over  the  pulley. 

T.   H.   Xclson. 


See  page  710. 


7" 

COMMON    GUILLEMOT. 
Lomvia  troile  (L.). 


Resident,  breeding  in  vast  numbers  on  the  cliffs  of  the  Flamborougb 
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  : — 

Uria  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  igoi  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 
and  undemonstrative.  On  12th  March  1900  there  were 
thousands  at  Buckton  Cliffs,  where  they  were  clustering  like 
bees  on  the  breeding  ledges,  and  were  in  lull  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 
STiall  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  locai  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.   Xchon. 


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  chmbed  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, 
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 
crarmies,  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 


7i6  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  dimmer  at  work 


T.   H.   Nchon. 


See  page  710. 


COMMON  GUILLEMOT.  yi7 

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  12th  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  13th,  but  in  the  year  1904  a  movement  was  started  to 
induce  the  men  to  cease  operations  on  ist  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  ajid  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 


7i8  THE  BIRDS  OF  YORKSHIRE. 

parts  which  are  never  chmbed,  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  dimmer  ascending. 


T.   H.   Xchou. 


Sec  pttgc  710. 


COMMON  GUILLEMOT.  719 

which  he  appeared  to  be  highly  dehghted.  The  strangers 
visited  the  dimbers  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  Sci. 
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  igoo,  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 
faUen  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.   Xchon. 


Sec  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  2ft.;  of  an  egg  40Z.;  monstrosities  and  double- 
yolked  examples  are  met  with  from  time  to  time,  as  also  ab- 
normally small  specimens  ;  a  very  long  example  measures 
4I  inches  by  i^  inches  ;  the  largest  I  have  note  of  measures 
4  inches  by  2yV  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  e^g  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  of  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  peige  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,  3.S  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  seeni  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 
i86g. 

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.  Sabine). 


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.  Kodgson  descending  the  cliff. 


E.   W.   Wade. 


Sec  paffc  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  24J  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.  hruennichi,  and  afterwards 
exhibited  it  at  a  meeting  of  the  Linnean  Society  in  January 
1895  (Proc.  Linn.  Soc,  17th  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  19I  inches  in  length  ; 
from  the  carpal  joint  to  the  end  of  the  longest  primary,  SJ 
inches  ;  total  expanse  of  wings,  28^  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, 
7I  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  : — 

Uria  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,"  ^^^ 
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 


-.?-5 


The  dimmer  with  his  outfit. 


T.   H.   Xchou. 


See  piiiTc  - 1  j^. 


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  3'et,  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 — Commoa  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 
hft  the  neighbourhood,  and  gone  out  to  sea,  and  southward, 
for  the  majority  are  partly  migratory,  few  being  seen  near 


After  the  ascent. 


E.   ]V.   Wade. 


See  page  7 1 7. 


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  14th  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  Puffiin  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, 
p/obably 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  Rainworth  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  (L.). 

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  : — 

Mergulus  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  25  th  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  12th  November, 
and,  from  that  date  to  the  21st,  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  pas^e  71; 


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,  wiih  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-stuffers  ; 
on  2ist  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,  Teeming  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  13th  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  niaximtts  caudahis.  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. 
"  Orn."  1678,  pp.  341-2.) 


i^^V 


;'>  ^- 


V. 


*^ 


jie>#"  ■        '  -.''  -'^  --1 


Sp 

■^ 


GREAT  NORTHERN  DIVER.  733 

Thomas  Allis,  in  1844,  wrote  : — 

Colymhus  glacialis. — 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  oflE  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  ;  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. 


*--t4       ITft'^       >*K' 


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  EUand,  near  Halifax, 
17th  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  21st  Nov- 
ember 1878,  and  the  other  on  3rd  Februarj^  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  ; — from  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  WooUey  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 


RED-THROATED  DIVER.  737 

numerous,  and  is  never  altogether  absent  from  the  neighbour- 
hood of  the  coast-hne,  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- 
nomen 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, 


-1 
i 

■i 

4- 

■j»  ^1^^ 

'f^ 

■ 

x1»^ 

Guillemots  on  Staple  Neuk. 


A*.    Fortiini 


See  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  19th  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  17th  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  Fothergill's  Wensleydale  list  of  1823,  where  it  is 
enumerated  amongst  the  birds  observed  in  that  district. 

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 


,  -^ 


\M  '        • 

'U 

1 

K 

■  « 

^\ 

^^ 

i^^^  jj 

.* 

-Ki 

If 

Eggs  of  Guillemots,  Razorbill,  and  Black  Guillemot,  shewing  comparative  sizes. 

'J:   II.   XchoH. 

1.  Typical  egg  of  Common  Guillemot.  2.  Typical  egg  of  Ringed  Guillemot. 

3.  Typical  egg  of  Razorbill. 

4.  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  in'the  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  19th 
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  1st  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  19th 
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  i860  ;  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  Skeffling 
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  ClifiFs,  looking  west. 

Nesting  places  of  the  Puffin  are  on  the  grassy  slopes  midway  down  the  cliffs. 
Set'  page  727. 


743 
SCLAVONIAN   GREBE. 

Podicipes  auritus  (Z,.). 

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,  thus  referred  to  it  : — 
Podiceps  cornntus. — 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.  Brchm). 


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  anritus. — 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  clift? 
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,  12th  April 
1846  {Nat.  1856,  p.  308). 

One,  near  York,  i8th  December  1849  )  exhibited  by  D. 
Graham  at  a  meeting  of  the  Yorkshire  Naturalists'  Club, 
on  i6th  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,  20th  December  1872  {Zool. 

1873,  P-  3413)- 

One,  at  the  Teesmouth,  in  the  winter  of  1874-75  ;  in  my 
collection. 

One,  at  Easington,  near  Spurn,  19th  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  Hahfax  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,  12th  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   {Tnnstall). 


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  Wycliffe  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). 


I 


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■«N 


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 
in  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 "  ("Loudon'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  aimually  on  the  Drifheld  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  Pufhn,  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- 


STORM  PETREL.  749 

land  informed  AUis  that  considerable  flights  occurred  before 
r.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  14th  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  21st  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  14th  October  1881,  and 
also  on  i6th-i7th  Nevomber  1898,  whilst  between  the  nth 
and  12th  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  "  Loudon'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  Sutton  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  17th 
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. 


Ix.   Fori  line. 


See  page  738. 


LEACH'S  FORK-TAILED  PETREL.  75i 

It  is  an  autumn  or  winter  visitant,  in  very  limited  numbers, 
and  not  at  all  regular  in  its  appearance.  Thomas  Allis, 
in  "  Loudon'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  12th  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  Halilax, 
13th  November  1874,  is  evidently  to  be  referred  to  Wilson's 
Petrel,   which  see.) 


WILSON'S     PETREL. 

Oceanites  oceanicus  {Ktihl). 


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  13th  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  AUis'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  ;  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.). 

Bridhngton,  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. 


7'.    A.    Metcalfe. 


See  page  747. 


SOOTY  SHEARWATER.  755 

Flamborough,  a  male,  13th  September  1865  (Boulton, 
Zool.  1866,  pp.  29-30). 

Bridlington  and  Flamborough,  two  at  the  former  place 
and  one  at  the  latter,  6th  to  19th  September  1866  {op.  cit. 
1867,  p.  543). 

Flamborough,  one,  15th  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  12th  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  17th  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 


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,  13th  September  1865  (Boulton, 
Zool.  1866,  pp.  29,  30). 

*  Bridlington  and  Flamborough,  two  at  the  former  place 
and  one  at  the  latter,  6th  to  19th  September  1866  {op.  cit. 
1867,  p.  543). 

*  Flamborough,  one,  15th  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). 

Bridhngton,  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.  5 1 16)  ;  and  from  other  sources,  three  immature  Great 
Shearwaters,  but  probably  referable  to  this  species,  were 
reported  in  the  same  year. 

Scarborough,  one  1879  ;  in  the  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,  17th  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,  iotn.  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  {toni.  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  {Tcmminck) 


Bird  of  passage,   sometimes  in  considerable   numbers  in  autumn. 
Occasionally  occurs  inland. 


As  a  Yorkshire  bird,  the  earhest  reference  to  the  Manx 
Shearwater  may  be  found  in  Alhs'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  ]\Ianx  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.  S^,)  ;  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.    II.  2  C 


76o  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    (Accrbi). 


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  ;  it  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  13th  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    {Jardine  &  Selhy). 


Accidental  visitant  from  the  Atlantic,  of  extremely  rare  occurrence. 


This  small  Petrel  nests  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 
15th  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,  ^^^-  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  hiilwerii,  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  ;  hy  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  i86g 
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  31st 
of  the  same  month  in  i8gi  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 
260Z.,  whilst  the  smallest  weighed  only  140Z. 

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  Protec-tion  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  31st  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  pohibited  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  12th  day  of 
August  in  each  year. 

Certain  Birds  protected  during  the  ivhole  of  the  year. 

During  the  period  between  the  31st  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  2D 


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,  Yehow  Bunting 
(YeUow  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  L  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  it'ithin  certain  Areas. 

V.  During  the  period  between  the  31st  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  : — 

(i)  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-ea.terly  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  A  iigust  in 

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. 


day  of  February  to  the  12th 
any  year  ; — 

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. 

Snipes  {continued)  : 

Whimbrel. 

Common   Snipe. 

Widgeon. 

Jack  Snipe. 

Wild  Ducks  : 

Solan  Goose. 

Eider. 

Spoonbill. 

Pintail. 

Stonehatch. 

Scoter. 

Teal. 

Tufted  Duck. 

Tystey. 

Willock. 

\Vhaup. 

Woodcock. 

(b)  Birds 

protected  all  the  year  round. 

Bee  Eater. 

Grebes  : 

Bittern. 

Great   Crested    Grebe. 

Little    Bittern. 

Litttle   Grebe   (Dabchick). 

Bullfinch. 

Gull  (Blackheaded). 

Buntings  : 

Harriers  : 

Blackheaded    Bunting. 

Marsh    Harrier. 

Cirl  Bunting. 

Hen  Harrier. 

Corn  Bunting. 

Montagu's  Harrier. 

Reed  Bunting. 

Heron    (Common). 

Snow  Bunting. 

Hobby. 

Yellow   Bunting. 

Hoopoe. 

Yellow  Hammer. 

Kestrel. 

Buzzards  : 

Kingfisher. 

Common  Buzzard. 

Kite. 

Honey  Buzzard. 

Kittiwake. 

Rough  Legged  Buzzard 

Larks  : 

Chaffinch. 

Skylark. 

Chiffchaff. 

Woodlark. 

Corncrake  (Landrail). 

Linnet. 

Crossbill. 

Martins  : 

Cuckoo. 

House    Martin. 

Dipper  or  Water  Ouzel. 

Sand   Martin. 

Diver    (Black-throated). 

Merlin. 

Dotterel. 

Nightingale. 

Dunlin  : 

Nightjar. 

Purre,  Ox  Bird. 

Goat   Sucker. 

Eagles  : 

Night  Hawk  or  Fern  Owl. 

Golden  Eagle. 

Nuthatch. 

Sea  Eagle. 

Oriole  (Golden). 

Falcon. 

Osprey. 

Flycatchers  : 

Owls. 

Pied   Flycatcher. 

Long-eared  Owl. 

Spotted  Flycatcher. 

Short-eared  Owl. 

Goldfinch. 

Tawny  or  Brown  Owl. 

771 


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   W^arbler. 

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  Februai"y  and  the  12th  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  15th  day  of  April  in  any  year. 


EXTRACTS  FROM  ANCIENT  RECORDS. 


ALTHOUGH  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  fanna 
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  15 12,  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  domini  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  "  chekjais  "  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  princ3'pall  Feestes  and 
my  Lorde  to  be  servyde  therewith  and  his  Boordend  and  non  other 
and  to  be  boght  for  jd.  a  pece  or  jd.  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  hj's  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  "  ijrf.,"  "  Teyles  "  at  "  ]d."  "  bot  if  so  be 
that  other  Wyldefowll  cannot  be  gottyn,"  "  Woodcockes  "  at  "  jd. 
a  pece  or  jd.  ob.  at  moste,"  "  Wypes  "  at  "  jd.,"  "  SeeguUes  "  "  so  they 

*  See  the  Natityalist,   1906,  pp.  52-56. 


EXTRACTS.  775 

be  good  and  in  season  and  at  ]d.  a  pece  or  id.  ob.  at  the  moste,"  "  Styntes 
"  so  they  be  after  vj  a  ]d.,"  "  Quaylles  "  at  "  i]d.,"  "  Snypes  "  "  after 
iii  a  id.,"  "  Pertryges  "  at  "  iid.  a  pece  yff  they  be  goode,"  "  Rede- 
shankes  "  after  "  id.  ob.  the  pece,"  "  Bytters  "  at  "  xiji.  a  pece  so  they 
be  good,"  "  Fesauntes  "  at  "  xijrf.,"  "  Reys  "  at  "  iji.,"  "  Sholardes  " 
at  "  vid.,"  "  Kyrlewes  "  at  "  xij^.,"  "  Pacokes  "  at  "  xijrf.  a  pece  and 
noo  Payhennys  to  be  bought,"  "  Seepyes  "  have  no  price  allotted, 
"  Wegions  "  were  to  be  at  id.  ob.,"  "  Knottes  "  at  "  id.,"  "  Dottrells  " 
"  when  thay  ar  in  Season  and  to  be  at  id.  a  pece,"  "  Bustardes  "  with 
no  price  affixed,  "  Ternes  "  "  after  iiij  a  id.,"  "  Great  Byrdes  after 
iiij  a  id.,"  "  Smale  Bj'rdes  "  "  after  xij  a  jd.,"  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  Cay  tor  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/.  iis.  8d.  ;  two 
dozen  Heron-sewes,  1/.  4s.  ;  twelve  bitterns,  i6s.  ;  eighteen  Pheasants, 
i/.  4s.  ;  forty  Partridges,  65.  8d.  ;  eighteen  Curlews,  il.  45.  ;  three 
dozen  Plovers,  55.  ;   five  dozen  Stints,  9s." 

In  1530,  another  daughter  was  married,  and  the  expenses  are 
returned  pretty  much  as  before.  The  prices  were  : — for  Swans,  65. 
each  ;   Cranes,  3s.  4d.  each  ;   Heronsewes,  izd.  ;   Bytters,  14^^. 

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,  13s.  4^.  ;  item,  eighty  Partridges,  i/.  65.  8d.  ;  item, 
twelve  Ffesants,  il.  ;  item,  twenty  Curlews,  i/.  65.  8d.  ;  item.  Curlew 
Knaves,  thirty-two,  i/.  12s.  ;  six  dozen  Plovers,  12s.  ;  item,  thirty 
dozen  Pigeons,  js.  6d.,"  etc.,  showing  a  shght  advance  on  the  prices 
of  1526. 


LITERATURE   CONSULTED. 


The  Ornithology  of  Francis  Willughby.     Ed.  by  John  Ray,    1678. 
Ray's  Synopsis  Methodica  Avium.     (Posthumous),   171 3. 
Philosophical  Transactions.     Vol.    28.     Dr.   Richardson,    17 13. 
Philosophical  Transactions.     Vol.   60.     G.   Edwards,    1757. 
A    Natural    History    of    Uncommon    Birds.     4    ^'ols.     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,  18 13. 
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  Decoj's.     Sir  R.   Payne-Gallwej',    1886. 
Birds  ol  the  Humber  District.     J.  Cordeaux,  1872. 
List  of  British  Birds  belonging  to  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),  Wbitaker'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  (i 880-1 887),  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  AUis  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  ntsiis,  343 
Acredula  caiidata,    106 
Acrocephalus  phvagmitis,  91 
streperus,  89 

tiirdoides,  91 

A^gialitis  cantiana,  576 
curonica,   575 

hiaticula,  573 

Agelaus  phasniceus'],  221 
[Alauda  arbor ea,  257 

arvensis,   255 

^/ca  tarda,  708 
Alcedo  ispida,  278 

'  Alder  Finch,'   174 

'  Alke  '  (Razorbill),  708 

'  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  alhifrons,  419 


Anas  ansev,    417,    419 

boscas,  434 

fents,  417,  419 

paludosiis,  419 

segetJtm,   419 

strepera,   450 

[Andaluciau  Hemipode],  353 
'  Annett  '   (Kittiwake),   693 
[Anous  stolidus'],  655 
Anser  albifrons,  411 

arvensis,   415,   420 

brachyrhyHCus,  415 

cinereus,  408 

erythropus,  413 

paludosiis,  415,  420 

segetum,  413 

Anthus  campestris,  134 

obscurus,   134 

prate  nsis,   132 

rttpestris,   1 36 

trivialis,   130 

Aquila  chrysa^tus,  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  accipitriniis,  296 

otus,  295 

Astur  palumbarius,  339 

Athene  noctua,  306 

'Auk'  (Razorbill),   708,  710 


779 


78o 


INDEX  OF  BIRDS. 


Auk,   '  Dwarf,'  "t^z 

'  Iceland,'  '/;^2 

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  W^arbler,  74 
Bar-tailed  Godwit,  639 
'  Bastard  Plover  '  (Lapwing),  582-5 
'  Beam  Bird  '  (Spotted  Flycatcher), 
148,  149 

(Garden  Warbler),  jt. 

Bean  Goose,  413,  416 
Bearded  Reedling,   104 

Titmouse,  104 

'  Beccaiigo  '  (Garden  Warbler),  't, 
'  Bee-Bird' (SpottedFlycatcher),  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 

leiicopsis,  423 

riificollis,  423 

'  Bessy  '  (Yellow  Bunting),  204 

'  Bessie  Ducker  '  (Pied  W^agtail),  123 

'  Betty  '  (Sedge  Warbler),  93 

Bewick's  Swan,  429 

'  Big  Allan  '  (Pomatorhine  Skua), 696 


'  Big  Black  and  WhiteDuck'  (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 
'  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 

'  Bitter  '       ^ 

'  Bittor  '       I  (Common  Bittern), 
'  Bittoun  '    r  399,  402 

'  Bittour  '    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  (Marsh Titmouse),  1 12 

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),  1 94 
'  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  INIartin  '  (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),  114 
'  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 

Botaiirus  lentiginosus,  403 

stellaris,   399 

'  Bottle  Bump  '   (Bittern),   402 

'  Bottle  Jug'  (Long-tailed  Titmouse), 

107 
'  Bottle  Tit  '  (Longtailed  Titmouse), 

107 
Bramble  Finch  (Brambling),   184 
Brambling,  182 
'  Bramlin  '    212 

'  Brancher  '    (Young    Rook),    254 
'  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),  G56 
Brunnich's  Guillemot,  724 
Bubo  ignavus,   312 
Buffel-headed  Duck,  471 
Buffon's  Skua,  705 
Bullfinch,   193 

Northern  or  Russian,    194 

Grosbeak    (Bullfinch),    194 

'Bullflinch'   (Bullfinch),    194 

'  Bullspink  '  (Chaffinch),   182 

'  Bully  Black-head  '  (Bullfinch),  194 

'Bullspink'   (Bullfinch),    194 

'  Bully  '  (Bullfinch),  194 

'  Bully  ' 

•  Bullie '  J 

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 


(Chaftinch),   182 


Bunting  [White-throated],   215 

Yellow,  203 

'  Burgomaster'  (GlaucousGull),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),  140 

(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 


[Caccahis  petrosa],  531 

rufa,  527 

'  Cad  Crow  '   (Carrion  Crow),  243 

Calcarius  lapponicus,  210 

Caltdris  arenaria,  620 

[Canada  Goose],  427 

Capercaillie,  503 

Caprimiilgus  europasus,  265 

'  Captain  '  (Goldfinch),  172 

'  Car  Crow  '   (Carrion  Crow),  243 

Carduelis  elegans,  169 

spiniis,  172 

Carr  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 

Chafiinch,   180 

•Chaffy'  (Chaffinch),   1S2 

Charadrius  plurialis,  ^yj 

'  Charhe  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 

\VhJn-,  26 

'Chatty'  (Wheatear),  25 
Chelidon  tirbica,  158 
[Chenalopex  cBgyptica],  427 
Chen  hyperboyeus,  422 

'  Chep  Starling  '  (Starling),  220 
'  Chetstone  '   (Wheatear),   25 
'  Cherry  Finch  '  (Hawfinch),  168 
'  Cheverel '  or '  Chevil '  (Goldfinch)  ,171 
'  Chevy  Linnet  '  (Lesser  Redpoll),  190 
'  Chickstone  '  (Stonechat),  32 
Chiffchaff,  81 
Chimney  Swallow,  158 

*  Chippet  Linnet  '  (Lesser  Redpoll), 

190 
'Chit  Lark'  (Meadow  Pipit),  133 
'Chitty  '(Wren),  120 

•  Chitty  Prat  '  (Sedge  Warbler).  93 
'  Chivey  *  (Lesser  Redpoll),  190 
'ChiveyLinnet' (Lesser  Redpoll),  190 
Chough,  223 

'  Chub  Lark  '  (Corn  Bunting),  203 
'  Chucker  '  (Fieldfare),   12 

*  Churcock  '  (Mistle  Thrush),  3 

'  Church  Owl  '  (Barn  Owl),  292,  295 

•  Chum  Owl '  (Nightjar),  268 
Ciconia  alba,  403 

nigra,  405 

Cinclus  aquations,   lOl 
melanogaster,  301 

VOL.  II. 


Cinclus  melanogaster,  103  [334 

Cinereous  Eagle  (White-tailed  Eagle 
Circus  cBruginosus,  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 

Coliimba  livia,  494 

eenas,  490 

palimtbus,  487 

Colymbus  adamsi,  j^^. 

arcticus,   735 

glacialis,   732 

maximus  caudatiis,  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 
'  Cooshout  '  (Ring-Dove),  490 
Coracias  garrulus,  281 
'  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 

'  Corvorant  '   (Cormorant),   375 
Corvus  cor  ax,  235 

coynix,  244 

corone,  240 

friigilegus,  249 

monednla,  232 

Costnonetta  htstrionica,  474 
Cottle  riparia,   161 
Coiurnix  communis,  531 
'  Coulterneb  '  (Puffin),  727 
Courser,  Cream-coloured,  566 
'Cow-bird'    (Yellow  Wagtail),  130 
'  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 
'Cracker'  (Corn  Crake),  536 
'Creek'  (Corn  Crake),  536 


Crane,  Common,  547 

Lang,  379 

'  Craw  '  (Carrion  Crow),  243 

(Rook),   254 

Cream-coloured  Courser,  566 

Gull  (Iceland  Gull),  688 

(Glaucous  Gull),  687 

Creeper,   120 

Tree,  120 

'Creepy-tree'  (Creeper),   121 
'  Crested  Cormorant,'  380 
Crested  Titmouse,    114 
Ciex  prateusis,   534 
Crossbill,  Common,  197 

European  White-winged,  201 

•  Parrot,  200 

Two-barred,  201 

'  Croupy  Craw  '  (Raven),  240 
'  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 'Royston  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) ,    1 80 

(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 

Cyaneciila  leucocyana,  2i^ 

suecica,  39 

Cygnns  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'   (Com  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 

[viV/osMs],  276 

'Denmark  Crow '(Hooded  Crow).,  349 


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), 100 

'  Didapper  '  (Little  Grebe),  746.  748 
'  Dipper  '  (Little  Grebe),  746,  748 
'Dipper  Duck'  (Little  Grebe),  748 
Dipper,  loi 

Black-bellied-,  103 

'  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 

• Buffel-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  mtgratorius'],  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 

cirliis,  204  ': 

citrinella,  203 

hortulana,  206 

milaria,   201 

[pusilla],  207  • 

rustica,  207 

schceniclus,   208 


INDEX  OF  BIRDS. 


787 


•  Emmet  Hunter  '  (Wryneck),  271 
Evithaciis  rubecula,  41 
Endromias  morinellus,  567 

'  Eutic  '  (Whinchat),  26 

'  Eve-chur  '  or  '  Jar  '  (Nightjar),  269 

Falco  (s salon,  365 

candicans,  352 

cenchris,   ijz 

\jurcatus\,  349 

grcBnlandicHS,2S3 

islandus,  355 

peregrinus,    357 

rufipes,  368 

[sparveriiis],   372 

siihhiiteo,   362 

tirinuyiculus ,  370 

vespertiniis,   367 

Falcon,  Blue-backed,  361 

Greenland,  352 

'  Grey,  357 

Gyr.   353.   354.   356 

Iceland,  355 

Peregrine,  357 

Red-footed,   367 

'Stone,  367 

[Swallow-tailed],  349 

'  Fanny  Redtail  '  (Redstart),  36 
'  Featherpoke  '   (Chiffchaff),   83 

(Willow  Warbler),  86 

(Greenfinch),  165 

(Long-tailed  Titmouse),  107 

'  Ground,  86 

'  Feathersack  '   (Long-tailed   Tit- 
mouse), 107 
'  Feldy  '         ^ 
'  Felfer  ' 
'  Felfor  ' 
'  Fellfer  ' 

*  Fellfor  ' 
'  Felfit  ' 
'  Feltyfare  ' 
' Fentyfare 
'Felfer'  (Redwing),  9 

'  Fell  Blackie  '  (Ring  Ouzel),  21 

'  Fern  Owl '  (Nightjar).  268 

'  Ferny  Hoolet  '  (Tawny  Owl),  303 


(Fieldfare),   12 


Ferruginous  Duck,  465 
Fieldfare,  9 

'  Fig-eater  '  (Garden  Warbler),  y^ 
Finch,  '  Alder,  174 

'  Bramble,   1 84 

'  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  '  (Pufiin),  729 
[Flamingo],  408 
'  Flasher  '  or  '  Flesher  '  (Red-backed 

Shrike),  144 
'Flaxfinch'  (Chaffinch),  180,  182 
'  Fleck   Linnet  '    (Chaffinch),    182 
'  Fleingall '  (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  montifringilla ,  182 
Fulica  atra,  545 
Fuligula  cristata,  466 

ferina,  462 

marila,  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,  601 

Gallinula  chloropns,  544 

hypoleucos,  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 


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  '  X 

'  Goldspink  ' 

'  Gowdspink  ' 

'  Gold  Linnet  ' 

'  Gowd  Linnet 

'  Gold  Lenny  ' 

'  Goldfinch  ' 

'  Goldie  ' 

'  Goldspink  ' 

'  Gowdspink  ' 

'  Goldring  '  I 

'  Gold  L^ny  '  / 

'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 


(Goldfinch),  172 


(Yellow  Bunting) 
204 


'Road,   'Rood,l 

'Rhode, 'Rock  '- 


(Brent  Goose), 

'Rott,  'Rat      J       425.427 

'  Scotch,  427 

Snow,  422 

Solan,  384 

White-fronted,   411 

Yellow-billed  Bean,   420 


INDEX  OF  BIRDS. 


789 


v^       (Corn  Crake), 

\  535-6 


J 


*  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 

Drake  ' 

Quake  ' 

'  Gress  Drake 
'  Gurs  Duck  ' 
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,  601 

Spotted  Woodpecker,  274 

Titmouse,  108 

White  Heron,  392 

'  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),  186 

Linnet  '     or     '  Grey     Lenny  * 

(Twite),  192 

Phalarope,  591 

Plover,  579 

Plover'  (Knot),  620 

Wagtail,    125 

Grosbeak  (Hawfinch),  168 

Green,  163-165 

,  Pine,   195 


790 


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  commitnis,   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,  681 

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 

'  '  Wage],  685 

Wedge- tailed,  665 

'  Gype}-,'     '  Gyp,'     '  Gipey  '    (Star- 
ling), 220 
'  Gyp  Starling,'  '  Gyp  Starnil '  (Star- 
ling), 220 
Htsmatoptts  ostralegus,  586 
'  Hair-tail  '  (Garden  W'arbler),  71 
[Hairy  Woodpecker],  276 
'  Half-Curlew  '  (Whimbrel) ,  648 
Halicetiis  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,  30t 

'  Mullet,  374 

'Night,  268 

[Owl],  301 

'  Perry,  361 

'  Pigeon.  344 

•  '  Red,  372 

'  Rock,  ^6j 

Sparrow,  343 


INDEX  OF  BIRDS. 


791 


,■■1 

)le' J 


(Green  Woodpecker), 
272,  274 


Hawk,   '  Stand,  372 

'  Standing,   372 

'  Stone,  367 

'  Vanner,  372 

'  Yellow,  372 

'  Hay-bird  '  (Whinchat),  28 

(Wood  Warbler),  88 

'  Hay-chat  '  (Whinchat),  28 
'  Hay-Crake  '  (Corn  Crake),  535 
'  Hayhoe 
'  Heffald 
'  Hefful 
'  Hewhoh 
'  Heath-Cock  '    (Blackgame),    509 
'Heath-Throstle'  (Ring Ouzel),  18,  21 
'  Heather-Bleater  '  (Common  Snipe), 
60s 

Lintie  '  (Meadow  Pipit),  133 

Hedge  Accentor,  97 
'  Hedge  Chanter' 1 

Creeper  ' 

Sparrow'     V  (Hedge  Accentor), 

Warbler  '  100 

'  Hempie  '  ; 

'  Hernshaw  '  \ 

'  Heronshaw  '  [  (Common 

'  Heronsew  '  I  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 

Himantopiis  candidiis,  590 
Hirundo  rustica,  153 

'  Hissing  Owl  '  (Barn  Owl),  295 

Hobby,  2,62 

'  Hollin-Cock  '  (Mistle  Thrush),  3 

Honey  Buzzard,  350 

Hooded  Crow,  244 

Merganser,  486 

'  Hoodie  '  (Hooded  Crow),  249 


'  Hoolet,'  '  Howlet,'     )  (Tawny 

'  Hoot  Owl,'  '  Hullot,'  i      Owl),  303 

'  Hoolet,  '  Brown,  302,  303 

'  Ferny,  303 

'  White,  29s 

Hooper,  428 
Hoopoe,  2S5 
Horned  Owl  (Long-eared  Owl),  296 

Grebe  (Sclavonian),  744 

'  Horner  '  (Goosander),  484 
Houbara,  Asiatic,  559 
House  Martin,   158 

Sparrow,    175 

Swallow  '  (House  Martin),  161 

'  Hover  Hawk  '  (Kestrel),  372 

'  Humming-bird  '   (Goldcrest),   79 

HA'brids,   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),  2i7~ 

Plover  '  (Dunlin),  612 

-saw'  (Goosander),  484 

Snipe,  605 

'  Jacky  '   (Jackdaw),   234 

BlueCap'  (BlueTitmouse),  114 

'  Jacob  '  (Starling),  220 

'Jar-Owl'  (Nightjar),  269 

Jay,  225 

'  Jay  Piet,'      '\ 

•  Jenny  Jay,'    I   (Jay),  227 

'  Jinny   Jay,'    j 


792 


INDEX  OF  BIRDS. 


'  Jenner-hen  ' 

'  Jenny  Wa-ren     , 

Jenny   \\  ren 
'  Jinties  '  ' 

'  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  '  (Chiffchaft),  83 

•  Jinny  Hullut '  (Tawny  Owl),  303 

Jewlatt  '  (Tawny  Owl) ,  303 

•  Jinny  Wren  '  (Gold-crest),  79 
'Jinties'  (Creeper),  121 

'  Judcock  '  (Jack  Snipe),  605 

(Dunlin),  612 

'  Kelne  '  (Stone  Curlew),  564 

'Kell-bird'  (Youngof  Guillemot),  724 

Kentish  Plover,  576 

Kestrel,  370 

■ [American],   372 

Lesser,  372 

'  Ket-Crow  '   (Carrion  Crow) ,   243 
King  Eider,  476 
Kingfisher,    278 

King  Harry  '  'I  (Goldfinch), 

'  King  Harry  Redcap  '  j  172 

Kite,  344 
'  Kite  '  (Common  Buzzard),  328 

[Swallow-tailed],  347 

Kittiwake  Gull,  689 

•  Kit,'    •  Kitty,'  \,„.,,.      ,    ,    , 
•Kitti-ake'         j(Kittiwake).  692-3 

'  Kitty  '  (Wren),  120 

Knot,  618 

Lagopus  scoticiis,  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 

excubiior,    138 

meridionalis,  139 

minor,   140 


Lanius  pomerantts,  144 
Lapland  Bunting,  210 
Lapwing,   581 
Lark,'  'Bank-,  131-133 

'  Bulking-,  131 

•Chit-,  133 

'  Chub-,  203 

'  Ditch-,  132 

'  Ground-,    203 

Lesser-crested-,  1 30-1 31 

'  Rock-,  136 

'  Sand-,  575,  136 

'  Scribbling-,  204 

'  Sea-,   575 

Shore-,  259 

'  Tree-,  1 3 1 

Wood-,  257 

'Wood-  (Tree  Pipit),  131 

'  Writing-,  204 
•  Lark,'  1 

'  Laverack  '   >  (Skylark),    257 
'  Laverock,'  j 
Lams  argentahis,  677 

■ •  [airicilla'],  674 

canns,  675 

catarractes,   694 

eburneus,  693 

fuscus,  681 

glaiiciis,  685 

leucoptenis,   687 

inarinus,  684 

melanocephalus ,  675 

niiniitus,  667 

viger,  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) ,  734 

(Red-throated    Diver),    738 

Leach's  Fork-tailed   Petrel,  750 


INDEX  OF  BIRDS. 


793 


'  Least  Willow  Wren  '  (Chiffchaff),  83 
'Lemon-bird'   (Linnet),    186 
'  Lennert  '  (Linnet),  186 
Lenny,  '  Gold,  172 
'  Over-sea,    184 

'  White,  215 

'  Yellow,  204 

Lesser  Black-backed  Gull,  681 

Crested  Lark  (Tree Pipit),  1 30- 1 

Grey  Shrike,  140 

Kestrel,  372 

Mountain  Finch  '  (Snow  Bun- 
ting), 212 

Pettychaps  '    (Chiffchaff),    83 

Pettychaps  '      (Lesser   White- 
throat),  68 

Redpoll,    189 

[Ringed  Plover],  575 

Saddle-back '    (Lesser    Black- 
backed  Gull),  683 

Spotted  Woodpecker,  276 

Tern,  660 

W^hite-fronted  Goose,  413 

Whitethroat,    67 

Lestris  pomarintis,  696 

Levantine  Shearwater,   760 

Ligurinus  chloris,  163 

'  Liltie-Cock  '    or    '  Lintie-Cock  ' 
(Cormorant),    379 

Limicola  platyrrhyvcha,  607 

Limosa  cBgocephala,  641 

lapponica,  639 

'Ling-bird'  (Meadow  Pipit),   133 
'  Ling-tit  '  (Meadow  Pipit),  133 
'Ling-Linnet'  (Twite),   193 
Linnet,  185 

■  Bent,  186 

'  Brown,  186 

'  Chevy,    190 

'  Chippet,  190 

'  Chivey,   190 

— '  Fleck,   182 

'French,   184  >'    ••  • 

Gold,  172 

— —  '  Goss,  186 

'  Grey,  186 


Linnet,   '  Ling,  193 

'  Mountain,   192 

'Over-sea,   215 

'  Red,  186 

'  Robin,   186 

'  Rose,  190 

■  Song.  186 

'  Thorn,  186 

'  Thorny,  193 

-  '  Whin,   186 

'  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 

'LittleBlackcap'(CoalTitmouse),iio 

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-Crested  Wren)  79 

Locustclla  ncEvia,  93 


794 


INDEX  OF  BIRDS. 


Lomvia  troile,  yii 

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,  48C 
Loxia  bifasciata,  201 

ciirvirostra,  197 

pityopsittaciis,   200 

*Luteola'  (Wood  Warbler),  87 

Machetes  pugjiax,  622 

'  Mackerel  Gant  '  (Gannet),  384 

Gull'  (Kittiwake),  693 

M acrorhamphns  grisens,   638 
MacQueen's  Bustard,  559 
Magpie,  228 
'  Mag,'  '  Maggie,') 


(Magpie),  231 


'  Miggy,' 
Mallard,  434 
Mallemoke  '  (Fulmar),  765 

(Glaucous  Gull),  687 

Manx  Shearwater,  759 
Alareca  americana,  461 

penelope,    458 

Marsh   Harrier,   315 

Hawk'  (Marsh  Harrier),  317 

Titmouse,   1 1 1 


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-headedGuIl,675 
Megalestris  catarrhactes,  694 
Merganser,  Hooded,  486 

Red-breasted,  484 

Mergulus  alle,  y^o 
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-,  6yy 

'  Midden  Daup  '  (Carrion  Crow) ,  243 
Migration,  Birds  assisted  on,  78 

Fieldfare,  11 

Golden-crested  Wren,   y6 

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  W^arbler),   88 

(Long-tailed    Titmouse), 

107 

*  Mealy    Miller's    Thumb '     (Long- 

tailed  Titmouse),    107 
Milvus  icttnus,  344 
'Mire  Drum'  (Bittern),  402 
Mistle  Thrush,   i 

*  Mock  Nightingale '  ( 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 

'Moss  Hen  '  (Red  Grouse),  522 

Owl'  (Short-eared  Owl),  301 

Motacilla  alba,  123 


Motacilla  borealis,  127 

fiava,  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) ,  1 80 

'  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),  5  88 

Duck'  (Common  Scoter),  479 

(Scaup),  470 

Mute  Swan,  430 

'  Nanny  Redtail '  (Redstart),  36 

'  Nanpie  '  (Magpie),  231 

'  Nan-piannot  '  (Magpie),  232 

Nanpie,'  '  Sea-  (OysterCatcher),  588 

Netta  ruftna,  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),  724 

[Noddy  Tern],  655 

Norfolk  Plover,  561,  564 

'  Norman  Thrush  '  (Mistle  Thrush), 3 

Northern  Bullfinch,  194 

Crow'  (Hooded  Crow),  249 

Diver,  Great,  732 

White-billed,   734 

Mealy  Redpoll,  188 

'  Norway  Crow  '  (Hooded  Crow),  249 
Nucifraga  caryocatactes,  224 
Ntimeniiis  arqiiata,  643 

phoepus,  646 

Nutcracker,   224 

Siberian,    224 

Nuthatch,   115 

'Nut-jobber'  (Nuthatch),  115,  117-8 

Nyctala  [^acadica'\,  305 

tengmahm.  303 

Nyctea  scandiaca,   309 
Nycticorax  europosus,  396 

griseus.  395 

Oceanites  oceanicus,  752 
Oceanodroma  leucorrhoa,   750 
QLdemia  fiisca,  480 

nigra,  477 

[perspicillata],  482 

CEdicnemus  scolopax,  561 
Olivaceous  Gallinule,  539 
Oriole,  Golden,   136 
Oriolus  galbula,   136 
Orphean  Warbler.  68 
Ortolan  Bunting,  206 
[Ortyx  viyginiamis],  533 
Osprey,  373 
Otis  Macqiieeni,  549 

tarda,  548 

tetrax,  357 

Otocorys  alpcstris,  259 
•Ouzell  '  (Blackbird),  17 


'  Ouizle  '  (Blackbird),  17 
Ouzel,  '  Brook,  543 

'Crag, 

Ring,  17 

'  Rock.  21 

'  Water,  loi 

'  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  halicBtus,   IJ^ 


INDEX  OF  BIRDS. 


797 


Pmmrits  biarniiciis,  104 

'  Parasitic  Gull  '  (Buffon'sSkua),705 

Parrot  Crossbill,  200 

'  Parrot  'or 'Sea-Parrot'  (Puffin),  729 

'Partrick'   or  'Par trig'  (Partridge), 

Partridge,  524  [527 

— —  [Barbary],  531 

French,  530 

Red-legged,   527 

Parus  ater,  109 

coeruleus,    1 1 2 

cristatiis,    114 

major,   108 

palustris,    1 1 1 

Passer  doniesticus,   175 

minor,  159 

montaiius,   17S 

Pastor,   Rose-coloured,   221 

Pastor  roseus,  22 1 

'  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 

(ChiiJchaff),  ^^ 

■ (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 

'  Penwings  '  (Great  Northern  Diver), 

Perdix  cinerea,   524  [734 

Peregrine  Falcon,  357 

Perms  apivorotis,  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,  71 

'  'Lesser(LesserWhite throat), 68 

(Chiff  chaff) ,    S3 

Phalacrocorax  carbo,  375 

graculus,    379 

Phalarope,  Grey,  591 

Red-necked,  593 

'  Phalaroe  '  (Phalarope),   593 
Phalaroptis  fulicarius,  591 

hyperboreus,  593 

Phasianiis  colchicus,  523 

torquatiis,  523 

Pheasant,   523 

— ■ — ■  '  Black,  243 

Duck  '   (Pintail),  454 

-  'Sea,  454 
Philomela  luscinia,  47 
[Phcrntcopterus  rosciis],  408 
Phylloscopus  borcalis,  S6 
brehmi,  i^) 

rufiis,  81 

sibilatrix,  86 

superciliosHS.  80 

trochilus,  83 

Pica  rttstica,  228 

'  Pickie  '  (Mistle  Thrush) ,  3 

[Picus  martins'],  278 

'  Pie,'  '  Pianate,'      -^ 

'  Pj'enate,'  '  Pinot,' 

"  Pienet,'  '  Pynot,' 

'Piannot,'  'Pianet.'  J.  (Magpie),  231, 

'  Pyannot,'  '  Pyet,'  23: 

'  Pied  Margaret,' 

'  Pie-nanny,' 

Pied  Flycatcher,  149 

Wagtail,  121 

Pigeon  [American  Passenger],  49S 

'  Burrow,  493 

'  Cliff,  493 

-  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 

'  Pinion  '   (see  Chaffinch) 
Pine  Grosbeak,  195 
Pinicola  cneiicleator,  195 
*Pink'  (Chaffinch),  182 

footed   Goose,   415 

Pintail,  453 

Pipit,  Meadow,   132 

■ Rock,    134 

'  Sea-beach,  136 

Tawny,   134 

Tree,  130 

'  Pil  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  aurttus,  743 

cristatiis,  738 

— fluviatilis,  746 

• griseigena,  740 


Podicipes  nigricollis,  744 

'  Poker  '  or  '  Pokker  '  (Pochard),  465 

[Polish  Swan],   431 

Pomatorhine  Skua,   696 

'  Pool  Snipe  '  (Redshank),  635 

'  Popinjay  '  (Green  Woodpecker), 274 

[Poyyphyrio  cceruleics],  545 

Porzana  hailloni,  539 

maruetta,    536 

parva,  538 

Pratincola  rubetra,  26 

rubicola,  28 

Pratincole,  Collared,  565 
Procellaria  lencorrJioa ,  750 

pelagica,    748 

[Progne  purpurea],  l6l 
Puffin,    727 

'  Tom,    748 

Pufftnus  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  europcea,  193 

major,   194 

Quail,  Common,  531 

Quake,'  '  Grass,  536 

Querquedula  circia,  457 

'  Rafter  '  or  '  Rafter-bird  '  (Spotted 

Flycatcher),   149 
Rail,  Land,  534,  535 

Spotted,  537 

Water,  540 

'  Rain-bird,'  ^ 

'  Rain-fowl,'  >  (Green  Woodpecker). 

'  Rain-pie,'    J  274 

Rake,'  '  Corn,  535 

Ralhis  aqitaticus,  540 

piisillus,  538 

'RalphieandDykie'  (Cormorant),  379 


INDEX  OF  BIRDS. 


799 


'Rat-bird,"Rat-hen'(WaterRail).543 
'  Rat,'    or    '  Rott     Goose '     (Brent 

Goose),  427 
•  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-head'    (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,  T,6 

'  Redster,'      "i 

'  Redstare,'     \  ,-0    ,  ^    ^s      ^ 
<  T^   J  ,  URedstart),  36 

'  Red-rump.'  f  '    ■' 

'  Red-tail,'      J 

Red-throated  Diver.  636 

Redwing,  6 

'  Redwing  Felfer  '  (Redwing), 9 

ThroUy  '   (Redwing),  9 

[Red-winged    Starling],    221 
Reed  Bunting,   208 
Reedling,   Bearded,    104 

'  Reed  Sparrow'  (Reed  Bunting), 2 lO 
Reed   Warbler,    89 
'  Ree,'  '  Reeve,'  Rey,'  622 
Regulus  cHstatus,  75 

ignicapillus,  79 

Regulus,  Fire-crested,  79 

Golden-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 

'  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 

Lmnet  '  (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 

Rufied  Bustard,  559 

Rufous  Turtle  Dove,  498 

'Runner'  (Water  Rail),  543 

'  Runt  '  (Wren),  120 

Russian  Bullfinch,  194 

Rustic  Bunting,  207 

Riiticilla  phcenicurus,  ^^ 

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 

gzM,  310 

Scops  Owl,  310 

'  Scotch  Goose  '  (Brent),  427 
Scoter,'  '  Black,  479 

Common,  479 


INDEX  OF  BIRDS 


8oi 


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,'  ^ 

'  Sedge-bird,'       I  (Sedge  Warbler), 

chat,'         p  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,  75  s. 

'  Sheelfa,'  1 

'  Sheelie,'    >  (Chaffinch),  182 
•  Shilfa.'     J 


'  Sheep's   Head   and   Pluck  '    (Red- 
throated    Diver),    73S 
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  [407 

Short-eared  Owl,  296 

Shoveler,  451 

Shrike,  Great  Grey,  138 

Lesser  Grey,  140 

Red-backed,  140 

Woodchat,  144 

'  Shuffle-wings '  ( Hedgq'Accen  tor) ,  1 00 

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  ccBsia,  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),  72 

(Wood  Warbler),  88 

(Sedge  Warbler),  93 

Smew,  485 

Snipe,  Common,  602 

■ Full,  605 

Jack,  605 

'  Little,  612 

•  '  Pool,  63  s 

Red-breasted,  638 

Sabine's,    605 

' ' Sand,  628 

Solitary,  601 

'  '  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 

Somateria  mollissima,  475 

spectahilis,  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  [738 

[Sparrow  Owl],  306 
Sparrow,'   '  Carr,   210 

'  French,  215 

Hedge,  100 

House,  175 

'  Mountain,  180 

'  Red-headed,  178 

'  Reed,   210 

'  Ring,  210 

'  Rock,  180 

'  Tile,   177 

Tree,  178 

'  Water,  210 

'  Willow,  93 

Spatula  clypeata,  451 
'  Speckled     Diver  '      (Red-throated 
Diver),  736 

Heronshew  '    (Bittern) ,   402 

Loon '(Redthroated  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), 

7Z<'^.  738 
'  Spring  Dotterel  '  (Dotterel),  573 

Wagtail'  (Yellow Wagtail),  130 

Squacco  Heron,  395 

Sqiiatarola  helvetica,  579 

'  Stanchel,'  ^1 

'  Stannel,'  | 

'  Stand  Hawk,'        V(Kestrel),  372 

'  Standing  Hawk,'  1 

'  Stannel   Hawk,'   J 

'  StanninHawk'  (Sparrowhawk), 344 

Starling,  215 

Rose-coloured,  221 


INDEX  OF  BIRDS. 


803 


Starling  [Red-winged],    221 

Sardinian,  220 

'  Stare,'  '  Starnil '  (Starling),  220 
Stangall   (Kestrel),    372 
Steller's  Eider,  476 
Stercorarius  crepidatus,  702 

parasiticus,  705 

Pomatorhiniis,   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 
'Stog-Dove'  (Ring-Dove),  490 
'Stoggie'  (Ring-Dove),  490 
Stonechat,  28 
'  Stonechack.' 
'  Stone-chacker,' 

*  Stone-chatter,' 

'  Stone-check,'         ,_  ,    ^. 

y   Stonechat  ,  32 
Stone-chnk,'        ' 

*  Stone-smich,' 
'  Stone-smick,' 
'  Stone-smith,' 
'Stonechat  '  (Whinchat),  28 

*  Stonechat  '  (Wheatear),  25 
'Stone-chopper'    (Wheatear),    25 

*  Stoney-crop  '    (Wheatear),    25 
Stone  Curlew,  561,  564 

'  Stone  Falcon  '  (Merlin),  367 
•Stone  Hawk'  (Merlin),  367 
Stork,  Black,  405 


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 

Strepsilas  inter pres,  585 

{Strix  acadica],   306 

aliico,  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 

[Siirnia  funerca'],  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 


8o4 


INDEX  OF  BIRDS. 


'  Swat  '   (Redshank),   635 
'  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],  65  s 

Whiskered,  651 

White-winged  Black,  650 

Tetrao  tetrix,  505 

urngallus,  503 

Tewit,'  'Tewhit'  (Lapwing),  585 


(Magpie),  232 


'  Tewet,'  '  Tuet,'      "1 

'  Tuit,'  '  Teewit,'      I  (Lapwing),  585 

'  Tewfit,'  '  Teafit,'    I 

'Thickbiir    (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),  95 
'  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), 
Tinnucnlits  ccnchris,  373  [73S 

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 


-(Little  Grebe),  748 


Titling,'  'Moor,  32 
Titmouse,  Bearded,  104 

Blackcap,   112 

Blue,  112 

Coal,  109 

Crested,  114 

Great,   108 

Long-tailed,   106 

Continental,  107 

Marsh,  1 1 1 

'Titty'  (Meadow  Pipit),  133 
'  ToadSnatcher'  (Reed Bunting), 2 10 
'  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'  (Chiffchaff'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,  130 
Tree  Sparrow,  178 
'  Tricker  '    (Wren),    120 


Tringa  alpina,  608 

canutus,  618 

maculata.  607 

minor,  626 

ininuta,   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 
Ttirdus  iliaciis,  6 

merula,   14 

tnusicus,  3 

pilaris,  9 

torqiiatus,  17 

varitis,  12 

viscivorus,  i 

[Turnix  sylvatica],  533 
Turnstone,  585 

'  Turnstone  Plover'  (Turnstone), 586 
Turtle-Dove,  495 

Rufous,  or  Oriental,  498 

Tiirtur  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 

'  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,  &?, 

Yellow-browed,  80 

'Washtail'   (Grey  Wagtail),    126 
'  Water  Blackey  '  "i 

Crake  ' 

Crow'  (Dipper),  103 

Drill '  J 

Waterhen,  544,  545 
Water  Ouzel,  loi 
Waggy  '      1 

Wagtail '     I  (Pied  Wagtail), 

'  Watterty  '  r  123 

'  Watterty-wag  '  I 


•  Wat  erWag  tail' (Yellow  Wagtail) ,  1 30 

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  '  1 

'  Worrier  '        >  (Red-backed Shrike), 

'  Wurger '        )  144 

'  Whaup  '  (Curlew),  645 

'  WheatBird'  (GreenSandipiper),632 

Wheatear,   22 

[Black-throated],     26 

Desert,   25 

'  Wheel-bird  '    (Nightjar),    269 

'  Whew  '  1 

'  Whewer  '  >  (Wigeon) ,  46 1 

'  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,  651 

'  Whistling  Plover'(StoneCurlew),  564 

'Whistling  Swan'   (Whooper),   429 

White-bellied  Swift,  264 

White-billed    Northern    Diver,    734 

'  White-breasted  Ouzel '(Dipper),  103 

'  White-cap  '  (Redstart),  2i^ 

'  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), 632 

-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 

'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  W^arbler), 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 

'  Windlestraw  '  (Sedge  Warbler),  93 

or    '  Winnel    Straw  '    (White- 

throat),  66 
'Wind-fanner'  (Kestrel),  372 

-hover'   (Kestrel),   372 

Thrush  '  (Redwing),  6,  9 

'  Window  Swallow  '  (House  Jlartin) , 

161 
'  Winter  Wagtail' (Grey  Wagtail),  126 
'Wintie'  (Chaffinch),  182 


(Green  Wood- 
pecker), 274 


'  Wood-awl  ' 

-borer  ' 

-tapper 

-weel '      J 

Woodchat  Shrike,  144 
Woodcock,  595 

'  WoodcockCrow  '^(Hooded  Crow)  ,249 

Owr(Short-earedOwl),297,30i 

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,     i 14 

'  Jinny,  79 

'  Little,  79 

'  Twittering,    ?>?> 

'  Willow,  93 

'  Yellow,  86 

'  Wrenny  '  (Redstart),  36 

Redtail'   (Redstart),   36 

'  Writhe  Neck  '  (Wryneck),  271 

'  Writing  Lark'  (Yellow  Bunting), 204 

Wryneck,  269 

'  Wullock,'  724 

'  Wype  '  (Lapwing),  582,  585 


8o8 


INDEX  OF  BIRDS. 


Xema  sahmi,  622 

'  Yaffle  '  or  '  Yaffler  '  (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 

'  Yellow  Warbler  '  (Wood  Warbler), 
Yellow  Wagtail,  128 

(Grey  Wagtail),    126 

Water  Waggy  '  (Yellow  Wag- 
tail),   130 


'  Yellow  Water  Waggy '  (Grey  Wag- 
tail),   126 

Wren'   (Willow  Warbler).   86 

(Wood  Warbler),  88 

'  Yellow  Yowley 

Youldring  ' 

Yo wring  ' 

Lenny  ' 

'  Yolering.'  \  (Yellow 

'  Yoldring  '  /      Bunting),  204 

'  Youldring  ' 

'  Yowlring  ' 

'  Yowley  ' 

'  Youldie  ' 

Yoolat  (Tawny  Owl),  303 

'  Yewtic,'  28 

'  Yony  Crony  '  (Heron),  390 

[Zonatrichia  albtcollis},  215 


INDEX   OF   PERSONAL   AND 
PLACE   NAMES. 


Aberdeen  314 

Aberdeen,  Countess  of  331 

Aberdovey  707 

Abberford  49,  56 

Acaster  661,  742 

Acaster  Malbis  324 

Acklam  147 

Acklam-in-Cleveland  28 3 

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 

Adel  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. 

Z77 
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.    77fi.    7A^ 
Allan  Museum  674 
Allen,  E.,  444,  758 
Allerston  Marishes   558 
Allerthorpe  Common  277 
Allerton  469,  500 
AUerton-Mauleverer  Lake  546 
Allerton  Park  116,  236,  454 
Allis,    Thomas    (numerous) — i    to 

764 
Allison,  G.,  Zl'^^ 

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,  55-^ 
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.    507. 

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 
Arthingtoii  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.,    81,    83,    95, 

320,   400 
Askrigg  237,   348,  381,  53S 
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,    50S,    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 
Ayton  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.  481, 
486,  516.  534,  596.  614,  625, 
634.    659,    729,    739,    743 


INDEX  OF  PERSONAL  AND  PLACE  NAMES.     8ii 


Barnsley  Naturalists'  Society  265 

Barrett   449 

Barrow-in-Furness,  Bishop  of,  570 

Barry,  Joshua,  391 

Bartlett   417,   418,   433 

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, 

S65 

Bedlington,  Thomas,   21 

Beech  Lawn,  Wakefield,   515 

Bell,AlwinS.,  145,300,482,553,556 

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.  568, 
678,  682,  689,  690,  710,  713, 
714,    719,    722.    723,    724,    729 

Bempton  Cliffs   368 

Beningborough,    55,   333 

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,  6^,  67,  71,  72,  73,  80, 
90.  95.  99.  loi,  104,  113,  119. 
126,  129,  141,  147,  157,  160, 
163,  164,  166,  170,  173,  174, 
^77.  179.  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, 
3^7.  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,  471, 
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,  $97 
Bilsdale  Moors  20 
Bilton  249,  563,  625 


8i2    INDEX  OF  PERSONAL  AND  PLACE  NAMES. 


Bilton    Banks,    Harrogate,    109 

Bingley  ^y,  137,  173,  279,  282,  672 

Bingley  Moor   519 

Bingley   Spring   Wood    53 

Binnie,  F.,  326 

Birchworth  Reservoir  592 

Bird  276 

Birdforth   jt,^ 

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  5 48 

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, 

143.  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  y$,   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,  loi,  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.    Sr 


Boyes,  F.,  43,  62,  63,  74,  78,  80, 
104,  109,  113,  141,  17s,  177, 
199,  234,  238,  258,  259.  26s, 
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.  591.  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.  556, 

557,    558.    576,    616,   629,  637, 

662,    664,    668,    669,    694,  695, 

745 
Boynton  Woods   199.   225 
Bradlield    317 
Bradfield  Moors  506 
Bradford  xxi.,  5,  23,  50,  53,  115, 

164,    288.    313,    334,    354.    476, 

541,    73^ 
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.,  35 1 
Bretton   Park  478 
Bretton   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, 

3".    3^3'    337.    341.    346,  351. 

354,    363,    365.    368.    378,  397, 

404,    40S,    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.    741.    742,  754. 

755.    756,    757.    758,    759.  770 

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, 

31,    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  127,208 


8i4    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   $3,  65 
Buckley,   T.    E.,   606,   616 
Buckton    xxix.,     358,    689,    709, 

713.   714 
Buckton  CUffs  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 
Burntwood   Hall   337 
Burton   Agnes   6,    138,    277,    304, 

308,    347,    391,    396,    405,    412. 

413,    501,    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    2 1 6 
Caldbergh   519 
Calder    123,   487,    576,    745 
Calder  Valley  464 
Calke  Abbey,  Derby,  153,  403,  758 
Calverley  Church   234 
Calvert,  P.,  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.  701 

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,  15s,  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,   ^yy,  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.    531.    547.    595. 

622,  643,  732 
Cayton  Bay  ^7,  $77 
Caywood   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    181 
Chapman,    E.,    320,    572,    614 
Charlesworth,   J.  C.  D.,  408,  666 
Chase,  R.  W.,  145,  207 
Chatsworth   3:^7 
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,  761 

Clarke,  W.  Eagle,  xxxiii.,  xlv.,  11, 
13.  29.  35.  37.  38.  39,  40.  45, 
48,  59.  71,  74,  78,  87,  88,  89, 
99,  loi,  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,  356, 
357,    369,    371 

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 
Cliffe  511 
Cliffe  Castle  46 

Cliffe  Wood  51,   141,  242,  267 
Clifton   80 

Clifton  Castle  247,  313 
Clifton,  Lord,  201,  431,  510 
Clifton,  York,  55 
Chtheroe  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 


8i6    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  Ribbles- 
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 

CoUta  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,  3(^3. 
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 

Comer,  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, 

243.    253,    291,    360,    366,   464, 

596.    744 
Crawforth  405 

Crawshaw,  Samuel,  400,    402 
Crewe,  Sir  Vauncey,  153,  340,  403, 

758.  761 
Creyke   1 1 7 
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    S3,    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.   331.   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  xxir.,  xxv.,  425,  452, 
45S,  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.,  48,  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,  Knaresborough, 
Dublin  665  [103 

Dublin  Museum  624 
Dudley   489,    522,    527,    530,    600 
DufE   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.,  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,  14s,  173,  186,  187, 
188,  201,  207,  214,  222,  247, 
267,    271,    293,    303,    310,    314, 

337.    338.    339.    341.    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 


Easterside  263 

East  Witton  747 

East  Witton  Moors  507 

Eavestone  95,  216,  236,  279,  514 

Ecclesfield    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 

EUand  Woods  54 

Ellerton  237,   327 

Ellerton  Moor  354 

Elley,  S.,  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 
EndchfE  Woods  79,  258 
Escrick  233,   277,   308,   323,   342, 

388,    442,    453.    485.    770 
Escrick  Park  Deco}-  445 
Esholt  Woods,  Airedale,   52 
Eshton  Hall  387 
Esk  xxiv.,   280 
Eskdale  230 
Esk  Hall  396 
Esk  Valley  68,  92,  150,  271,  465 

491.   597 


INDEX  OF  PERSONAL  AND  PLACE  NAMES.      819 


"  Essays  on  Natural  History  "  294 

Eston  262,  284 

Ethersley  Wood  5 1 

Etton   501 

Evans,  Col,  John,  456 

Everingham   144,   388,   395 

Everingham  Park   59,   363 

Faith  448 

Falsgrave    1 76 

Farndale  331 

Farndale   Head   329 

Fame  Islands  xxx.,  ^y,  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.  3^7'  371.  386,  507.  541, 
410,    634,    659,    676,    744 

Fewston  Reservoir  426,  471,  478, 
546,    574,    584.    638,    7S3.    739 

Feversham,  Earl  of,   155,   349 

"  Field  "   (see  "  The  Field  ") 

Fielden,  H.  W.,  8,  555 

Field  en.  Sir  W.,  ^57 
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, 
741,  756,  7S7,  758.  759. 
770 

Filey  Bay  693 

Filey  Brigg  xxix.,   238,    339 
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., 
xxxii.,     xxxiii.,     4,     7,     8, 
18,     23,     24,     30,     34,     35, 
37,  66,  77,  80,  86,  95,  113, 
126,    139,    143,    151,    152, 
160,    162,    170,    173,    174, 
180,    1S5,    188,    190,    192, 
200,    201,    207,    210,    211, 
217,    218,    224,    233.    234, 
241,    245,    246,    259,    263, 
282,    286,    289,    293,    298, 
308,    310,    313,    324,    329, 
337.    338.    340,    346,    352, 
358,    359.    361.    364,    377. 
379.    380,    381,    382,    384, 
412,    424,    453,    455,    458, 
475,    480,    483,    484,    488, 

49^.  493.  494.  497.  SOO. 

548,  550,  557,  574,  576, 

597.  598,  599.  617,  618, 

632,  649,  653,  661,  663, 

668,  669,  677,  679,  681, 

686,  688,  6S9,  691,  692, 

695,  697,  699,  703,  706, 

711,  712,  713,  714,  719, 

723,  725,  726,  727,  728, 

741.  742,  743,  751,  753, 

755.  756,  757.  758.  759. 

764.  765,  770 
Flamborough  Lighthouse  54, 
590 


735. 
765. 


!56. 


XXX., 

II, 

36. 

118, 
154. 
179. 
199, 
213. 
238. 

271, 

304. 
336. 

354. 
378. 
411. 

473. 
491. 
528. 

579. 
627, 
665, 
685, 
694. 
708, 
722, 
729. 
754. 
761, 

544. 


820    INDEX  OF  PERSONAL  AND  PLACE  NAMES. 


Flanshaw  143 

Flasby  364.   387 

Flasby  Hall  364 

Fletcher,   T.,    397 

Flixton    550 

Flixton   Wold    553 

Flotmanby    104 

Foggit   373 

Foljambe,    H.    S.,    306,    310,    36S 

Foljambe,    F.    J.    Saville,   666 

Folkton    554 

Forbes  389 

Ford    2 I 6 

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,  St,, 
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  ^9,  554 

Fox's  "Synopsis"  209,  261,  297, 
334.  363.  380,  423.  473.  479. 
482,  511,  540,  549,  554,  568, 
573.  575.  580,  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 
Gal  way,  Lord,  440 
Ganton   563 
Ganton  Wolds  56S 
Garforth   323 
Gargrave   387 
Garsdale    507 
Garth,  J.  C,  201,   234,   345,   381, 

539.   575.   594.   704,   706 
Garwood,  C.  R.,  667 
Garwood,  Rev.  W.,  667 
GJitke,  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 
Giggleswick   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.  591 

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   i 7 i 

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,  loi,  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 

HaUfax    Museum     13,    222,  638, 

73^.   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,    581, 

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, 

3^7.    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, 

27s.    305.    3^3.    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   2 1 6 
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 
Hawes3,  31.348,  381,  515.  535.537 
Hawke,  Lord,  386 
Hawkridge,  Patrick,  282,  313,  31S,. 

336,  363.  558 
Hawksworth  Cover  312 
Hawksworth,  Peter,  565 
Hawnby  1 17,  345 
Haworth  366 
Haworth-Booth,    Col.    B.   B.,   91, 

151,    166,    503,    558,    628 
Plawsker  16,  305 
Hawsker  Bottoms  238 
Haxby  150,   173,  614 
Hay.  R.,  282 


INDEX  OF  PERSONAL  AND  PLACE  NAMES.     82-, 


Hayburn  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,   2^3 

Hill,   T.,   442 

Hillingdon,   Lord,   342 

Hinderwell  238,  258,  746 

"  History  of  Cleveland  "  i,  91,  432 

Hoare,    Francis,    233>   45°,   4^9 

Hob  Green,  Ripon,  137 

Hobkirk,  53,  222,  465,  653 

Hobson,    Dr.,    307,    312,    355 

Hodder  xx.,   386 

Hodder  Valley   279,    292,   464 

Hodgson, Edward,  358, 689, 7 1 3, 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,  119,  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, 
277,  380,  437,  442,  450.  455. 
458,  502,  536,  537.  539,  546, 
558,    568,    583,    599,    603,    607, 


824    INDEX  OF  PERSONAL  AND  PLACE  NAMES. 


Holderness  (contimied) — 

6ii,    624,    628,    631,    634,    671, 

73^,  739.  741.  747 
Holdsworth   532 
Hole  Bottom,   Nidderdale,    143 
Holgate   54 

Hollym    500,    502,   625 
Holme   xxvi.,    267 
Holme   Decoy  444 
Holm.e  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  61 

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,  SCO,  541,  739,  770 
Hornsea  Mere  xxvi.,  90,  105,  238, 

350.  3^^.  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.  Cliristy,  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,  ^s,  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   y^^ 

Howe  527 

Huby  56 

Huddersfield  xxi.,  5,  13,  29,  50, 
S3.  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.   451. 

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.  SOI,  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,  15s,  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,    681,    684,    686,    709. 

712,    733.    735.    739.    74i.    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 

Ingleton  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.  73^ 

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.  598,  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,   45 

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, 
678,  679 

Kettleness  Point  376 

Kettlewell  333 

Kexby  378 

Kexwith    507 

Kildale    282,    333,    388,    50S, 

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, 
139,  186,  187,  192,  195, 
259.  289,  315,  320,  329, 
338,  364.  381,  453,  474, 
558,  560,  569,  591,  608, 
630,    636,    686,    771 

Kilnsea  Warren  89,  323 

Kilnsey  325 

Kilnsey    Crag,    Wharfedale, 
263 

Kineton  Park  739 

King  and  Queen  Rocks  238 

King's  Mill,  Huddersfield,   15 

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 


529. 


597 


138. 
217, 

337. 
492, 
613, 


160, 


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,    380,    391.    460,    462. 

541,  694 
Kitroyd  Jump  51 
Kiveton  Park  303,  452 
Knapton   30,    90,    162,    170, 

363,    532,    597.   629,   663 
Knapton  Hall  293 
Knapton  Wolds  568 
Knaresborough  46,  47,  57,  5^ 

89,  95,  116,   151,  166,  169, 

201.    232,    234,    249,    535, 

575.  594.  659,  704,  706,  730,  749 
Knaresborough  Dropping  Well  103 
Knavesmire   2 1 9 

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 


320, 


82, 
198, 
539, 


INDEX  OF  PERSONAL  AND  PLACE  NAMES.     827 


Langwith  JNIoor  266 

Leyburn  Shawl  31 

Lartington    508 

Leyland,   R.,    165,   276,   281, 

307. 

Latham,    Dr.,    49,    56,    146. 

158. 

316,    319,    365,    506,    601, 

610, 

159,    189,   276,  423.    566 

615,  617 

Laughton-en-le-Morthen    23'^ 

526 

Lilford,  Lord,   189,   195,  278, 

408. 

Lawson,  M.,   365 

462,    539,    550,    608,    665, 

725. 

Lawson,  Major,  135 

758,   764 

Lawton,  F.,  26S 

Lindholme  176 

Lawton,  M.,  222 

Lindley  Wood   364 

Lazenby,  H.,  2 

Lingdale  Moor  31 

Lea  549 

Linn.Tus  511 

Leach,  Dr.,  350 

Linnean  Society  348,  ^68,  538 

.725 

Leadbitter  144 

Linton-upon-Ouse  29,  35,  88, 

179. 

Lealholm  363 

180,  181,  341 

Leckby  Carr  1 1 7 

Lipscombe,  Wm.,   515 

Lee,   Robert,    115,   282,   320, 

321, 

Lister,  J.,  266 

347,  362,  364,  371.  373.451 

.  527 

Lister,  Dr,  Martin,  17,  19,  42 

.  97. 

Leeds  xxi.,  7.  20,  23,  27,  29 

.  37. 

145,    153,    201,    410,    416, 

605 

50,  52,  78,  82,  90,  92,  116, 

124, 

Lister,  Thomas,  51,  123,  131. 

320. 

141,    146,    149,    166,    169, 

176. 

365.  481,  534 

177,    181,    206,  213,    258, 

261, 

Lister,  Wm.,  221,   283,    300, 

304. 

277.   279,    312,   314,    319, 

331. 

311,  345,  349.  369 

355.    365.    371.    391.    398, 

426, 

Littlebeck  196 

450,    455,   461,   486,   487, 

496. 

Littlethorpe   64,   641,    642 

SOI,    513,    532,    593,    614, 

626, 

Liverpool   78 

666,    672,    701,    731,    751, 

754 

Liversedge  29,  95,   279 

Leeds,    Duke   of,    313,    408, 

449. 

Liverton  406 

630,  651 

Liver  ton  Wood  389 

Leeds  Museum  69,   99,   335, 

404. 

Livesey,  late  R.,  508 

408,  594.  633,  758 

Lloyd   322 

Leeds  NaturaUsts'  Club  455 

471 

Locker  Tarn  455,  546,  673 

Leeds  Phil.  See.  754 

Lockton  Moors  340,  356 

Leeman,  Frank,   13 

Lockwood   53 

Leeming  Lane  731 

Lofthouse  3,  52,  91,  92,  151, 

205, 

Lekinfield    Castle    385,    399, 

407. 

339 

455,458,  525,  531,  549,  567 

.  586 

Loftus  424,  509,  529,  532 

Leland  525,  531,  595,  622,  643 

.776 

Loftus  Fox  Cover  49 

Leng,    Thomas,     336,     354, 

384. 

Loftus-in-Cleveland  16,  31,  37 

.  72. 

663,  692,  723,  754,  761 

102,    150,    167,    170,    224, 

239. 

Leppington,  Aaron,   713 

259,    280,    305,    314,    329. 

346, 

Leven   5 58 

365.    374.    37^.    414 

Levisham   341 

Londesborough,    Earl   of,    ^S 

39. 

Lewin,  W.,  114 

314,    317,    369 

Lewis   298 

Londesborough,  George,  238, 

494. 

Lewisham    1 90 

713.   7U,   718,   720,   722 

Leyburn  299,  366,  507 

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 

Loudon's  Magazine  of  Nat.  Hist. 
67,  107,  146,  325,  345,  747, 
750.   751 

Low  Mills  541 

Low  Row  216 

Lower  Wensleydale   597 

Lower  Wharf e  72,  574 

Lower  Wharfedale  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  " 

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,   314,   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,  8j,  103,  216,  279, 

300,  410 
Malhain^Cove  160,  263 


Malham   Ings    563 
Malham  Tarn  xx.,  454,  460, 
467,    471,    483,    543,    546, 

709,    737.    739.    747 
Mallinson,  J.  W.,   333,  334 
Maltby   258 
Malton,  46,  60,  90,  96,   138, 

272,    340,    388,    396,    446, 

469,    485,    486,    491,    493, 

574.   634,   744 
Manchester  Museum  319 
Mansfield    368,   663 
"  Manual   of   British   Birds  " 
Mappleton    379,    405,    500 
Mar  Lodge,   N.B.,   313 
Marble  Mills  571 
Marfield   Pond  452 
Market    Weighton    30,    63, 

170.    173.    187,    199,    226, 

267,    271,    273,    345,    363, 

421,    444,    496,    501.    511, 

562 
Market  Weighton  Wolds  59 
Marr,  Henry,  238,  494,  710, 

720 
Marr,   Richard,   238 
Marsden  291,  452 
Marshall  3,  265,  669 
Marshall,  Benjamin,  439 
Marske-by-the-Sea     xxviii., 

335.    364,    430,    433,    500, 

729,   751 
Marston  Moor  355 
Martin  396 
Marton-in-Cleveland  159,  204 

311.    497 
Marton  Hall  19,  341 
Marwood,  George,  755 
Marwood,  Rev.  G.  J.,  383 
Masham    16,   66,    70,    84,    85, 
103,    107,    III,    117,    124, 
149,    150,    151,    156,    168, 
205,    224,    277,    299,    302, 
308,    313,    327.    343,    366, 
389.    407,    408,   410,    430, 
455.    464.   467.   471,   478, 


464, 
634. 


186, 
454. 
557. 


303 


157- 
229, 

405. 

558. 


717. 


127, 
559. 


277 


99. 
138. 
184. 
303. 
372. 
452. 
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 

Metcalfe,  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.  24s, 
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,  121,  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,  616,  619,  630,  656, 
657,    660,    684,    749 

Milbank,  Sir  Frederick,   516 

Milburn,  C.  E.,  19,  57,  66,  90. 
97,    127,  696 

]Milford-cum-Kirby  666,  667 

IMiller  61,  278,  315 

Millington  503 

INIills  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,   54S 

Mitford,  Admiral,  137,  304,  332,406 

Moiser,  Cyril,  664 

MoUicar  Wood,  Huddersfield,   53 

Montagu,  F.,  64 

Montagu's  "  Ornithological  Dic- 
tionary "  7i,  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    1 5 1 
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,    391,    404,    435, 

483.    533.    547.    555.    594.    608, 

624 
Morris,  Dr.  Beverley  R.,  62,  304, 

316,  40s 
Morris,  Richard,  368,  471 
Morris,  Wm.,   124,   142,   174,   186, 

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,    36s.    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, 

531,  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   5  30 
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,   ^S-  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,  6^8, 
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   Clifie   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,    6^3, 

643,   645,   65s 
Norton  Conyers  254 
Norton  770 

Norwich  xxxviii.,   loi,  343 
Norwich  Museum   333 
Norwood,    Thos.,    557 
Nostell  469 
Nostell  Priory  386 
"Notes  and  Queries"   177,  254 
Nottinghamshire  xxiii,,  50,  54,  633 
Notion  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,   601 
Osbaldeston    554 
Osberton  306,   310,  666 
Oscar  Wood   51 
Osgodby   227,   443 
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,  533 
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,   271,    319, 

335.    340.    345.    355.    365.    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 
Patnngton    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.    531.    567.    577.    586, 

618.    633 
Petch,  G.,  237,  533 
Petch,  T.,  144,  209,  377 
Petre,  Rt.  Hon.  E.  R.,  368 
Peven  337 

Phillips,  J.  H.,  569  [591 

Philosophical  Transactions  75,  118, 


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,  loi,  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    116,    524 
Public  Pasture  167 
Pulfin  629 
PuUeine,  J.,   341 
Punchard  Head  67$ 
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.     83: 


Quarry   Bank,    Helmsley,    349 

Radcliffe,   Sir   Joseph,   Bart.,   393 

Raikes'  Wood  65 

Raincliffe  ^77,   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  CliflE  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, 
loi,  115.  121,  132,  138,  145, 
153.  175.  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  6^ 

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 

Rish worth  Moor  754 

Riccall  404,  474,  770 

Riccall  Common  xxiii.,  454,  624, 
634.  671 

Riccaldale  388 

Richardson,  Dr.  R.,  75,  106, 
109,  117,  118,  178,  283,  324, 
364,    457,    510,    596,    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,   10 1 

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.    ^37.    151.    i6<5,    170,    191, 


834    INDEX  OF  PERSONAL  AND  PLACE  NAMES. 


Ripon  (continued) — 

198,    236,    251,    254,    266.    319, 

335.  340,  345.  346,  355.  2<^<^. 
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,  loi,  123, 
137,  143,  144,  222,  238,  258, 
280,  296,  305,  308,  314,  316, 
320.  324,  332.  333,  336,  340, 
346,  365.  3(^9.  381.  397.  406, 
463,  474,  481,  532,  541,  358, 
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,  233,  754,  758 

Romanby   191,    192 

Rombalds  Moor  314 

Rooke,   Dr.,   351 

Rowleston  Hall  405 

Rowley,   G.   D.,  463 

Rowlstone    628 

Rossington  xxiii. 

Rossingtou  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  51S 

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 
Ruflorth  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.    33^.    3(^1.    364.    388,    391. 

411,    412,    414,    429,   437,    454. 

460,    496,    501,    533,    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, 

37S.   402,    493,    563,    573,   641, 

674.    677,    678,    765 


INDEX  OF  PERSONAL  AND  PLACE  NAMES.     S35 


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,    G67,    757, 

761 
Saunders'  "Manual"  xxxvii.,  372, 

432,   456.   498,   674,   67s 
Savage  369 
Savage,  Anthony,  40S 
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 

173,    181,    199,    233,    237, 

273.    277,    361,    364,    388, 

412,   414,   429, 
528, 


452. 
532, 


460, 
541. 


470,    496, 

562,    594,    616,    625,    631, 

744 
Scampston  Lake  737 
Scampston    Park    117,    226, 

307 
Scarborough  (numerous) 
Scarborough  Castle  216 
Scarborough  Mere   397 


170, 
267, 
411, 
464, 
549. 
634, 


229, 


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 

ScoUit   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.    507.    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.  532,  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 

Sewer  by  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,  loi,  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 
Shipton   5  5 

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   ZH'  45° 
Skewkirk  56 
Skipton   143,    148,    187,   239,   300, 

310.  320,  525,  535,  672,  672:,  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,  67'^,  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  762, 
Slingsby  302,   371,  403,  425,   500 

574,   707,   71?, 
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,    i\i. 

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,    67S,    689,    690,    708, 

7",   714 
Speeton  Cliffs  2:^6,  52S,  713 
Spofforth  6y 

"  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,  7^3 
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 
Stahhope,   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,  loi,  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, 

39^5.    397.    460,    462,    508,    541, 

565,    654,    694,   69s.    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 
Stillingfleet  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, 

471,  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,    62s, 

726,   730,   756 
Strickland,  Arthur  xliv.,  222,  333, 

380,    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 


83S     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,  731 
Swainby-in-Clev eland    561 
Swainby  Moor  155,  329,  331,  338, 

383,  520,  570.  606 
Swale  XX.,   129,  237,  408,  651 
Swaledale    33,    68,    82,    162,    167, 

179,    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,  y8, 
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.     S39 


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,    70G,    707 

729.    731.    753>    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 
Thome  222,  442,  445,  624 
Thorne  Waste  xxiii.,  20,  30,   162, 

191,    300,    452,    454,    509,    610, 

634,   644,   672 
Thorne  Waste   Decoy  444 
Thornhill   5 1 
Thornes  745 
Thornsetts  jMoors   317 
Thomthwaite   267 
Thornton   333,   454,    541,    581 
Thornton,  Colonel,  35S 
Thornton  Bridge  670,  671 
Thornton  Rust    198,   389,  614 
Thornwick    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,  40S.  572, 

676 
Tivy  Dale  51 
Todd,  Wm.,   224 
Todmorden   19 
Tod  Point  124,  262,  447 
Tollerton    56 
ToUerton  Ings  696 
ToUesby  59,  427 
Tollesby  Hall  693,   702,   729 
Tong  Park  Reservoir  476 
Toothill  564 
Tostock  Rectory  665 
Townend,  J.  S.,  393 
Townhead  601 
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,  112,  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..   2S2,   286,  496 

Tuton,  W.  J.,   13 

Tyne  xx. 

Ugthorpe  31,  320 

UUadale  Force  302 

UUeskelf  365 


840     INDEX  OF  PERSONAL  AND  PLACE  NAMES. 


Ulrome  549,   576 

Upgang  30 

Upper  Nidderdale  501 

Upper  Poppletou  356 

Upper  Ribblesdale  454 

Upper  Teesdale  359,  455,  481,  504, 

507,   519.   610,   625,   634 
Upper  Wharfedale  29,  65,  95,  22S, 
Upsall   286,   496  [387 

Upsall  Castle  261,  282,  ^^^ 
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  [540 

"  Vertebrate  Fauna  of  Yorkshire  " 
Victoria  Cave,  Settle,  504 
Vigors,  A.  N.,  309 
W^addington  366 
Wadsley  Bridge  393 
Wadwith  Wood  369 
Waghen  742 
Waite,  E.  R.,  205,  320,  324,  326. 

341.    42s.    495.    (^3:^ 
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  10 1,  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  11,  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 
Watton   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  loi 
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,  ^$,  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,  S19,  520.  521, 
533.  546.  569.  572,  610,  614, 
625,   641,   661,    673,    701,    740, 

742,    743.    744.    747 
Wentworth  Castle  16 
Wentworth  Park  467 
West  525 
West  Burton  230 
West,   E.,   38S 
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,    ^^,    52,   64,    122, 

151,    160,    166,    167,    263,    302, 

323.    330.    507.    535.    541.    584. 

596 
Wharfedale,  Upper,  191,  198,  325 
Wharfe  Valley  116,  179,  216,  426, 
Wharnclifife  Chase  xxii.  [464 

Wharncliffe  Wood  350 
Wharton,  W.  H.,  M.F.H.,  282 
Wheatley  Wood  496 


Wheeldale  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.  4".  565.  688,  695, 
707.   757 

Whitby  Museum,  Curator  of,  13 

White,  Colonel,  560 

White,  Gilbert,  94 

White  Mare  ClifiE  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,  661,  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.    29s,    362,    373.    392, 


842    INDEX  OF  PERSONAL  AND  PLACE  NAMES. 


Willughby's  "Ornithology"  {co7it.) 

423.    425,    457,    468.    472,    477. 

480,    485,    494,    605,    656,    658, 

708,    711,    727,    732 
Wilsden   20,    24,    29,    6y,    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  601 
Winterburn  634 
Wintringham  528 
Wiske,   River,    150 
Witherby,  H.  F.,  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, 

551.    552,    553.    555.    561,    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 

Woodruffe-Peacock,  A.,   335 

Woodsome  205 

Woofell    571 

Wooley  Park,  Wilstrop,   387 

Worksop   666 

Worsborough   1 76 

Worsbo^^ough   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,  2S5,  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,    515,    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,  6y^ 

York  (numerous) 

York  &  Dist.  Field  Naturalists' 
Society  364 

York,  Archbishop  of,  385,  399, 
400,   455,    547,    595,    776 


INDEX  OF  PERSONAL  AND  PLACE  NAMES.    84; 


York  Blue  Coat  Boys  School  220 

"  York  Herald  "289 

York  Museum  13,  41,  75,  104, 
137.  208,  222,  351.  364.  365, 
372,  373.  391,  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  1 1 7 

Yorkshire  Philosophical  Society 
405,  627,  666,  706,  756 

Yorkshire  Coalfield   50,   51 

Yorkshire  Magazine  249 

Yorkshire  Naturalists'  Club  ^i;^/, 
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,   52S 
Young,  John,  38,  317, 
Young,  J.  J.  Baldwin,  54,  99 
Young's    "  Whitby  "    230 
Zetland,  Marquis  of,  352 
Zimmerman   300 
Zoological    Societ}'    25,    74,     153, 

195,    207,    208,    309,    417,    462, 

756.    757,    762 
"  Zoologist  "  (numerous) 


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