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LIBRARY

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THE AMERICAN MUSEUM

OF

NATURAL HISTORY

THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE

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A Misty Morning on the Bempton Cliffs, at " Hateley Shoot."

Fronfispiece, Vol. /.

THE BIRDS

OF YORKSHIRE

Being a Historical Account of

THE AvI-FaUNA OE THE COUNTY,

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M ti,

{ A

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.

/.\' Tiio ro/.r.u/is.

vol.. I.
LONDON' :

A. I'>K()\\X & SONS, LIMITED,

5 I'AKKl.NC.DON .AVI-.M K, E.C.

.\m) .\t hull .\.M) YORK.

21-(0|oto.)jJ2^X

YORKSHIRE NATURALISTS^ UNION
EDITORIAL.

In the present work the Yorkshire NaturaHsts' Union
has completed still another county monograph, the " Birds
of Yorkshire." In the first part of the Union's Transactions,
published so long ago as 1877, Mr. W. Eagle Clarke, the
Secretary of the Vertebrate Section, gave the first part
of a monograph of the avifauna of the county. Subsequent
Transactions contained further instalments. It was found,
however, that to publish the work piecemeal would be
very unsatisfactory, and eventually it was decided to com-
mence de novo. Mr. Eagle Clarke having left the county,
Mr. T. H. Nelson kindly undertook the task of preparing
the work for the press, and the Union is indebted to
him for the way in which he has done the work. For this
purpose the whole of the MS. and lists in the possession of
Messrs. Eagle Clarke and Roebuck were handed over to him,
and Mr. F. Boyes has also greatly assisted by supplying
many notes on East Yorkshire birds.

Record should here be made of the generous way in which
Messrs. A. Brown & Sons, Ltd., have met the Union with
regard to the publication of the work, and of the care they
have taken in connection with its production.

T. Sheppard, F.G.S.,

Hon. Secretary.

The Museum, Hull,
June ^oth, 1907.

PREFACE.

THE history of the Birds of Yorkshire is based upon
an unrivalled and exceptionally complete mass of
material, which, in addition to my own observations for
many years past, comprises the voluminous notes collected
by Mr. W. Eagle Clarke and Mr. W. Denison Roebuck,
which include the MSS. of the late John Cordeaux,
intended for a new edition of his " Birds of the Humber
District," together with lists, notes, and observations
from nearly all the leading ornithologists of the county ;
indeed, there has scarcely been a Yorkshire naturalist
living within the past thirty-five years who has not con-
tributed manuscript notes or lists to the store available
for reference.

The scope of the work is comprehensive, and in the
account of each species includes particulars of faunistic
position, distribution, migration, nidification, folk-lore,
varieties, and vernacular names, whilst at the commence-
ment of each is given the verbatim account from the
Report of Thomas Alhs, the earhest Yorkshire one, now
published for the first time, which, up to the year 1881,
when Mr. W. Eagle Clarke's contribution on the Birds
of the County to the " Vertebrate Fauna of Yorkshire "
appeared, was the only complete list.

It is necessary to explain that this work was com-
menced by Mr. Eagle Clarke, published in the Vertebrate
Fauna section of the Transactions of the Yorkshire
Naturalists' Union, and discontinued owing to his
removal from Yorkshire to Edinburgh in 1888. The

viii PREFACE.

parts written by him are the Thrushes, Shrikes, Fly-
catchers, Dipper, and birds of prey {Accipitres and
Striges), which have now been re-written and brought
down to date.

I take this opportunity of expressing my grateful
thanks for the valuable assistance he has rendered me
during the past six years, and for placing at my dis-
posal the whole of his collected information up to the
year 1888.

I am also indebted to Mr. W. Denison Roebuck, joint
author with Mr, Eagle Clarke of the " Vertebrate Fauna
of Yorkshire," who has placed unreservedly at my dis-
posal the ornithological portion of his collection of
printed records, the result of many years' bibliographical
examination of the literature of Yorkshire zoology, and
to Mr. F. Boyes, who has supplied many notes on the
East Riding.

My sincere thanks are tendered to Professor Alfred
Newton, Messrs. Howard Saunders, J. E. Harting, W.
Denison Roebuck, J. H. Gurney, T. Southwell, C. E.
Millburn, and to my veteran taxidermist, George Mussell ;
also to the naturalists whose names appear on p.
XXX., and to my friends who have most gener-
ously presented me with materials for the purposes
of illustrations : Mr. W. Woodhouse, who designed
the sketch on the title-page and granted the privilege
of using two oil paintings of Bempton Cliffs, in addition
to several sketches ; Mr. John Charlton, who has con-
tributed a sketch ; whilst numerous photographs have
been supplied by Messrs. Riley Fortune, E. W. Wade,
H. Lazenby, E. G. Potter, and S. Smith. Other illustra-
tions have been added by Messrs. J. Backhouse, W. B.
Tegetmeier, T. A. Lofthouse, and T. Sheppard.

As it has been found inconvenient to mention author-
ities in the text in every case, a general acknowledgment
is made by stating, after the contributor's name in the
appended list, the district to which his notes refer. Those
marked (*) have furnished lists of birds : —

PREFACE. ix

Thomas Altham (Forest of Rowland) ; * Major W. B.
Arundel (Ackworth) ; Rev. G. D. Armitage ; * F. Atkinson
(Glaisdale and Great Ayton) ; * Thos. Audas ; * F. Boyes ;

* G. Swailes ; * E. W. Wade (Holdemess, East Riding) ;
James Backhouse, * Matthew Bailey (Flamborough) ; R.
Blakeborough, H. B. Booth (Shipley) ; Thos. Boynton
(Bridlington) ; * E. P. Butterfield (Wilsden) ; Rosse Butter-
field ; Thos. Bunker (Goole) ; * H. W. Carson (Knares-
borough) ; * James Carter (Masham) ; * R. Clarke ;

* F. C. Stevens (Lower Wharf edale) ; * W. J. Clarke
(Scarborough) ; * A. Crabtree, (Halifax) ; * Riley Fortune
(Nidd Valley) ; * F. S. Graves (Sedbergh district) ; * W.
Gyngell (Scarborough) ; Rev. J. A. Haydyn ; *W. Hewett

* Rev. H. N. Hind (Liversedge) ; H. K. Horsfield
A. S. Hutchinson ; * James Ingleby (Eavestone, Ripon)
Rev. E. P. Knubley ; * F. Lawton (Skelmanthorpe)
Robert Lee (Thirsk) ; P. W. Loten (Easington, Spurn)

* Kenneth MacLean (Loftus and Staithes) ; * G. B.
Milne-Redhead ; * W. Morris (Sedbergh) ; * S. L. Mosley
(Huddersfield) ; G. W. Murdoch (Bentham) ; * G. Parkin
(Wakefield); L. Parsey ; * M. N. Peel (Forest of Bow-
land) ; * T. Fetch (South Holdemess) ; E. G. Potter ; * T.
Raine (Chapel Allerton) ; * W. H. St. Quintin, (Scamp-
ston) ; * W. Storey (Fewston) ; * G. Steels (Pocklington) ;

* Thos. Stephenson (Whitby) ; * Rev. R. A. Summerfield
(North Stainley, Ripon); *J. T. Thomasson (Valley of
the Hodder) ; J . Thwaite ; Lord Walsingham ; * W.
Walton (Upper Teesdale) ; * A. Ward (Malham) ; * W. E.
L. Wattam (Huddersfield district); * J. A. Wheldon
(Northallerton and York) ; T. Whitwell ; G. A. Widdas
(Bradford); W. Wilson; *J. J. Baldwin- Young (Shef-
field).

The Introduction has, with the permission of Messrs.
Clarke and Roebuck, been adopted from their " Verte-
brate Fauna of Yorkshire," with such modifications as
are rendered necessary in a work of this nature, by the
events which have occurred during the past twenty-five
years.

X PREFACE.

I also desire to thank Mr. T. Sheppard, F.G.S.,
of Hull, the editor of the publications of the Yorkshire
Naturalists' Union, for his assistance in the matter of
proof reading, preparing the Index of personal and
place-names, and seeing the work through the press.

The Cliffe,

Redcar.

CONTENTS

Vol. I

Editorial .....
Preface .....

List of Illustrations
Introduction ....

Genus Turdus (Thrush, &c.)

MoNTicoLA (Rock Thrush, &c.
Saxicola (Wheatear, &c.)
Pratincola (Whinchat, &c.)
RuTiciLLA (Redstart, &c.)
Cyanecula (Bluethroat, &c.)
Erithacus (Redbreast)
Philomela (Nightingale) .
Sylvia (Whitethroat, &c.)
Regulus (Golden-Crested Wren, &c.)
Phylloscopus (Yellow- Browed Warbler,
Hypolais (Icterine Warbler)
AcROCEPHALUs (Reed Warbler, &c.)
Locustella (Grasshopper Warbler)
Accentor (Hedge Accentor, &c.)
CiNCLUS (Dipper, &c.)
Panurus (Bearded Titmouse) .
Acredula (Long-Tailed Titmouse)
Parus (Great Titmouse, &c.) .
SiTTA (Nuthatch)
Troglodytes (Wren).
Certhia (Creeper)
MoTACiLLA (Pied Wagtail, &c.)
Anthus (Tree Pipit, &c.) .

PAGE
V

vii

xi

xix-xlv

I-2I
21-22

22-26
26-32

33-37
38-41
42-47
47-65

65-75
75-80
&c.) 80-88

88-89
89-93

93-97
97-101
101-104
104-105
106-107
108-1 15
115-118
1 18-120
1 20-1 2 1
121-130
130-136

CONTENTS

Geims Oriolus (Golden Oriole) .... 136-138

Lanius (Great Grey Shrike, &c.) . . 13S-145

Ampelis (Waxwing) ..... 145-148

MusciCAPA (Spotted Flycatcher, &c.) . 148-153

HiRUNDO (Swallow) ..... 153-158

Chelidon (House Martin). . . . 1 58-161

CoTiLE (Sand Martin) . . . . 161 -163

LiGURiNUS (Greenfinch) .... 163-165

CoccoTHRAUSTES (Hawfinch) . . . 165-168

Carduelis (Goldfinch, &c.) . . 169-174

Serinus (Serin) ...... 174-175

Passer (House Sparrow, &c.) . . . 175-180

Fringilla (Chaffinch, &c.) . . . 180-184

Linota (Linnet, &c.) .... 185-193

Pyrrhula (Bullfinch, &c. ) . . . 193-195

PiNicoLA (Pin Grosbeak) .... 195-196

LoxiA (Common Crossbill, &c.) . . 197-201

Emberiza (Corn Bunting-, &c.) . . . 201-210

Calcarius (Lapland Bunting) . . . 210-21 1

Plectrophanes (Snow Bunting) . . 212-215

Sturnus (Starling) ..... 215-221

Pastor (Rose Coloured Pastor) . . 221-223

Pyrrhocorax (Chough) .... 223-224

NuciFRAGA (Nutcracker) .... 224-225

Garrulus (Jay) ..... 225-227

Pica (Magpie) 228-232

CoRVus (Crow, &c.) ..... 232-254

Alauda (Skylark, &c.) .... 255-258

Otocorys (Shorelark) .... 259-261

Cypselus (Swift, &c.) .... 261-265

Caprimulgus (Nightjar) .... 265-269

Jynx (Wryneck) ..... 269-271

Gecinus (Green Woodpecker) . . . 272-274

Dendrocopus (Great Spotted Woodpecker,

&c.) ....... 274-278

Alcedo (Kingfisher) 278-281

CONTENTS

Genus Coracias (Roller)

Merops (Bee-Eater) .
Upupa (Hoopoe)
CucuLUS (Cuckoo)
Strix (Barn Owl, &c.)

Asio (Long-Eared Owl, &c.
Nyctala (Tengmalm's Owl, &c.]
Athene (Little Owl) .
Nyctea (Snowy Owl)
Scops (Scops Owl)
Bubo (Eagle Owl)
Circus (Marsh Harrier, &c.)
BuTEO (Common Buzzard, &c.)
Aquila (Golden Eagle)
Haliaetus (White-Tailed Eagle)
AsTUR (Goshawk)
Accipter (Sparrowhawk) .
MiLvus (Kite) ....
Elanoides (Swallow-Tailed Kite)
Pernis (Honey Buzzard) .
Falco (Greenland Falcon, &c.)
Pandion (Osprey)

PAGE
281-283

283-285

285-287

287-292

292-295

301-303
295-301

303-306
306-308
309-310
310-312

312-315
315-325
325-331
331-334
334-338
339-342

343-344
344-347
347-350
350-352
352-373
373-374

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

Vol. I

A Misty Morning- on the Bempton Cliffs, at

" Hateley Shoot " Frontispiece

Flamborough Lighthouse .... hitroduction

Spurn Lighthouse ...... ,,

Snowden Sleights, the last of the Yorkshire

Wildfowlers, with his armoury . . ,,

TO FACE PAGE

Mistle Thrush on nest in standard plum tree, four

feet from the ground ...... 2

Mistle Thrush at nest, feeding young .... 4

Song Thrush on nest ....... 6

Nest of Song Thrush ....... 6

Nest of Song Thrush without usual lining ... 8

White's Thrush, taken near Halifax, Dec. 1902 . . 12

Ring Ouzel's nest. North West Yorkshire ... 20

Whinchat's nest ........ 32

Stonechat's nest ........ 32

Nesting haunt of Nightingale, near Harrogate . . 50

Nesting place of Nightingale, near Knaresborough . 56

Whitethroat feeding its young ..... 66

Nest of Whitethroat, near Harrogate .... 66

Nest of Nightingale, near Harrogate .... 68

Nest of Lesser Whitethroat, near Ripon ... 68

Nest of Black Cap 70

Nest of Garden Warbler 70

Nest of Goldcrest suspended on branch of fir . . 78

Nest of Chiff Chaff, near Harrogate .... 82

Nest of Willow Warbler 82

Wood Warbler's Nest 86

Reed Warbler's nest, Hornsea Mere .... 88

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

TO FACE PAGE
90

Reed Warbler's nest, Hornsea Mere

Sedge Warbler feeding young

Nests of Grasshopper Warbler, near Harrogate

Nest of Hedge Accentor with a Cuckoo's Egg (top on
left), near Harrogate .....

Dipper's nest, in usual situation ....

Unusual site for a Dipper's nest, on the River Nidd

Long-Tailed Tit at nest, near Pickering

Nest of Long-Tailed Tit, near Harrogate

Great Tit's in old wall ......

Open nest of Great Tit, built on an old Song Thrush's
nest in a clump of woodbine ....

Cole Tit's nest in old wall .....

Marsh Tit's nest in sunk fence ....

Blue Tit's nest in tree stump ....

Blue Tit taking food to its young ....

Whale's jaw bones near Bempton, nesting place of
Blue Tit .

Young Tree Creeper

Tree Creeper's nest

Nest of Pied Wagtail

Nest of Grey Wagtail

Young Grey Wagtail in nest ....

Tree Pipit's nest .......

Meadow Pipit's nest with Cuckoo's egg

Male Meadow Pipit feeding female at nest

Nest of Red-Backed Shrike in north-west Yorkshire

Spotted Flycatcher on nest .....

Pied Flycatcher taking food to young .

Swallow's nest .......

Cup-shaped Swallow's nest, near Harrogate

Old Cottage at Hartwith, under the eaves of which
forty-six Martin's nests have been found at one
time .........

Greenfinch's nest ........

Hawfinch .........

160
164
168

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

Nest of Hawfinch .
Nests of Goldfinch .
Nest of Linnet in gforse bush

Nest of Twite placed amongfst heather, north-west

Yorkshire
Nest of Lesser Redpoll .
Nest of Bullfinch in fir tree
Nest of Corn Bunting .
Nest of Reed Bunting- .
Nest of Cirl Bunting, near Harrogate
Siberian Meadow Bunting
Raven's nest, north-west Yorkshire

Cronkley Scar, Upper Teesdale. Nesting site of Raven
and Peregrine

Young Raven after its first flight from nest, north
west Yorkshire

Nest of Carrion Crow (exterior), north-west Yorkshire

Nest of Carrion Crow (interior), north-west Yorkshire

Nest of Rook

An Ancient Domicile. Rooks' nests near Pannal

Skylark's nest ....

Skylark feeding young .

Nest and eggs of Nightjar

Young Nightjar, found near York

Home of Green Woodpecker

Green Woodpecker at nesting hole

Young Green Woodpeckers .

Lesser Spotted Woodpecker taking food to its young

Kingfisher

Brood of young Kingfishers

Young Cuckoo in nest of Pied Wagtail, Sutton-on
Forest, York .

Young Cuckoo in Pied Wagtail's nest, near Harrogate
Young Cuckoo from Yellow Wagtail's nest, near

Harrogate
Barn Owl's nest in old oak tree

PAGE

1 68
170

184

184
190
194
202
202
204
206
234

236

238
240
242

2^0

252
256
256
266
266
272
274

274
276
280
280

286
288

288
294

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

Longf-Eared Owl's nest ......

Tawny Owl's nest .......

Tawny Owl (sleepy) ......

Tawny Owl (awake) ......

Ancient nesting place of Buzzard, in north-west York-
shire ........

Sparrowhawk's nest ......

Sparrowhawk (female) ......

Telephoto picture of a Wild Peregrine, taken in north
west Yorkshire. ......

Cautley Crag, ancient nesting site of Raven, Peregrine
and Buzzard .......

Peregrine Falcon's eyries, north-west Yorkshire .

Nest of Merlin, north-west Yorkshire .

Merlin .........

Kestrel's nest .......

Kestrel (female) .......

TO FACE PAGE
296
296
302
302

326

358

360
362
366
366
370
370

INTRODUCTION.

ERRATA.

Page xxxvii., line 5 — For ' 1889' read ' 1899.'

,, xlii., line 9 — For 'Two' read 'Three.' And add the ' Liberiaii
Meadow Buntinj^-' before 'the Ciineate-lailed Gull.'

,, 38, line 2 — For ''leucocyana,' read '■wolfii.'

,, 41, headline — /^o?* ' Redbreast,' r^rtr/ ' Red-spotted Bluethroal."

,, 41, line 4 — Tills example, obtained at Kilnsea, 8th October,
1903, may possibly be referable to C. ivolfi.

,, 560, 3rd line fiom bottom -For ' Houbraas ' read ' Houbaras.

,, 717, nth line from bottom — For'' 130,000' read '80,000.'

ILLI STRATIONS.

Plate facing page 108 — Add ' Nest ' afler ' Great Tit's.

,, M 610 — 'Nests of Dunlin, north-west Yorkshire,' <>w»'/

'Teesmoiith.'

tract of mountainous country, ascending to 2,596 feet at
the extreme north-western angle of the county, and nowhere
descending to a lower elevation than about four hundred
feet. A district of lofty hills, thirty-six of which attain
an altitude of two thousand feet or more, of extensive stretches
of heathery moorlands, of grassy slopes and grey limestone
VOL. I. b

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

Long-Eared Owl's nest ......

Tawny Owl's nest .......

Tawny Owl (sleepy) ......

Tawny Owl (awake) ......

Ancient nesting place of Buzzard, in north-west York
shire ........

TO FACE PAGE
296
296
302

326

INTRODUCTION.

YORKSHIRE: ITS PHYSICAL ASPECT AND
AVI-FAUNA.

YORKSHIRE, the largest county in the British Isles,
containing an area of 3,936,242 statute acres, or 6,150
square miles, and situate between 53° 18' and 54° 40' N. lati-
tude and about 9' E. and 2° 36' W. longitude of the meridian
of Greenwich, is also one of the most compact in form, the most
varied in geological structure, soil, climate, and physical
aspect.

The lands of Yorkshire rise in masses from S.E. to N.W,,
in a direction which corresponds with that of the age of the
underlying rocks, the oldest or palaeozoic formations consti-
tuting the high mountains of the north-west, whilst the
newest or tertiary deposits of Holderness occupy the opposite
or south-east angle. Thus a line drawn from the beach
at Spurn to the highest summit of Yorkshire — Mickle Fell,
2,596 feet — marks not only the general slope of the high
lands but their succession in geological time, and is moreover
the longest line (120 miles) that it is possible to draw within
the county.

Broadly speaking, the most salient features of its physical
configuration are the great central depression and the flank-
ing masses of hills to the east and west.

The North-Western Fells is a wild and picturesque
tract of mountainous country, ascending to 2,596 feet at
the extreme north-western angle of the county, and nowhere
descending to a lower elevation than about four hundred
feet. A district of lofty hills, thirty-six of which attain
an altitude of two thousand feet or more, of extensive stretches
of heathery moorlands, of grassy slopes and grey limestone
VOL. I. b

XX INTRODUCTION.

scars, diversified by waterfalls, caves, clear and sparkling
streams, and beautiful and romantic dales, this elevated
region includes the main watershed of the North of England,
and within its limits and upon Yorkshire soil rise all the
great rivers of the north — Tyne and Wear alone excepted.
The steep western slopes are drained into the Irish Sea by the
Eden, the Lune, the Ribble, and their tributary streams ;
while down the broader valleys and more gentle inclines
of the eastern slopes flow the Aire, the Wharfe, the Nidd, the
Ure, the Swale, and the Tees, into the North Sea.

The gritstone summits and limestone scars of this region
are the last refuge in Yorkshire of the Buzzard, and amongst
the IcLst of the Raven and the Peregrine ; the high moors are
inhabited by the Red Grouse, Ring Ousel, Merlin, Twite, Cur-
lew, Dunlin, Snipe, and Golden Plover, while the Dipper,
Grey Wagtail, and Sandpiper are abundant on the mountain
becks.

Of the very few natural sheets of water in Yorkshire
this district possesses three of the most important, Malham
Tarn, Semerwater, and Birkdale Tarn, besides a few others
of smaller size. Malham Tarn, 153 acres in extent, and 1,250
feet above the level of the sea, together with the limestone
plateau on which it is situate, is of special interest as illustrating
the altitude to which certain species will ascend, and its
fauna has therefore been made a special feature in this work.
Here the Wood-wren, Redshank, Teal, Coot, and Dabchick
nest annually, and it is one of the few localities in Yorkshire
where the Tufted Duck has been known to breed.

The Craven Pasture-lands. — Immediately below the
North-western Fells, which are abruptly terminated to the
south by the steep and occasionally precipitous descents
of the Craven and Pennine faults, succeeds a comparatively
low region, under 600 feet in elevation, with an undulating
grassy surface and low rounded hills, in places rising into
fells which reproduce on a smaller scale the leading physical
characteristics of those of the north-west. Through the
green pastures of this uninteresting country, of which the
Peewit is the characteristic bird, the Ribble and the Hodder

Flamborough Lighthouse.

INTRODUCTION. xxi

cut their way in the form of narrow, well-wooded, sheltered
and productive ravines, giving some charm to this otherwise
monotonous country, which formerly constituted the famous
Forest of Bowland.

The South-Western Moorlands. — The summit ridge,
broken and irregular among the fells of the north-west, and
interrupted by comparatively low ground south of them,
begins again near Keighley and Ilkley, and is carried south-
ward by a broad and continuous band of elevated and mono-
tonous rolling heatherland, which extends along the county
boundary as far as Derbyshire, and attains its greatest
elevation — 1,859 ^^^^ — ^^ Holme Moss. These unbroken
stretches of dreary moorlands — unrelieved save by deep
and narrow " doughs " or ravines, are, in comparison with
the Fells of the north-west, of but slight interest to the
naturalist. Homogeneous in their geological structure, and
presenting no other soils than the barren and unproductive
peat-laden and heather-covered millstone grit, they afford
little variety in their fauna. The high moors are inhabited
by Grouse — more strictly preserved here than elsewhere —
and by occasional pairs of Curlew, Golden Plover, Snipe, Black
Grouse, Ring Ousel, and less frequent still an odd pair of
Dunlin ; the streams are the haunt of the Dipper, the Grey
Wagtail, and Sandpiper, while the lower parts of the valleys
are inhabited by such birds as are able to maintain their
ground against man and his works. For the south-western
moorlands are situate between the two great coal-fields and
manufacturing districts of Yorkshire and Lancashire, and
are not only of easy access to a vast population, but within
the direct influence of the clouds of smoke which accompany
the manufacture of cotton upon the one side, and wollens
and worsteds upon the other.

The Manufacturing District. — At the foot of the
south-western moorlands, and to the east of them, the great
Yorkshire coalfield stretches from Leeds and Bradford to
Halifax, Huddersfield, Wakefield, Barnsley, and Sheffield.
Within this comparatively limited area is congregated the
great mass of the population of Yorkshire, for here the presence

xxii INTRODUCTION.

of coal and ironstone has determined the location of some of
the world's greatest industries ; and the coal-mining districts
of the West Riding afford one of the clearest demonstrations
of the transforming influence of human agencies upon the
surface of a country. The air is laden with smoke above,
vegetation is checked and stunted, while the foulness and
inky blackness of the rivers can only be paralleled by that of
the streams of the neighbouring county palatine of Lancaster.
Naturally well-wooded, the district still retains that
characteristic in parts, more especially in the southern portion,
where the noble Chase of Wharncliffe, overlooking an extensive
prospect in the Don valley, and the fine parks about Barnsley
and Wakefield, still afford a shelter to woodland species of
birds, some of considerable interest — such as the Nightingale
and the Pied Flycatcher — though the inimical influence of
smoke has long told upon the trees. The district is also
interesting as within it is situated Walton Park — the sylvan
domain wherein for many years Charles Waterton extended
complete protection to living things of all kinds. In an old
ivy tower there nested in one spring seven pairs of Jackdaws,
twenty-four pairs of Starlings, four pairs of Ring-doves, the
Barn Owl, the Blackbird, the Redbreast, the Redstart, the House
Sparrow, and the Chaffinch. A walled bank, in the natural-
ist's garden, was fitted with drain-pipes, intended for nesting-
holes of Sand Martins, which took advantage of the hospitality
offered them, and upwards of fifty pairs nested there. Large
numbers of Magpies, Jays, and Carrion Crows bred in the
Park ; an extract from one of Waterton's note books states
that on 15th December 1863 he counted more than a hundred
of the latter birds preparing to go to roost. Here flourished
a famous Heronry, which after the death of Waterton was
disturbed and finally dispersed. But the continued presence
of so dense a population and the ever-increasing demands
of modern commerce are gradually breaking up and destroying
what suitable habitats the district still possesses, hastening
the process of extinction which is continually going on, and
thus diminishing a fauna which was never at any time a very
rich one.

INTRODUCTION. xxiii

The Central Plain, including under this name not only
the entire vale of York, but also the lowlands of Cleveland
and the Tees valley, is a broad fertile tract of agricultural
land, for the most part below 300 feet in elevation, traversed
by the middle and lower portions of most of the Yorkshire
rivers, and stretching from the banks of the Tees to the
borders of Nottinghamshire. Its light and sandy soils support
ordinary lowland and woodland types of vegetation, the
fauna partaking of the same character.

In former times the famous forest of Galtres stretched
for many miles in extent from beneath the very walls of York.
Parts of the district still remain to some extent in their pristine
condition ; and such places as Pilmoor, and Strensall and
Riccall Commons — the breeding places of the Redshank,
Teal, Snipe, Black-headed Gull, etc., and some of them
formerly of the Ruff and other birds — with some boggy carrs
and wet heaths of the North and East Ridings, and Askham
Bog, still display their primitive characteristics. At Hornby
Castle, near Catterick, is to be found one of the two decoys
now existing in the county. There is no lack of woodland,
especially towards the south, where at Edlington Wood one
of the la3t Yorkshire nests of the Kite was taken, while that
of the Hobby has been found at Rossington and in the woods
at Cawood, and in the latter, which were the largest in the
county, the Raven and Buzzard reared their young till within
comparatively recent times.

In the extreme south the flat marsh-lands which lie between
the present and the old channels of the river Don, including
the carrs near Doncaster, and the famed levels of Hatfield
Chase and Thorne Waste, once ornithologically rich, even now
present an avifauna of considerable interest. Formerly the
three Harriers, the Black-tailed Godwit, and the Ruff were
among the species breeding annually, and an island at the
mouth of the Trent al^orded the last British nest and eggs
of the Avocet. On Thorne Waste was also the site of a small
decoy fairly productive of Mallard, Wigeon, and Teal, especi-
ally the latter. Until quite recently Thorne Waste, which
is about 6,000 acres in extent, was the breeding haunt of the

xxiv INTRODUCTION.

Mallard, Teal, Redshank, Black-headed Gull, and occasionally
of the Short-eared Owl and the Curlew. On the intersecting
drains the Reed Warbler and species of minor interest nest
abundantly.

The Cleveland Hills, occupying the north-eastern
portion of the county, though inferior to the North-western
Fells in extent and in elevation — reaching only to 1,485 feet at
Burton Head — are no less picturesque and interesting. Like
them also it is a region of high moorlands — frequented by Red
Grouse and Twite, and in the spring and early summer by
Curlew and Golden Plover, with, occasionally, a pair of Stone
Curlews, which here find the northern limit of their breeding
range in Britain — and intersected by the ramified, well-wooded,
and beautiful dales drained by the Esk and by numerous
branches of the Derwent.

The high lands of Cleveland present bold escarpments
towards the Tees valley and the central plain, and a lofty
line of cliffs towards the sea, reaching 680 feet in elevation
at Boulby. The Howardian hills, below 520 feet in elevation,
which separate the vale of Pickering from the central plain,
must be considered as a southern spur or continuation of
the Hambleton hills, as the western escarpment of the Cleve-
land range is called.

The Cleveland avi-fauna is highly interesting. The Raven
was fairly common in the district, and a pair have been
observed comparatively recently in the vicinity of the coast.
This region was also the resort of the Hen Harrier until 1850,
to which date a few pairs nested annually. The Short-eared
Owl has also on several occasions bred on the moors, and
until some few years ago a pair of Peregrines nested annually.
On the moors the Twite breeds sparingly, and the Curlew and
Golden Plover not uncommonly. The district has on various
occasions been visited by rare stragglers, such as the Pine
Grosbeak, Lapland Bunting, and Ruffed Bustard ; while
Tengmalm's Owl has occurred no fewer than four times.

Vale of Pickering. — South of the Cleveland hills is a
small tract of low-lying cultivated land, below a hundred
feet in elevation, possessing a rich soil, and including a con-

INTRODUCTION. xxv

siderable extent of carrs and low marsh-land. This district,
drained by the Derwent and Rye, is shut in on all sides by
high lands, and was, in all probability, formerly a lake, the
outlet for its drainage even now being at times inadequate,
and in rainy seasons the lower portions are liable to be flooded
for miles in extent.

The Chalk Wolds. — A semi-circular range of rounded
undulating chalk hills commences near the Humber at Ferriby,
and sweeping first in a northerly and then in an easterly direc-
tion, terminates in a line of stupendous sea-cliffs at Flam-
borough Head. Culminating at its north-west corner in
Wilton Beacon, at an altitude of 805 feet, they present a bold
front to the central plain on the west and to the vale of
Pickering on the north, while by more gentle inclines their
south-eastern or inner aspect merges into the low country
of Holderness.

Originally a desolate, grassy, and stony sheepwalk —
over which a horseman might ride for thirty miles at a stretch
without meeting with a fence or other obstruction, and the
resort of the Great Bustard and the Stone Curlew — this
district is now ranked amongst the best and most highly- farmed
agricultural land of England. The deeply excavated hollows
in the Wolds are remarkable for the absence of streams, the
only rivulets to which they give rise being the variable and
intermittent ones called " gypseys." This deficiency of
permanent streams decidedly affects the vertebrate fauna,
probably accounting for the absence of such birds as the
Dipper, the Sandpiper, and the Grey Wagtail, which occur
and breed in corresponding altitudes amongst the hills of
the north and west. The characteristic fauna of the Wolds
must now be regarded as a thing of the past. The Great
Bustard, which here found its northern limit in Britain, has
long been driven out by cultivation, and the Stone Curlew
is in danger of extinction, the chief bird now to be noted being
the Lapwing, which occurs in great abundance.

Holderness. — A flat, low-lying district of triangular
outline interposed between the North Sea and the Humber,
and separated from the rest of Yorkshire by the green Wold

xxvi INTRODUCTION.

hills — is under an elevation of one hundred feet, with the
exception of Dimlington Height, which is but one hundred
and fifty-nine ; and of all districts in the county is probably
the one which has undergone the most decided physical
transformation. There can be little doubt that the aboriginal
condition of the district, now rich and fertile corn-land, was
that of a vast fen or swamp — the haunt of the Crsme, the Wild
Goose, the Bittern, the " Sholarde," and the Ruff. The sheets
of water which formerly diversified the surface were made
use of for the establishment of decoys for the capture of Wild
Duck, and consequently we find that the greater number —
four out of seven — of the decoys known to have existed
in East Yorkshire were here, at Holme on the Wolds,
Meaux, Watton, and Scorborough.

The impetus given to agriculture about the close of the
eighteenth century, and the rapid development of high
farming, proved fatal to much of the ornithological wealth
of Holderness. The decoys were destroyed by the Holder-
ness (1762) and the Beverley and Barmston (1800) drainage
schemes ; and many haunts were broken up by the general
revival of agriculture.

Holderness, even now, is a rich ornithological district,
the Turtle-dove and the Quail being regular summer visitants,
and the Hawfinch breeds annually in some abundance.
Hornsea Mere — the largest natural sheet of water in York-
shire — was formerly resorted to in the nesting season by large
numbers of Terns,* as is shewn by an entry in the diary of
the Rev. Abraham de la Pryme, dated " Hornsey, Dec. 21st
1693," and which runs as follows : — " The marr is a mile and
a half in length, and in one place a mile in breadth ....
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
if he tread not on them " (" Publications of Surtees Society ").
The Reed Warbler, the Pochard, and the Great Crested Grebe
breed regularly ; and it has produced some of the rarest

* Query, Black-headed Gulls. See chapters on Common Tern and
Black-headed Gulls.

INTRODUCTION. xxvii

Yorkshire visitants, such as the Great White Heron, the
Broad-billed Sandpiper, and others. The Mere is inhabited
by pike, which attain to a great size, and are exceedingly
destructive to the birds which frequent the water, especially
the young ones, a circumstance probably explaining the
absence of the Little Grebe.

The Yorkshire Coast-line — commencing at the mouth
of the Tees, and extending 117 miles in length to Spurn Point —
is one of the most diversified possessed by any English county.

The estuary of the Tees — though by no means comparable
in size or attractiveness to that of the Humber — is yet of
considerable extent. That there was formerly an extensive
breeding colony of sea-birds is proved by the following extract
from the Cottonian MS. (about 1604) : — " Neere unto Dob-
hoome (the port in the mouth of Tease soe named) the shore
lyes fiatt, where a shelfe of sand raised above the highe water
marke enterteines an infynite number of sea-fowle, which
lay their egges here and there scatteringlie, in such sorte
that in tyme of breedinge one can hardlye sett his foote
soe warelye that he spoyle not many of their nests." The
species nesting there would probably include the Oyster-
Catcher and several kinds of Terns ; old inhabitants of the
district are now (1906) living who can remember Terns breeding
near the estuary.* This area includes vast stretches of sands,
which afforded the last breeding haunt of the seal in York-
shire (one sandbank indeed bearing the name of " Seal Sand ");
also a series of low salt marshes bordered by sand-hills, and
intersected by pools and salt-water ditches — formerly the
habitat of shore fishes, and an attractive resort for such
migratory birds as the Waders, Ducks, and Geese. But, as
so often has happened in the north of England, the develop-
ment of trade has here sadly interfered with the natural
productiveness of the district. The discovery of Cleveland
ironstone — and consequent rapid rise of Middlesbrough as
a manufacturing and sea-port town — has involved a train of

• Dobhoome is on the Yorkshire side, near Tod Point ; it is now no
longer a port, and is called Dabholme Beck, or in the fisherman's
vernacular, " Dabbing Gut."

xxviii INTRODUCTION.

consequences which have done much to render the zoological
riches of the Teesmouth almost a tale of the past. The
navigation has been improved, foreshores embanked and
reclaimed, docks and harbours built, breakwaters projected,
and blast furnaces erected along the Coatham Marsh.

One of these furnaces, built within five hundred yards
of the site of a decoy, caused — and no wonder — its dis-
continuance, about 1872. Formerly this decoy was fairly
productive, and on one occasion yielded a haul estimated
at five hundred. At any rate, so great was the number
enclosed in the net, that it broke, and most of the Ducks
escaped, only ninety and nine being actually secured. Amongst
the most interesting birds of this area are the Sheld-duck,
Redshank, and Dunlin, which nest sparingly in the vicinity
of the Tees estuary.

The first ten or twelve miles of the Yorkshire coast,
commencing from the mouth of the Tees, is low and fronted
by a reach of firm sandy beach, but at Marske and Saltburn
begins to rise. Beyond Saltburn is Huntcliffe, thus quaintly
referred to in the Cottonian MS. (1604) : — " Huntley Nabbe,
where the coaste beginnes to rise Highe, full of craggs and
steepe Rockes, wherein Meawes, pidgeons, and Sea-fowle
breed plentifullye." Here the Cleveland hills present towards
the sea a line of liassic and oolitic cliffs extending for forty-four
miles, and terminating at the Castle Hill of Scarborough.
These Cleveland sea-cliffs — amongst the loftiest in England,
and attaining their maximum height of 680 feet at Boulby —
afford several breeding stations for the Cormorant and the
Herring Gull, whilst along their range the Raven formerly
bred in scattered pairs in suitable stations. The Scarborough
Castle Hill — the outlying mass of rock which marks the
southward termination of the Cleveland cliffs — was also in
former times a breeding station of this bird, and it is recorded
to have nested there for the last time about 1850.

The coast — now the eastern termination of the vale of
Pickering — is comparatively low from Scarborough southward,
and mostly composed of soft rocks which offer but slight
resistance to the destructive action of the waves, save where

INTRODUCTION. xxix

the hard sandstone reef of Filey Brig projects into the sea.
The shores are here composed of sandy beaches. On the
diluvial chffs near Filey a few Herring Gulls breed annually.

Some distance S.S.E. of Filey the chalk deposits of England
reach their northern termination in a lofty range of tide-washed
mural precipices, the well-known cliffs of Speeton, Buckton,
Bempton, and Flamborough, the most extensive and densely
inhabited breeding resort of sea-fowl in England. The
earliest known account of this " loomery " was written by
Thomas Pennant, who, in the course of his journey to Scotland,
visited Flamborough on 3rd July 1769, and thus recorded his
impressions of that place : — " Went to Flamborough Head . .
. . Put myself under the direction of William Camidge, ciceroni
of the place, who conducted me to a little creek, at that time
covered with fish, a fleet of cobles having just put in. Went
out in one of these little boats to view the Head, coasting it
for upwards of two miles. The cliffs are of a tremendous
height, and amazing grandeur ; beneath are several vast
caverns, some closed at the end, others are pervious, formed
with a natural arch, giving a romantic passage to the boat,
different from that we entered. In some places the rocks
are insulated, are of a pyramidical figure, and soar up to a vast
height ; the bases of most are solid, but in some pierced
thro', and arched ; the color of all these rocks is white, from
the dung of the innumerable flocks of migratory birds, which
quite cover the face of them, filling every little projection,
every httle hole that will give them leave to rest ; multitudes
swarmed in the air, and almost stunned us with the variety
of their croaks and screams ; I observed among them
corvorants, shags in small flocks, guillemots, a few black
guillemots very shy and wild, auks, puffins, Kittiwakes,*
and herring gulls " (" A Tour in Scotland," 1771, pp. 14-15)-
Here Guillemots, Puffins, Razorbills, and Kittiwakes breed
in countless multitudes, the Guillemots being by far the
most numerous ; and there are also a pair or two of Herring
Gulls. In a cave in Buckton cliff called " The Cote " the

* Called here Petrels. " Br. Zool. Supplt." (Tab. xxiii.. p. 26).

XXX INTRODUCTION.

Rock Dove breeds in great numbers, and its congener the Stock
Dove is particularly numerous, breeding in the cliffs both north
and south of the North Landing at Flamborough. The House
Martins have their nests under the ledges of the cliffs, and a
few Swifts in the crevices, whilst on the broken ground at the
summit the Rock Pipit breeds somewhat commonly. Mingled
with the sea- fowl breed innumerable Starlings and Jackdaws,
and a pair or two of Carrion Crows nest annually, the sable
hues of this bird, and of its congener the Jackdaw, forming
a striking contrast to the delicate plumage of the Kittiwakes.
The Hooded Crow has also occasionally remained to nest ;
and the highest portions of the cliffs are frequented by the
Peregrine, but, although the birds are generally present in
the season, one of them usually falls a victim to the gun, and
they have nt)t succeeded in breeding for upwards of a quarter
of a century until 1906, when a pair brought off three young
in June.

The immense abundance of sea-fowl on these cliffs, and the
ease with which they can be approached by means of boats,
formerly led to their merciless slaughter for so-called sport
and to supply the exigencies of fashion, and for years the
locality was the scene of so much destruction that some of
the species were at last utterly driven away, and others greatly
diminished in number. This wanton cruelty was — as a matter
of fact — the direct cause of the passing of the Sea Birds
Preservation Act of 1869. The effects of that salutary
measure have been most marked. The Kittiwakes, which
had become extremely scarce, are now quite numerous.
Among the species which formerly bred at Flamborough
may be mentioned the Shag, the Black Guillemot, and the
Raven, the former of which some few years prior to 1844 used
to nest annually on the rocks, but now it breeds no nearer
than the Fame Islands, and there only singly and irregularly.

The chalk cliffs attain their highest elevation of 436 feet
at Buckton Cliffs, declining thence eastward to 250 feet at the
point of the Headland, where the lighthouse is situated.

From its favourable geographical situation and bold
physical aspect, the Headland of Flamborough is famed as

INTRODUCTION. xxxi

affording in the autumn a shelter to the neighbouring bay,
thus providing a resting-place for many uncommon birds — ■
such as the Long-tailed Duck, Common, Pomatorhine, and
Richardson's Skuas, the Shearwaters, Grebes, and Petrels
occurring annually.

The chalk terminates below Sewerby Hall, and is succeeded
by the low diluvial cliffs and sandy beach of Bridlington Bay,
stretching for forty-two miles in a bold concave sweep, which
terminates in the marram-covered sand-hills of Spurn. This
line of coast, the eastern border of Holderness, composed
of soft strata which are being steadily wasted away by the
action of the sea, is comparatively uninteresting, and offers
but little that is worthy of special note until Spurn is reached.
Spurn Point, the southern termination of the Yorkshire
coast, is connected with the mainland of Holderness by a
narrow neck of sand-hills overgrown with marram-grass, a
few yards in width, and preserved intact only by constant
supervision, and at considerable expense. Were these inter-
mitted the sea would speedily break through the isthmus and
join the Humber, as it has done on several occasions. Spurn is
ornithologically rich. Birds migrating along the coast, or
arriving from the east, find many temptations to linger.
The miles of mudflats left bare on the Humber side of the
isthmus by every receding tide offer great attractions and a
never failing supply of food to various shore birds, and in
the spring and autumn are frequented by great numbers of
birds of this class. Many of these winter here — such as the
Bar-tailed Godwit, Grey Plover, Knot, Turnstone, Sanderling,
and others. It is fortunate that Spurn is very strictly pre-
served, and equally so that this part of the coast is unsuitable
for " punting." In winter thousands of duck and many
Brent Geese are to be noted on the Humber ; while Wood-
cocks are sometimes observed in very great numbers on their
arrival during their migration in the latter days of October.

The Geographical Position of Yorkshire, viewed
from a faunistic standpoint, must be regarded as singularly
favourable, as it presents a combination of advantages seldom
equalled, both as regards the actual geographical range of

xxxii INTRODUCTION.

the breeding species and the arrival of migrants and
stragglers.

Situate about midway on the eastern seaboard of the
British Isles, and directly opposite the European continent,
Yorkshire is sufficiently far south to include species whose
distribution is of the southern type — such as the Nuthatch
and the Nightingale, which find in it the northern limit of
their range, while it is sufficiently far north to admit of the
inclusion of such species as the Curlew, Dunlin, etc., which
here meet with their southern breeding limits.

As regards the influx of migratory birds, a glance at the
map of Europe will at once show the advantageous position
of the county. Not only does its coast lie opposite that of
the Continent, but Flamborough is on the same parallel of
latitude as Heligoland, the island which is so renowned for
the myriads of migrants which pass and repass it every spring
and autumn. The observations made there for many years
by the late H. Gatke show that most of the birds passing
over Heligoland in the autumn do so in a direction due E.
and W. Such a line of flight, if sustained, would land the
stream of immigrants upon the Yorkshire coast, and especially
upon the prominent Headland of Flamborough, which as a
locality productive of rare birds has few equals.

The configuration of the coast materially increases the
advantage of the position, which is still more enhanced by
the possession of two such points as Flamborough and Spurn.
From the Teesmouth the coast-line trends in a gracefully
convex sweep in a south-easterly direction to the Headland
of Flamborough — a promontory which stands boldly out in
the North Sea forty-three miles in advance of the Teesmouth,
and fully fifty miles E. of the mean longitude of the coast
of Durham. South of Flamborough the coast-line recedes,
and after the concave sweep of Bridlington Bay, again advances
terminating in the long narrow spit of Spurn, which — project-
ing sixty-two miles E. of the Teesmouth — overlaps to a
considerable extent the coast of Lincolnshire. Those birds —
mostly waders and marine species — which pursue a north and
south course in their migrations, are in the habit of following

INTRODUCTION. xxxiii

coast-lines, even though the latter keep well out to sea. Such
species making their way down the east coast would probably
pass the shores of Northumberland and Durham, meeting
with no obstruction till their progress is arrested by the
promontory of Flamborough, where they are observed — and
very often shot. On leaving Flamborough they cross
Bridlington Bay, and are either seen at Spurn, or, skirting
Lincolnshire, pass on for the north coast of Norfolk — a well
situated and rich ornithological county.

Flamborough and Spurn are by far the most favourable
points for observing the arrivals of immigrants ; and Spurn
is considered far to surpass any portion of the Lincolnshire
coast, though the tall cliffs of Cleveland probably offer
attractions from their height and the secluded nature of
the coast. The winds which bring immigrant birds in the
greatest numbers in the autumn are those not favourable
to their passage. WTien worn out by a long and adverse
journey against contrary winds they drop on the first shore
they reach, and the presence of Woodcocks at Spurn and
elsewhere on the coast depends on the prevalence of the
strong N. or N.E. winds during their passage, which tire
them out, and after which they are to be found on the Point
in great numbers. On the contrary, should the winds be
light and favourable, they simply pass on, dispersing them-
selves over the country in suitable situations, and very few
would be observed on the coast.

MIGRATION.

For this important section, I have, with his kind permis-
sion, adopted Mr. Eagle Clarke's views regarding the move-
ments for the east coast of England, as set forth in his " Digest
of Observations," published in the " Report of the British
Association," Liverpool Meeting, 1896.

Between Britain and Continental Europe travel a host
of migrants which are either birds of passage on, or winter
visitors to, our shores. The former visit our eastern coast-
line in spring when journeying to their northern summer
haunts lying to the north-east of Britain, and again in autumn

xxxiv INTRODUCTION.

when returning to their winter quarters to the south of our
Islands. The winter visitors are chiefly individuals from the
ranks of certain species of the birds of passage which winter in
the British area, and emigrate to the north-east in the spring.

In the autumn these numerous migrants cross the North
Sea and arrive on the east shores of Britain at points between
the Shetland Isles and the Humber or the northern seaboard
of Norfolk. All the movements do not cover this stretch of
coast-line, but not infrequently such is the case, and as a
rule they are recorded from the greater part of the region
indicated. Observations prove that these migrants pass to
the northward or westward of the Outer Dowsing Lightship,
which is situated 38 miles E.S.E. of the mouth of the
Humber.

After long and careful study it is decided that these im-
migrants and emigrants from and to Northern Europe pass
and repass between this portion of the Continent and Britain
by crossing the North Sea in autumn in a south-westerly
direction, and in spring in a north-easterly one,* and that
while the limit of their flight in the north is the Shetland Isles,
that on the south extends to the coast of Norfolk.!

It is to be remarked, also, as bearing upon this point,
that all the species occur on migration in the Orkney and
Shetland Islands, but not in the Faroes. J And, further,
all the British birds of passage to Northern Europe are either
summer visitors to Scandinavia or are regular migrants along
the western shores of that peninsula.

After arriving on our eastern shores, these immigrants from

* The direction varies. It is probably more westerly (in autumn)
or easterly (in spring) at the most northern British stations, and south-
south-westerly (in autumn) or north-north-easterly (in spring) at the
stations on the east coast of England.

t The formation adopted by the migrants during passage would
seem to be an extended line — perhaps a series of lines — whose right
wing extends to the Northern Islands and its left wing to the coast of
Norfolk.

X A few species occur in the Faroes on migration, but they are also
summer visitors to those Islands and to Iceland.

INTRODUCTION. xxxv

the north — some of them after resting for a while — move
either down the east coast, en route for more southern winter
quarters, or, if winter visitors, to their accustomed haunts
in Britain and Ireland. A few occur as birds of passage on
the west, which they reach by overland routes across Britain,
and then pass southward to their winter quarters.

Inter migration between the South-East Coast of England
and the Coast of Western Europe — " East and West Route."

This is one of the discoveries of the inquiry. It has already
been shown that the more southern section of the East coast
of England does not receive immigrants direct from Northern
Europe. There is, however, a considerable amount of
migration observed at the lightships south of the Wash.
During the autumn, day after day, a stream of migrants,
often of great volume, is observ-ed off the coast, flowing chiefly
from the south-east to the north-west at the more northerly
stations (and this is what particularly affects Yorkshire),
and from east to west at the southerly ones, across the
southernmost waters of the North Sea. This is called the
" East and West Route." From the stations off the mouth
of the Thames as a centre, the birds either sweep up the
east coast, sometimes to and beyond the Tees (many proceed-
ing inland as they go), or pass to the west along the southern
shores of England. These important immigrations set in
during the latter days of September, reach their maximum
in October, and continue at intervals until November. They
are chronicled with wonderful precision and regularity in the
returns from stations on the south-east coast of England.
They are renewed during winter on occasions of exceptionally
severe cold, but the birds then pass to the westward along the
south coast.

There are some remarkable features associated with these
movements : —

(i) They are frequently observed for several or many
consecutive days ;

(2) They often occur when there is an almost entire absence
of bird-migration on other parts of our shores ;

xxxvi INTRODUCTION.

(3) The movements appear to be entirely confined to the
day-time — usually from daylight to i p.m., sometimes until
3 p.m., thus indicating, probably, the shortness of the passage;

(4) The autumn migratory flocks are chiefly composed
of Larks in vast numbers, " Black Crows " (Rooks), Grey
Crows, Redbreasts, Goldcrests, Chaffinches, Greenfinches, Tree
Sparrows, Starlings, and Woodcock ; and during the winter
Larks, various Thrushes, and Lapwings ;

(5) And lastly, on certain occasions these immigrants,
while passing northward along the English eastern seaboard,
actually cross the movements of " coasting " emigrants
proceeding southward. At Redcar and the Teesmouth these
immigrants are frequently observed coming in direct from
the north or north-east (as well as from the east). The
arrivals from the north and north-east usually comprise Pipits,
Snow Buntings, Finches, and Starlings, and these occur gener-
ally in calm weather or during the prevalence of light northerly
or north-easterly breezes. In some seasons continuous flights
of various Thrushes are seen coming in direct from the sea.

These conclusions have been chiefly based upon autumn
data, because the information for that season is more complete
and voluminous. When, however, we come to examine
the information relating to spring movements, with a view
to ascertain how far they corroborate the conclusions so
clearly indicated by the autumn chronicles, it is satisfactory
to find decided evidence that the birds retrace their flight
to the north and east along precisely the same lines as those
along which the autumnal south and west journeys were
performed. Thus in the spring these birds depart from the
same sections of our eastern seaboard as witnessed their
arrival in the autumn.

Nearly every season possesses some remarkable feature
connected with migration : — thus, for instance, in October
1879, Pomatorhine Skuas were reported in enormous numbers ;
in 1887, Little Stints and Pygmy Curlews were unusually
abundant ; Grebes were the chief features in 1892 ; Scaup
Ducks and Little Auks in 1895 ; Rough-legged Buzzards in
1903, and so on.

INTRODUCTION. xxxvii

The system of classification followed in this work is chiefly
in agreement with the List of British Birds compiled by the
Committee of the British Ornithological Union in 1885,
modified in accordance with Mr. Howard Saunders' Manual
(2nd Ed. 1889).

The most important requirements in the compilation of
a local fauna are a careful definition of the true faunistic
position occupied by each species, and of its distribution
and relative numbers within the area treated of, together
with some notice of its migratory movements. To these
should be added — in the case of the rare species — lists of all
the occurrences, with dates, localities, authorities, and such
other details as are likely to be of service.

For the purpose of defining the faunistic position of the
Birds of Yorkshire, the following terms are employed : —

Residents "1 . _

c, ,, [ = Annual Breeders.

Summer Visitants . .\ j

Winter Visitants ..[ = Regular Visitors.
Birds of Passage . . j

Occasional or Accidex- 1 ^

} = Irregular Visitors,
tal Visitants , . . . J

Residents are species which are found in some district
or other of the county throughout the year, and therein
breed annually.

Summer Visitants are species which appear annually in
the spring, remain through the summer for the purpose of
rearing their young, and afterwards depart in the autumn.

Winter Visitants are species which appear annually in
the autumn, and remain in more or less numbers throughout
the winter, departing in the spring for their breeding haunts.

Birds of Passage are species which are observed in the
county only on their annual passage to and from their breeding
haunts in spring or autumn, or both.

Occasional Visitants include the species whose appear-
ance in the county is uncertain, but whose occurrence —
they being resident in, or more or less regular visitants to,

xxxviii INTRODUCTION.

other parts of the British Isles — is not improbable, even
though their visits may be very few and far between ; and also

Accidental Visitants, mere waifs and strays — species
whose geographical range renders their occurrence in Britain
quite exceptional and more or less remarkable.

These definitions have been carefully framed, and will, it is
believed, be found applicable to all cases. A few general re-
marks upon them, illustrated by characteristic examples, desir-
able in order to make their meaning perfectly unmistakable,
will be given in proceeding to analyse the Yorkshire fauna.

The avifauna of Yorkshire, compared with that of other
counties, stands unrivalled, not only in its numerical extent,
but also — a circumstance of much greater significance — in
the inherent richness which is shown by the number of species
breeding annually within its limits.

Excluding twenty-one species, which have been recorded
on the strength of evidence more or less insufficient to establish
their claims, the total number of birds on the Yorkshire list
is 325. The Norfolk hst, given in "Trans. N. and N. Nat.
Soc." (1885, 1886, 1887), included 288 species — to which
must be added 27 which have occurred in the county
since that time, for the names of which I am indebted
to Messrs. J. H. Gurney and Thomas Southwell of Norwich,
making a total of 315. The list given in Hancock's " Birds
of Northumberland and Durham," published in 1874, com-
prises 268 species. But applying the same rules as are
employed for the exclusion of doubtful species from the
Yorkshire list, the total is reduced to 266 for Northumberland
and Durham.

Since the publication of Hancock's catalogue, however,
the following species must be omitted from the list : — the
Purple Gallinule, Vi/ginian Colin, Egyptian and Canada
Geese, and the Blue-tailed Bee-eater (which latter occurred
in Yorkshire, see p. 284). Eleven additional species which
have occurred in Northumberland and Durham are : — the Tree
Warbler, Icterine Warbler, White Wagtail, Rustic Bunting,
Little Bunting, Alpine Swift, Spotted Eagle, Crane, Red-

Snowden Sleights, the last of the Yorkshire wildfowlers,
with his armoury.

.S". H. Siiii/h.

INTRODUCTION.

XXXIX

necked Phalarope, Kentish Dotterel, Sabine's Gull. The
Mute Swan may also be added to the residents, making a
total of 275.

The species excluded from the Norfolk list are : — Pallas's
Shrike, Grey-headed Yellow Wagtail, Red-barred Crossbill
(L. ruhifasciata), Eagle Owl, Pelican, Great White Heron,
Little Egret, Buff-backed Heron, Canada Goose, Egyptian
Goose, Harlequin Duck, Rock Dove, Hooded Merganser,
Virginian Colin, Green-backed Gallinule, Cream-coloured
Courser, Eastern Golden Plover, Sabine's Snipe (variety),
Wilson's Petrel, Ringed Guillemot (variety), all admitted on
insufficient evidence.

The species which have been added to the Norfolk fauna
during the past twenty years include : — Siberian Stonechat,
Aquatic Warbler, Pallas's Warbler, Yellow-browed Warbler,
White Wagtail, Tawny Pipit, Water Pipit, Red-breasted
Flycatcher, Citril Finch, Holboell's Redpoll, Northern or
Russian Bullfinch, Two-barred Crossbill, Yellow-breasted
Bunting, Great Spotted Cuckoo, Flamingo, Lesser White-
fronted Goose, Ruddy Sheld-duck, King Eider, Allen's Gal-
linule, Caspian Plover, Siberian Pectoral Sandpiper, Sooty
Tern, Mediterranean Herring Gull, White-billed Northern
Diver, Great Shearwater.

A comparison of the three avifaunas — based upon a careful
analysis in accordance with the faunistic definitions given on
page xxxvii — yields the following results : —

Residents . .
Summer Visitants

Winter Visitants . .
Birds of Passage
Occasional and Acciden-
tal Visitants . .

North-
umber-
land and
Durham

York,
•hire.

Nor-
folk,

84
30

91
32

76
31

114

43
12

106

27s

123

55
29

118

107
SO
26

132

32s 315

= AnnualBreeders

: Total Avifauna.

C2

xl INTRODUCTION.

The Capercaillie, although not placed between square
brackets, is not included in the list of county birds ; if
this species is added, the total number is 326.

This decided superiority of the avifauna of Yorkshire
over those of the two maritime districts with which alone it
is fair to institute comparisons, is to be accounted for by a
combination of advantages. In Yorkshire the favourable
geographical position of Norfolk is associated with its physical
advantages and those of Northumberland and Durham, and
when it is further considered that Yorkshire possesses in
addition a much greater diversity of surface, soil, and climate
than either, there remains little reason for surprise at the-
numerical excellence of its fauna. The superiority is not
merely one of numerical extent. Casual and accidental
visitants cannot be regarded as true members of any fauna,
and the ornithological richness or poverty of a district can only
be gauged by a comparison of the number of its residents
and regular visitants, and more especially of that of the
species which breed annually. In this respect too — as the
table shows — the superiority of Yorkshire is well marked,
demonstrating still more forcibly the advantages possessed by
the county which contains the greatest diversity of surface,
a diversity ranging in this case from the low carr lands of the
E.S.E. to the mountains of the W.N.W., with a coast-line
affording both lofty and rugged cliffs and sandy fiats,
thus presenting every kind of habitat necessary for the
presence of almost every type of bird which breeds in the
British Isles.

The ninety-one Resident Birds include the following
species, which deserve special mention : —

The Nuthatch, Wood-Lark, and Lesser Spotted Wood-
pecker, find in the county the northern limit of their general
distribution in Britain during the breeding season ; though
they have been known to nest occasionally or singly in dis-
tricts still further north.

The Raven, Buzzard, and Peregrine Falcon, all formerly
resident in some abundance, are now restricted to a few pairs
of each species still attempting to breed annually, the Buzzard,

INTRODUCTION. xli

once so common among the crags of the Yorkshire fells, being
now the rarest of the three, though it is highly gratifying
to announce that it succeeded in rearing young during 1906.
The elegant little Goldfinch, although widely distributed in
the county, is extremely local and nowhere numerous. The
Sheld-duck is one of the most local birds which nest in
Yorkshire, only two breeding haunts being known.

Yorkshire Heronries have greatly decreased during the
past century. Those now in existence are enumerated when
treating of the Heron.

Of the thirty-two Summer Visitants, the Nightingale,
Reed Warbler, Wryneck, Turtle-Dove, and Stone Curlew
reach in Yorkshire the northern limit of their annual distribu-
tion during the nesting season. The Wryneck and Turtle-
Dove have, however, been known in isolated instances to
rear their young in localities further north.

The local and interesting bird, the Pied Flycatcher, is
probably more abundant than in any other British county, its
breeding haunts being numerous and widely diffused.

The Lesser Tern has a single breeding station. It is
somewhat singular that Yorkshire, having this species and
the Ringed Plover in abundance, should not be able to include
among its breeding birds the larger species of Terns, though it
is possible they formerly bred at the Teesmouth.

The fifty-five Winter Visitants do not include many
species which merit special mention, but the following are
uncommon birds of annual occurrence : — The Great Grey
Shrike, Shore Lark, and Rough-legged Buzzard. Some
birds of this class, as the Hooded Crow, Crossbill, and
Short-eared Owl, have in isolated instances been known to
breed in the county ; whilst the Tufted Duck may now be
classed as breeding regularly.

None of the twenty-nine Birds of Passage admit of much
comment. The Pgymy Curlew, Common and Buffon's Skuas,
are amongst the least numerous ; while the Dotterel still
visits the county annually as of old, but in gradually decreasing
numbers.

Of the hundred and eighteen Occasional and Accidental

xlii INTRODUCTION.

Visitants, the Bearded Reedling, Crested Titmouse, Lesser
Grey Shrike, Ortolan Bunting, Chough, and Golden Eagle
are noticeable as of exceptionally rare occurrence.

The species excluded from the Yorkshire list are placed
between square brackets, in their proper order, and although
their claims to a place in the county fauna must be regarded
as inadequate, it is quite possible that further investigation
may show some of them to have been genuine occurrences.

Two species which have occurred in Yorkshire — the
Cuneate-tailed Gull, and Bulwer's Petrel — have not been
known to visit any other British locality, and the one last
named, until the year 1903, had not even occurred elsewhere
in Europe.

The Cuneate-tailed Gull is specially interesting from its
extreme rarity ; and although there is a discrepancy of
dates in the two versions published at the time of the occur-
rence, there is no ground for doubting its genuineness.

[The Blue-tailed Bee-eater, hitherto recorded as a Durham
specimen, actually occurred in Yorkshire ; no other instance
is known of its appearance in Europe.]

Amongst the species which have occurred in this county,
of which very few British examples are known, may be cited
the Rock-Thrush, Orphean Warbler, White-spotted Blue-
throat, Lesser Grey Shrike, Tawny Pipit, Pine Grosbeak,
White-winged Crossbill, Eagle Owl, American Bittern, Red-
breasted Goose, Ruddy Sheld-duck, Buffel-headed Duck,
KingEider, Steller's Duck, Broad-billed Sandpiper, Gull-
billed Tern, and White-winged Black Tern.

Treating of Yorkshire birds generally, it may be remarked
that many resident birds are to a greater or less extent migra-
tory, shifting their quarters from one locality to another
according to the season, as for example the Curlew, which
breeds on the high moors in the summer and retires to the
shores during the winter, while the Thrush, Pied Wagtail, and
others remain through that season in much reduced numbers.
Such a circumstance, however, would not in the least militate
against the claim of the species to be considered as resident.

On the other hand, there are species — true winter visitants,

INTRODUCTION. xliii

though ranked in some county lists as residents — of which
a few are found in the district throughout the year, but they
cannot be regarded as " residents " in the true sense of the
term, for the individuals remaining through the summer
are immature and non-breeding birds. These remarks are
applicable to (amongst other species) the Turnstone (of which
about a score remain at Spurn and Teesmouth throughout
the summer), Common Scoter, Common Gull, and Red-
throated Diver, all of which are to be found in more or less
numbers on or off the coast at all seasons. The fact of indi-
viduals remaining in this way is but an exceptional one,
not affecting the faunistic location of the species.

In addition to the species at the present time regularly
breeding in the county, others must be mentioned as having
formerly nested annually, but which are now entirely banished
in consequence of persecution, or of the great changes wrought
in their former haunts ; and instead of being claimable as
members of the two classes which furnish the breeding species,
they can now only be ranked as Occasional or as Accidental
Visitants, of more or less rare occurrence.

Such species include the Kite, which there can be no doubt
was once very abundant, but of whose breeding the information
is so meagre that only two actual instances can be cited.
The three Harriers, though local, were once fairly abundant,
the Hen Harrier perhaps, being the least so, though it is
now the most frequent as a casual visitant. The Marsh
Harrier, on the contrary, is now one of the rarest, whilst
Montagu's Harrier was the most widely distributed and the
last to linger on the Yorkshire Heaths. The Hobby, eailier
in the past century, was regarded as far from uncommon
in South Yorkshire, but it is now seldom seen, and only three
instances of its breeding in the county can be cited. Although
the Bittern was formerly abundant, and doubtless bred in
the county, there is no positive record in existence of a nest
or eggs having been found. Regarding the Bustard, which
formerly had its most northern residence in Britain on the
Wolds of Eastern Yorkshire, all the information obtainable
has been amassed. The Shag, though now quite unknown

xUv INTRODUCTION.

even as a casual breeder, once nested in some abundance
on the cliffs at Flamborough. It is satisfactory to have
information so interesting on the high authority of Arthur
Strickland. The former breeding of such birds as the Black
Guillemot, Grey-lag Goose, Avocet, Ruff, Black-tailed Godwit,
and Black Tern, is mentioned under the head of the respective
species.

Such are the principal losses which Yorkshire has sustained
in breeding birds, the result chiefly of the changes which have
taken place in the physical aspect of the county.

To all rules there are, of course, exceptions ; and it is
therefore not surprising to find that winter visitants, like
the Short-eared Owl, Hooded Crow, and Tufted Duck ;
casual visitants, as the Bearded Reedling, Siskin, Crossbill,
Cirl Bunting, and Goshawk, have occasionally, and in isolated
instances, remained to breed.

With respect to migratory species, the dates of arrival
and departure quoted are mainly those observed on the coast,
as more likely to be reliable than observations made in inland
localities.

It is of interest to note that in addition to the Cuneate-
tailed Gull, and Bulwer's Petrel — which are unique as British
specimens — there are several other species whose first men-
tioned occurrence in Britain was in this county. Amongst
these are the Waxwing (1681), Red-breasted Goose (1766,
one also occurring near London about the same time). Scops
Owl (1805), Red-footed Falcon (April 1830), Orphean Warbler
(1849), ^^^ Lesser Kestrel (1867) ; and probably also the
Eagle Owl, mentioned by Pennant in 1768 as having once
been shot in Yorkshire.

The species added to the Yorkshire list in recent years
are the Desert Wheatear, Barred Warbler, Yellow-browed
Warbler, Icterine Warbler, Blue-headed Wagtail, Blue-
headed Yellow Wagtail, Lesser Grey Shrike, Red-breasted
Flycatcher, Serin, Coues' Redpoll, Greenland RedpoU,
Northern or Russian Bullfinch, Siberian Meadow Bunting,
[Blue-tailed Bee-eater], Snow Goose, American Wigeon, Red-
crested Pochard, Rufous Turtle Dove, Capercaillie, McQueen's

INTRODUCTION. xlv

Bustard, Red-breasted Snipe, Whiskered Tern, Mediterranean
Black-headed Gull, Brunnich's Guillemot, White-billed
Northern Diver, Levantine Shearwater. It may also be
remarked of Tengmalm's Owl that out of the twenty known
British specimens no fewer than twelve have occurred in this
county, and three of these Mr. Clarke has had the personal
pleasure of adding on the most imquestionable authority. In
addition to this, numerous occurrences of rare species — which
have hitherto remained unpublished — now appear for the
first time in print.

THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE.

MISTLE-THRUSH
Turdus viscivorus (Z.)-

Common resident, generally distributed. An influx of arrivals from
the north occurs in autumn, some of which move further south, while
others winter.

The earliest mention of this as a Yorkshire bird is con-
tained in the Appendix to the Rev. John Graves's " History
of Cleveland," dated 1808.

Thomas Allis, in his " Report on the Birds of Yorkshire,"
prepared for the York Meeting of the British Association,
in 1844, wrote of this species as follows : —

Turdus viscivorus. — Missel Thrush — Common over the county.

In addition to being a very generally distributed and
abundant resident, flocks of immigrant Mistle-Thrushes
arrive on our coasts in the autumn from Northern Europe,
where the bird is to some extent a summer visitant ; thus
at Redcar on 4th October 1884, at 8 a.m., flocks were
" coming in," the wind being X.W. and fresh (Sixth Migration
Report, p. 41) ; and on nth October 1885, there occurred
a great " rush " at Teesmouth (Seventh ]\Iigration Report,,
p. 38). They are less noticed at the Light Stations than
any other of the genus, being frequently confounded with
Fieldfares, and both species indifferently designated as " large
grey thrushes." Some of these immigrants no doubt remain
with us during the winter months, and may leave us for a
more southerly clime on the first really severe weather.

VOL I. B

2 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE.

Our indigenous birds however seem to be of a strictly resident
turn, frequenting as a rule the vicinity of their chosen haunts,
except in very severe seasons, when they are compelled to
migrate southward. In the exceptional winters of 1878-79
and 1879-80, their numbers were very materially reduced,
and for the following year or two their diminished ranks
were the theme of many notes. They quickly recovered,
however, and in two or three years' time were again plentiful.
Again in 1894-95 they perished in thousands, and were almost
exterminated in the East Riding> Now they are quite as
numerous as ever.

This bird nests in a variety of situations, being equally
at home and well-known in the more secluded gardens around
our large towns, in orchards and woodlands, in the alders
bordering our upland streams, in the fir plantations which
so frequently fringe the moors, while in some instances nests
have been found on the very moorlands themselves, occupying
a place in a stone fence {Nat. 1888, p. 264, and 1889, p. 52).
In May 1903, Mr, James Backhouse noted a nest on Penyghent
at 1350 feet elevation, and on the 14th of the same month,
Mr. H. Lazenby reported one on the ground on a Wensley-
dale fell side ; on 6th April 1897, I saw one containing three
eggs, in a low branch of a holly tree at Potto Grange, in
Cleveland, within five feet of the ground ; in 1903 a nest»
with young, was found in a standard plum tree in the Harrogate
Hydro gardens, four feet from the ground ; several were
seen in that locality, and also at Beverley, in even lower
situations, some being at no greater elevation than two feet.
The species is certainly double brooded, and, in an orchard
at Beverley, the same nest has been used for both broods ;
in the last week of March 1871, an old bird was found sitting
on four eggs, which hatched early in April, and on the 19th
of May the nest again contained four more young birds.
The earliest nest known to me had eggs in the first week of
March, though at Beverley a hen bird was sitting on eggs on
27th February 1903.

The gizzards of young birds examined by Mr. Ge«rge

SONG THRUSH. 3

Roljcrts of Lofthouse, near Wakefield, contained caterpillars,
flies, elytra of beetles, and numerous " minute white round
bodies resembling the eggs of insects." After the breeding
season the birds pack, and on the occasion of the Hawes
Meeting of the Yorkshire Naturalists' Union on 28th June
1884, a large party was ol)scrved swooping down the fell
side, uttering their characteristic " churring " note. These
gatherings have, in not a few instajiccs, no doubt been reported
a. early Fieldfares.

A variety obtained near Patrington, some few years ago,
formerly in the possession of Mr. Philip W. Loten, and now
in the collection of Mr, Marshall of Taunton, has the ground
colour of the feathers white, while the spots and other mark-
ings are of the usual tint.

This bird is very generally known as the Storm-cock, or
Stormy. In Cleveland, from its early song, it is dubbed
Jeremy Joy (January Joy), and in some parts Wood Throstle,
Rattle Thrush, and Golden Thrush ; in parts of the East
Riding it is Charlie Cock ; in Craven it is called Churcock
and Charhe Cock ; at Sedbergh, Shercock ; and in Teesdale,
Pickie. Old Yorkshire names are Hollin Cock {Zool. 1848,
p. 2290), and Norman Thrush (Swainson).

SONG THRUSH.
Turdus musicus {L.).

Resident, common, generally distributed ; less numerous iu winter.
Tn autumn there is an influx of migrants from the Continent, some of
which move southward later.

Probably the earliest mention of the Thrush, as a York-
shire bird, was made by Marmaduke Tunstall, F.R.S., a
Yerkshireman and an ornithologist of repute, who resided
at Wycliffe-on-the-Tees, in the i8th century (1743-1790)' ^^d

4 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE.

who mentioned this species as " singing in the north in
December."

Thomas Allis, in 1844, wrote : —

Tnrdus nutsictis. — Song Thrush — Generally diffused.

The Thrush is a resident species, abundant in most districts
in the summer months, quite the reverse during the winter,
and though the numbers were markedlj^ reduced by the
Arctic winters of 1878-79, and 1879-80, and again in 1894-95,
it is now quite as numerous as before. In the wilder portions
of the county it becomes scarcer, and while it is almost un-
known on the moorlands, its occurrence in Nidderdale has
been recorded up to at least twelve hundred feet. The York-
shire Thrushes are partially migratory ; on the approach
of autumn the great majority move south, many, however,
stay with us during the drear months, along with immigrants
from the north. The resident birds enliven us by their cheery
song during the finer days of winter, and until the main
body returns in the earliest days of spring.

This bird, being a summer visitant to Scandinavia,
migrants from the north, as we might naturally expect,
arrive on our shores during October and November (see
British Association Report), along with Fieldfares and Red-
wings. Two were captured on a vessel, fourteen miles off
Whitby, on 7th October 1833 (Edward Blyth). The British
Association Migration Reports contain many entries, too
numerous for recapitulation here, . respecting this autumn
movement, from which it may be gathered that the great
" rushes " of these birds occur in October, and generally
about the middle of that month. At this season they are
sometimes found dead below the lighthouses ; several were
killed against Flamborough light in the autumn of i888.\
The winter migration, due to the severity of the weather,
occasionally extends beyond the usual period, and almost
overlaps the return passage ; thus in 1892 I noticed Thrushes
migrating from N.E. on the 24th of January. In the spring
these h\'perborean Thrushes again visit us on their north-
ward passage, and at Flamborough Lighthouse, on the early

Mistle Thrush at Nest, feeding young.

H. Lazenby.

See page 3.

SONG THRUSH. 5

morning of 12th March 1877, the weather being hazy, several
struck the lantern ; again on 27th April 1883, one was killed ;
on the 7th May of the same season four more were immolated,
while on 7-8th February 1899, many perished at the same
light station.*

Nidification commences early, for it is not an uncommon
event to find young birds some days old early in April, and
nests and eggs have been seen in the county much earlier,
while during the abnormally mild winter of 184J, a nest with
three eggs was found near Campsall, in South Yorkshire, on
Christmas Day (Schroeder's " Annals of Yorkshire," 1851, ]).
350) ; in 1900, one with two eggs was recorded at Pannal,
near Harrogate, on 17th December ; and another, containing
a complement of four, was discovered at Yearby, near Redcar,
on i8th February 1904. The latest date known to me for
eggs is the 27th July ; though young ones, al)Out ten days
old, were noted near Bradford on 28th August 1905. Occa-
sionally eggs marked with large red si)ots, or rather blotches,
are obtained ; spotless examples are frequently found, and
a clutch of the unusual number of eight, was described by
Mr. Leonard Gaunt of Farsley {i)i litt. 21st April 1901).

The Throstle, as it is locally called, is double-brooded,
and sometimes rears both broods in the same home. This
species, like the Blackbird, has been known to nest on the
ground, and several instances of this departure from its
usual habit are known in Yorkshire ; a most unusual number
was found in the spring of 1903, the long continuance of
gales in the early part of the year having probably induced
the birds to select low situations. A curious nesting site
is described in the Naturalist (1876, p. 155), an old tea-kettle
hung on a branch in a plantation near Huddersfield having
been selected ; but a yet more unusual position was chosen
at Netherton, near Huddersfield, on a ledge of an iron pillar.

* Mr. W. Eagle Clarke has published a very complete account of the
migration of this species in the Report of the British Association for
J 900, pp. 404-409.

6 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE.

in the front of the Station, where trains and passengers were
continually moving by ; here a brood was reared in 1900.
and the birds built again in the following year, and succeeded
in again rearing young {op. cit. 1900, pp. 164, 240, and 1901,
p. 352). The late Canon J. C, Atkinson of Danby, gave
an instance in the Zoologist (1875, p. 4456), of a Thrush's
nest lined like that of a Blackbird.

A variety obtained in Holderness had the markings normal.
but the general colour of a " rusty-buff or yellowish sandy
hue throughout " {op. cit. 1877, p. 256) ; and in the Burton
Agnes collection there is a similarly coloured example shot
by Sir H. Boynton at Barmston, in 1876.

The local names are not many or varied — Throlly, Throstle,
Thrushie, and Mavis being the only ones in use.

REDWING.

Turdus iliacus (Z.).

Regular winter visitant, but variable in numbers ; generally arrives
from early in October to the end of November.

The earliest mention of this species, as a Yorkshire bird,
appears to be in 1791, in the Allan MS. in connection with
the Tunstall Museum, where it is stated that Wind Thrush is
a name given to the bird in this county. (" Fox's Synopsis,"
P- 63.)

Thomas Allis, in 1844, wrote : —

Turdns iliacus. — Redwing — Frequent in winter.

Though there are not a few records of parties of Redwings
arriving in the county during the latter days of September,
the early part or middle of the following month must be
regarded as the usual date for its advent ; many appear
in October and in November, along with Fieldfares ; later
in the j^ear, owing to adverse climatic conditions, emigra-
tions take place in December and m January. On the 7th

REDWING. 7

of the latter month, in 1892, I noticed a passage of Redwings
at Redcar, during a north-east gale, with heavy snow, and
many were reported at Flamborough light on the 7th and
8th February 1899. ^^ ^^79 '^^^ various migrations of the
Redwing extended on the east coast over 65 days, from the
nth September to the 2nd December ; in 1880, from the
6th September to the 29th October 54 days ; and in 1881
it extended over three months. There were great flights
with other small birds in October 1882, but in the year 1885
the greatest " rush " ever known occurred. It took place
in two flights, from the 15th to the 17th October, night and
day, and again from the 7th to the 17th November (Sixth
Migration Report). At Redcar, on 21st to 23rd October
1884, there was an incessant day and night migration. I
heard flocks passing overhead during the small hours of
morning on each of these dates, and saw many crossing
between 9 a.m. and dusk. Rushes took place also at Spurn
and Flamborough in October 1896 and 1898. Like others
of their genus, they are sometimes killed by striking against
the lanterns at the lighthouses. After their arrival they
become generally distributed and common over the county
throughout the winter, save in very severe seasons, when
they either move further south or perish in great numbers —
this species being the first to feel the pangs of hunger —
and become conspicuous by their absence.

During the excessively severe weather in December 1878,
there was an immense migration of these birds on the Cleve-
land coast. A heavy snowstorm, with a gale from the north-
east, commenced on the 9th, and flocks of Redwings, with
a few Fieldfares and other small birds, passed over all day,
going north-west, both along shore and over the sand-hills.
This passage continued almost without intermission, while
daylight prevailed, until the 12th, when the Redwings became
fewer, and Fieldfares predominated until the 21st, then
the migration ceased. Thousands succumbed, or were so
pinched by hunger that they actually entered the busy
thoroughfares of Leeds and other towns in search of food.

8 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE.

At Flamborough they were noticed daily resorting to the
shore at low water to search for food among the seaweed
and refuse fish, and when the tide rose they sought shelter at
the base of the cliffs, where scores perished.

Their sojourn extends until April, and the 27th of that
month is my latest date for their departure. The Redwing
is reported to have nested in the county on several occasions,
and although it is to be regretted that the evidence is not
conclusive, it is yet of such a nature as to be worthy of
recapitulation. John Hogg, in his " Catalogue of Birds of
N.W. Cleveland and S.E. Durham" {Zool. 1845, p. 1056).
stated, " Mr. J. W. Ord has informed me that a Redwing's
nest with four eggs was found at Kildale in 1840. John Bell,
Esq., M.P., has two of those eggs, and the other two are at
Kildale Hall, in the possession of E. H. Turton, Esq."

Under the heading of " Nesting of the Redwing in North
Yorkshire," Major H. W. Feilden wrote {op. cit. 1873, pp.
3411-12) : " The following note to an article on Natural
History, by the Rev. J. C. Atkinson, appears in the People's
Magazine for December 1872, p. 379 : ' I obtained four
eggs about ten years ago from a nest in Commondale (North
Yorkshire), about which, from the circumstances connected
with bird, nest, and eggs, there could be no reasonable ground
of doubt as to their origin. Only I did not see the bird myself *
I received the eggs and the account from a person whose father
had been a gamekeeper, and whose own habits have led
him to act often as amateur keeper, and had made him
familiar with various birds and animals. Hence the eggs,
whefi shown to some metropolitan egg authorities, were
pronounced not Redwing's but Ring Ouzel's eggs. However,
during the past spring a Redwing's nest and eggs, together
with the parent bird herself, have been obtained at Glaisdale,
another district (originally of the same parish to which the
Commondale mentioned above belongs) ; the person meeting
with them being a very competent ornithologist and ex-

* The italics are ours.

FIELDFARE. 9

perienced egg-collector. The fact that the Redwing does
occasionally breed in North Yorkshire, and I think not so
very unfrequently, is an interesting one, and therefore not
unworthy of record here.' "

A buff variety, with light grey markings, and the red
patch of a paler shade, was procured by Mr. Alwin S. Bell,
near Scarborough, about 1855 {Zool. 1870, p. 2343), a white
one, with red flanks and axillaries, about 1891-^2, is recorded
at Ackworth ; a pied specimen at Monckton (Xidd.), and a
white one in the Beverley district in October 1903.

In Cleveland it is locally known as Swinepipe, from its
note. Wind Thrush is a Yorkshire name given by Allan in
1791 (Fox's " Synopsis," p. 63) ; in the Western Ainsty
Redwing Felfer is in use ; and Felfer at Ackworth and Scar-
borough, being, doubtless, confused with the Fieldfare. In
Staithes and Loftus district it is called Redwing Throlly.

FIELDFARE.
Turdus pilaris (Z.).

Winter visitant, common ; generally arrives in October and Novem-
ber, and remains in spring until April, or, occasionally, the middle of
May. Its numbers vary greatly in different seasons.

Historically, as a Yorkshire bird, the Fieldfare claims
ancestry of great antiquity, for we find in the ordinances
as to the price of food in the city of York in the year 1393 —
the i6th year of the reign of King Richard the Second — that
the " price for twelve Fieldfares be twopence."

Thomas Allis, in 1844, wrote : —

Turdus pilaris. — Fieldfare — W. Eddison says : " I am well assured
that both this winter visitant and Iliacus very frequently stay the year
round in several places near Huddersfield, and that he has many times
seen them in the summer months ; mention is also made of its breed-
ing in Yorkshire by W. Yarrell. It bred last year at Lepton, near
Huddersfield."

lo THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE.

It is hardly necessary to remark that there is not a
particle of evidence as to the Fieldfare ever having nested
in the county ; indeed, all we know on the subject is
contained in Allis's statements, quoted above ; so that
what Tunstall said of this species one hundred and twenty
years ago is true to-day — namely, " I have known them
in the north as far as the latter end of March, yet
never heard them sing, or that they built there " (Tunst.
MS. 1784, p. 63).

As an abundant and widely distributed winter visitant,
it arrives in flocks, usually during the latter half of October
and in November, and remains until April. The young of
the year come first, the old birds in separate flocks, and
later in the season. In some years the autumn immigration
commences as early as the end of September, as in 1875
for instance, and occasionally odd birds are noted early in
that month. In 1903 I saw one crossing the Tees Break-
water on the 22nd September, while Mr. Boyes has seen one
in summer, though this was probably a bird unable to migrate
with its fellows in spring. Passages southward in search of
retreats from severe cold take place in December, January,
and even in February. On 24th January 1880, numbers
arrived on the Holderness coast ; nor was this late movement
confined to the east coast of Britain, for Herr Gatke informed
IVIr. Cordeaux that from the 21st to the 24th of that month
quantities crossed Heligoland from the east. Like its con-
geners, those which remain with us over severe seasons suffer
much, and during the winter of 1879-80 it was very scarce
after the Arctic weather of the preceding year, when there
occurred a most extensive immigration from more northern
latitudes, which I was fortunate enough to witness. It
commenced on 9th December, with a snowstorm and N.E.
gale of exceptional severity ; a few flocks of Fieldfares passed
with Redwings (see p. 6), and increased in numbers day by
(lay, until the 12th, when the Redwings became fewer and
the Fieldfares predominated ; this movement along shore
and over the sand-hills continued daily, and all day, gradually

FIELDFARE. il

becoming less, until the 21st, when the immigration ceased
{Zool. 1879, p. 212).

Several references to this bird are contained in the Migration
Reports which need not be enumerated here, though it may
be mentioned that in 1880 migration extended over eighty
days, from 9th September to 27th November, and in the
following year from I4tli September to 30th November.
Extraordinary " rushes " took place on 15th to i6th October
and 8th to 12th November 1885 ; 27th to 28th October i8gi,
both at Spurn and Flamborough ; on loth November 1899
at Redcar and Flamborough, when hundreds of thousands
came in large flocks ; and 14th November i()oo. Late
movements, since 1880, were noted on nth to 14th December
1882 ; 13th to 15th January 1883 ; 4th February 1893,
when they swarmed at night round the lantern at Flam-
borough ; January 1894 ; and, on 23rd December 1900,
there was an enormous immigration at Redcar, in flocks
of from five to eight in number, with a strong S.W'. wind
and keen frost ; they were passing from daylight to dark,
evidently fleeing before a severe snowstorm, which broke
over Cleveland the same night.*

Prior to leaving for its breeding haunts, the Fieldfare
in some districts assembles in great numbers, and there is
a small plantation bordering the stream traversing a secluded
dell in Washburndale where in mid-April Mr. W. Eagle
Clarke has seen hundreds, and heard them incessantly chatter-
ing for several days before departure. During this conclave
they are very restless, taking short flights en masse, but
returning after a short absence. There are many instances
of this bird's stay during May, some up to the middle of
that month.

In hard winters this species feeds on Swede turnips on the
high Wolds of the East Riding.

Several records exist of pied specimens having been

* A very complete history of the Fieldfare's migratory movements
is written by Mr. \V. Eagle Clarke (see Rep. Brit. Assoc, 1902).

12 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE.

seen or captured in the county. A light buft' variety at
Wakefield was noted by the late William Talbot in 1873,
and an example of a mottled plumage, as though sprinkled
with snow, was obtained at Easington, Holderness, in
December 1894.

A general vernacular name is Fellfer, Felfer, or Fellfor ;
on the East Riding Wolds it is Blueback ; in Teesdale, Feldy ;
at Sedbergh, Felfit ; in Cleveland, Fenty, or Felty Fare ;
at Redcar it is known as Tom Piper ; in Staithes and Loftus
district it is Slate-backed Throstle ; while Bluetail is a local
name in vogue in several west and North Riding districts ;
Bluerump about Doncaster ; and Chucker is a term applied
to it in Nidderdale.

WHITE'S THRUSH.

Turdus varius (Pallas).

Accidental visitant from Eastern Asia, of extremely rare occurrence.

The peregrinations by which this species reaches Britain
are very remarkable. A summer visitant to, and breeding
in, Central and Eastern Siberia and Northern China, White's
Thrush winters in South- Western China, Southern Japan,
and the Philippine Islands. And since we have chiefly
authentic evidence of its occurrence in Yorkshire in the fall
and winter, we maj'' conclude that this species has journeyed
very far west during the autumn passage, crossing half Asia
and the whole of Europe, instead of undertaking the normal
and much shorter south-east route.

This bird has been recorded to have occurred on six
occasions in Yorkshire. One of these is considered to be
open to doubt — namely, that mentioned by the late Canon

WHITE'S THRUSH. 13

Atkinson as observed in the spring of 1870 on his lawn at
Danby-in-Cleveland, which he carefully examined on two
occasions with a binocular glass, and mentioned in the Zoologist
(1870, p. 2142), and at greater length in " Forty Years in a
Moorland Parish " (p. 328), as this species. We may, how-
ever, agree with Professor Newton in his opinion (Yarrell —
" British Birds," i. p. 252), that " this well-known observer
is hardly likely to have been mistaken."

There is evidence that an example, said to have been
shot at Almondbury Bank, near Huddersfield, in 1864, was
not a genuine Yorkshire bird.

In the latter part of November 1878, the late Martin
Simpson, curator of the Whitby Museum, received a bird of
this species, which had been killed by coming in contact
with the telegraph wires near that town {Zool. 1880, p. 68).
The specimen is now in the Whitby Museum, where I have
seen it.

During the first week in November 1881, a White's Thrush
was shot at Rimswell, near Withernsea, in Holderness, by
Mr. W. J. Tuton, who mistook it for a Woodcock as it rose
from a low, thick hedge close to him. This individual was
formerly in the collection of Mr. R. T. Burnham of Rimswell,
who supplied Mr. W. Eagle Clarke with these particulars,
and gave him several opportunities of examining his beautiful
specimen, which is now in the York Museum.

One was obtained at Waplington jNIanor, near Pocklington,
early in January 1882, by Mr. Frank Leeman, in whose
possession it is, being recorded by Mr. J. Backhouse {Field.
1882, p. 201, and Zool. 1882, p. 74).

Finally, on the i8th December 1902, one was taken at
Luddenden Dean, Halifax, and brought in the flesh to the
curator of the Belle Vue Museum, the late Mr. J. Cunningham,
whose opinion as to its identity was confirmed by Mr. A.
Crabtree, F.L.S., and the particulars thereof communicated
by him to the Halifax Naturalist, February 1903. The speci-
men is now in the Halifax Museum.

A peculiarity of this species which may serve to distinguish

14 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE.

it from other allied forms, is that it possesses fourteen tail
feathers, instead of twelve, which is the normal number in
birds of this genus.

BLACKBIRD.
Turdus merula (/.).

Resident, common, generally distributed. An influx of immigrants
o:curs in autumn.

'riie first allusion to this species in Yorkshire is by the
celebrated Marmaduke Tunstall (1783), who referred to pied
specimens of Blackbirds in his possession. (Sec varieties at
end of this chapter.)

Thomas Allis, 1844, wrote : —

Turdus merula. — Blackbird — Equally common with the above
(Song Thrush). A male Blackbird paired this season with a female
Thrush in my o^-n aviary (York). The Thrush built the nest and laid
©le egg, when things were put a stop to by a Wood Pigeon, which had
formerly built its nest in precisely the same place.

The Blackbird is a common and generally distributed
resident, occurring at a considerable elevation in the moorland
and fell districts. The late Canon J, C. Atkinson observed
that foraging parties of these birds go up from the dales to
the moors in autumn, and picnic there for ten days or a
fortnight, while the bilberries are ripe (" Moorland Parish,"
p. 321). In addition to this it is a winter visitant, or an
autumn bird of passage, immigrant Blackbirds arriving on
our coast at dates varying from late September to the end
of November ; but they are usually most abundant during
the last fortnight of October, when, along with Fieldfares
and Redwings, they frequently perish during fog at the
I '.nterns of our sea-marks, for their migrations are chiefly

BLACKBIRD. 15

undertaken during the hours of darkness, though, on 19th
October 1903, a continuous passage took place from dayhght
to dusk, the birds coming direct from the north-east. The
great majority of these migratory birds are young males of
the year, with dark coloured bills, but on 24th January 1880,
there arrived on the Holderness coast many fine old cocks,
with great numbers of Fieldfares, probably from Northern
Europe. After their arrival, these birds appear to be much
more fatigued by their passage than their congeners, and
shooters on the coast have on several occasions had to avoid
treading them under foot. On their return passage in the
spring they are not often reported, but during the early morn-
ing of I2th March 1877, a few were killed against the Flam-
borough Beacon, together with several Fieldfares. These birds
had, no doubt, wintered to the southward of these Islands,
and were on migration to their natiw; haunts ; the evidence
in favour of this supposition is strengthened by the fact that
every spring a similar movement is observed in the Teesmouth
area early in March ; on the 15th of that month, 1904, a
cock Blackbird came in from eastward at Redcar, early
in the morning, whistling merrily as he flew, and examples
are occasionally picked up dead on the beach, having probably
jierished at sea and been washed ashore. Observations from
the East Coast, communicated to the British Association Migra-
tion Committee, prove that unusual " rushes " took place in
1880, on 20th November ; in 1883, on 21st September, 28th
to 31st October, and 2nd to 8th November ; and in 1886, on
4th to 8th November, In addition to these, I noticed in 1889
a constant stream of immigrants passing Redcar from mid-
October to mid-November, and great numbers arrived in
October 1895, 1898, and 1903, in the last instance coming
directly off the sea. Other evidence indicates that they
usually leave us during February and March.

In the exceptionally severe winters of 1878-79, 1879-80.,
and in 1894-95, their ranks were greatly thinned, thousands
perishing of hunger, and in the springs succeeding these
)?cars the absence of Blackbirds from their usual haunts

i6 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE.

was very noticeable. They quickly recovered, however, and
are now quite plentiful again.

An interesting note on the nidification of this bird appears
in Neville Wood's Naturalist (1837, "• P- 166), where a pair
is recorded as having the nest beneath the leaves of a large
brocoli in the garden at Wentworth Castle, near Barnsley. This
nest was completely buried by the snow, which fell during
the first week of April 1837, but the parent birds formed
a tunnel beneath the snow over two feet in length, and through
this gained access to their young. A nest at Masham, in 1883,
was found in a tuft of grass in a boggy field, and in the spring
of 1903 an unusual number of nests of both this bird and
the Song Thrush were built on the ground, a probable explana-
tion being that, owing to the gales which prevailed in March,
the birds sought low situations. Many other instances of
extraordinary breeding sites might be quoted, this species
being of an aberrant nature as regards nesting ; but perhaps
of more interest is a case of dual occupation at Firby, near
Kirkham Abbey, where a Blackbird was discovered sitting
on four of her own eggs and three belonging to a Thrush
{Field, nth May 1901). A yet more extraordinary departure
from the ordinary nesting habits is related by the late Canon
Atkinson, who found a nest, which to all intents and purposes
was that of a Thrush, with eggs of an undoubted Blackbird
type, and it was not till the fourth egg was laid that the
mother bird began to line the nest, that then became typical
of its owner (" Moorland Parish," p. 342). In the last week of
December, in the unusually mild season of 1854, a nest with
four eggs was found at Sneaton Thorpe, near Whitby ; and
curiously enough, at Loftus-in-Cleveland, a nest and three
young were seen on Christmas Eve, 1865 ; while near Hawsker,
in the last week of December 1902, a Blackbird was disturbed
while incubating three eggs ; both these latter places being
in the vicinity of Whitby, one on the north and the other to
the south. Spotless eggs and others of a very pale colour
are sometimes noted, and a clutch resembling those of a
Song Thrush was discovered at Danby [torn. cit. p. 343) ;

RING OUZEL. 17

two in my collection are heavily marked with a zone of blotches
at the broad end, the remainder of the shell being almost
without spots.

The records relating to pied Blackbirds are very numerous,
this species being more subject to variation of plumage than
almost any other British bird except the House-sparrow.
Marmaduke Tunstall of Wycliffe, in the North Riding, writing
in 1783, remarked : " Have had many pied Blackbirds, which
seemed healthy, stout birds, and sung lavishly ; had once
one quite white, but always appeared sickly and cramped,
and lived not long ; have it now set up." Albinos are reported
at Sedbergh in 1900, and at Harrogate on 2nd June 1890 ;
white examples at York in October 1882, and at Pateley on
2nd October 1886 ; a perfectly white specimen was seen
at large at Harewood, near Leeds, in November 1885 ; while
one observed on Strensall Common, near York, in April 1880,
had a creamy white head, which was sharply defined from the
remaining black plumage ; and lastly, I examined a peculiar
cinnamon-coloured bird, caught near Yarm on 6th January
1903.

Local names : Ouzell or Ouizle (West Riding) ; Black
Ouzel (Craven) ; Black Uzzle (Cleveland) ; Blackie (general
among schoolboys).

There is a saying among Cleveland folk that " Cleveland
Blackies are the best in Yorkshire."

RING OUZEL.
Turdus torquatus {£.).

Summer visitant, locally distributed ; also a transient visitant
in spring and autumn.

Historically speaking, the earliest reference to this species
was made by the erudite Martin Lister of York, who wrote

VOL. I. c

i8 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE.

to his celebrated friend, John Ray, under date of 2nd July
1676, as follows : " As to that question of a Heath Throstle,
I find that the Ring Ouzel is so called with us in Craven,
where there is everywhere on the moors plenty of them."
(" Correspondence of John Ray," p. 125.)

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

Turdus torquatus. — Ring Ouzel — Common on high moorlands ;
according to Dr. Farrar, they are sometimes met with in the more
frequented lowlands. R. Leyland on one occasion saw a flock of more
than twenty feeding on the berries of a mountain ash, in a garden near
Halifax, in the month of September. Arthur Strickland has once or
twice met with considerable flights of this bird when shooting in turnips
in the autumn, probably collecting for emigration, and apparently
consisting for the most part of birds of imperfect plumage, probably
birds of the year.

In addition to being a summer visitant to the broad belt
of moorland and the heather-clad fells which range along the
entire west of the county and to the Cleveland moors, the
Ring Ouzel occurs with great regularity as a transient visitor
in the autumn, from Northern Europe, when on its way
to more southern winter quarters, and again in the spring
on its return journey, but its movements at the latter season
are much mixed up with those of our immigrant summer
visitants.

It occurs nearly every autumn, together with the migrant
Blackbirds, in the neighbourhood of Beverley, sometimes
coming into the gardens, but makes only a short stay, and,
after a few days, passes on southward. It is much rarer as
a spring migrant, the males at this period singing loudly
from the bare ash trees.

A considerable flight which arrived at Spurn on 6th May
1888 may have been referable to the Northern race. They
are occasionally at this season noted at other coast stations,
and are sometimes killed by striking against the lanterns of
our lighthouses ; one met its death at Spurn on 7th May
1883, and at Flamborough, on 20th April 1897, another was
immolated. The information supplied to the British Associa-
tion Migration Committee shews that in 1882 there were

RING OUZEL. 19

" rushes " on I2th-I3th October, between Teesmouth and
Spurn, during a N.E. wind, with fog ; at Redcar they were
associated with Thrushes and other small birds, and again,
in 1885, on 6th October ; while later observations prove that
large flights occurred in 1889, on 23rd October, and in 1891
and 1893 in the middle of that month.

As a summer visitant in the wide area occupied by its
habitat, it is as numerous as it was two centuries ago, at the
time when Martin Lister wrote {ante). It is perhaps most
abundant on the rolling heather-lands of the south-west,
where the late William Talbot found no fewer than thirteen
nests during a walk from Hebden Bridge to Todmorden,
a distance of but little over two miles.

The Ring Ouzel has on two occasions been observed as
early as 25th February ; in 1893, at Kilnsea, and in 1901,
when Mr. C. E. Milburn saw one on the lawn of Marton Hall,
Cleveland, and watched it for half-an-hour. It arrives at
some of its breeding haunts during the latter part of March ;
at Fewston it has been known as early as the 15th, but is
usually seen between the 17th and the 23rd of that month ;
in many parts it does not appear till the first week in April,
sometimes in flocks ; the cock is then very noisy, and is
heard pouring forth vehemently his stunted song from every
prominent crag or other coign of vantage.

These summer visitants quit the moors in September,
even early in that month visiting the lowlands and the coast,
and, as a rule, they leave the country before October, though
a pair was observed at Arthington, in Wharf edale, on 2nd
November 1884.

In the late autumn, usually during the closing days of
October, considerable numbers of these birds arrive on the
coast, and linger in its immediate vicinity for some days
(in 1882 a couple of weeks), frequenting tall old hedgerows
of whitethorn, where they feast upon the haws, the gizzards
of those examined containing no other food. The late J.
Cordeaux stated that they are also very partial to the acid
fruit of the sea-buckthorn, a shrub which grows plentifully

20 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE.

at Spurn ; and the late Canon Atkinson frequently observed
large numbers in autumn, after bilberries on the moors are
exhausted, come into his garden at Danby to feed on what
fruit may be available (" Moorland Parish," p. 321).

The majority of the earlier immigrants are young of both
sexes and old females — these are often difficult to distinguish
amongst a hedgeful of Blackbirds, except by their note and
greyer look — the old cocks generally come later, at the end of
October. The numerous specimens then obtained and
examined have been in winter plumage, the males, which
largely predominate, having the gorget dull white, the
feathers of the throat, breast, and abdomen edged with
greyish white.

On several occasions single birds have been obtained in
the county in mid-winter, namely, at Holmfirth on 25th
December 1855 (Morris's Nat. 1856, iv. p. 93) ; at Oxenhope,
near Keighley, on 2nd February 1856 {torn. cit. p. 92) ; at
Leeds, in December 1881, and Mr. Smurthwaite of Richmond,
stated [op. cit. 1854, iv. p. 81) that it is sometimes obtained
in December and January, I have once met with it on
the Bilsdale Moors as late as 25th October in 1886. Regarding
these birds, it would seem most probable that they are autumn
visitants attempting to winter with us, rather than laggard
summer visitants or their young.

Towards the end of April the nest may be found either
on the ground on a fiat expanse or sloping bank of heather,
or else in the heather fringing the brink of a dell or moorland
beck, or concealed in a solitary tuft on a rocky hill side, and
it has also been found placed between the stem of a whin bush
and the face of the crag. Clutches, consisting of five eggs,
are occasionally met with, but four seems to be the usual
number. The bird has nested under Cross Fell, in Cumberland,
at 2000 feet elevation, and in Wilsden district nests have been
known placed upon the lateral branches of firs, and also in
the face of stone walls at the edge of the moors. A Ring
Ouzel was recorded by John Heppenstall [Zool. 1843, p. 144),
to have nested on the bank of a peat drain on Thorne Waste,

<-.

ROCK THRUSH. 21

a low-lying tract of heath on the Lincolnshire border of the
county, and only a few feet above sea level ; but the reported
instance of its nesting near Beverley (op. cit. 1865, p. 9592),
is not to be accepted.

The Ring Ouzel is not subject to great variation in plumage,
the only instance of which I am aware being a beautifully
marked specimen variegated with white, grey and black,
noted on the moors near Whitby on 13th August 1889 {Field,
17th August 1889).

Local names are as follows : — Heath Throstle (Craven
1676) ; Moor Thrush (Sedbergh) ; Crag Ouzel (Craven) ;
Moor Blackbird (Sheffield, Craven, and Scarborough) ;
Mountain Blackbird and Fell Blackie (Sedbergh) ; Ring
Uzzle and Moor Blackie (Cleveland) ; Collared Blackie
(Staithes) ; Rock Ouzel and Ring Whistle (Teesdale).

ROCK THRUSH
Monticola saxatilis (Z.).

Accidental visitant from Central or Southern Europe.

This species is a summer visitant to the mountainous
districts of Central and Southern Europe, and winters in
Arabia and Africa. As a straggler it has occurred at Heligo-
land, and, perhaps on three occasions, in Britain, once in
our county.

Regarding its occurrence near Whitby, Mr. Thomas
Bedlington of Middlesbrough, writes as follows in Morris's
Nat. for 1856, p. 21 : " In June 1852 I saw a bird in the
neighbourhood of Robin Hood's Bay that I was not acquainted
with. I followed it for about two miles, and often got within

22 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE.

a dozen yards of it by creeping behind hedges. In its move-
ments it was very like a Thrush, but it was rather smaller
in size. I had no gun with me, or I could very easily have
shot it. The bird got very shy at last, I having followed
it up very closely. It finally disappeared in a plantation.
The bird was a Rock Thrush. I was able to identify the
species in a moment after seeing the coloured figure in Morris —
' British Birds.' "

The specimen figured by Morris is an adult male, a bird
which is, perhaps, the most unmistakable from its being
the most showy of European species, and thus it appears
there can be no reasonable doubt as to Mr. Bedlington's
identification of it.

WHEATEAR.
Saxicola oenanthe (Z).

Regular and early spring migrant ; fairly common where it occurs,
A great influx from the north takes places in autumn.

The earliest published reference to this, as a Yorkshire
species, is by Ed. Blyth, who stated (Rennie's Field Nat.,
Nov. 1837, P- 467), that when on the voyage from London,
northward, and about ten or twelve miles from Redcliff,
on the coast of Yorkshire, on 17th September, several Wheat-
ears (with other small birds) alighted on the vessel, and they
all left on the first night after their appearance.

Thomas Allis, in 1844, wrote as follows : —

Saxicola ajianlhe. — Wheatear — One of our earlier summer visitants ;
common about Halifax ; and is met with in exposed situations in most
parts of the county, but is becoming scarcer than it was formerly.

The Wheatear is one of the earliest spring migrants, the
first comers generally arriving in March or early April ; in

WHEATEAR. 23

the south of the county the 28th of March is the average date
of its first appearance ; in Cleveland and the north it arrives
about the end of the month or the first week in April. In
the year 1870 it was reported as early as 6th March ; in 1882
several were at Spurn on the 19th ; some arrived at Redcar
on the 23rd, and on the same date in 1890 ; in 1893 it was
noted on the 19th, and in 1902 on 8th March. There is a
second, or supplementary, arrival in May, usually in the
first or second week, and very noticeable on the coast-hne.

This lively bird is essentially an inhabitant of the wilds,
and as regards its distribution may be described as somewhat
local, being chiefly confined to the open downs, moors, com-
mons, and other barren and uncultivated tracts, although at
the migratory period it is observed in most parts of the county.
On the sea-coast it is found among the sand-hills and rough
banks, a few pairs remaining to nest ; in the dales and on the
moorlands it is fairly common, ascending to the summits
of the highest hill, where it breeds, as, for instance, at an
elevation of 1200 feet, on Mickle Fell. It occasionally nests
in the low country, and has been met with near Skelmanthorpe,
York, and at Eccup, near Leeds {Nat. 1900, p. 224). There
is a large race or variety, of a richer buff colour and with longer
legs, which is more arboreal in its habits than the ordinary
form, that occasionally passes through in spring ; it was
noticed in great numbers both at Spurn and Flamborough
in 1893, and Mr. E. P. Butterfield has seen it on the high
moors near Bradford after the nesting birds arrive.

About the middle of August the return migration from
the north commences. For many seasons I have seen im-
mense numbers travelling along the coast in this month
and in September, when they are often associated with
Redstarts, and the sand-dimes both at the Tees and Humber
estuaries are sometimes swarming with them, whilst a few
occasionally linger until the end of October ; at Spurn, in
1880, one was seen as late as the 27th, and in 1883 the last
is recorded on the 23rd of that month. For greater know-
ledge of its movements we are indebted to the researches of

24 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE.

the Migration Committee, whose reports furnish abundant
evidence of the frequency of this bird's presence at the Light
stations, where it often figures amongst the casuahties ; great
influxes have been recorded at Flamborough, both in spring
and autumn, and these " rushes " have taken place in nine
different years since 1879.

Although not generally credited with imitative powers
the Wheatear has, according to Saxby (" Birds of Shetland,"
p. 68), and Mr, J, E. Harting [Field, 2nd April 1898), been
known to imitate the songs of other birds, and in Yorkshire
it has been detected in the act of mimicing the song of a
Skylark, near Wilsden (E. P. Butterfield, in litt. and Field,
loth May 1902).

Sometimes a curious position is chosen for the nesting
site where it would scarcely be suspected. Among these
may be mentioned one in the rough slag forming the sloping
front of the sea-wall opposite my house at Redcar, where
many people passed to and fro daily ; one in Teesdale, in a
hole on a hillside, whence four eggs of a Wheatear and one
of a Cuckoo were taken ; another in a hole in a bank over-
looking a stream at Adel, the hole being the nesting-place of
a Sand Martin [Zool. 1880, p. 301) ; and lastly, one found
in 1886 by Mr. R, Fortune, placed two or three feet below a
Peregrine's eyrie in north-west Yorkshire.

Of variations in plumage there are several instances,
but it is unnecessary to cite more than the following : One
at Filey, with back, shoulders, neck, and top of head white,
here and there speckled with minute grey spots [op. cit. 1883,
p. 79). Near Hariogate, on i6th April 1900, Mr, K. McLean
saw one all white, except the shoulders, which were terra-cotta
coloured ; and near Settle, as Mr. F. Atkinson informs me,
there were, in June 1896, four albinos out of a brood of five,
with whitish yellow legs and feet, the hairs around the mouth
black, and the bills yellowish ; the feathers which are white
in normal examples, were brown, as also were the tips of the
primaries.

This species is the object of various superstitious ideas.

DESERT WHEAT EAR. 25

and bears a bad reputation in the North of England ; to
hear its note is a token of approaching death, the bird's
habit of frequenting old churchyards, ruins, and sepulchral
cairns may be the origin of this superstition {op. cit. 1867,
p. 1007). Its presence is considered in some localities to
foretell the death of the spectator ; in others the evil fortune
is only considered likely to ensue if the bird be first seen
on a stone ; but should its appearance be first observed
whilst sitting on turf or grass good luck may be expected
(Swainson).

The vernacular names are : — Stonechat, in general use ;
Chetstone, Chatty, Barrow-chat, used in Cleveland ; Stone-
chopper, in Teesdale ; White-rump, at Barnsley, Doncaster,
Sedbergh, and in Cleveland ; Wall-chat, in the West Riding ;
Stoney-crop, at Barnsley ; and Walley is given in " Billy
Roberts's " Leeds list.

DESERT WHEATEAR.

Saxicola deserti {Temm).

Accidental visitant in autumn from Northern Africa, of extremely
rare occurrence.

As its name indicates, this Wheatear, also called the
Desert Chat, is found in dry, sandy regions ; Northern Africa,
Persia, Afghanistan, and the plains of Turkistan and Kashmir
are its summer haunts, and in winter it migrates to North-
West India, Scinde, Beluchistan, and, according to Mr. (now
Sir) A. E. Pease, Somaliland and Abyssinia.

The only Yorkshire specimen is also the second British
example : it was obtained between Easington and Kilnsea
on 17th October 1885, and was sent to Mr. Wm. Eagle Clarke
for identification. Mr. Dresser afterwards exhibited it at
the Zoological Society's meeting, and stated that it was

26 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE.

a female {P.Z.S. 1885, pp. 835-6 ; Ibis, 1886, p. 100 ; Zool.
1885, p. 479 ; Field, 28th November 1885 ; Nat. 1885,
p. 387 ; 1897, p. 201). This bird is now in the collection
of Mr. J. H. Gurney.

[The late J. Cordeaux stated that he was of opinion Mr.
H. B. Hewetson saw an example of the Black-throated
Wheatear (S. stapazina) at Spurn on i8th September 1892
{Zool. 1892, p. 424 ; 1895, p. 57 ; Nat. 1893, p. 7 ; 1897,
p. 201 ; " Birds of Humber District," 1899, p. 2). This
record is merely quoted for what it is worth.]

WHINCHAT.
Pratincola rubetra (Z.).

Summer visitant, common and generally distributed.

The first reference to this species as a county bird is,
apparently, that given by Tunstall under the heading of
" Stonechat." " It builds in whins, and is perpetually
flying up and down when anyone approaches, repeating a cry
like ' Eutic,' by which I judged it to be the Whin Chat "
(Tunst. MS, 1784, p. 74).

Thomas Allis, 1844, wrote : —

Saxicola rubetra. — Whinchat — One of the most common summer
visitants.

The earliest date for the appearance of the Whinchat
of which I am aware, is the 28th March 1906, when I
saw two on the Redcar sand-hills. The average for the
south of the county is given as the 20th April, and,
generally speaking, from that date until the end of the
month may be considered the usual time for its arrival,
and it is often the first week in May before it makes its
appearance in Cleveland. It leaves again in September or

WH INC HAT. 27

October, the young departing before the old ones, a few
of which Hnger until the end of the latter month.

It is distributed generally and abundantly in rough
pastures, meadows, railway banks, and hillsides up to the
very edge of the moors ; in Nidderdale it reaches an altitude
of 1000 feet, in Teesdale it nests at 1200 feet elevation,
and it is one of the characteristic birds of the roadsides and
grasslands in the dales, its familiar cry of " Yewtic " being
heard the summer through. Near the large towns it is less
numerous, though the nest has been seen within the city
boundaries of Leeds. In the Beverley district, where the
species is unaccountably becoming scarce, the males arrive
first in spring, mount the tallest trees, and sing until the
arrival of the females.

As a migrant, it does not appear to be often recognized
by the light-keepers, being referred to only once in the
Migration Reports, viz., in 1882, " Spurn, October 15th,
All day." It has been noticed on arrival at Flamborough
in the spring migration, and towards the end of August, or
early in September, there is a large influx, on the return
journey, of immature birds, with occasionally a few old
females ; the adults generally appear later, early in October,
but seldom remain more than a few days.

An early reference to the autumn movements of the
Whinchat is that of Edward Blyth, who remarked (Rennie's
Field Nat., November 1833, p. 467), that when on the voyage
from London, northward, on the i6th of September, off
the coast of Yorkshire, and about ten or twelve miles from
Redcliff, several birds, amongst which were Whinchats,
alighted on the vessel.

The imitative powers of this bird have been noticed by
Mr. E. P. Butterfield, who detected one in the act of mimicing
the Wren, Song Thrush, Chaffinch, Corn Bunting, Tree Pipit,
Greenfinch, Ray's Wagtail, and other birds ; and on a
recent occasion he heard one imitate the Blackcap. The
songster, which was perched on an old wall, allowed an
approach within a few yards, and continued for some time

28 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE.

to pour out such a flood of song as to entrance the hstener.
The attitude of the bird whilst singing, every muscle indicating
intense excitement, was no less stremge than its song {Zool.
1889, p. 369 ; and in litt. 1902).

The vernacular names are : — Whinchacker, used in Craven
and Cleveland ; Bush-chat in the West Riding ; Grass-chat
and Hay-chat in the North and West Ridings ; Hay-bird
in Ryedale ; Stone-chat in the Nidd Valley ; and Utic or
Yewtic (from its call) in the East and West Ridings.

STONECHAT.
Pratincola rubicola (Z.).

Resident ; also summer visitant ; locally distributed. The majority
leave in autumn, only a few remaining, chiefly near the sea-coast.

The earliest reference to this as a Yorkshire bird, is,
apparently, that in Part 2 of Willughby's " Ornithology,"
1378, where it is called " Stone smich."

Thomas Allis, in 1844, wrote : —

Saxicola rubicola. — Stonechat — Occurs, but not numerously, on
the moors and high lands in most parts of the county ; it is much
scarcer than in some of the more southern counties.

The Stonechat is frequently spoken of as a common
Yorkshire bird, though it cannot be considered as abundant
anywhere, and in its distribution is an eccentric and puzzling
species, being very local and often absent from the very
places where its presence might confidently be expected ;
its history, therefore, requires careful treatment, for in some
parts where it was formerly met with it hcis now become
extremely rare, or died out, as a breeding species. Com-
mencing with the extreme south of the West Riding, it used,

STONECHAT. 29

until 1880, to breed annually near Sheffield on the wild wastes
and commons bordering the moors, though only one or two
pairs were to be seen in a large tract of country, and recent
information tends to prove that it has ceased to frequent
the neighbourhood ; near Barnsley and Wakefield it is an
occasional visitor on passage through the district, and has
been known to nest on one occasion ; in the Huddersfield
area it remains during the year near the moorlands, but is
evidently far from common ; at Almondbury a pair was
seen in 1887, and one was shot the following year ; near
Skelmanthorpe it is reported as nesting, and has been seen
in winter at Ingbirchworth ; in the Wilsden locality there
are two instances of its breeding many j'ears ago, and none
for more than thirty years past, which is strange, as gorse
flourishes up to a thousand feet elevation ; a re])ortcd
instance of the finding of a nest near Halifax is doubtful ;
at Hebden Bridge and Keighley it is a rare spring migrant ;
at Saltaire the old and young have been once discovered,
and near Liversedge a small family party was noticed on
5th October 1899.

In the extreme north-west it is met with frequently in
Craven, and at Settle the nest has been found so recently
as 1900, also at jNIalham ; further north, near Clapham, the
bird is a fairly common summer visitant ; in Upper Wharfe-
dale Mr. W. Eagle Clarke noted one at Grassington, and lower
down the Valley, at Ilkley, in May 1871, he found three
nests with eggs on the banks of the Wharfe, but diligent
search failed to reveal either nests or birds there since that
year, though in 1886 he observed two at Linton ; near Leeds
it is scarce, but is said to have bred occasionally, once at
Adel Moor, where a pair with food in their bills was seen in
1900 and 190 1 ; it has also been noticed on the Otley Road
within a mile of the city, and near Headingly one was seen
on 24th February 1890 ; it is a rare species in Nidderdale,
but two instances are known of its nesting in the upper portions
of the dale, at Guyscliffe in 1884 and at Fellbeck in 1885 ;
it formerly bred in the Washburn Valley, but is now only a

30 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE.

casual visitant ; near Harrogate it is very scarce, and the
same remark applies to its status at Stavcley and Ripon ;
at Selby and at Hatfield it occasionally occurs, and the late
J. Cordeaux found a nest on Thorne Waste ; it is also recorded
from the neighbourhood of Goole, and is a summer visitant in
Ackworth district, breeding in limited numbers.

In the East Riding it has been more frequently noticed
on migration than as a nester, and more particularly on the
Spurn promontory and at Flamborough than elsewhere ;
it was reported to the late J. Cordeaux as nesting at Kilnsea
in 1888 ; it is occasionally met with at Aldborough ; near
Beverley it is scarce, the late W. W. Boulton mentioning
one instance only of its having come imder his observation,
and recent information stating that it was never plentiful
and is fast dymg out ; it was always a scarce and local bird
and nested only in one or two localities ; at Market Weighton
and Bridlington it has only been observed as a straggler,
also at Fraisthorpe, but at Flamborough it is resident, though
not plentiful, except on the spring and autumn passages ;
it has been noticed migrating as early as February, and
there was a great rush in May 1891 ; it has been observed
in the breeding season on the cliff tops at Reighton,
Bempton, and Speeton, and was found by Mr. R. Fortune
to be nesting there in June 1905 ; at Knaj^ton it is a scarce
breeding bird, and a nest near Pocklington " a few years
ago " is reported.

In the North Riding the Stonechat is alluded to as early
as the year 1791, in the Allan MS. of the Tunstall Museum
(Fox's " Synopsis," p. 207), where it is described as " Common

in summer on the heaths ; in winter in the marshes

Makes nest early, at foot of some low bush." The nest is
recorded in recent years at Hackness and Scalby, near Scar-
borough, in which locality the bird is rare and oftener met
with in winter than in summer ; at Whitby a few odd pairs
are scattered along the clififs, and one instance, at least, is
on record of its nesting in 1872 near U])gajig ; at Goathland
the nest and young have been found near the moors ; it is

STONECHAT. 31

rare at Helmsley, though numerous in a certain valley seven
or eight miles west of that place, where it breeds, and it
occasionally occurs near Pickering ; at Hovingham it is noted,
and also from the York district, where it was known to nest
up to early in the " eighties " ; in Wensleydale it is scarce,
and has been observed very rarely at Leyburn Shawl, and
in Bedale neighbourhood, while one instance is known of the
nest being reported at Northallerton, in May 1882 ; it is
fairly abundant at Hawes ; it nests regularly near Sedbergh,
but is seldom seen near Richmond and Thirsk. In Upper
Teesdale it is a scarce species, though it has nested on
Crossthwaite, and odd birds remain in winter, one so recently
as February igoi. In Cleveland, John Hogg in his list {Zool.
1845, p. 1058), remarked that it is local and somewhat rare.
I formerly observed it almost annually, and often on the
sea banks during the migratory period in spring, but it is
now extremely scarce as a resident ; it breeds sparingly in
several localities on the Cleveland hills, where, after patient
watching, the nest was found in gorse bushes ; it is, however,
not uncommon in some years on the southward passage in
autumn ; it is perhaps more abundant in the Staithes and
Loftus districts than in other parts of Cleveland, and has
frequently been noticed on the sea-cliffs in the breeding
season ; nests have been found on the edge of the Waupley
ajid Lingdale Moors, and at Ugthorpe it also receives a place
in the list of local birds.

From the information supplied to the British Association
Migration Committee we obtain abundant evidence as to
the spring and autumn movements of the Stonechat ; at the
latter period young birds are usually reported, occasionally
an old female, but adult males are always scarce and are
more frequently met with in October than at other times ;
it was very plentiful at Spurn in 1880, and there was a con-
siderable immigration of immature birds at the latter end
of August 1884 ; in 1886 it was quite numerous at Spurn
on 28th August, and for ten days afterwards, parties of six
being often seen together ; it was common in the autumn of

32 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE.

1888, and both old and young birds were noted in October
1892, and again in 1894. The most recent migration of this
species which calls for special comment occurred between
the 20th and 23rd September 1903, when it was very plentiful
at the Teesmouth, and all along the Yorkshire coast, in com-
pany with Pied Flycatchers, Wheatears, Redstarts, Gold-
crests, and Pipits ; the slag walls and sand banks at the
Tees Breakwater were swarming with small immigrants, at
this time, Stonechats being unusually abundant, and they
had all moved on by the 24th of the month. An early refer-
ence to this bird's migration is mentioned by Edward Blyth
(Rennie's Field Nat., November 1837, p. 467), to the effect
that during a voyage from London, and when about ten
or twelve miles from Redcliff on the Yorkshire coast, on
i6th September, several migrants came on board the vessel,
amongst them being one Stonechat.

In the breeding season it frequents, as a rule, the rough
wastes on the edges of moorlands of low altitude, and par-
ticularly affects gorse covers, though sometimes the nest
is met with almost on the sea level ; near Whitby one was
found amongst long benty grass in a cliff side and built
of dried grass, moss, wool, feathers, etc., lined with hair ; it
contained four eggs, one nearly white, the others normal.

The vernacular names are many and varied, though it
should be borne in mind that in many parts of the county
the Wheatear is known as Stonechat and Stone-chatter.
Stone smich is used by Willughby ; Stone-smith, Stone-
smick, Stone-chatter, Stone-clink, and Stone-chack are all
used in Cleveland ; Stone-chacker in Cleveland and Craven ;
Stone-check near Sedbergh ; Chick-stone in Cleveland ;
Whin-chat near Doncaster ; Black-cap at Sedbergh and in
Cleveland ; Moor Titling and Moor Tit in Cleveland ; and
Red-breasted Moor Tit in East Cleveland.

^

•«..

33

REDSTART.
Ruticilla phoenicurus (Z.).

Regular summer visitant, somewhat locally and thinly distributed.
Great numbers observed in autumn passing southward on migration.

This bird's earliest association with Yorkshire history
is contained in Marmaduke Tunstall's MS., 1783, thus : —
" Redstart, pretty common here [WycHffe-on-Tees]. I never
could get any to live in a cage for any time, though I have
tried both old and young." (Fox's " Synopsis," p. 72.)

Thomas Allis, in 1844, wrote as follows : —

Phcenicurus ruticilla. — Redstart — Appears to be general, though
much fewer in numbers than in the South of England.

This is decidedly one of the most beautiful of the summer
migrants which visit our shores ; its boldly marked plumage
and red tail render it a conspicuous object as it darts out
in front of the intruder on its domains, whisking along and
flirting its tail as if in defiance.

The middle of April is the usual time for its arrival in
this county, at Hovingham it has been noted as early as the
6th, while in Cleveland it may be expected about the 22nd
of the month ; and the time of its departure is stated to be
the 20th September. The Redstart is generally distributed,
though as a rule only in small numbers, or scattered pairs,
where suitable localities are existing, such as the banks of
country lanes, gardens, orchards, the edges of large woods,
ivy-clad ruins, and dry stone walls on the borders of moorlands.
Though a constant and characteristic bird in the dales of the
north and north-west, it is usually absent from the barren
and desolate tracts ; it is frequent in Craven, Nidderdale,
ascending to an elevation of 1000 feet ; and to 1150 feet
at Buckden in Wharfedale ; Swaledale ; Wensleydale ; Rye-
dale, and Teesdale, where it is found to 800 feet elevation,
and is not uncommon in the Plain of York, and in the fir

VOL. I. D

34 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE.

woods of the oolite hills in the East Riding. In Cleveland
it is not to be called an abundant species ; the late Canon
Atkinson (" British Birds' Eggs," 1861, p. 54), deplored
its decrease in the Danby district, still in favourable situations
it may always be found in summer if looked for, and it is
particularly numerous in Bilsdale and the neighbouring
valleys ; its numbers, however, have decreased of late years,
especially in the vicinity of the large towns ; it appears
to be much scarcer than formerly in Holderness, though
more have nested in Boynton Park than in an equal area
anywhere else in the county.

During the vernal migration it frequently arrives in
company with Pied Flycatchers, as at Flamborough on 3rd
May 1885, and 26th April, and 13th to 15th May 1886
(Seventh and Eighth Migration Reports, pp. 41 and 31) ; it
is also recorded so long ago as 1877 amongst those birds that
are killed by striking against the lantern, and other cases
have occurred since that year. But, although the Redstart
is well known as a regular spring migrant and is often seen
at the light-stations in large numbers at that season, it is
only the close attention paid to migration in recent years
that has been the means of making us acquainted, in common
with many hitherto unknown phases of bird life, with its
annual autumnal movements, and as is shewn, it comes in
August, September, and October from more northerly latitudes
on its passage southward to Africa, being then associated with
the Wheatear to such an extent that it is difficult to disconnect
the two. Probably the earliest mention of its autumn migra*
tion was recorded by Edward Blyth in Rennie's Field
Naturalist (November 1833), and referred to one of these
birds coming on board ship whilst off the Yorkshire coast,
ten or twelve miles from Redcliff.

The Reports issued by the British Association Migration
Committee contain numerous entries connected with the
Redstart's autumnal passage ; the first of these is from
Redcar, dated 15th September 1880, when I noted great
numbers at the Tees Breakwater, and remarked that the

REDSTART. 35

bird was not previously reported from that locality ; at
Flamborough and Spurn great flights were seen at the same
time. In the following year at the Humbcr and Tees estuaries
a great " rush " was reported early in September, which
continued up to the 25th of that month, and I saw a single
bird during a gale as late as the 24th October ; similar flights
also occurred in September 1884, at intervals from the 4th
to the 17th ; and on many occasions between this date and
1887 Redstarts and Wheatears were recorded as migrating
in company, the entries covering the months of August,
September, and October ; large arrivals were seen at Spurn
and Flamborough in September and October 1889, and
again at Spurn on 22nd September 1892, whilst at the latter
place, in September 1901, every hedge was swarming with
them ; in the same month of the year 1903 many were
observed at the Teesmouth, and along the sea-board to
Spurn, associated with Wheatears, Pied Flycatchers, Stone-
chats, and other small migrants. It has been remarked
that larger numbers land annually at Flamborough Head
than elsewhere.

At Linton-upon-Ouse a pair of these birds was kept under
observation while the young required their attention, when
it was calculated they destroyed at least six hundred grubs
and caterpillars for food in one day (Zool. 1863, p. 8680),
The colour of the throat in the adult male Redstart, while
living, is of a deep, dark blue, which changes after death to
black. A female assuming the plumage of the male, was
caught while sitting upon her eggs, by Mr. W. Eagle Clarke
at Wike, near Leeds, in June 1886 (J. H. Gurney, Ibis, i888»
p. 229).

Occasionally a departure from the customary nesting site
is made, and instances are known where the bird has chosen
the branch of a trained pear tree {Zool. 1869, p. 1801), an
inverted flower pot, and even a depression under a sleeper on
a railway ; the late W. W. Boulton also recorded a nest in
Beverley Minster, to which the bird gained access through
a broken pane of glass {op. cit. 1865, p. 9527).

36 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE.

The local names are numerous : — Redster, Red-tail, Fire-
tail, are in general use ; Redstare at Skelmanthorpe, near
Huddersfield ; Wrenny in the Nidd Valley ; Wrenny Red-tail
in the Nidd Valley and in Wharfedale ; Jenny Redtail about
York and in the North Riding ; Jenny Wrentail about York ;
Nanny Redtail in Cleveland ; Fanny Redtail near Doncaster ;
Red-rump in East Cleveland ; Flirt-tail at Ackworth ; Brand-
tail about York and in the North Riding ; and White-cap
at Farnley, Leeds (" Billy Roberts's List ").

BLACK REDSTART.

Ruticilla titys {Scopoli).
Irregular visitant on the coast in spring and aatunin ; very rare indeed.

Thomas Allis, in his Report on the Birds of Yorkshire,
1844, wrote as follows : —

Phcenicura tithys. — Black Redstart — The only notice of this bird in
Yorkshire is from my friend H. Denny, >vho informs me that two or three
were caught by some bird-catchers last year at Osmondthcrpe.

The reference here given by Allis is the first mention of
the Black Redstart in connection with the county, and to
him is accorded the honour of having made this addition to
the avifauna of Yorkshire.

The Black Redstart is usually considered to be an irregular
winter visitant, though it is now known as being chiefly
observed on migration in spriiig and autumn ; Mr. M.
Bailey drew attention to its visits to the Headland of
Fiamborough in April and May, when he has often observed
it, and has noted it amongst those species which strike the
lantern in thick, foggy weather, with the wind at north-

BLACK REDSTART

37

east ; he has also reported it in September, and again when
the Woodcock make their appearance in October and
November.

As it is mainly confined to the coast-line, its distribution
may best be defined as limited to that area ; it is not recorded
from the Yorkshire side of the Teesmouth, but Mr. C, Milburn
shewed me an immature male example which he shot on the
north bank of the river on 28th October 1903 ; it has twice
been reported at Loftus-in-Cleveland — once in winter, and
once in spring — {Nat. 1899, p. 132) ; at Scarborough it has
occurred at intervals : several were on the rocks at low tide
in autumn 1879 > on Christmas Day, 1888, one was shot in
Cayton Bay ; on 12th December 1899, one was seen on the
sill of a window at the Alexandra Hotel, and another was
observed in September 1903. Further south it has been
recorded from Filey in October 1853 ; from Flamborough there
have been frequent records since 1878 — when some were noted
on the 17th April — down to the present time ; in 1891 they
were first seen on the 6th April, and on May lotli and nth
there was a great " rush," described as " something astonish-
ing " {op. cit. 1891, p. 82 ; Zool. 1893, p. 224) ; at Spurn also,
there have been many instances of its occurrence, both in
spring and autumn, too numerous to mention in detail ;
Mr. W. Eagle Clarke obtained an exanii)le in October 1883, and
it may probably be a regular visitant, though overlooked
amongst the crowds of small bii^ds which are in movement
at the migration seasons.

Inland it is extremely rare, but has been recorded from the
neighbourhood of Leeds, at Osmondthorpe in 1843 (Allis),
also at Bingley in May 1877 (Varley MS.).

38
WHITE-SPOTTED BLUETHROAT.

Cyanecula leucocyana {Brehm).

Accidental visitant from Central and Western Europe, of extremelr
rare occurrence.

This species breeds in France, Belgium, Holland, North
Germany, and so throughout temperate Europe as far as
the west of Russia. Its winter quarters are in the western
and northern parts of Africa, Armenia, and southwards to
Afghanistan.

The first known instance of the visitation of this rare
migrant to Yorkshire, and to Britain, is that communicated
by the late Afred Roberts of Scarborough. Writing to Mr.
W. Eagle Clarke on ist January 1880, he stated that " a fine
female specimen of the Blue-throated Warbler was found
dead under the telegraph wires, near Scarborough, by the
late John Young, gamekeeper to Lord Londesborough (April
1876). The ovary contained eggs in a forward state. It
had a white satiny spot in the centre of the blue throat. The
specimen is in the possession of Mrs. Young."

This example was recorded at the time by the Rev, Julian
G. Tuck {Zool. 1876, p. 4956 ; and Field, 6th May 1876),
thus : "I have much pleasure in recording for the first time
in Yorkshire, the occurrence of the Bluethroat, or Blue-
throated Warbler. A specimen of this rare little bird, which
had been picked up dead under the telegraph wires at Seamer,
near Scarborough, was taken to Mr. Roberts of Scarborough,
on the 12th April. Its head and neck had been consideraby
damaged from coming in contact with the wires ; in addition
to which, the man who found it kept it several days, and
then carried it to Scarborough in his pocket. Mr. Roberts
thought, when he first saw it, that it would be impossible
to mount it, but with skilful handling and great patience
he has now managed to make it into a very presentable

RED-SPOTTED BLUETHROAT. 39

specimen. It is a female bird, in good plumage, and Mr.
Roberts told me it contained well-developed eggs. The
occurrence of this specimen is the more interesting as it is an
example of the type which possesses a white spot in the centre
of the blue on the throat." (Cf. Yarrell, " Brit. Birds," 4th
Ed. Vol. I. p. 323.)

This interesting record has been overlooked by the authors
of the various recent treatises on British ornithology ; why,
it is difficult to comprehend. The account furnished to Mr.
W. Eagle Clarke by Mr. Roberts leaves, however, no doubt
as to the identification of the species nor as to the authenticity
of the record.

More recent investigation has resulted in my obtaining
further confirmatory evidence with regard to this specimen,
which is now in the possession of Mr. D. Young (son of the
original owner of the bird), gamekeeper to the Earl of
Londesborough, at Blankney, Lines., who describes the
specimen as having " a white spot on the breast, extending
about half an inch in length." (Cf. Zool. 1902, p. 464 ; 1903,
pp. 23, 431, 455 ; 1904, pp. 31, 263.)

RED-SPOTTED BLUETHROAT.
Cyanecula suecica (Z.).

Rare visitant on migration in autumn Irom Northern Europe.

This bird nests in the northern portions of Scandinavia
and the Russian Empire, and from there to the far east of
Siberia and Kamchatka. In winter it migrates to India
and the north-east of Africa as far as Abyssinia ; it also
occurs throughout China.

40 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE.

The Spurn promontory appears to be the only district
where the Red-spotted or Arctic, Bluethroat can be said
to have been actually obtained, and there no fewer than
six examples have been procured, whilst several others were
identified ; it will be noticed that the majority of these
appeared in the month ot September. The situation of
the headland of Spurn is well adapted for attracting the
small over-sea migrants, and the wonder is that this rare
warbler has for so long escaped detection.

The credit for first recording its occurrence belongs to
my esteemed friend, and predecessor in this work, Mr. W.
Eagle Clarke, who saw two near the Spurn Lighthouse on
the nth September 1882. One of these was shot in Mr.
Clarke's presence, and was sent to the late Henry Seebohm,
who declared it to be a bird of the 5^ear, of this species, just
moulted out of the young into first plumage, and probably a
female (Fourth Migration Report, p. 31, and Zool. 1884,
p. 174).

The other instances are : — Spurn — One in the second
week of September 1883 (Thos. Winson in litt., and Fifth
Migration Report, p. 38). Spurn — Two seen, adult and
immature one obtained on 15th September 1884 ; on the
i8th three more were procured (and others seen), one a male
of the second year, the other two birds of the year. " These
were all feeding on insects amongst the bent grass covering
the headland. They could hop very fast. I sometimes put
them up thirty or forty yards away from the spot where I
had marked them down." (Theo. Fisher, Zool. 1884, p. 430,
and Sixth Migration Report, p. 44.) Spurn — One in the
autumn of 1892 (Cordeaux, Nat. 1893, p. 9).

From the Migration Reports the following additional
entries are extracted : —

1885. Spurn, October 7th. Two (Red-spotted Bluethroats) (p. 41).

1886. Spurn, September 14th. One young bird (Bluethroat). This

was seen by Mr. Winson, who knows the bird well (p. 31).
(See also Zool. 1891, p. 362).

Easington — One on loth September 1901. Seen by the

REDBREAST. 41

late G. W. Jalland ; it was on a hedge, and the observer
approached to within two or three yards' distance (JaUand,
in litt.).

Kikisea, 8th October 1903 — A young male example was
" telegraphed," and taken to Mr, P. Loten, in whose posses-
sion I saw it a few days afterwards ; on the same day Mr.
Badcock, of the Spurn Lighthouse, informed me he saw one
in the garden at Spurn. The Kilnsea specimen is now in
the York Museum.

The only other part of the county which can lay claim to
this species figuring in its list, is the low-lying tract between
the Teesmouth and Redcar, where I have positive information
as to its occurrence on more than one occasion in the month
of September ; I noted one on the Breakwater at the Tees-
mouth on 20th September 1883 (this is mentioned by Mr.
J. H. Gurney, Transactions of Norfolk and Norwich Naturalists
Society, 1884, iii. 579-601, and Fifth Migration Report, p. 38).

It is quite possible, even probable, that this Bluethroat
may be a regular autumn migrant to our shores when on
passage from its summer haunts in Scajidinavia, though
often overlooked in the crowds of other birds which pass
along the coast, or mistaken, from its red tail, for a Redstart,
a species which it closely resembles in habits as well as plumage.
It has hitherto escaped notice in the spring on its return to
its breeding quarters in N.W. Europe.

Herr Gatke stated that it is common on Heligoland, both
in spring and autumn. The White-spotted form " comes
very rarely so far north, and when it turns up it always does
so four to six weeks earlier than the succica in the spring."

43

REDBREAST.
Erithacus rubecula (Z.).

Resident, widely distributed and abundant. A regular spring and
autumn migrant.

Thomas Allis, in 1844, wrote : —
Erithaca rubicula. — Redbreast.

The earliest reference to the Redbreast as a county bird
is, perhaps, contained in the following interesting letter from
Dr. Martin Lister to the renowned John Ray. This epistle
is indited from York, and is dated 8th of February 1675,
running as follows : — " Dear Sir, .... the Robin Redbreast
will not touch a hairy caterpillar, but will gladly take and
eat any sort of smooth one that I have given to him, and
there is no better way speedily to tame or make wild birds
sing than to give them a pleasing insect or two daily ; neither
this nor the thick-billed birds but will gladly eat spiders as
I have experienced in some kinds."

Though generally distributed in the county, the Robin is,
in the dale and moorland districts, much less abundant,
though by no means absent, save in the wilder and uninhabited
localities where suitable haunts do not exist. In the populous
manufacturing towns its presence is most familiar in the
autumn and winter, for during the spring and summer months
many retire to nest in the more secluded parts of their im-
mediate neighbourhood. Usually described and considered
a resident species, this bird can only partially be considered
as such. True it is that we always have it with us, but the
increased attention paid to that interesting and important
branch of ornithology — migration — has made us aware of
the fact that the Redbreast is undoubtedly a migrant to and
from our shores. In the autumn months, from August to
November, many migratory Robins are observed on our

REDBREAST. 43

coast line, and often in very large numbers. As the bird
is strictly a summer visitant to northern Europe, as well as
migratory in the central countries of the Continent, no doubt
these immigrants are continental birds en route to their
accustomed winter quarters, some of them probably remaining
with us until the spring. It is not unlikely, however, that
many of these migrants among the Robins are home-bred
birds on the move to more genial climes, whose absence we
scarcely notice, since their places are soon afterwards filled
by the arrival of individuals from more northern British and,
as stated, continental localities. In fact, the Robin is to a
greater or lesser degree a summer and winter migrant.

In connection with the migratory movements of this species
on the Yorkshire coast, the following remarks, by Ed. Blyth,
from Rennie's Field Naturalist (November 1833, p. 467), may
be quoted : — " On the voyage from London northward, on the
i6th of September, when off the coast of Yorkshire, and about
ten or twelve miles from Redcliff, several small birds alighted
on the vessel ; they were of different species. On the following
day others made their appearance, several .... Robins,
all ... . left the vessel on the first night after their appear-
ance, except two Robins, which remained for some time,
and which, with the characteristic effrontery of their species,
stationed themselves, the one on the front of the vessel and
the other at the stern, and fought at the least intrusion into
each other's territory."

Mr. F. Boyes, writing in the Zoologist for February 1877
(p. 42), remarked on the great number of Robins at Spurn
on October 23rd 1876 ; he noticed several hundreds of new
arrivals amongst the long grass and on the sands, and in all
the ditches and hedgerows away from the coast. He states
that " this migration of the Robin is not new, but, I believe,
an annual occurrence ; last year at this spot they were even
more numerous."

It may be useful here to detail the information respecting
this bird which is furnished by the various Migration Reports
issued by the British Association Committee : —

44 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE.

1879. Very numerous at Spurn on October 30th, wind blowing very-

fresh from N.E. (p. 176).

1880. March ist. At Whitby L.H., dayhght. a flock of Robins.
September 27th. At Whitby L.H., at 10 a.m., " a large flock

of small birds containing many Robins, remained a few hours
and then went south " (pp. 27 and ;^y).

1 88 1. :\Iarch 5th. Whitby L.H., at daybreak, many Redbreasts,
October 2nd to 8th. At Spurn head in large numbers ; on the

3rd, so worn out by a N.E. gale that they might be caught

by the hand (p. 20).
18S2. October 6th to 25th. Between the Longstone L.H. (Fame

Islands) and the East Goodwin L.V. in great numbers (p. 30).
1SS3. September loth to October 14th. Occurred on the "main

migration " covering the entire [east of England] coast line ;

rushes on September 21st and 30th, October 6th and 7th

(p. 38).

1 584. Autumn. At stations between the Fames and the mouth of the

Thames ; first at Shipwash L.V. [Essex] on the 14th August,
in large numbers, at noon ; lastly at the Hasborough L.V.,
November 12th, "one at night on deck" (p. 44).

1585, Autumn. Considerable immigration between the Fame Islands

and Guernsey, from September 8 th to November 12th ; rush
on October i6th observed at Spurn L.H., Lincolnshire coast
(very large numbers) and other stations to south (p. 41).

1886. Autumn. First at Whitby L.H., August i6th .... a heavy

rush is indicated between the 3rd and 7th of October at
Teesmouth and Spurn ; again on the i6th at Teesmoutli, and
i8th and 19th at Spurn (p. 31).

1887. March 26th. Wliitby L.H., Robins, 10 a.m.
April 5th. Spurn L.H. four Redbreasts, 9 a.m.
September i6th. Spurn, several Redbreasts, 9 a.m.
September 29th. Spurn L.H., great migration of Redbreasts.
November 6th. Spurn L.H., Redbreasts, 9 a.m. (pp. 22-50).

I have for many yeans known the Robin as a regular
autumn migrant between September and November to the
Teesmouth district ; at Redcar I noted a considerable number
in mid-October, and again in mid-November 1887, in com-
])any with a constant stream of other migrants, and many
were also observed in the autumns of 1896 and 1898. In
the Naturalist for 1893 (p. 9), the late J. Cordeaux, in his
notes from the Humber, wrote, " Robin, October 14th, 15th,
i6th. An immense arrival in the Spurn district. Thousands

REDBREAST. 45

in the hedges and gardens. I counted up to fifty in one part
of the Warren House garden. Many dropped in the long sea-
grass on the sand-hills, and some caution was necessary
to avoid stepping on them, so reluctant were they to move.
The movement extended also to Lincolnshire and Norfolk.
The arrivals on the Holderness coast had all of them very
pale coloured breasts. From Heligoland Herr Giitkc also
reported a great migration." Mr. Cordeaux further wrote
(MS.) : " At Spurn Point I have watched them coming in
direct from the sea, on a bright sunny day, their red breasts
being very conspicuous as they passed overhead. Along
with other small migrants Robins frequently strike the
lanterns of our light- vessels and lighthouses during the night,
or alighting on the former, leave again after a few hours'
rest. They cross Heligoland also by thousands in the autumn
and again in the spring ; this return migration in the spring
is early, compared with that of some other birds, commencing
b}' the first week in March." The vernal passage is not so
pronounced as that in autumn ; a bird seen at the Teesmouth
on 25th April 1902 was evidently a returning migrant.

On the coast, during the autum migratory period, Mr.
W. Eagle Clarke has frequently observed this bird in con-
siderable numbers in the most unsuitable localities, such as
sand-hills, where food of a congenial nature is almost un-
procurable, and it often has to resort to a marine " omnium
gatherum " at high- water mark in search of a meal. In
such places and at such times if often falls a prey to the
marauding Great Grey Shrike, which seems to have a penchant
for a dish of Redbreast.

There are very many recorded instances of this bird
selecting unusual, nay extraordinary, nesting sites within
the county, but I will allude to only two of these : — One,
in which the nest, of the usual materials, was placed in the
curtains of the drawing-room at Gilling Castle, where three
eggs were laid and one young bird reared {Land and Water,
25th May 1878, p. 478). The other is recorded in the Field
for 17th May 1884, and refers to a nest built in a pot of maiden-

46 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE.

hair fern in a conservatory at Hull. Early nesting, too,
is very frequent in this species, but a single instance only need
be mentioned, the earliest I find noted, namely, a nest with
five eggs near York, on i8th January 1848 {Zool. 1848, p.
2019). Mid-March is the usual period on which nidification
may be said to commence, and occasionally unspotted eggs
are recorded.

The tameness, or sociability, of the Robin is proverbial,
ajid I may here be permitted to recall an incident which
occurred when I was out in a N.E. gale, during the autumn
migi-ation, waiting for wildfowl on the sand-hills near Redcar,
of a Robin, doubtless a migrant, perching on the end of my
gun barrels and remaining there for nearly a minute. Mr.
P. Loten of Easington had a brood reared in his garden which
would follow him about.

Of interesting Yorkshire varieties the following may be
mentioned : — A white one in the Tunstall Museum (Fox's
" Synopsis," p. 206) ; one, a bird of the year, procured on
5th October 1848, near Knaresborough, which had the whole
of the primaries and secondaries white, and the whole of the
tail feathers the same with the exception of the tips, which
were dirty grey or smoke colour {Zool. 1848, p. 2298) ; a
j)ale rufous example at Beverley {op. cU. 1877, p. 256), and
another, a female, in the collection of Mr. P. Loten, of a
light fawn colour, with a breast a shade lighter than usual,
obtained near Patrington on 27th February 1884. Other
varieties in Yorkshire include a pied example at Easington,
at the latter end of 1884, also in Mr. Loten's collection, and
another at Harrogate {Nat. 1887, p. 78). An albino specimen,
captured at Sedbergh in 1897, was kept alive for two years.
White, or creamy white, examples were noted at Malton
on 5th January 1885 ; Egton Bridge, near Whitby, December
1895 ; Selby, 1897 ; and a tame one in the gardens at Cliffe
Castle, Keighley, which paired with a bird of the normal
colour {Yorkshire Weekly Post, 17th December 1903).

\'arious superstitions are prevalent among country farm
folks in some parts of Yorkshire as regards this bird ; the

NIGHTINGALE. 47

strangest being that if a Robin is killed one of the cows belong-
ing to the person guilty of the offence will give bloody milk.
At Staveley, near Knaresborough, a saying goes that " when
a Robin sings on the ridge of a roof it foretells fine weather/'
This idea exists also in the East Riding, with the additional
notion that if the bird chirps mournfully the weather will
be wet. In Cleveland it is considered to be unlucky to take
the eggs from a Robin's nest, a distich in common use running,
" Rob a Robin, go a sobbing " ; and in the East Riding
the following couplet is called out against nest-robbers : —
" Robin takker, Robin takker, Sin, Sin, Sin ! " At Skelman-
thorpe the idea was formerly prevalent that young Robins,
as soon as they are able to fly, will peck their parents to death.
In some parts of mid- Yorkshire it was supposed that the
Robin loses his red breast when he retires for the summer,
and regains it before returning to his winter quarters. In
the North Riding it is said that to cast your eye upon the
first Robin through glass, after the winter quarter has set
in, is unlucky.

Local names : — Robin ; Robin Redbreast (general). Rud-
dock in North and mid- Yorkshire, and Ploughman's Bird
(Lofthouse, near Wakefield) are the only vernacular appella-
tions known.

NIGHTINGALE.
Philomela luscinia (Z.).

Summer visitor, local in its distribution, and entirely absent from
the western side of the county.

The earliest allusion to this species, as a Yorkshire bird,
with which I am acquainted is the one made by Pennant in

48 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE.

1766, where he tells iis "it is not found in North Wales, or
in any of the English counties north of it, except Yorkshire,
where they are met with in great plenty about Doncaster."
(" Br. Zool." 1st Ed., 1766, p. 100.)

Thomas Allis reported as follows in 1844 : —

Philomela luscinia. — Nightingale — was heard in the immediate
suburbs of York last spring ; has been met with at Skelton about five
miles north of the city some years ago ; it breeds every year in the wood
at Cawood, near York ; near Huddersfield ; at Cinderfield Dyke Wood
in Bradley ; a few pairs are met with near Barnsley every year, where,
as in some oth£r places, they soon fall a prey to the bird-catchers ; it is
occasionally heard near Sheffield ; it occurs at Walton Hall and Bram-
ham Park ; and near Doncaster is common in Edlington and other
woods.

The Nightingale as a Yorkshire bird has peculiar attrac-
tions. To the ornithologist it possesses special interest, since
it attains in the county the northernmost limit of its British
range ; while to the public generally quite a halo of romance
surrounds the bird, probably because to many localities its
visits are like those of the proverbial angels, few and far
between.

In the closing years of the eighteenth century, and in the
earlier decades of the one just passed away (the nineteenth),
Doncaster was regarded by the recognised writers on British
ornithology as the most northern locality visited in England.
In 1844, Thomas Allis, in his oft alluded-to report, stated
that it occurred with some regularity much further north,
and informed the naturalists of his day that it had been
heard in the suburbs of York in the spring of that year, and
that it had been met with at Skelton, about five miles north
of that city — ^a statement that has been reproduced in almost
every book treating on British birds down to the present
time.

In 1881, when Mr. W. Eagle Clarke came to investigate
the dates and make further inquiries regarding the haunts of
this species for the bird portion of Mr. Roebuck's and his
joint work on the Yorkshire Vertebrata, he found that there
was evidence of its occurrence and breeding in localities

NIGHTINGALE. 49

considerably further north of the ancient city referred to.
This led to the supposition that this species may be regarded as
one of those which has gradually extended its range north-
ward in the county during the past hundred years. Further
research, however, into Yorkshire ornithology made known
that such has really not been the case, as may be gathered
from the statement, made at least a century ago, of Marmaduke
Tunstall, F.R.S. — a Yorkshire naturalist and one of the
best ornithologists of his day — which appears for some not
easily explainable reason to have escaped notice. Writing to
Dr. Latham, presumably about the year 1783, Tunstall
remarked that " The Nightingale is never heard or seen here
[Wycliffe-on-the-Tees]. It is frequently heard near Borough-
bridge* about 37 miles farther south ; and a few miles farther,
near Abberford, particularly at Hazlewood, the seat of Sir
Walter Vavasour, is extremely lavish in song. ..." This
statement of Tunstall's is true to-day, for the Rev. E. P.
Knubley, M.A., late rector of Staveley, near Boroughbridge,
stated that a pair nested in Gibbet Wood, two miles from
Staveley, in 1870 ; that in 1881 a pair nested and reared
its young in his rectory garden ; and that he was told on
reliable authority that a pair nested in Loftus Fox Cover
in the parish, a mile from his house, in 1883. Boroughbridge,
it may be remarked, is ten miles north of the latitude of York,
and lies sixteen miles north-west of that city.

In occasional instances, however, it has been known to
visit during recent years slightly more hyperborean districts,
but it is possible, and even probable, that these exceptional
visits were also made in the far past, when, as it is important
to remember, ornithology was not the popular study it now is,
and when, too, there did not exist the numerous natural
history journals wherein to record observations and hand
down to us much information which would now be invaluable,
and enable us to make more just comparisons between our
present knowledge and that of the past.

* The italics are ours.
VOL. I. E

50 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE.

Within the area of its regular summer range in the county,
the Nightingale usually occurs in limited numbers only.
Indeed it is only in the neighbourhood of Doncaster and
on the southern fringe of the county bordering Nottingham-
shire that it can be described as fairly abundant. To certain
secluded but more or less smoke-begrimed woodlands of the
Yorkshire Coalfield, in some instances scarcely beyond the
hum and " racket " of the pit-bank, as in the neighbourhood
of Barnsley, Wakefield, and Ackworth, this bird is an annual
visitant ; as also to pleasanter habitats in the neighbourhood
of the picturesque Abbey of Roche. In the central plain
it is regularly noted in the districts of Selby, Goole, York,
Harrogate, and Boroughbridge ; and in Holderness in
localities between Patrington and the Humber northward
and eastward to Beverley.

Thus a line passing north by Rotherham and Barnsley,
and east of Wakefield, Leeds, and Harrogate to near Borough-
bridge, and then east through Skelton (five miles north of
York), and sweeping round the southern spur of the Wolds
up to Beverley, and finally reaching the North Sea about
Hornsea, circumscribes the portion of the county within
which the Nightingale is an annual summer visitor, while an
outer line from Sheffield, by Huddersfield, Bradford, Otley,
Ripon, and Thirsk, to Norman by-in-Cleveland, thence south-
east to Scarborough, includes all the localities for which
there is satisfactory evidence of the bird's ever having bred
or occurred ; and, moreover, accurately defines, according
to our present knowledge, the extreme northern and north-
western boundary of its distribution in the British Isles.

It is interesting to note that the whole Yorkshire distribu-
tion of the Nightingale lies strictly within the lowlands,
and nowhere exceeds 250 feet above sea-level, except in
the single instance of its breeding in the Spa Gardens at
Harrogate. Indeed, the foot-hills of the Pennine Range,
of the Cleveland Hills, and even those of the Chalk Wolds,
form fringing barriers of the bird's range, and this, perhaps,
accounts for its rarity about Sheffield. These facts in the

NIGHTINGALE. 51

Yorkshire distribution of the Nightingale may throw some
hght on the conditions which determine the singular range
of the bird in England.

On the fringe of its range in Yorkshire, the Nightingale
is not at all constant to one particular haunt, but would seem
to divide its affections between several in the neighbourhood,
and this, too, when it has succeeded in rearing its young in
safety, and without receiving that undesirable attention from
the " madding crowd " so often attracted by its song. In
some seasons it is more abundant in Yorkshire than
in others. Thus in 1876 it was noted as absent from its
accustomed haunts in the East Riding ; while in 1879 it
was particularly abundant in the county. This varying
abundance may to some extent account for its intermittent
appearance in the more northern and outlying districts
within its range.

Regarding the dates of the bird's arrival and departure in
the county, we have but few reliable data, for the species has
hitherto escaped notice during the periods of its migrations.
Its appearance may be expected in the last week in April, but
the average date of arrival for South Yorkshire has been
given as the 8th of May. A pair nesting at Brough, in 1880,
departed with its young in August.

We will now proceed to discuss the distribution of the
Nightingale in the county, historically and in detail, com-
mencing with the localities on the Yorkshire Coalfield. In
the Barnsley district, Thomas Allis mentioned, in his report
already quoted, that a few pairs are met with every year ;
and Thomas Lister wrote : "I scarcely remember a year
since 1842 that I have not heard one or two pairs of Nightin-
gales. In the valleys of Dearne and Dove, in Cliff Wood,
Day House, and Keresforth Woods — all three within a mile
of Barnsley — they have been heard in various years."
He also mentioned Oscar Wood, Cobcar Wood, Kitroyd
Jump, Ethersley Wood, Needle Eye Wood, Dodwoth
Bottom, Sunny Bank, New Hall, Dark Lane, and Tivy
Dale at Cawthorne, Norroyd and Thornhill, as localities

52 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE.

in the neighbourhood where he had noted the bird from
time to time.

In the neighbourhood of Wakefield, Neville Wood
mentioned it {Nat. 1838, p. 437), on the authority of Charles
Waterton, as an annual visitor to Walton Hall, a statement
that has been repeated by various writers to the present
date. William Talbot, in his " Birds of Wakefield," tells
us he first made its acquaintance in 1841 at Burnt Wood,
about ten miles from Wakefield ; and he noted it in 1870
at Coxley Valley ; in 1871 at New Park Spring, Great
Houghton, where they were nesting ; in may 1873 a pair
made its appearance at Haw Park, but unfortunately its
career was cut short ; in 1874 two others visited this neighbour-
hood, and in May 1875 he heard three singing within eight
miles of Wakefield. About Lofthouse, George Roberts
stated that one was heard about the year 1836, and again in
1869, none occurring to his knowledge between these dates.
In 1884 one appeared at Stanley.

Regarding the Leeds district, the occurrence of a specimen
is recorded (Morris's Nat., 1851, i. 46), at Killingbeck, near
Leeds, early in May 1849, which was, at that time, in the
possession of Thomas Russell of York Road, Leeds. In 1879
a Nightingale was heard singing in Mosley Wood, Horsforth,
some ten or twelve years before ; it was shot by the keeper
a short time after. Mr. W. C. Horsfall of Horsforth stated
in 1866 that " The Nightingale visits us, but only at intervals ;
I know of only four instances of its having done so in fifteen
years." In the Zoologist (1879, P- 4i3)' Mr. Joseph Lucas
wrote as follows : "I venture to record two localities in which
I have seen these birds — Esholt Woods, in Airedale, in the
summer of 1868, and on May the 8th in Jonas Wood, near
Farnley Hall, Wharfedale." In the same periodical (1869,
pp. 1800-1), Geo. Roberts observed that " on the 13th of May
one commenced singing in a small wood called Bushy Cliff,
situate about five miles south-east of Leeds .... and
began to sing each evening about half-past ten, and continued
in song till four in the morning. I, along with several others,

NIGHTINGALE. 53

walked about in the adjacent meadows most of the nights of
the 15th and i6th hstening to it. ... I was somewhat
surprised at its tameness ; on the third evening many boys
and young men from villages round about assembled, and
created some uproar, without, however, disturbing it from its
perch, and the game-watchers got within a few yards of it.
Early in the morning of the 17th, four days after its appearance,
it was captured with limed twigs by two Leeds bird fanciers :
a few meal-worms were thrown down among the twigs, and
in less than five minutes after the bait was laid, the bird was
secured."

At Shipley, near Bradford, in 1850, one was reported
(Morris's Nat. 1851, p. 165), singing last season in a wood
about one mile from Shipley. It is said to have occurred at
Apperley Bridge.

In the Huddersfield district, Allis (1844) quoted Cinderfield
Dyke Wood in Bradley as a locahty for it. We are told in
Hobkirk's " Hist, and Nat. Hist, of Huddersfield," 1859, that
two of these birds were noticed at the Grove, Dalton, in 1846.
One commenced to sing in Mollicar Wood, Huddersfield, on
5th May 1875, and continued until June 5th (Varley, Nat.
1875, p. 52 ; Palmer, Zool. 1875, p. 4499). The late James
Varley only knew of three occurrences in this district, one in
Lockwood, and those at Grove and Mollicar Woods above
mentioned.

Mr. S. L. Mosley {Nat. 1889, p. 225), mentions that his
daughter and he had heard a nightingale singing near Anston
Stones, adding that they " had heard one on a previous visit,
and were told that it is a regular visitor."

It appears regularly within a few miles of Ackworth ;
and has frequently been heard to sing in the vicinity of the
town ; it has bred on the Stapleton estate since 1870 ; since
1890 it has regularly bred at Brock-o'-dale ; as many as
six pairs were there in 1892. It has also been heard at Upton
Beacon. A pair bred at Hogg Wood in 1891, and the bird
has nested there every year since. In 1895 a pair nested in
Bingley Spring Wood. It also bred at Ackworth Moor top

54 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE.

in 1862. Its song was heard for a few evenings at Castle
Syke Hill in 1868, the bird being eventually captured by a
bird-catcher, who used a glow-worm as bait. In the
Rotherham district it occurs in all the woods, and is
far from uncommon in the delightful vicinity of Roche
Abbey, which is just on the fringe of the Coalfield, and
only a few miles from the Nottinghamshire border of the
county.

Around Sheffield, Allis reported in 1844 that it was occa-
sionally heard near the town, and Mr. J. J. Baldwin Young,
writing from Richmond Park, Sheffield, on 30th December
1900, states that " Two or three pairs usually nest every year
near, and there are other pairs in the same district. This
bird is extending its range northward."

In the Halifax district it is said to have formerly visited
Elland Woods, while in Ainley Wood, one was said to have
occurred in 1845.

It has not been recorded to my knowledge from elsewhere
on the Coalfield save in the columns of the daily press, which,
in matters of this kind, cannot be regarded as reliable.

In the Central Plain, about York and district, Allis
reported in 1844 that it " was heard in the immediate suburbs
of York last spring ; has been met with at Skelton, about
five miles north of the city, some years ago ; it breeds every
year in the wood at Caywood .... it occurs at ... .
Bramham Park." Regarding its occurrence within the city,
my friend, Mr. James Backhouse, informs me that it has
nested once in his garden at Holgate. The Rev. F. W.
Hayden writes in 1880 that "the Nightingale is plentiful,
comparatively speaking, in Skelton. I possess several eggs of
that species taken here, and have had nests in my hand, but,
as I have made no record, I can give no dates. ... I know
that it resorts to Mr. Dawnay's wood, called Skelton Springs,
half a mile from my house on the north, and to a wood called
Nova Scotia in this parish, one mile to the east of my house.
.... The Nightingale has been noticed in Skelton from of
old. I have no reason to believe otherwise than that it

NIGHTINGALE. 55

is of annual occurrence. I only once knew of two pairj at
the same time, but I have not sought for them," To the
Hon. Pay an Dawnay we are indebted for the following
interesting communication relating to the Nightingale at
Beningborough and other places in the neighbourhood ;
writing in November 1880, he says " I have not heard a
Nightingale at Beningborough [eight miles N.W. of York]
for some years. The instance of one being heard for two
years here, some few years ago, arose from one being caught
in a small wood close to the railroad near Shipton, and being
brought to me as an unknown bird by the captor ; I found it
answered the description of a Nightingale, and turned it out
into the garden [at Beningborough]. The next year [1867],
one of the last days of May, 28th or 29th, I forget which, I
heard a Nightingale singing in a plantation about 300 yards
from the place I turned out the one brought to me the year
previous. This bird continued singing in June, for part of
that month ; other people heard it as well as myself. The
next year [1868] after this I heard a Nightingale in a small
wood, perhaps 100 yards from the place it sang in the year
before, but it did not sing long, or was taken or frightened.
This shows that they come to the same place again if it suits
them. One year we had three Nightingales singing, two in
Skelton Spring, and one in Overton Wood, but I have not

heard of any lately I find out on inquiry that the

Nightingale was brought to me in 1866, and was heard the
two following years, but never since that I am aware of close

to this place There was one at Clifton, a suburb of

York, in Mrs. Cattle's garden somewhat about the same
time, and she was so annoyed at the lot of people who came
late to hear it, that she got some birdcatcher to take it ; at
least this is what I was told ; I cannot say whether it is true
or not. The Rev. J. Overton told me of one in Sessay Wood
[eighteen miles N.W. of York], a few years ago [1875], that
people went to hear in the evening from Easingwold and
the neighbourhood. Mr. Overton is now dead, so he cannot
be appealed to, but he knew the note of the Nightingale well,

56 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE.

and was a very fair ornithologist. Sessay is five miles south
of Thirsk. I cannot help thinking that a few Nightingales
come north more frequently than is thought to be the case,
but so many don't know the note, and if they did, do not
care." In Gill's " Vallis Eboracensis," published in 1852,
p. 412, the occurrence of the Nightingale near Easingwold
is thus alluded to : " About half-a-mile from Huby, near the
road leading to ToUerton, are the fragments of a ruined
mansion or monastery, called the Mote, presenting an area
of about 600 square yards, surrounded by a deep dyke or
fosse, twelve feet in width and seven feet deep. It is now
overgrown with Oak and Ash, and for the last four years
has been the solitary but favourite retreat, where, in summer
evenings the Nightingale

' Sings darkling ; and in shadiest covert hid,
Tunes her nocturnal note.' "

The following information relating to the districts of
Wetherby and Boston Spa was supplied by the late Rev. J.
W. Chaloner of Newton Kyme, who wrote in 1886 : "As far
as I can remember — and that is sixty years ago — the appear-
ance of the Nightingale in this district is very rare ; the first
was at Woodhall many years ago, the next time was at
Stockeld Park. In 1846, one at Colonel Gunter's, Wetherby
Grange, where, alas, I saw a blackguard at two o'clock in
the morning with a cage, and two or three nights afterwards
its song ceased, so I presume he caught it. The next I heard
here was in 1866. The last here this spring." A pair was
reported to have built in the vicarage hedge at Thorparch
a number of years ago, but the nest was taken. Its nesting
near Bramham has already been alluded to prior to 1844,
and in more recent years it has been known to resort to that
place, and to Skewkirk. Tunstall, one hundred years ago,
informed Latham that " near Abberford, particularly near
Hazlewood, the seat of Sir Walter Vavasour, it is extremely
lavish in song."

Near Harrogate, the Nightingale was first noticed on

M

NIGHTINGALE. 57

2ist April 1883, and for three consecutive years it made
its appearance in the same copse in which it first nested.
The same pair of birds was beheved to come back year after
year. The nest, a remarkably flimsy structure, was built in
a tuft of nettles, and contained four eggs. The young were
fully fledged on the i6th of June, and left the nest the next
day, one egg remaining unhatched. Some days before they
left the nest, the notes of the male bird were changed into
a call -note, and an angry jarring croak, which it uttered
on a near approach. The next year (1884) they appeared
again on the 20th April ; this year they were evidently
disturbed in their nesting operations by the crowds of people
that visited the copse nightly. In 1885 the male bird only
WcLS seen, and he disappeared early in June. In 1886 no
Nightingale appeared, nor was any heard in the neighbourhood.
In 1882 a pair attempted to nest in the Spa grounds in Harro-
gate, and attracted much attention. Its fate is shrouded
in mystery.

In 1887 two pairs of Nightingales appeared at Knares-
borough, about two miles from Harrogate, during the month
of April. They were first heard about the 28th, and took up
their summer home at Scriven Park, and on the banks of
the River Nidd. The estate belongs to Capt. Slingsby. So
far as was ascertained, this was their first visit to Knares-
borough.

In the Naturalist (1889, p. 356), corroborative evidence
of the appearance of the songsters at Knaresborough in
1889, is given as follows : "I have pleasure in being able
to put on record the occurrence and nesting of two pairs
of Nightingales in some woods within a short distance of
Knaresborough. I am not at liberty to be more precise
as to the locality, as I have given an undertaking not to
do so."

The latest information I have been able to procure as to
the Knaresborough district is dated 21st February 1901 ;
" A pair of Nightingales was here in the summer of 1892
or 1893. They settled in a bank of blackthorn and garden

58 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE.

orchards below St. Robert's Chapel, on the banks of the
River Nidd. Numbers of people went out at night to hear
the male bird sing ; I went one night. ... A number of
rough lads then threw stones at the birds, and they dis-
appeared," A male was heard singing on the banks of the
Nidd, half-a-mile below Knaresborough, in May 1902, and
in 1903 it was reported near the Crimple, where a nest was
found.

At Ripley, two or three miles N.W. of Knaresborough,
<a Nightingale was heard singing in 1889.

In the district about Staveley, I have already quoted
the evidence bearing upon the three occurrences which
have come under notice ; and Tunstall has told us that
in his day it was " frequently heard near Boroughbridge,"
but a more recent record is the following : "In the
spring of 1889 a pair of Nightingales took up their
residence in a small wood about a mile from the village
of Staveley. The song could be heard on a still evening
when more than half-a-mile from the bird's haunt "
{Nat. 1889, p. 176).

Near Ripon, Mr. J. F. Pratt has in his collection an egg
of this species which was taken at Bishopton, about a mile
[west] from Ripon, on May 22nd 1878, and was brought
him by some lads who wished to know what kind of eggs they
were. The nest was built in a bush about two or three feet
from the ground, and at the first glance had the appearance
of an untidy Blackbird's.

The Nightingale has, however, occurred and bred more
than once in the neighbourhood of Thirsk, the most northern
limit of its range, save one, or perhaps two, exceptional
instances to which allusion will be duly made.

Regarding its occurrence at Baldersby Park, the Hon.
Francis H. Dawnay says that in the summer of 1868 a
Nightingale was constantly heard to sing, and attracted
a large number of people in the evenings, some driving many
miles to hear it. It always sang in the same part of the
woods, and it is thought it had a nest near. But this gentle-

NIGHTINGALE. 59

man says this is not the first time he has heard of its appear-
ance here. In May and June 1881 one frequented a wood
near Bagby, about three miles from Thirsk.

Sir Ralph Payne Gallwey, Bart., observes that a Nightin-
gale frequented the home wood at Thirkleby Park about
1874. He heard it himself, and the fact is particularly
impressed upon his memory, for the people from Thirsk,
three-and-a-half miles distant, used to make excursions
to hear the bird.

An instance of a pair of these birds nesting at Normanby
House in Cleveland, some seven miles west of Redcar, in
a locality much further north (indeed, in almost the extreme
N.E. corner of the county) than any recorded at the period
referred to by Mr. Eagle Clarke, has been known to me for
some time ; I am indebted to the well-known veteran
Yorkshire sportsman, Mr. Thomas Parrington, for a cir-
cumstantial account of the occurrence, which was in the
early " forties."

The supposed instance of a Nightingale at Tollesby, in
Cleveland {op. cit. 1890, p. 271), is doubtful. A closer in-
vestigation of the subject shews that, although Mr. Emerson
frequently heard the bird sing after dark in a high thorn
hedge, and had little doubt in his own mind as to its identity,
he never obtained a view of it. I cannot, therefore, accept
it as a true record.

In the extreme southern-eastern position of the Central
Plain, at the foot of the Wolds at Market Weighton, in June
i88q, one had been singing every night in the wood at Harswell
Rectory for a week or ten days, which was an unusual occur-
rence so far north, though not without precedent in this neigh-
bourhood. This last remark is correct, for the Hon. Francis
H. Dawnay communicated the information that one was heard
at Everingham Park, the seat of Lord Herries, a few years
before 1880 ; while at Brough in 1880 a pair nested, brought
up their young safely, and left in August. Near the same place
a pair bred for four years previous to 1900. The nest was
found on two occasions, and Mr. L. West shewed me an egg

6o THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE.

which had been taken. At North Cave, the Nightingale
appeared in 1896, and in 1897 was heard on the i6th April,
and the young were seen on the 2nd June in a large bush
near the ground. In 1898 it was again heard, on April the
29th. At South Cave a Nightingale was heard singing in
the Vicarage grounds.

The bird is only an irregular visitant to the eastern part
of central Yorkshire, and I am only acquainted with the
following instances : — One was heard at Castle Howard on the
13th May 1875, and at Stillingfleet about the same date.
The Rev. F. O. Morris {Nat. 1851, p. 216), said he " plainly
heard it, ' ni fallor ' about a mile south of Malton, namely,
seventeen miles north-east of York. It was about eight
years ago, when I was walking home one moonlight night."
There is most satisfactory evidence of its occurrence at Scar-
borough, the most northern record, within recent years,
for Britain. Mr. William Robinson of West Bank, Scarborough
writes as follows in the Naturalist (1882, p. 185) : " It will
interest ornithologists in Yorkshire to hear that we really
have the Nightingale at Scarborough this year. On the
loth and nth of May, near Oliver's Mount, I listened to its
unmistakable ' jug, jug,' and piping and other liquid notes
for about half-an-hour between 11 p.m. and midnight.
I lived many years ago, in Surrey, and became very
familiar with these notes, so can speak with confidence
as to its not being a ' peggy ' this time." A later record
for this district is that on May the 8th 1896, in Rain-
cliffe Wood, it was heard on the 13th, near Throxenby
Mere ; and it was also seen and heard up to the 29th
of the month, on which day it was reported to have
been shot {Zool. 1896, p. 304).

The late John Cordeaux mentioned {op. cit. 1897, p.
332, and Nat. 1897, p. 240), that he saw a Nightingale, in
the second week of June 1897, within two miles of Filey, in
a thicket near the roadside with a caterpillar in its beak,
and, within a few feet, a bird of the year.

Passing now to the southern portion of central York-

NIGHTINGALE. 6i

shire, Pennant's remarks have been already quoted at the
commencement of this chapter. Miller, in his " History of
Doncaster " (1804), remarked that this " most delightful
songster visits us about the middle of May." Allis, and
others down to the present time, mentioned it as common
in Edlington and other woods, and in the neighbourhood
north of this town the editor of Nevile Wood's Naturalist
(1838, p. 437), said : " We have ourselves heard it near

Campsall, and in a wood adjoining Owston Hall

Wm. H. Rudston Read, Esq., of Frickley Hall, .... informs
us that several of these nocturnal choristers visit Hooton
Pagnall Common."

One was recorded as singing in Regent Square, Doncaster
{Nat. 1899, p. 292).

About Goole it has been repeatedly heard in the district ;
at Cowick in 1879, and at Rawcliffe in 1880 and 1881 ; it
appeared again at Rawcliffe in 1888 and 1889 ; also at Hook
in 1893 and 1894.

In Holderness, in the southern portion near the Humber
estuary, it occurs annually, but in varying numbers. The
Rev. H. C. Casson {Field, 21st June 1879), writes as follows
on the extension of the range of this species in the neighbour-
hood of Patrington, and tells us that " Last Monday night,
June 9th, I sat on a gate listening to four Nightingales at once,
which sang against one another continuously during that time ;
and during a walk of a mile I heard three other Nightingales
singing, besides the four together. Two years ago a single
Nightingale was heard in the same lane, but none was noticed
last year." Mr. Casson, in reply to inquiries in 1881, kindly
communicated the following additional and interesting in-
formation : " On 24th May 1880, and again on the 27th of
the same month, I heard (on each occasion), two Nightingales
singing in pretty much the same spot each evening. The
evenings were both warm ones. On several other occasions
I listened for them, but never heard them except on the
nights mentioned. However, I have often noticed, when
I lived in Cambridgeshire, where Nightingales are very

62 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE.

plentiful, that when the wind was in a cold quarter I seldom
heard their song, and when I did so, it was rather to be called
a chirping and twittering than a song. And here in Yorkshire,
both last year and this, when I have heard the song it has been
on an exceptionally warm evening, for here we have seldom
any wind but an E. or N.E. from the first of April to the
middle of June. I am inclined to think, therefore, that the
Nightingale may be much more common in these parts than
is usually supposed, but that the evenings are rarely warm
enough to induce them to sing before the begiiming or middle
of June, by which time I imagine they have young, and
the parents have ceased singing. I was struck with this
idea especially one evening in June 1879. I heard, about
9 p.m., a Nightingale singing very clearly in a tree by
the road side, and listened to it for some ten minutes ;
I then went to a friend's house in order to bring other
persons to listen to it ; however, I stayed in the friend's
house about an hour or more before we set ofi to listen
to our songster, and by this time, i.e. 11 or 11-30 p.m.,
the wind had changed into a cold quarter, and not even a
chirp or a twitter could we hear."

In mid-Holderness, in the neighbourhood of Beverley,
Beverley R. Morris, writing in the Zoologist (1846, p. 1298),
stated, on the authority of a friend, that five or six years
before (about 1840), some half-a-dozen specimens were shot
or trapped in a thickety wood near this town, called Burton
Bushes. There could be no doubt about the identity of the
species, as the birds were heard singing when alive, and
examined when dead, by persons well acquainted with them.
The recorder concluded with the remark, " I am sorry to say,
it has never, as far as I can learn, appeared here since."
Mr. F. Boyes has furnished the following interesting notes
on its occurrence in the Beverley district. " The Nighingale,
as you know, is an irregular summer visitor to this part of
the county, in some years spread over a considerable area,
and at other times entirely absent. I scarcely know how
to account for this uncertainty in occupying its previous

NIGHTINGALE. 63

haunts, unless it be that, as we are on the extreme hmit of
its northern range, we are dependent on the weather in tli»
spring whether we have them or not. Should the spring be
mild and genial at the time of their migration, they probably
push further north, whilst should the weather at that time
be cold and cheerless, they are kept more within their ordinary
limits. We know the mildness or severity of the seasons
has much to do with the movements of birds. The Nightin-
gale has visited this district as far back as anyone can re-
member, but always has been looked on as a rarity, often two,
but seldom more, within the precincts of this borough. The
first note I can find is in 1868, where I have put down that I
went to hear a Nightingale sing on ist May. In 1874 I have
a note that two sang nightly in our public common, where
they bred, and I was told a pair of old ones and the young
were taken. In 1875 one bird came to the same common
(but not exactly to the same place), where it also bred, as I
saw the old bird on the nest myself, which had five eggs.
It was afterwards taken. It has appeared at uncertain
intervals since, but I have not been able to find my note
books. It has visited many places in the Riding, but I
believe always singly, and generally uncertainly. At North
Giffe, Market Weight on, I was told by old Reynolds
that it had appeared there several years in succession,
and he pointed out to me the particular wood where
it came."

With regard to the present status of the species, Mr.
Boyes' opinion, as expressed to me at Beverley, in March
1901, may be summed up in these words : — " Time was
when the Nightingale was pretty well known as a summer
visitor to Beverley, but I fear the bird-catchers gave them
very little peace ; of late years its visits have been few and
far between, and always intermittent. I have known some
instances of the birds taking up their quarters in copses, etc.,
where they have not been molested, and yet have not returned
to them in the following summer , in fact, I never once knew
a Nightingale to come the following year to a spot which

64 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE.

had been occupied by one the previous season. This is
strange when we remember that many birds return to their
old haunts. In some seasons I have heard Nightingales sing
for an evening or two in a particular spot, and then never
be heard again ; not having foimd mates, they have gone
elsewhere probably."

Other instances in the Beverley district are at Cherry
Burton in 1889 ; at Walkington in 1892 ; at Middleton in
1898, and at Boynton in 1890.

In the extreme north of Holderness, at the foot almost of
the Wolds, a pair nested at Littlethorpe, in 1876, in a plantation
on the farm of Mr. W. F. Forster, and not one hundred yards
from his house. The nest was taken on the 26th of May,
and an egg kindly sent for inspection. The birds built a
second time in the same wood, but the nest was unfortunately
destroyed. The male used to sing in Mr. Forster's garden
continually, and was both seen and heard by him and his
friends. Mr. Forster's son afterwards lived at High Cay-
thorpe, near Bridlington, and he found a Nightingale's nest
in the garden hedge there in 1887.

There is no satisfactory evidence regarding the occurrence
of the Nightingale in north-west Yorkshire, but the following
references to it for the district may be quoted as being on
record. " The Nightingale is a very rare visitor in Wharfedale,
for I have constantly asked this question. A woodman
told me that he once heard one when working at Grassington
Wood, it was towards evening, and many years since." —
F. Montagu, " Gleanings in Craven," 1838, p. 57). From
" Whitaker's Craven " (2nd Ed., 1812, footnote p. 491), I
transcribe the following passage, which is perhaps worthy of
quotation here : " As a trait of old ornithology, I must inform
the reader that Craven had formerly two very different birds,
long since extinct, the Eagle and the Nightingale. The
existence of the first .... is proved by ... . that of the
latter, in Ribblesdale, by Nichtgaleriding, the name of a
place in the parish of Bolton, mentioned in the Coucher
' Book of Sallay.' "

WHITETHROAT. 65

The Nightingale has, within recent years, been reported
at Welbeck Wath in Yorkshire {Nat. 1899, p. 279).

WHITETHROAT.

Sylvia cinerea {Bechsteiti).

Summer visitant, common, and generally distributed.

The earhest known reference to the Whitethroat's con-
nection with Yorkshire was made by R. Johnson of BrignaU,
near Greta Bridge, in a letter to John Ray, dated 29th March
1672 : — " Honoured Sir .... It is like enough our White-
throat {curruca cinerea) is of the Ficedulae, for it is her manner
with us to fall upon a fair and ripe cherry, whose skin when
she hath broken with a chirp she invites her young brood,
who devour it in a moment " (" Correspondence of John Ray,"
p. 96).

Thomas Allis, in 1844, wrote : —

Currucca cinerea. — Whitethroat — Abundant in most districts.

This species arrives about the middle of April, sometimes
in the third week : the mean date for ten years at Barnsley
was the 25th, though in 1883 it was recorded as early as the
i6th, and in 1901 it was noted at Newsome on the 3rd. It
takes its departure in September.

In all the wooded and cultivated districts it is commonly
met with, and has occasionally nested on the moors ; at
Buckden, in Upper Wharf edale, it was found at an elevation
of 1000 feet in Raikes' Wood. In the East Riding it is
frequent in the lanes and by-ways of the higher ground, such

VOL. I. F

66 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE.

as Bempton and Flamborough, as also in the woods and in the
low country.

As a migrant at the light-stations it figures in the Reports
on several occasions, and appears in the list of birds killed by
flying against the Flamborough lighthouse, at which place
it is recorded as of annual occurrence ; there was a " rush "
on 28th April 1893, and on 19th April 1894 it was plentiful
at both Flamborough and Spurn, as again in the same month
in 1897.

The pink variety of egg is occasionally found in Yorkshire ;
mj^ collection contains one of a clutch of seven taken in June
1894 by Mr. C. Milburn, and a clutch of a similar character
is in the possession of Mr. W. Gyngell of Scarborough, found
by him near that place.

In 1877 a brood was reared near Masham in the nest of
a Sedge Warbler, after the latter bird had brought off its
young.

Its vernacular names are varied and numerous ; Greater
Prettychaps and White-throated Fauvet are fancy book
names used in Neville Wood's Naturalist, 1837 ; Winnel
or Windle Straw, Peggy, Peggy Whitethroat, and Nettle
Creeper are in general use ; Small-Straw at Huddersfield
and in the West Riding, and Straw-Small at Wilsden and
in the West Riding are terms applied to the nest ; Muggie
or Meggie, and Nettle Monger are used in the North Riding ;
Big Peggy and Big Peggy Whitethroat in Nidderdale ; Peggy
Chatter in the East Riding ; and Nettle Wren in East Cleve-
land ; while Mock Nightingale is a name formerly used at
Redcar.

1

■■R.J

■^
^

67

LESSER WHITETHROAT.
Sylvia curruca (Z.).

Summer visitant, generally but thinly distributed ; not so abundant
as the preceding species.

The first mention of this as a Yorkshire bird is, apparently,
in Loudon's Magazine for July 1832, where it is chronicled
as occurring in Wensleydale in 1831.

Thomas Allis, in 1844, wrote : —

Curruca garriila. — Lesser Whitethroat. Met with near Doncaster,
Huddersfield, Hebden Bridge, and Halifax, and is common near Sheffield
and York ; is seldom seen near Bridlington, and then only in spring
and autumn ; it is not known to breed there.*

The general time for the appearance of the Lesser White-
throat is about the end of April or early in May ; at Barnsley
the average date, calculated over a period of twenty years
between 1854 and 1874, was the 28th April ; and for ten
years afterwards it was the 4th May. The earliest recorded
arrival was at Halifax, where one was noted on the 17th April,
and in 1883, at Barnsley, it was seen on the i8th of that
month.

It usually leaves in September, occasionally lingering
until late in the succeeding month : the latest occurrence
noted at Spurn is 17th October 1896.

It is more locally and thinly distributed than its congener,
though it may be met with in most localities suitable to its
requirements ; it has not been noticed in the Sheffield district,
though it breeds regularly near Halifax ; and in the Wilsden
neighbourhood there are only two instances of its occurrence ;
it is not uncommon near Ackworth ; at Spofforth and
Wetherby it is fairly numerous ; and at Beverley it is
moderately, and in some seasons plentifully, distributed ;
while near York it is more abundant than 5. cinerea. Though
not a common species in the central and north-western dales,
yet it may be overlooked owing to its skulking habits ; it

* Allis was misinformed as regards its presence near Bridlington.

68 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE.

is, however, fairly abundant near Bedale ; it nests near
Malham ; and in the Nidd Valley it is found to i,ooo feet
elevation and up to the borders of the moors ; it occurs
also in Lower Swaledale, and is a regular visitant at North
Stainley and Ripon.

On the coast line it is known chiefly as a spring and
autumn migrant, but nests sparingly in suitable localities
in the Esk Valley and in Cleveland. It visits Holder-
ness regularly, but not in great numbers, as a nester^
and more frequently on both the spring and autumn
migration.

It has often been reported from Flamborough at the
period of the vernal passage, and in 1877 one was killed
by flying against the lantern of the lighthouse. The Migration
Reports contain only the following entries, all of which refer
to the autumnal movement : —

" 1881. September 3rd. Spurn. Lesser Whitethroats
abounded.
September 22nd. At Teesmouth — Several.
1887. September 21st. Spurn. Lesser Whitethroat."

Its local names are : Small Straw in Nidderdale and the
West Riding ; Whitestraw at Ackworth, and Mealymouth
at Helmsley and Thirsk in the North Riding. The name
Lesser Pettychaps has been conferred on it by some of the
old writers, but it is confused with other small warblers,
such as the Chiff-chaff. The title of Beam Bird (Latham
Syn. p. 413), is also a mistake ; see Garden Warbler.

ORPHEAN WARBLER.

Sylvia orphea {Tejum.).

Accidental visitant from Central and Southern Europe, and Northern
Africa, of extremely rare occurrence.

This warbler nests freely in France and the south-west
of Europe, and occurs regularly along the eastern seaboard

Nest of Nightingale, near Harrogate. R. Forlmn

See page 57.

Nest of Lesser Whitethroat, near Ripen. R. Fortune.

See poge 68.

ORPHEAN WARBLER. 69

of the Mediterranean as far as Turkey ; in winter it migrates
to Egypt and Nubia.

There are but two authenticated records of its occurrence
in the British Islands, the first being in this county, where
one, out of two seen, was killed on 6th July 1848, and came
into the possession of the late Sir Wm. Milner, who stated
that " it was shot in a small plantation near Wetherby,
and was, unfortunately, very ill set up by the man who
obtained it ; it had the appearance of having been engaged
in incubation from the state of its plumage. Mr. Graham,
my bird-stuffer at York, having heard that a very uncommon
bird had been shot, went over to Wetherby and, fortunately,
obtained the specimen for my collection. It has the beak
black and very strong, eight lines in length, the upper mandible
very much grooved. The whole upper part of the plumage
dark ash-coloured brown. The outer feather of the tail
white, the rest of a brownish black. Chin dirty white ; throat
and belly brownish white ; under surface of the wings and
vent light brown. Legs very strong ; toes and claws black.
Total length 6 inches 3 lines." (Milner, Zool. 1849, P- 2588 ;
1851, pp. 3107, 3111. Yarrell's " British Birds," Vol. I.
p. 343 ; Dresser, Vol. II. p. 412.)

This specimen, on the strength of which the species
was admitted to the British list, is now in the Milner collection
in the Leeds Museum.

The nest and eggs of the Orphean Warbler are said to
have been taken at two localities in Yorkshire, viz. : Penny
Spring Wood, near Almondbury, in June 1856 (Varley MS.,
9th November 1879), and Notton Wood, Wakefield, in June
1864 (Harting's Handbook, 2nd Ed., p. 356), but, as the
birds were not identified in either case, these records cannot
be accepted as reliable.

70

BLACKCAP.
Sylvia atricapiila (Z.).

Summer visitant, somewhat irregularly distributed, and not very-
numerous. Has occasionally occurred in winter.

The earliest allusion to this species as a Yorkshire bird
is, apparently, that contained in the Rev. J. Graves's " History
of Cleveland," 1808, where it is styled " Motacilla atricapiila.'

Thomas Allis, in 1844, wrote : —

C"*'rnca atricapiila. — Blackcap Warbler. Is frequently met with
in most parts of the county ; not very common near Huddersfield,
where it is stated to remain the year through.

This charming songster arrives late in April, the average
date in the south of the county being the 22nd, and the
i8th in the central plain ; an early date is noted at North
Stainley, near Ripon, where two were seen on 31st March
1892, and at Masham it has been reported as early as the 9th
of April. The time for its departure is September or early
October ; at Barnsley the approximate date is the loth
of the latter month, though it has been known to occur in
mid-winter at the following places : Almondbury, on 26th
January 1866 ; near Holmfirth Reservoir, on 29th November
1873 ; and near Shefheld on 3rd December 1882.

The Blackcap is a bird of rather irregular and local
distribution, and appears to be more frequent in the south
than in the north, but it varies in numbers in different years.
In the Sheffield district it is tolerably common ; about
Halifax it has been found nesting ; and in the north-west
and most other parts of the West Riding it may be considered
as a regular but, generally speaking, not abundant visitant,
though in localities where there is plenty of cover, thick
hedgerows, gardens or plantations, it may usually be met
with. Allis's Report requires some modification as regards
Huddersfield, for various observers state the Blackcap is
not uncommon in that district, and the remark respecting
its wintering may be qualified by the use of the adverb

^
<

BLACKCAP. 71

"occasionally" before "remain." In the East Riding it
is fairly distributed in suitable places, woods, copses, and
gardens, where its loud song is to be heard all day long,
and in the autumn it comes to feed on the soft fruits. In
the North Riding it is a regular, but cannot be described as
a very numerous, visitant. J. Hogg {Zool. 1845, p. 1058),
remarked that "it is the best and most melodious of our
northern songsters, as the Nightingale is unknown here
[Cleveland] ; it is not infrequent in the gardens and plantations
where it nidificates."

During the migration periods it has been reported on
several occasions at the light stations on the coast ; it occurs
pretty regularly at Spurn in spring, and is not uncommon
in September and early in October amongst the crowds of
warblers then passing southward. The information supplied
to the British Association Migration Committee shows that
there was a " rush " on 3rd September 188 1, and several
were noticed at Redcar on the 22nd ; one was killed at Spurn
on 19th October 1886, whilst Mr. W. Eagle Clarke shot a
female at Kilnsea as late as 28th October, 1880,

The late P. Inchbald {Zool. 1850, p. 2849), noted the
powers of mimicry possessed by this bird, which he heard
giving accurate imitations of the alarm notes of the Blackbird
and Robin ; and Mr. E. L. Gill {in litt.) informs me he has
heard it mimicing the Garden Warbler {op. cit. 1901, p. 450).

The scarce pink variety of the Blackcap's Q^g has occasion-
ally been taken in Yorkshire ; my collection contains a clutch
of four, found near Whitby, in the " sixties," and formerly
in the possession of Mr. J. Braim ; a similar clutch was reported
on i8th May 1894, at Boston Spa, by Mr. Stevens. In June
1876, a nest was found suspended after the manner of a
Goldcrest's, in a fir tree near Beverley {op. cit. iSyy, p. 258).

The local names are : Peggy in the Barnsley district ;
Black-capped Peggy near Doncaster ; and Coal Hoodie in
the North Riding (Swainson). At Wilsden the nest is called
Straw small.

72

GARDEN WARBLER.

Sylvia hortensis {Bechsiein).

Summer visitant ; generally distributed ; more abundant in the
south and middle of the county than further north.

This species was first made known as a British bird by
Willughby, to whom a specimen was sent from Yorkshire
by Mr. Jessop, Broom Hall, Sheffield, who called it
" Pettychaps " (Will. " Orn.," 1676, p. 26).

Thomas Allis, in 1844, wrote as follows : —

Ciirrnca hortensis. — Garden Warbler. Met with near Huddersfield
and Hebden Bridge ; frequent in gardens and shrubberies near Halifax ;
more frequent than atricapilla near Sheffield ; and less so near Leeds
and York. In the East Riding in its [passage] in the spring, but
seldom breed there.*

This sober plumaged warbler arrives late in April or early
in May, generally in the first week of the latter month, its
earliest appearance being in 1885, when one was noted on
28th April, at Scarborough. It usually takes its departure
in August or September, at which period a coast migration
is sometimes noticed passing south.

Where its favourite gardens and copses are to be found
it is pretty generally distributed, most abundantly in the
south and south-west, and it may be described as fairly
common in the Central Plain, but further to the north-west
it is somewhat scarce, yet not infrequent in the Forest of
Bowland, and it is not uncommon in the Lower Wharfe
and Nidd districts.

It is moderately, still not uncommonly, diffused in the
East Riding, and is more frequently observed on its passage
in spring and autumn than as a nesting species, though it
breeds in several localities, noticeably about Beverley. Near
Scarborough it is fairly abundant, and so up the coast to
Whitby, Loftus, and in Cleveland ; the same remark may
also be applied to its status in Teesdale.

* Allis was misinformed as to its status in the East Riding.

GARDEN WARBLER. 73

This species does not figure in the Migration Reports
on its spring passage, nor has it been noted in autumn so
often as the Blackcap. The only entries are : —

1881, p. 20. At Spurn, 3rd September, and at Redcar on
22nd September, several were noted.

1884, p. 44. At Spurn, 17th September, one struck the

lantern and was killed, and several were seen
on the following day.

1885, p. 42. At Spurn, 22nd August, one recorded.
The Garden Warbler's partiality for the fruit of the

cherry is alluded to in Rennie's Field Naturalist (February
1833) as follows : — " I have never seen the Pettychaps in
Yorkshire until the cherries are ripe, when they immediately
make their appearance and attack the Kentish cherry
particularly, being so greedy that I have often taken them
with a fishing rod tipped with birdlime while they were
pulling at the fruit. The moment they have finished the
last Kentish cherries they disappear for the season. If
they finish the cherries in the morning they are gone before
noon .... in Yorkshire they do not even wait for the
later cherries. The number of these visitants depends upon
the crop of early cherries. This year the crop having nearly
failed, I saw but two of them, which appeared on the 15th
of July, and were not seen after the 17th."

A departure from the usual choice of a nesting site has
been reported on several occasions, amongst the places selected
being the centre of a large fern ; a pear-tree ten feet above
the ground, at Beverley, in 1903 ; and in Bolton Woods a nest
was found on Whit Monday 1876, within four feet of a road.

The vernacular names are : Small Straw in the West
Riding ; and Straw Small at Wilsden ; Nettle Creeper in
Craven; Peggy near Barnsley and in the West Riding ; Hair-tail
in the Nidd Valley. Great Pettychaps is given by Swainson ;
Willughby called it Pettychaps and Beccafigo, or Fig-eater.

Pennant ("British Zoology," vol. ii. p. 264, ist Ed.) said
this is called in Yorkshire Beambird, but he was evidently
mistaken (cf. Montagu's " Ornithological Dictionary," p. 234,
and Yarrell's " Brit. Birds," 4th Ed., Vol. i. p. 415).

74
BARRED WARBLER.

Sy'.via nisoria {Bcchsicii:)

Rare autumn visitant on migration southward, from North-west
Europe.

The Barred Warbler nests in the north-west provinces of
the Continent, as also in central Europe, Turkey, South
Russia, Persia, and Turkestan, where it attains an altitude
of 10,000 feet. It winters in Central and North-east Africa.

Of the twelve examples of this rare visitant which have
been recorded in the British Islands, four are from East
Yorkshire, and that portion, between Hull and the promontory
of Spurn, is the only district in the county which can lay claim
to its occurrence.

The first Yorkshire specimen was a female in immature
plumage, obtained at Spurn by the Rev. H. H. Slater, on
28th August 1884, in an elder hedge by a potato garden
on the sand-hills, where it was very shy and difficult to
observe. This bird was exhibited at a meeting of the
Zoological Society on the 4th November following {P.Z.S.
1884, p. 447 ; Zool. 1884, p. 489 ; Nat. 1884, p. 91).

The second example, also from Spurn, was shot on 19th
October 1892, by the late G. W. Jalland of Hull, who thought
it might be a Bluethroat ; it was afterwards acquired by Mr.
W, Eagle Clarke for the Royal Scottish Museum (A. Newton,
P.Z.S. ist November 1892 ; J. Cordeaux, Zool. 1892, p. 424 ;
Nat. 1893, p. 14).

The third occurrence was at Kilnsea, near Spurn, where
one was taken by G. E. Clubly on 13th November 1893
(J. E. Harting, Zool. 1894, p. 58 ; Nat. 1894, p. 15). This
specimen is in Mr. J. H. Gurney's collection.

And the fourth, an immature female, was shot by Mr.
Darley of Hull, in his garden at Skirlaugh, on 3rd September
1894 ; his attention was first called to it by his wife, who
noticed it v/as a strange bird. (F. Boyes, Field, 29th
December 1894 ; Zool. 1895, p. 57 ; Nat. 1896, p. 196 i

GOLDEN -CRESTED WREN 75

1897, p. 201). This specimen is now in the York Museum.*
Mr. L. Harwood, the naturaHst who accompanied Mr.
(now Sir) A. E. Pease on his Abyssinian expedition in 1900-01,
has kindly shewn me a skin of a male Barred Warbler, which
he shot on 4th March 1901, at Taddasha Malka, Abyssini ,
the most southern limit of its range as at present ascertainea,
in stony, hilly country, the only vegetation being tall grass
and mimosa bush, on which it was actively searching, always
on the outer twigs ; the colour of its eyes, a bright yellow,
was quite noticeable at twenty-five yards' distance.

GOLDEN-CRESTED WREN.

Reg^ulus cristatus {Koch.)

Resident ; generally distributed in suitable localities. A great
influx of winter visitants and birds of passage in autumn.

The first mention of the Golden-crested Wren as a York-
shire bird is contained in Ray's " Synopsis," dated 1713, p. 19,
where it is alluded to in a few words thus : — " Regiilns cristatus
— Mr. Francis Jessop [found it] in Yorkshire." An early refer-
ence is also found in a communication from Dr. Sherard of
North Bierley (a celebrated botanist and a correspondent of
John Ray) to Walter Moyle, dated London, Jan. 12th 17.]",
which is as follows : — " I carry'd him two Birds he had not
before, sent me out of Yorkshire by Dr. Richardson ....
and Regulus Christatus, well preserv'd " (Works of Walter
Moyle, Esqre., London 1726). (Dr. Richardson's observation
in Philosophical Transactions 1713, on the alleged nest of a
Goldcrest, is evidently a mistake, and is referable to the
Long-tailed Tit.)

Thomas Allis, in 1844, wrote : —

Reguhcs vulgaris. — Golden-crested Regulus. Frequent in most of
the wooded districts ; it breeds and remains throughout the year.

This, the smallest of our British birds, is resident where

* See Nat., 1888, p. i, for comparison between England and
Heligoland as regards migration.

76 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE.

it can find suitable nesting haunts ; it breeds in most of the
wooded dales even up to the edge of the moorlands, as well
as in the low country, where fir plantations exist, also
occasionally in shrubberies and gardens, and in some cases
its nest may be found within a mile or two of our largest
manufacturing towns.

The tiny Goldcrest is one of the best known migrants
at the light stations on the coast, and in the autumn incredible
numbers of these fragile looking voyagers brave the dangers
of the North Sea to land on our shores during the early
part of October ; they generally arrive simultaneously with
the Short-eared Owl and Woodcock, hence one of their
local names — " Woodcock Pilot." In 1881 these three
species appeared about the 5th September, fully a month
in advance of the time when they may usually be expected,
being observed at Spurn and also at Redcar, where they
sometimes come into the fishermen's cottages, and remain
as long as there are sufficient flies to support them. The
Humber fishermen have remarked that at this season they
frequently alight on the smacks in the North Sea, and in
thick foggy weather hundreds perish ; as they become
quite bewildered, their instinct apparently forsaking them,
they do not know what direction to take ; they often rest
on larger vessels also, and so long ago as 1833 Edward Blyth
wrote that on the 7th October, when fourteen miles off
Wliitby on the voyage to London, a flock of Goldcrests
settled on the ship's tackle (Rennie's Field Naturalist,
November 1833). They have been seen on the sand-hills
at Spurn in hundreds about the middle of October, and so
exhausted that they could have been easily caught in a
butterfly net. If the records relating to migration are
searched it will be found that, since Selby's time down to
the present date, the Goldcrest has attracted the attention
of naturalists ; in some years it has arrived in what are
termed " rushes," and in other seasons in only small numbers ;
Selby recorded a great flight on 24th and 25th October 1822,
covering the coast from Berwick to Whitby ; in 1864 there
were great numbers at Spurn and in Holderness ; in 1875

GOLDEN -CRESTED WREN. 77

a large flight was reported at Flamborough and Scarborough
{Zool. 1876, pp. 4778, 4923), and the following year at Spurn
{op. cit. 1877, p. 42), at the same time many large flocks were
seen at Redcar ; immense quantities were noted at Spurn
again on i6th October 1878 {op. cit. 1879, P- 43) '■> then,
coming to the period when the British Association Migration
Committee commenced its work, numerous entries are noted
in the Reports, which are too voluminous for recapitulation,
but the great rush of 1882 may be alluded to when " they
covered the entire length of the east coast and the migration
extended over ninety-two days, commencing 6th August ;
near Redcar on the 13th of that month about fifty were seen
at the Teesmouth ; they arrived somewhat sparingly in
August and September, and day after day in enormous
numbers in October : in this month they are recorded at
twenty-one stations between the Fame Islands and Guernsey ;
two great rushes took place, one on the 7th and 8th October,
and again on the 12th and 13th, the latter with Woodcock,
and great numbers are supposed to have perished on passage."
(Fourth Report, p. 32.) They arrived at Spurn daily during
October until all the hedges and the grass on the sand-dunes
positively swarmed with them ; on the sand-hills near Redcar
a huge flock, like a swarm of bees, came directly off the sea
and settled amongst the hedgerows near where I was watching
for wildfowl ; one of the oldest fishermen remarked to me on
the 13th October that he had " never seen so many humming-
birds " (as they are locally termed). The years 1886 and
1889 were also noticeable for unusually large numbers on mi-
gration. Subsequent to the Reports of the Migration Com-
mittee, rushes occurred in 1892, on the 14th to i6th October,
at Spurn and Flamborough, and again in 1898 from the
6th to the 15th October, and in 1906 at the end of October,
The vernal passage takes place in March or April when
they are seen near the coast in small parties and are
occasionally killed by striking against the lighthouses ; two
met their death in this manner at Flamborough on 4th April
1899, and, on 30th March 1890, a swarm was observed in the
hedges near the lighthouse. In 1898 some were seen at

78 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE.

Spurn on the return migration as early as the i6th March,
and in 1891 they were noticed on the nth April.

A very remarkable incident connected with this little
bird's migratory habits occurred near Redcar some years ago,
the facts of which were communicated to me at the time by
the late J. Wilson, contractor for the work of constructing
the Tees Breakwater. He was at the end of the " gare "
on the morning of i6th October 1881, when he saw a Short-
ei^ed Owl " flopping " across the sea, and noticed, as it drew
near, that there was some small object between its shoulders ;
it alighted on the Breakwater close to where he was standing
and immediately a little bird flew off its back ; one of his
men and he followed it up and caught it, when it was found
to be a Goldcrest, as I had ocular proof. The fact of " small
birds being assisted on migration by larger ones " has long
been known to travellers, both in the East and also in America,
and most important corroborative evidence was unexpectedly
supplied by Mr. Thos. Gibbons of Liverpool, a ship captain,
who, in going up the Mediterranean for the Straits of
Gibraltar, sighted a flock of birds crossing from the European
to the African shore ; they were accompanied by smaller
birds which frequently settled on the backs of the large ones
and, with the aid of marine glasses, could easily be distinguished
nestling in between the shoulders of those on the wing ;
occasionally the small birds would start up from their resting
places, and stretch their wings for a short distance. (See Zool.
1882, pp. 72, 73 ; and Field, 31st March 1888.)

A departure from the ordinary nidification habits of this
bird is sometimes made ; the nest has been met with at
Danby on the top of a branch (not underneath) where it
emerged from the trunk {Zool. 1863, p. 8680) ; Mr. W. Eagle
Clarke found one in a whin bush in Pollard's Woods, near
Leeds, and Mr. F. Bo5'es has seen the nests amongst the ivy
on trees in woods where there were no spruce or firs.

Three Goldcrests, shot in February 1882, weighed exactly
sixty grains each.

The vernacular names in use are numerous. Golden
Crested Kinglet is used at Sheffield ; Fire Crown at Thi: sk

<^

FIRE-CRESTED WREN. 79

and in the North Riding ; Jinny Wren in Teesdale ; Woodcock
Pilot at Flamborough ; Herring Spink at Filey and Flam-
borough ; Humming Bird at Redcar ; Little Wren at Loftus-
in-Cleveland ; and Tot-o'er-seas is a term placed on record
by Swainson.

FIRE-CRESTED WREN.

Regulus ignicapillus {Brehm).

Rare autumn visitant, on migration southward.

The range of the Fire-crested Wren is less extended than
that of its congener, the Goldcrest ; it is unknown in
Scandinavia, and to the north-east of the Baltic Provinces of
Germany ; it breeds in the southern countries of Europe,
in some of which, as also the forest region of Algeria, it is
a resident throughout the year.

Its first appearance in the county was noted by Thomas
Allis, who, in his Report on Yorkshire Birds, 1844, wrote : —

Regulus ignicapillus. — Fire-crested Regulus. Bartholomew Smith
reports its occurrence at Woodend, near Thirsk.

It may be well to place on record the individual instances
of its occurrence, as it is but a casual visitant in autumn
to this country, and is frequently confounded with its near
relation, the Goldcrest, from which, however, it may be
distinguished by the black streak in which the eye is placed,
and which is lacking in the latter species.

The first is that referred to in Allis's Report, at Woodend,
near Thirsk, and quoted above.

One was found in an exhausted state in a planting at
Armitage Bridge, near Huddersfield, on 3rd September 1874
(J. Varley, in litt. 20th November 1879).

One was obtained at Endcliff Woods, near Sheffield, in
1878, as I am informed by Mr. A. S. Hutchinson of Derby,
who preserved the specimen.

* Mr. J. H. Gurney's article in the Zoologist (1889, p. 172), may be
usefully consulted by those who are interested in this species as a
British bird.

8o THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE.

At Clifton, near York, a pair were reported, and one
shot in December 1880 (W. Hewett, Zool. 1882, p. 268).

On 4th November 1889, an adult male was killed by a
boy at Easington ; this specimen was acquired by the late-
J. Cordeaux {Nat. 1890, p. 11).

Another, probably an adult male, was seen by Cordeaux
at Spurn on 15th October 1892 {Zool. 1892, p. 418 ; Nat..
1893, p. II).

The following records are unreliable and are, doubtless,
referable to R. cristatus : —

One at Whitby {Zool. 1850, p. 2699).

One in Whitby local collection (Vertebrate Fauna of
Yorkshire, p. 22).

One at Flamborough (Cordeaux, Zool. 1891, p. 11).

YKLLOW-BROWED WARBLER.

Phylloscopus superciliosus {Gmelin).

Accidental visitant in autumn from Asia, of rare occurrence.

This little wanderer has its summer home in north-east
Siberia, and migrates in winter to southern China, Assam,
Burma, and north-east India.

It has been but seldom noticed in the British Islands, and
was first reported by the late J. Hancock, who shot an example
which is now in the Newcastle Museum. In this county
one is said to have been seen by the late H. B. Hewetson
at Easington, near Spurn, in October 1889 (Cordeaux, Nat.
1890, p. 38), though considerable doubt exists as to the
reliability of this record ; whilst three were obtained by Mr.
Swailes at Beverley on the 21st October and following days,
1894. One of these specimens is now in the Royal Scottish
Museum (Boyes, Zool. 1894, p. 459 ; 1895, p. 58 ; Fieldy
27th October 1894). Mr. Boyes believes this bird is not so
very uncommon on migration during easterly winds ; he
has several times noticed it in his garden at Beverley, being
attracted to it by the note.

8i
CHIFF CHAFF.

Phylloscopus rufus {Bechslein).

Summer visitant ; common, and generally distributed in wooded
localities of the central and eastern districts ; less numerous in the
south-west, and rare or exceptional in the north-west.

The earliest mention of the Chiff Chaff as a Yorkshire
bird is contained in a communication to WilHam Fothergill,
dated i6th August 1799, from Charles Fothergill, stating
that he had seen several Willow Wrens in Askham Bogs,
near York, and on shooting some discovered he had procured
all three species ; the " large," " middle," and " small "
Willow Wrens of Gilbert White [Wood Wren, Willow Wren,
and Chiff Chaff]. (Morris's Nat. 1854, iv., p. 167.)

Thomas Allis, in 1844, wrote : —

Sylvia hippolais. — Chiff Chaff — Rather scarce in the neighbourhood
of Halifax, Huddersfield, and Hebden Bridge ; common in most
other parts.

One of the very earliest of our summer migrants, the
Chiff Chaff arrives about the same time as the Wheatear,
viz. : from the middle to the end of March or the first week
in April, and generally appears in the southern and central
portions of the county a few days before it is noted in the
north. It has, however, been heard and seen much earlier
in isolated cases : on 7th March 1866, on the banks of the
Don as recorded by P. Inchbald ; at Barnsley on the 12th
of the same month in 1882 ; at Hovingham on 14th March
1872 ; on the same date in 1880 at Barnsley and Ripon ;
and at Meanwood, near Leeds, on 23rd March 1879 ; the
earliest known in Cleveland was on 28th March 1902, and in
the East Riding on the nth. Its time of departure is from
the end of September to early October, though it sometimes
lingers until late in the latter month.

This species is peculiar in its distribution in Yorkshire,
being somewhat uncommon in the extreme south about
Sheffield, Wakefield, and in the Aire Valley, though a few

VOL. I. G

82 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE.

pairs are found in wooded districts, and for a few miles round
Huddersfield it is moderately distributed ; but on approaching
the north-west it is decidedly rare, if not altogether absent,
in most places : then, coming to the Central Plain, it is more
common ; it is very numerous near Ackworth, at Knares-
borough, and in the lower Wharfe and Nidd Valleys, while at
Ripon it is extremely abundant in the woodlands, more so
than the Willow Wren. In the East Riding it is rather local,
not a very plentiful species, and variable in numbers in
different years ; unlike the Willow Warbler, seldom found
away from woods or trees ; its notes, uttered from the top
of some tall tree, are unmistakeable and cannot be associated
with any other species.

In the North Riding, from York onward to Thirsk and
Northallerton, it is quite common in some seasons ; moderately
abundant at Scarborough and northward up the coast, and
in the little wooded valleys in Cleveland ; rare and uncertain
in Wensleydale and Teesdale, but not uncommon in Swaledale ;
and it breeds sparingly in the Sedbergh district.

On its southward passage in autumn the Chiff Chaff
does not appear to attract the attention of the light-keepers
to the same extent as the Willow Warbler, or possibly it may
be confused with that species ; the Migration Reports contain
but four entries concerning it, all of which are from Spurn,
two of these being on the 21st and the 29th March, and
the other two in August ; it has also been noticed at Redcar
on its autumn passage in September. In connection with
the migration of this bird the following observation by Ed.
Blyth is of interest : — " When off Whitby, about fourteen
miles from land, on the 7th October, a Chiff Chaff came on
board with some Goldcrests. It was attempted to keep
them alive, but they died on the passage." (Rennie's Field
Naturalist, November 1833.)

The Chiff Chaff ceases to sing late in May or early in
June, and in the autumn migration appears in gardens and
orchards, having then resumed its song. One was heard
in Claremont Road, Leeds, on 19th September 1886, and
several instances of its late singing are reported in different

to

WILLOW WARBLER. 83

parts of the county : at Hovingham on the 26th October,
and at Danby on the 21st of the same month in 1879 ! ^^
Ripon on 7th October 1881 ; at Richmond Park, Sheffield,
•on 3rd September 1900 ; and as late as 3rd October 1879,
and 4th October 1895, at Ackworth {ZooL 1901, p. 452).
Mr. J. Ranson {Nat. 1864, p. 8y), comments on the partiality
of this species for the fruit of the cherry and currant.

Numerous instances in Yorkshire are known where the
nest has been met with in elevated situations ; of these the
following may be cited : — one at York at the end of a branch
■of an Austrian pine nine feet from the ground, and another
in a clump of pinks (Zool. 1892, p. 150), and one at Masham
in a yew tree four feet above the ground. Spotless eggs are
•occasionally found.

Of vernacular names Featherpoke is general ; Peggy is
3. West Riding appellation ; Jim Jam is used in the Nidd
Valley ; Ground ^^'ren, Grass Wren, Grass Warbler, in
•east Cleveland, are used for both the Willow Warbler and
this bird ; while Miller's Thumb is, in some parts, as at
Sedbergh, applied indiscriminately to the Chiff Chaff, Willow
Warbler, and Wood Warbler. In Cleveland the nest is called
Tom Tit's nest. Lesser Pettychaps and Least Willow
Wren are old book-names used by Tunstall.

Several examples of the Chiff Chaff shot at Easington,
near Spurn, on 17th October 1896, have been referred by Mr.
Dresser to an eastern form known as P. brehmi {Nat. 1897,
p. 17).

WILLOW WARBLER.
Phylloscopus trochilus (Z).

Summer visitant ; abundant, and generally distributed.

The earliest mention of the occurrence of this species
in Yorkshire is contained in a communication, dated i6th
August 1799, from Charles Fothergill to William Fothergill,
to the effect that he had seen and shot several Willow Wrens

84 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE.

in Askham Bogs, near York. (Morris's Naturalist, 1854,
iv., p. 167.)

Thomas Allis, in his Report on Yorkshire Birds, 1844,
wrote as follows : —

Sylvia trochilus. — Willow Warbler — Abundant. J. Heppenstall
remarks that the eggs of this bird are liable to vary, some specimens
being very beautifully marked.

The arrival of this little songster may be expected from
the first to the second week in April ; in some districts of the
south and central portions it is noticed earlier than in the
north, though, generally speaking, it is not observed until the
time first stated ; exceptionally early records are 29th March
1880, at Hovingham ; the nth of the same month 1894,
at Middlesbrough ; 2nd April 1886, at Masham, and the same
date in 1887 at Harrogate ; while what may be termed an
example wintering in the county is mentioned from Grinkle,
where one was shot in January 1878. As it is one of the first
to arrive so it is amongst the latest in leaving us, and departs
in late August or September, often lingering into October,
those observed at the latter period being in all probability
migrants from more northerly latitudes.

It is the most numerous and generally distributed of all
our summer warblers ; its cheery song is heard throughout
the whole summer, " from early morn to dewy eve," and
it is ever on the move searching for food, the attitudes ■ it
assumes when stretching upward to pick off an aphis insect
cr larva being most graceful, and all the while it is incessantly
singing. In the dales it often ascends to the borders of the
moors ; in Nidderdale to a height of 1200 feet ; in Wharfedale
and Wensleydale to 1000 feet, and in Teesdale to 1500 feet
elevation, while it has been found breeding on the moors
in the Sheffield neighbourhood.

On its migratory passage southward it has frequently
been reported from the light stations on the coast and,
according to the information supplied to the British Association
Migration Committee, the greatest numbers are observed in
August and September ; it was unusually abundant at
Spurn during the last week in August 1881, in the autumn

WILLOW WARBLER. 85

of 1886, and on the 14th and 15th October 1892 ; in 1886
a final " rush " occurred as late as the 19th October, and in
1892 it was associated with Goldcrests, Redstarts, Grey
Shrikes, and other small migrants. At Flamborough one
was caught on the morning after the great storm of 28th
October 1880, while in 1893 an example was seen at the
same station as late as the 27th November ; at Spurn this
species has been noted in company with Goldcrests in the
buckthorn hedges during the last week in October, while so
long ago as 1833 this little warbler was the subject of notice
by Ed. Blyth, who stated that one came on board ship off
the Yorkshire coast, in company with Pipits, Wheatears, and
other small birds. (Rennie's Field Naturalist, November 1833.)

The Willow Warbler has occasionally been observed
hanging under boughs of trees when searching for food ;
and the fact of one of these birds singing as late as 8-20 p.m.
is reported from Sedbergh ; one was heard about the same
hour in the Washburn Valley on 21st May 1887 ; and at
Ackworth it has been heard singing during the day, in a hot
autumn, right up to the end of September. {ZooL 1901, p. 452.)

An instance of early nidification is communicated from
Aysgarth, where eggs were found on 30th April 1887. The
site chosen for the nest is usually on the ground, though
many departures from this habit are known, and a varied
selection of such places might be cited, but it is not necessary
to make more than a casual reference to these, viz. : —

One built three feet above the ground and placed between
two rocks at an angle of 40° from each other, near Wilsden ;
one in a clump of whins, in the Goit Stock Valley, two feet
from the ground ; another in a thick thorn bush at four
feet elevation in thick underwood, near Masham ; one
built on the top of a newly completed Flycatcher's nest,
four feet above the ground, in the ivy on a wall, near Settle
{Nat. 1896, p. 37) ; another in the ivy covering of a post
used as a stretcher for fruit trees in a garden, at Beverley ;
and yet another built against the bole of a tree, at a height
of six feet, in Cottingley Wood (E. P. Butterfield, in Hit.
1901).

S6 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE.

Mr. Milne-Redhead of Bolton-by-Bowland, states that
this bird is very partial to currants, and comes into his
garden in autumn for the purpose of feeding on fruit.

Variation in plumage is not often met with, the only
example being a pied specimen recorded by the late P.
Inchbald, who saw it at Fulwith, near Harrogate, in 1887.

The vernacular names by which the Willow Warbler
is known are numerous ; and as this species, the Wood Wren,
and Chiff Chaff, are frequently confused by local folk, the
same names are in some districts applied to all three. Willow
Wren is used at Ackworth, Shefifield, and other parts of the
West Riding ; Yellow Wren at Scarcroft, Huddersfield, and
other West Riding districts ; Peggy and Peggy Whitethroat
are West Riding terms, though probably mistaken for the
Whitethroat ; Bank Wren is used in southern Holderness ;
Featherpoke in the North and West Ridings, and Ground
Featherpoke at Doncaster ; Grass Warbler, Grass Wren, and
Ground Wren in eastern Cleveland ; Mealymouth at Danby-in-
Cleveland and in Craven ; Miller's Thumb (in some places, as
at Sedbergh, where it is also used for Wood Wren and Chiff
Chaff) ; and Tom Tit's is applied to the nest in Cleveland,
Willow Sparrow is mentioned by Swainson as a West
Riding term.

The late J. Cordeaux saw what at the time he supposed
to be an example of the Siberian Willow Warbler {Phylloscopus
horealis) at Flamborough on 21st November 1894 {Zool. 1894,.
p. 125 ; 1895, p. 58) ; though, in a later communication
(Nat. 1897, p. 201), he threw a doubt on this, and thought
it mav have been referable to some other leaf warbler.

WOOD WARBLER.

Phylloscopus sibilatrix {Bechstein).
Summer visitant ; local, but not uncommon in suitable localities..

The first mention of the Wood Wren as a Yorkshire bird
is contained in the " Ornithology " of Francis Willughby^
as follows —

■ \.S

'4

mm

Wood Warbler's Nest.

R. Fortune.

See page 87.

WOOD WARBLER. 87

" A little yellowish bird without name, called by
Aldrovandus, Regulus non cristatus, perchance the Asilus
of Ballonius, or the Luteola of Turner."

" This is equal to, or somewhat bigger than, the Crested
Wren, ... It sings like a grasshopper and doth much frequent
willow trees. Mr. Jessop sent us a bird [presumably from
Sheffield] in all points exactly like that here described, and
whose note resembled the noise of a grasshopper, but twice
as big." (Will. " Orn." 1676, p. 228.) See also Montagu's
" Ornithological Dictionary."

Thomas Allis, in 1844, wrote : —

Sylvia sibillatrix. — Wood Warbler — Not infrequent in most districts.

In the south of the county this little warbler generally
arrives about the third or fourth week in April, the average
date being the 30th ; though in Cleveland, the north and
north-west portions of the shire, it is not noted until the
first week in May. Exceptionally early instances are 8th
April 1879, 3.t Barnsley, and in 1880 Mr. W. Eagle Clarke
heard its note at Spurn on the 9th. As it is often silent on
first arrival it may well be that its presence is not remarked
for a few days : it first utters its single note " twee," and
afterwards greets us with its cricket-like shivering trill.

It departs on its southward journey in August.

It is somewhat local in its distribution, but its presence
may be expected in those districts where there are woods
and copses suited to its requirements. In many localities
it affects old woods and forest trees, one of its favourite
haunts being Rudding Park ; it is rather scarce in Lower
Wharfedale, though fairly common in most of the sheltered
valleys, in the woods on the fell sides, and up to the edge
of the moors ; in Nidderdale it is met with to an elevation
of 1000 feet, and in the woods about Sedbergh, Bowland,
and Malham ; at the latter place as high as 1350 feet elevation.

In the East Riding it is common in a few places, but
always local ; it comes annually to certain woods of a dry
peaty or sandy nature where the common bracken flourishes.

The only entry in the Migration Reports in connection
with its autumn movements is one in 1885, p. 42, when it

88 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE.

was reported from Spurn on August 14th, though it is possible
it may be confused with the Willow Wren by the light-keepers.

The Wood Wren is sometimes accused of stealing fruit,
and was observed by Mr, J. Ranson coming into his garden
at Linton-on-Ouse for the purpose of tasting the cherries
and currants.

Local names : Wood Wren is general ; Yellow Wren
is used at Linton-on-Ouse (J. Ranson, 1864) ; other names
are Yellow Warbler and Twittering Wren ; Small Straw is
in use at Huddersfield, in the Nidd Valley, and other parts
of the West Riding, and Hay-bird is given as a West Riding
name by Swainson. In some districts, as at Sedbergh, it is,
together with the Willow Warbler and Chiff Chaff, known
as Miller's Thumb.

ICTERINE WARBLER.

liypolais icterina ( VieUloi).

Extremely rare summer visitant from Continental Europe.

The Icterine Warbler nests in Central and Northern Europe,
being very abundant in north-east France ; it occurs regularly
in the Baltic Provinces and as far north as the Arctic Circle
in Norway, while to the eastward the Ural Valley is its limit.
In winter it migrates as far as 25° south latitude.

There are but eight instances of its capture chronicled
within the British Islands, one of these being at Easington,
near Spurn, as mentioned by the late J. Cordeaux, who
informed me that Mr. P. Loten of Easington sent him an
adult male example which had been killed with a catapult,
and was brought in by some boys, on 28th May 1891. Mr.
Loten skinned it, thinking it might be a Wood Wren, but
with grave doubts on the subject. The specimen was after-
wards sent to Mr. W. Eagle Clarke, and was purchased for the
Royal Scottish Museum. {ZooL 1891, p. 308 ; Nat. 1891,
p. 241 ; 1897, p. 201.)

Keed Warbler's nest, Hornsea Mere.

R. Fortune.

Sec page 90.

REED WARBLER. 89

Messrs. W. Eagle Clarke and T. Laidlaw watched an
undoubted example of this species for some time, at only
a few yards' distance, in the garden at Kilnsea Warren, in
September 1897.

REED WARBLER.

Acrocephalus streperus {Vieillot).

Summer visitant ; very locally distributed.

Thomas Allis's Report on Yorkshire Birds, 1844, contains
the first known county reference to this species, thus : —

Salicaria ariindinacea. — Reed Warbler. Arthur Strickland says :
" I have no doubt this species would be found in this [the East] Riding
if properly sought, but I am not aware I ever did see it here ; but in
the West Riding I found it many years ago in the neighbourhood of
Ripon. I have still in my collection a nest from that neighbourhood,
in which a young Cuckoo was brought up." Wm. Eddison remarks
that it is occasionally met with near Huddersfield, though but little
is known of its history ; B. Smith informs me that it is found near
Thirsk.

This warbler's northern range was, like that of the
Nightingale, until recently considered to be bounded by the
line dividing the West and East Ridings of Yorkshire from
the North, and its occurrence north of the county is not
proven. A summer visitant, it arrives early in May, and
owing to the peculiar nature of its habitat, is very local
in its distribution, so that only patient and persistent
investigation reveals its whereabouts, and it is to be feared
its numbers are decreasing, owing chiefly to the drainage
of its accustomed haunts. In the West Riding it is not
very numerous in any locality, though it is met with near
Sheffield, Wakefield, the Craven district, Doncaster, Ackworth,
Askern, Goole, along the drain channels at Swinefleet, and
other suitable places, and it also occurs, but less abundantly,
in Lower Wharf edale and the Washburn and Nidd Valleys ;
near Knaresborough it was formerly plentiful, but is now

90 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE.

only occasionally found ; it is fairly common near Staveley,
and nests sparingly near Harrogate and Ripon. In June
1880, it was found particularly abundant at a place just
outside the City boundary of Leeds, no less than seven nests
containing eggs being discovered (W. Eagle Clarke, Zool. 1880,
p. 444). Dr. Steward of Harrogate tells me (1904) that
this place is now protected, and the bird still nests there.

In the East Riding it is perhaps more numerous than
elsewhere in the county, the presence of its favourite reed-beds
conducing to its protection ; at Pocklington it is common
and breeds annually ; near Hull it was formerly plentiful
as a nesting species {op. cit. 1861, p. 7643-4), and it is found
there where the conditions are suitable ; at Hornsea Mere
it is numerous ; in the Beverley district it has been met with,
breeding in gardens, the nest being placed in lilac bushes
and snowberry, and also in some numbers in the osier-beds
in the Drilheld trout-streams and in the reeds bordering
on the River Hull ; the nest is also reported from Scampston,
Knapton, and near Bridlington, though only rarely. In
the North Riding it was fairly abundant at Castle Howard,
but has greatly decreased there of late years, and it
occasionally occurs at Malton ; it was formerly frequent
on the Mere at Scarborough before the place was drained ;
now it is seldom found there, and the same remark may be
applied to the north part of the county, though it is noted
as nesting near Whitby and Grinkle. In Cleveland I have
for some years been aware of its existence as a nesting species
at a locality a few miles distant from Redcar, where it breeds
annually, and I have an egg taken there in 1896 by Mr,
C. Milburn of Middlesbrough ; it is scarce near Bedale, and
has once been reported from Carperby in Wensleydale.

Though the Reed Warbler is occasionally noticed on
migration it is not mentioned in the Reports from the light
stations excepting in the year 1881, when two were killed
by striking against the Spurn lantern on the 29th May, at
II p.m., and on the 20th August in the same year three old
males were killed. (Fourth Report, p. 33.)

In its nidification the bird sometimes departs from its

Reed Warbler's nest, Hornsea Mere. R. Foiiune.

See page 91.

SEDGE WARBLER. 91

usual custom and builds in extraordinary situations, such
as in a yew tree at Malton, presumably its first nest had
been destroyed (J. E. Harting's Summer Migrants, p. 85) ;
the late Col. Haworth-Booth found one in a black-currant
bush at Hullbank House, near Hull {Nat. 1896, p. 24) ; and
in the Washburn Valley a nest and young were noted on the
bank of a reservoir in long grass {op. cit. 1888, p. 330).

In the report of its nesting near Leeds, above referred to,
it is stated that four nests were amongst willow bushes and
were placed at heights varying from five to seven and a
half feet above the ground, whilst others were hidden amongst
nettles, about two feet from the ground, and supported by
their stems and dead twigs of willows ; the eggs were unlike
the ordinary type, being white with markings of a clear
greenish grey tint. The young have been seen on the 12th
of June, which is an exceptionally early date.

The late G. Roberts of Lofthouse, near Wakefield, writing
in 1886, stated that a specimen of the Great Reed Warbler
{Acrocephaliis tnrdoides, Meyer), a species that is common
on the Continent of Europe, is in the possession of J. Ward
of Lofthouse, which G. Lumb got " a good many years since "
from someone at Wakefield. " It is said to have been found
dead at Methley."

SEDGE WARBLER.

Acrocephalus phragmitis {Bechstein).

Summer visitant ; common, and generally distributed.

The first reference to this bird in Yorkshire is contained in
the Rev. John Graves's " History of Cleveland," 1808, where
it is mentioned under the name of " Sedge Bird {Motacilla
salicaria)," and enumerated amongst the migrants.

Thomas Allis, 1844, wrote : —

Salicaria phragmitis. — Sedge Warbler — is met with near Doncaster
and Barnsley ; it is scarce near Huddersfield, and not numerous at
Halifax ; near Sheffield and at Hobmoor, York, it is frequent ; it also
occurs at Swillington and Brotherton.

92 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE.

This merry little warbler arrives about the latter end
of April or early in May ; the average date in the south of
the county is the 24th of April ; at Lofthouse, near Wakefield,
the 2nd of May, and near Halifax a week later ; in mid-
Yorkshire and in the Spurn district it may be looked for
in the first week of May, while in Cleveland I have taken the
mean date as the 29th of April ; in 1883 it was reported
on the i8th of April at Barnsley, which is earlier than usual,
and in 1869 on the 19th of the same month at Tadcaster.
The majority take their departure in September, a few
stragglers lingering until early in the following month.

It is, as a rule, commonly distributed in localities suitable
to its requirements, viz. : gardens, copses, hedgerows, willow-
beds, and the margins of streams, and is also frequently met
with in places far removed from the vicinity of water ; it
is fairly abundant in most parts of the county except on
the moorlands and waste tracts, though it has been found
near the edge of the moors, and it is frequent on the East
Riding Wolds. In the neighbourhood of some of the large
manufacturing towns, and within the City boundaries of
Sheffield and Leeds, the nest has been recorded. Strange
to say it is a scarce species near Wilsden, and is not common
in the Forest of Bowland, although the surroundings are
eminently suited to its habits.

It has been noticed at the light-stations on the coast on
several occasions whilst on passage, as is recorded in the
Migration Reports, and individuals have been killed by
striking against the lanterns at Spurn and Withernsea.

The Sedge Warbler has been heard to imitate the mewing
of a cat (Birds of Ackworth, p. 50) ; it is also well known
as a mimic of other birds, and as it often sings late at night
it is mistaken for the queen of songsters, the Nightingale ;
doubtless many of the reported occurrences of the latter
bird which appear in provincial papers may be referable
to the species under notice. The Rev. E. Peake, late of
Settle, relates an amusing anecdote of the local folk in Craven
being deceived by this bird's late singing : crowds of people
went nightly to hear the sweet strains, and imagined they

to

GRASSHOPPER WARBLER. 93

were listening to a Nightingale, until a local naturalist
scathingly remarked " It were nobbut a bothering Betty ! "

The sites chosen for the nest are as frequently removed
from, as in the neighbourhood of, water : I have found it
in hedges and shrubs several feet above the ground, while
there is one instance of a nest at an elevation of ten feet,
and the experience of other county naturalists is similar ;
eggs at Bempton have been reported as late as August ; and
a nest at Harome, near Helmsley, contained young on the
4th August 1888. In the Natural History Journal 1877,
there is mention of a nest in a long swinging piece of bramble,
far from any water ; in the same Journal a clutch of eggs
is described, three being white with scarcely traceable black
spots, and a fourth much paler than usual. ^Ir. Harold
Watson of Redcar has a clutch of the scarce salmon pink
variety, found in the Esk Valley in the first week of June 1892.

The vernacular names are numerous : Seg Bird in the
Huddersfield neighbourhood {Zool. 1848, p. 2290) ; Sedge
Bird in Cleveland (Graves, 1808) ; Sedge Chat, Sedgechatter,
and Windlestraw, at Ackworth ; Willow Wren at Huddersfield ;
Willow Sparrow at Wilsden and in the West Riding ; Grey
Bird in Arkengarthdale ; Betty near Settle ; Nightsinger
near Sedbergh ; Mock Nightingale in Cleveland and the
North Riding ; Thorn Warbler in east Cleveland ; Willow
Chit in the western Ainsty ; Chitty Prat in southern Holder-
ness. While Small Straw at Skelmanthorpe, Huddersfield,
and Straw Small at Wilsden and in the Aire Valley, are terms
applied to the nest.

GRASSHOPPER WARBLER.

Locustella naevia {Boddaer/).

Summer visitant ; local ; thinly distributed, and varying in
numbers in different years.

In considering the question of the earliest reference
to the Grasshopper Warbler as a county bird, priority of

94 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE.

claim is to be accorded to Willughby's description contained
in a communication, dated 1672, from R. Johnson to the
renowned John Ray, which is as follows : —

" The Titlark that sings like a Grasshopper — Locustella.
D. Johnson."

" It is lesser than the regulus non cristatus, hath a pretty
long straight bill, yet having a little declivity above, the
upper chap black, the nether of a horn colour. The upper side
of the body is of a dusky yellow, besprinkled with blackish
spots, the under side of a pale yellow. The tail is of the
longest, of a brown or dusky colour, when spread ending
in a circular circumference. On the lower Belly, the Thighs,
and under the Tail it hath brown spots tending downwards.
It hath long slender dusky coloured Legs, crooked claws
and a very long spur, or heel. It feeds upon flies ; it hath
a note like a Grasshopper, but louder and shriller. When
it sings it commonly sits upon a bush, with its mouth open,
and straight (sic) up and its wings dishevelled." (Will. " Orn."
1676, p. 207.)

In connection with this matter Professor Newton remarks
(Yarrell's " British Birds," 4th Ed., Vol. i., p. 386), that Gilbert
White asserted Ray had no personal knowledge of this bird,
and Mr. Johnson's specimen was referable to the Wood Wren.
There can be no question, however, that the description
given agrees with that of the Grasshopper Warbler and
is totally unlike the Wood Wren.

Thomas Allis, in 1844, wrote : —

Salicaria locustella. — Grasshopper Warbler. I have heard of but
one specimen from near Barnsley, shot by Dr. Farrar, now of Bradford.
At Hebden Bridge it is met with rarely ; it is frequent about Sheffield,
and sings between eleven and twelve at night, as mentioned by my
Friend, J. Heppenstall. Near Halifax a few pairs breed every summer ;
it is rather rare near Leeds ; it breeds in several localities near
Doncaster, as at Wadsworth, Hutmoor, and Rossington. Near
Bridlington it breeds in a few favoured localities, and near York it
is found in Buttercrambe Woods, and in the woods at Langwith.

This species arrives from about the middle to the third
week of April, although instances are known of its appearance
a few days earlier ; at Barnsley the mean date of arrival,

GRASSHOPPER WARBLER. 95

calculated from a series of ten years' records, was the 30th
of April, but in the Knaresborough and Harrogate district
the average time is the i8th ; in Cleveland it does not, as
a rule, makes its presence known until the end of the month.
It departs in August and onward to mid-September.

It is thinly distributed, local, and varying in numbers
in different seasons. Near Sheffield there are generally
a few pairs in the wooded districts ; in the Barnsley area
it occurs regularly, and nests annually within seven or eight
miles of Halifax ; at Liversedge it has been noted twice,
in 1895 and 1896 ; in the neighbourhood of Huddersfield
it breeds in several localities, and is fairly common at Storthes
Hall and Skelmanthorpe ; at Almondbury it is not numerous,
yet a regular visitant ; near Wakefield there are one or two
places where it is found nesting ; in the Aire Valley it has
bred near Leeds, at Roundhay Park, and at Adel, though
the bird is scarce and irregular in its visits, as it also is near
Doncaster, Selby, and Goole ; at Ackworth and Hemsworth
it has frequently been known to nest. In the north-west
it is reported at Skipton-in-Craven, and in small numbers
near Settle, where the eggs were taken on a moor in 1896 ;
in Nidderdale it occurs sparingly, as also in the Washburn
Valley, and in Upper Wharfedale, being occasionally met
with to an altitude of 1000 feet on the Ilkley Moors ; near
Pateley Bridge it has twice occurred, the last occasion being
in 1886 ; in the Harrogate district it was not uncommon
(1879-1885), though it is now very irregular and uncertain ;
the same remark is applicable to the Wetherby, Boston Spa,
Ripon and Eavestone districts, but at Cowthorpe, Wilstrop,
and Askham Bogs it is fairly numerous. In the East Riding
it is reported from near Hull and Sproatley in South Holder-
ness ; it is scarce and uncertain at Beverley, and has occurred
a good many times, but irregularly ; it is rare at Flamborough
where one was killed against the lantern during the night
migration in 1877, and a nest has been found on the cliff
tops. It occurs in most districts of the North Riding, not
a common nesting species, yet hardly to be considered very
rare ; near Pickering it is perhaps most abundant, and

96 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE.

is fairly common at Malton ; near Bedale it was formerly
numerous, but has decreased during the past two or three
years, and this state of things obtains in some other places ;
one or two pairs nest in the Sedbergh district, on the moor
edges ; in the Scarborough neighbourhood it is moderately
plentiful, and a few pairs breed near Whitby ; in Cleve-
land it nests scatteringly in a good many localities and
has been found within two or three miles of the town of
Middlesbrough ; formerly it was frequently heard along the
hedgerows bordering the sand-hills near Redcar ; of late,
however, it appears to have discontinued its visits to that
part and has not been noted for several years past. In
Tunstall's time it was known at Wycliffe-on-Tees, for he
states (MS. p. 107), " This bird is sometimes found in this
neighbourhood."

The Reports of the British Association Migration Committee
do not furnish much information respecting the movements
of this species, the only entry referring to this county being
the following : —

" On 12th September 1881, two were killed in the night
against the lantern of Spurn Lighthouse."
(Fourth Report, p. 33.)

The nest of the Grasshopper Warbler is generally most
craftily concealed and difficult to discover, so that perhaps
it may be commoner than is supposed to be the case ; the late
W. Talbot found one on the ground amongst rough grass, the
tops of which were drawn together so as to form a dome,
with an arched passage leading to the nest, and he states
that the bird ran amongst the grass like a rat. On 6th August
1884, a nest was discovered with four eggs, evidently a
second clutch, in a tuft of tussock grass, overshadowed with
bracken fern which hid it entirely from view, and the owner
threaded its way in and out in a similar manner to that
described by Talbot. In Wensleydale it has been found
on the moors near Carperby, and, as stated above, it has
been met with on the Ilkley and Sedbergh Moors.

There do not appear to be any truly vernacular names
used in Yorkshire, and the term, Sibilous Brakehopper,

K.

l^^jjf

HEDGE ACCENTOR. 97

said to be used at Doncaster (Neville Wood's Naturalist, 1837),
is but one of that author's fancy book-names.

[Dartford Warbler. Sylvia undata {Boddaert).

In Thomas Allis's Report, 1844, the following occurs : —

Melizophilus provincialis — Dartford Warbler. Said by W. Edison
to occur near Huddersfiield, the only Yorkshire locality.
(But it is crossed out.)

No faith is to be placed in the record of this species in
the Rivelin Valley by Dixon, quoted in the " Handbook of
Yorkshire Vertebrata," p. 21 ; and the alleged discovery of
a nest and eggs in Cleveland {Nat. 1896, p. 240), is, as Mr.
Charles Milburn tells me, open to the very gravest doubt ;
therefore, until more satisfactory evidence is forthcoming,
the bird must be expunged from the Yorkshire list.]

HEDGE ACCENTOR.

Accentor modularis (Z).

Resident ; generally distributed, there not being a district in the
county from which it is not reported ; common, except in moorland
localities. A spring and autumn migrant.

An early allusion, perhaps the earliest, to this species as
a Yorkshire bird is contained in the communication addressed
by Dr. Martin Lister to John Ray and dated York, February
8th 1675, where it is thus alluded to : " The Ciirrucca or
Hedge Sparrow, which I have often seen, lays sea-green
or pale blue eggs, which neatly emptied and wired, fair
ladies wear at their ears for pendants." (" Correspondence
of John Ray," p. 117.)

Thomas Allis, in 1844, wrote : —

Accentor modularis. — Hedge Sparrow.

As an abundant and familiar resident, the Hedge Sparrow,
for as such it is best known to Yorkshiremen, demands
but little attention. It is common or general in the wide-
spread localities affording the usual simple haunts of the
bird, namely gardens, shrubberies, and hedgerows ; though

VOL. I. H

98 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE.

in the dale and moorland districts of the county, where
stone walls are in vogue, and the habitations of man are
few and far between, it is not very abundant ; but it is
usually to be found where its requirements are existing ;
a great increase has been noted south of Sheffield during
the last few years.

As an immigrant from the Continent, however, it is
worthy of further consideration at our hands. A summer
visitant to northern Europe, seeking a southern winter abode,
the bird occurs, though in varying numbers, on our sea-board
in the autumn season, remaining through the winter, thus
making it much more numerous in localities near the coast
during these seasons than at other times.

In autumn it is often very common in the bean and turnip
fields near the coast ; sometimes solitary or in pairs, but
more frequently in small parties of twenty to thirty together.
Respecting the migratory movements of this species I feel
I cannot do better than quote the information bearing
thereon contained in the Reports of the Migration Committee
of the British Association : —

1880. October 17th. Very abundant at Spurn Head (p. 37)
1882. At Spurn and in east Lincolnshire great numbers
were observed during the first fortnight of
September.
Spurn, October 8th. Most abundant and on the
Lincolnshire coast at the same date in extra-
ordinary numbers. ... It may be stated that
their extraordinary abundance at Spurn and
in east Lincolnshire on October 8th corresponds
with the enormous flights which crossed
Heligoland at the same period, October 6th,
7th, and 8th, as reported to Mr. Cordeaux by
Herr Gatke (p. 33).
1884. Spurn, August 20th and through September.
Abundant at intervals. Tees L.V., 21st August.
Two, with a Linnet, Redbreast, and Titlark, on
board ; leaving to N.W. at 7 a.m. Spurn and
Great Cotes 25th and 26th. Swarming (p. 46).

HEDGE ACCENTOR.

99

Further observations indicate that in the years 1892,
1894, and 1898 great numbers were noted on migration.

From the above records it is to be inferred that the move-
ments of this species, both as regards numbers and constancy,
are somewhat irregular ; it is possible, however, that on
some occasions this unobtrusive bird may escape observation ;
but that it varies considerably numerically is beyond question.
A return passage is sometimes observed in March.

The ordinary period of nidification in Yorkshire usually
•commences early in April, and the young are hatched before
the end of that month. Instances are recorded of the nest
and eggs being found in December and January, the earliest
being on the 12th December 1879, ^^^.r Stokesley, as noted
by Mr. H. Kerr. A nest at Beverley {Zool. 1863, p. 8445),
contained four eggs on 4th January 1863. Mr. W. Eagle
Clarke has found eggs on the 15th of March, and a nest with
€ggs on the point of hatching on the 7th of April came under
his notice. There are also other instances in which singularly
early nests have been found in exceptionally mild seasons.
Although four to five is the usual number of eggs, Mr. Baldwin
Young sia.tes (in lit f.) it only lays three to four in his district
(Richmond Park, Sheffield), five very rarely. In the spring
of 1886 a nest with three partly incubated eggs was found
at Masham, the paucity of numbers being attributed to the
inclement weather. Mr. J. Ranson {Zool. 1864, p. 9036),
states that he took eighteen eggs from a Hedge Sparrow's
nest, by one at a time, always leaving a nest egg, and then
the nest was destroyed. An unusual locale for a colony,
if it may be so termed, of Hedge Sparrows, is amongst stacks
of pig-iron at Connel's Stores, Middlesbrough. There several
pairs of birds are established and nest in security. Colourless
examples of the eggs have occasionally been noticed.

Pale rufous varieties of the bird are on record, as observed
or captured in the county {op. cit. 1865, p. 9491 ; 1866, p. 29 ;
1877, p. 256). In the Leeds Museum is included an albino
specimen, found near that town in the winter of 1884 or 1885,
and the late J. Varley possessed an entirely black example
obtained at Almondbury Bank, near Huddersfield, on 14th

100 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE.

May 1865. Cream coloured specimens are noted at Scar-
borough [op. cit. 1883, p. 79), and Selby, on 30th January 1897 ;
and white ones at Selby, 1890, and Beverley, 1900.

The Hedge Accentor is one of the best known foster
parents of the Cuckoo, the colour of whose eggs is occasionally
assimilated to that of the fosterer ; and Mr. T. Stephenson,
of Whitby, informed me that he once found a Hedge Sparrow's
nest containing four of her own eggs and a cuckoo's, which
latter was a little larger and nearly the same colour as the
fosterer's.

I have observed that this bird will occasionally eat
grain scattered in a garden for the feeding of poultry,
and on these occasions is inclined to be very pugnacious,
sometimes driving away a bantam which disputed its right
to a meal.

Local names : Hedge Sparrow ; Dunnock ; Dicky
Dunnock, general ; Cuddy, general among schoolboys ; Billy
or Billy Hedge Sparrow, Doncaster ; Hedge Creeper, Thirsk
and Cleveland ; Shuffle Wings, Cleveland and Craven ; it
is also locally termed Hedge Warbler or Hedge Chanter ;
Cuddy Whooper is a name I have heard near Redcar, and
Hempie is a term mentioned by Swainson as used in Yorkshire.

ALPINE ACCENTOR.

Accentor collaris [Scopoli).

Accidental visitant from Central or Southern Europe.

Like the Rock Thrush, this bird affects the mountainous
districts of central and southern Europe, where it is, however,
a resident and only to be considered migratory in so far
as it passes the summer at considerable elevations and
descends into the valleys for the winter. From some cause
or another the Alpine Accentor occasionally finds its way
into Western Europe, and has on several occasions occurred
in the British Isles, and once in Yorkshire.

Nest of Hedge Accentor with a Cuckoo's Egg (top on left),

near Harrogate.

A'. Fortune.

See page lOO.

DIPPER. 10 1

The claim of this species to our attention as a York-
shire bird is in virtue of an occurrence at Scarborough,
during the winter of 1862-3. This specimen now forms part
of the collection of Mr. J. H. Gurney of Keswick Hall, Norwich,
where Mr. Wm. Eagle Clarke had the pleasure of seeing it.

It formerly had a place in the late W. W. Boulton's collec-
tion at Beverley ; and that gentleman communicated the
following account of it to the Zoologist (1863, p. 8766) : " On
the 22nd of August, at Mr. Roberts', bird stuffer, Scarborough,
I saw a fine female specimen of the Alpine Accentor which had
been shot near Scarborough. Last winter (1862-3) ^ poor
man offered for sale to Mr. Roberts a string of larks and small
birds he had shot. Mr. R. bought them and found this bird
amongst the number. I purchased it and it is now in my
collection."

I am informed by Mr. George Steels of Pocklington (1902),
that he stuffed an Alpine Accentor " many years ago," for
a gamekeeper named Wetherill, who had shot it at Waplington,
but my informant could not ascertain where the specimen
is now.

DIPPER.

Cinclus aquaticus {Bechst.).

Resident ; local ; common in the south-west and north-west, and
also in Cleveland ; rare in the East Riding.

Historically, so far as we know, the oldest Yorkshire
Water Ouzel is the one described by John Ray, which was
shot on the River Rivelin, near Sheffield (Will. '^Orn." 1678,
p. 149).

Thomas Allis, in 1844, wrote : —

Cinclus aquaticus. — Common Dipper — Rarely met with in the East
Riding, frequently seen on the mountain streams of the North and
West Ridings.

The Dipper is a common resident on the mountain becks
and rivers which abound in or traverse the Fell district of

102 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE.

north-western Yorkshire ; it also occurs, but less numerously,
on the streams of the south-western moorlands, and is fairly
common in suitable haunts among the hills of Cleveland,
It breeds regularly by the side of streams near the coast
between Loftus and Staithes, and in severe weather has
been seen among the rocks on the sea-shore. In these
extensive habitats the three hundred feet contour line may
be taken as defining the lower limit of the bird's distribution
in any considerable abundance, while below this elevation
it is sporadic down to as low as one hundred feet. It is a
strictly sedentary species, but when frost of unusual severity
and long duration render its subalpine home untenable,
owing to the ice-bound streams no longer affording food,
the Dipper descends to the lower reaches, and even then
seldom indeed moves further than necessary, though it has
once or twice been known to visit the polluted waters of the
manufacturing districts.

In the East Riding it is a very scarce species and is known
only in one or two localities ; it has bred at Stamford Bridge,
and has been met with near Pocklington, while a pair have
nested near Scampston annually for several years. The Rev.
F. 0. Morris shot a bird at Nunburnholme on the loth of
January 1856, which may have belonged to the Scandinavian
form, next to be described, but it was not preserved.

Amongst curious facts in the nidification of this species the
following is related by Mr. Henry Smurthwaite of Richmond
{Zool. 1859, p. 6561). " The nest was placed at the extreme
end of a Sand Martin's hole, which extended two feet in a
bank overhanging a stream, and the old bird was captured
on the nest, which contained five fresh eggs. Subsequently
it was dug out and was found to resemble much in shape
that of a Blackbird, but, as usual, was composed of moss
thickly lined with oak leaves, the dome, however, being
entirely wanting." Another remarkable case, where a pair
of Sand Martins usurped the nest of a Dipper, is vouched
for by Mr. Thomas Altham of Bashall Hall (see Sand Martin).
A nest is described (Morris's Nat. 1855, p. 268-9), which was
placed under a small railway bridge. Here five nests were

Dipper's nest, in usual situation. K. For/uiw.

See page 102.

BLACK-BELLIED DIPPER. 103

constructed by the same pair of birds in the spring of 1855,
from which no less than twenty- three eggs had been taken,
and on May the 15th the old bird was sitting on two more
eggs. A boulder in a stream has been utilised for a nesting
site ; another was between two beams of a sluice near
Masham [Zool. 1885, p. 25) ; and in 1901 a nest was built
behind the Dropping Well at Knaresborough, where every
time the old birds left or returned to their home they had to
fly through the falling water. Mr. G. A. Widdas found a
nest at Malham in 1903 placed in the centre of a small thorn
bush about two or three yards from the water's edge. At
Hartforth Hall, near Richmond, a Dipper was in the habit of
roosting nightly for several weeks on a window sill [Field,
20th October 1900). A nest of this species at Sedbergh
was ready for occupation on the 26th of February ; one at
Richmond contained three eggs as early as March the 15th,
and the earliest Yorkshire record for young birds is the 6th
of April, on Hambleton.

There are various local vernacular names. In Teesdale
it is Willy Fisher ; at Harewood the Water Drill ; at Settle
it is called Douk (whence no doubt the use of the word
in place-names) ; and at Loftus-in-Cleveland it is the White-
breasted Ouzel, and Water Blacky. Water Crow is a term
in general use, while Water Crake is the one used in
Willughby's " Ornithology," p. 149.

BLACK-BELLIED DIPPER.

Cinclus melanogaster (C. L. Brehni).

It is not within the province of this work to debate the
claims of this bird to specific rank. This much, however,
must be said for it, that it is a well marked climatic race —
one of those birds to which might be applied the trinomial
system of nomenclature so usefully employed by American
ornithologists for similar birds in North America, and by
whom this form would be styled Cinclus aquaticus melanogaster.

104 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE.

The Black-bellied Dipper is a common Scandinavian and
North Russian bird, and seems occasionally to wander across
the waters of the North Sea to eastern England. In our
own county it has hitherto only, and perhaps, obviously,
been noted in the vicinity of the coast, where in the East
Riding it has been obtained on four occasions ; twice during
the period of the autumn migration. Three of these birds
have passed into the hands of ornithologists, and, it is worthy
of note, have been examined by experts, and pronounced
to be true melanogaster. The following are the particulars
of the occurrences : —

One procured on a drain at Welwick on the 24th of October
1874, was recorded by Mr. F. Boyes {Zool. 1877, p. 53) ; this
specimen is now in the York Museum.

In the same journal (1876, p. 4871), Mr. F. Boyes again
records as a Black-bellied Dipper one obtained by a man
named Priestman on the River Hull at Beverley, on the 29th
of October 1875.

The Rev. Julian G. Tuck mentions in the Field (January
1876, p. 22) one taken at Flotmanby, near Filey, on the 8th
of December 1875.

In the collection of Mr. J. H. Gurney is a specimen which
occurred near Bridlington, and was purchased by him of the
late Mr. Jones, taxidermist, of Bridlington Quay.

BEARDED TITMOUSE.
Panurus biarmicus (Z.).

Casual visitant ; of very rare occurrence.

The Bearded Tit or Reedling, as it is usually designated,
is resident on the broads of Norfolk, the nearest locality to
Yorkshire where it is to be met with, and it is not uncommon
on the reed-beds of Holland and other portions of the
Continent, but as it is a sedentary species it is most likely
that the stragglers, reported in parts of England other than

'-0

BEARDED TITMOUSE. 105

the neighbourhood of its nesting haunts, are native birds
and not migrants. It is somewhat remarkable that of the
earHer records of this species appertaining to Yorkshire no
example has actually been obtained, and, owing to this unsatis-
factory condition of affairs, its status is of a very uncertain
character.

Thomas Allis, in 1844, wrote : —

Calamophilus biarmicus. — Bearded Tit — The only notice I have of
this bird is from Wm. Eddison who says, ' It is not very common near
Huddersfield. I do not recollect to have seen more than three or
four living specimens. I had a dispute with a collector, who asserted
they were common, but those he saw proved to be the long-tailed
and not the bearded."

Mr. Mark Booth of Killerby recorded {Zool. 1845, p. 1135)
that he " observed a fine male close to Kirkleatham Hospital,
three or four years ago."

A more interesting statement was made by Charles
Waterton, who informed Mr. A. J. More that a pair once
built by the side of the lake at Walton Hall [Ibis, 1865) ;
and it is also reported to have occurred at Scarthingwell
(J. Chaloner MS. 1880).

Of these three occurrences Waterton's is the only one
on which any reliance can be placed, and his residence, Walton
Hall, is the most northerly point in the British Isles at which
this species can with certainty be said to have occurred.

Mr. Kenneth McLean sends the following report to the
Naturalist (1901, p. 230) : — " On 28th June 1901, by the
side of Hornsea Mere, my attention was attracted by a soft
musical ' tweet ' amongst the rushes, which was new to me.
.... Eventually I chmbed into a stunted tree, and, after
remaining perfectly still for some time, was rewarded by
seeing a pair of old Bearded Reedlings and at least three
young ones. ... I watched them for ten minutes or more,
the soft rich colouring, especially of the old male, blending
beautifully with the light green of the reeds and grasses by
which they were surrounded. They were shy, retiring quickly
down amongst the plants when alarmed, but still they did not
seem to be particularly wild, as they came quite near to me."

io6
LONG-TAILED TITMOUSE.

Acredula caudata (/..).

Resident ; generally distributed ; fairly common. More frequently
in evidence in autumn and winter.

There can be no doubt that the nest described in 1713
by Dr. Richardson of North Bierley in Yorkshire, as that of
the Goldcrest, was referable to the Long-tailed Tit, and
consequently this may be taken as the first reference to this
bird's connection with the county. (" Philosophical Transac-
tions," Vol. xxviii., p. 167.)

Thomas Allis, in 1844, wrote : —

Parus caudatus. — Long-tailed Tit — Frequent in most parts of the
county. R. Leyland observes that on the ist January 1837, a small
flock was observed in one of the streets in Halifax, the weather being
intensely cold.

During the breeding season, which lasts from March to
July, the Long-tailed Titmouse is rather locally distributed,
being then usually found in the old wooded districts ; if the
Marsh Tit be excepted, it is perhaps the rarest of the family
which breeds with us, and it appears to be decreasing in the
East Riding. Throughout the rest of the year it is more
widely diffused, owing to its wandering proclivities, and
may be met with in localities where it is unknown as a breeder,
while there seems to be an influx of new comers from the
north of our islands in October, which makes the species
more common in the winter months. Although at times
it may be seen among the roaming flocks of other Tits,
Creepers, and small birds, in autumn and winter, most
observers agree that they explore the woods in family
parties, or sometimes in flocks ; I noticed very large
numbers while shooting in Grinkle Woods in January 1902.
The instance mentioned by Thomas Allis (see above),; of
a party of these birds being met with in the streets of
Halifax is not unique, as, during the winter of 1854-55, a
flock of nine was seen flying through the streets of

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M-l-^'JP'^L'.'*^'

LONG-TAILED TITMOUSE. 107

Middlesbrough, an event extremely unlikely to happen at
the present time.

The earliest date on which nidification has commenced
in the county is the 14th of March, when a nest ready for
eggs was found at Hovingham in 1872. A nest at Roche
Abbey in 1879 was placed inside an old home of a Magpie,
which the Tits had lined with moss and hchens. The nesting
eccentricities of the Paridae are well known, and this bird's
peculiarity lies in the direction of an occasional departure
from the regular habit which apportions one pair of birds
to one home. The late James Carter mentioned the finding of
a nest at Masham, in April 1876, containing three inmates,
all old birds, which he had considerable difficulty in ejecting
in order to count the eggs, fifteen in number. As early as
1829 (Loudon's Magazine of Natural History, 1830, p. 568),
there is an account of a Long-tailed Tit's nest with young,
near Clitheroe, which had no less than seven old birds in
attendance ; and in the Zoologist (1849, p. 2567), Mr. H.
Horsfall mentioned a similar instance. In each case nearly
all the birds were captured, and died in confinement, except-
ing one that was released and returned to rear the brood.
Mr. Horsfall also recorded {torn, cit.) another occurrence where
nine birds assisted to build a nest, while two used to sit
upon the eggs.

The local names are : Bottle Tit, general ; Bottle Jug,
North and East Ridings ; Miller's Thumb, Nidd Valley ;
Mealy Miller's Thumb, Lower Wharfe ; Long-tailed Tom
and Long-tailed Pie, Loftus-in-Cleveland ; Tom Piper,
central Ryedale ; Featherpoke, North and East Ridings ;
Feathersack, Northallerton ; and Hedge Featherpoke, Don-
caster, 1848.

An example of the white-headed, or Continental form of
the Long-tailed Tit is reported as having been seen, in company
with birds of the ordinary British type, on March i8th 1905,
near Kirkham Abbey [op. cit. 1906, p. 149).

io8
GREAT TITMOUSE.

Parus major {£.).

Resident ; commonly distributed. Autumn migrant, sometimes
in considerable numbers.

The earliest published Yorkshire reference to the Great
Tit is contained in Graves's " Cleveland," 1808, where it is
enumerated in the list of resident birds.

Thomas Allis wrote in 1844 : —

Parus major. — Great Titmouse — Common in most districts.

Second in numbers only to the Blue Tit, this species is
one of the most abundant and familiar inhabitants of the
woods and gardens ; except in the bleak moorland districts
it is found in every locality affording the requirements for
its existence, and, consequently, does not require further
notice as to its distribution.

As a migrant, however, it deserves more attention, for
in the autumn there is occasionally a considerable arrival
on the east coast, and this was noticeably the case during
the latter part of October in 1878, at which time most
unusual numbers appeared, and it was very abundant after
a severe storm on October the 30th, in company with Blue
Tits and Wrens, both at Spurn and Teesmouth, this movement
corresponding with a similar migration at Heligoland ; a
distinct increase on the coast line was observable also in 1883,
1884, 1886, and 1889. In the Migration Reports there is
only one entry relating to its appearance at the light stations,
viz. : — 1886, November ist, " Spurn, P. major, very common "
(p. 32). At Redcar I have often seen these little birds newly
arrived ; a large flight occurred in September 1889, and
another on 14th September 1901, though not in such numbers
as in 1878. At Spurn they are frequently noted in autumn,
usually in mid-September and October, and the birds seen
then are cleaner and brighter looking than residents ; both
this and the Blue Tit have been known to alight on vessels
in the North Sea during migration.

This species is insectivorous and a well-known enemy of

Great Tit's in old wall.

R. Fcrtune.

See fage loS.

COAL TITMOUSE. 109

the apiculturalist ; Mr. F, Boyes narrates a rather pecuhar
instance of one being killed by the bees whose hive it had
visited once too often, on bee-murder intent ; a trap being
set, it was caught by the leg, and the infuriated inhabitants
of the hive revenged themselves by stinging it to death before
Mr. Boyes could effect its rescue. In the Rectory garden at
Ripley, in 1902, the Rev. W. T. Travis shewed me some
hives where the Great Tits had actually broken their way
in to feed on the inmates. These birds have been known also
to attack wasps and destroy their nest. (Nat. 1889, p. 333.)

Like its Blue cousin, this bird sometimes makes use of
curious nesting sites, and of these one or two examples will
suffice to illustrate this phase in its character. One, recorded
by Mr. W. H. St. Ouintin at Scampston, was in the cup of
a deserted Blackbird's nest ; another was found near York
under a flower-pot on the carcases of a rat and a hedgehog
{Zool. 1882, p. 353) ; and I am enabled to figure one superposed
on the nest of a Thrush built in a cluster of honeysuckle, at
Bilton Banks, near Harrogate, in 1902, and photographed
by Mr. R. Fortune.

Local names : Greater Tit, Tom Tit, Billy Biter, Oxeye,
and Blackcap are in general use ; it is Black-capped Billy
in the West Riding ; and Greater Billy Bluecap in Nidderdale ;
Saw-whetter at Ackworth ; and Saw-whet at Eavestone,
near Ripon.

COAL TITMOUSE.

Parus ater (/..).

Resident ; common, generally distributed in suitable localities,
except in West Yorkshire, where it is local in summer.

The earliest allusion to the Coal Tit in connection with
this county is found in a communication from Dr. Sherard,
the eminent botanist, to Walter Moyle, a Cornishman and
ornithologist of eminence. It is dated " London, May 10,
1720," and runs as follows : — " Sir, .... Having received
a letter from my old friend, Dr. Richardson of North Bierley

no THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE.

in Yorkshire .... He sent me also Parus ater, as generally
thought, tho' it does not agree with Gesner's short description."
(The Works of Walter Moyle, Esq., 1726.)

Thomas Allis, in 1844, wrote : —

Parus ater. — Cole Tit — It is not infrequent in most woody districts.

Although not so numerous as the Great and Blue Tit,
the present species is, on the whole, fairly common and
generally met with, except in remote south-west and north-
west portions of the West Riding, where it is to a certain
extent local during the breeding season, though more
generally distributed, or perhaps more in evidence, during
the autumn and winter, when it consorts with other small
birds which rove through the woods in search of food.

The favourite haunts of this bird are fir plantations,
and in both summer and winter it is almost always to be found
in these localities, even in the highest situations.

Owing to the scarcity of suitable nesting holes in the
pine and fir woods in north-west Cleveland I have noticed
that it occasionally excavates a hollow in the old nests of
Magpies or Squirrels and, lining the inside with wool, hair, and
other nesting materials, utilises the lofty site for its home. In
woods at a lower elevation a hole in a tree, in a rotten stump,
or in the ground, is usually selected, but this Tit, like the
others of its family, often resorts to peculiar dwelling places.

The two extreme varieties of this bird have been accorded
specific rank by some systematists of the present day ; the
olive-brown backed form being styled P. britaiinicus (Sharpe
and Dresser), while the continental race, with slate-grey back,
retains the name bestowed on the species by Linnaeus, viz.,
P. ater ; but, as gradations between these two forms occur
in the British Isles, I consider the best course is to treat
our bird as an insular form of the continental species.

The latter is said by the late J. Cordeaux to be an
occasional straggler to our coast in autumn (Cordeaux MS.
Nat. 1896, p. 8 ; 1899, p. 24), but I am not aware of any
evidence in support of this statement.

Its local names are Blackcap, or Little Blackcap, and
Tom Tit, in use in the North and West Ridings.

Open nest of Great Tit, built on an old Song Thrush's nest in a
clump of woodbine.

R. Fortune.

See page 109.

Ill
MARSH TITMOUSE.

Parus palustris (L.).

Resident ; fairly numerous, but rather locally distributed.

Probably the first mention of this bird in Yorkshire is
contained in the appendix to Graves's " History of Cleveland "
(1808), in which it is enumerated in the list of birds.

Thomas Allis, in 1844, wrote : —

Parus palustris. — Marsh Tit. Wm. Eddison states this to be
migratory near Huddersfield, and not very common ; it is frequently
met with in most parts of the county, though less common than the
three preceding species (Great, Blue,* and Coal Tits).

Generally speaking the Marsh Titmouse is scarcer and
more locally distributed than the preceding species. It is
more retiring than its congeners in its habits during the
nesting season, and seems partial to the combination of
woodlands and water, particularly in river valleys and places
where brushwood is found, and low growing trees afford
suitable sites for the nest.

There does not appear to be any instance of the Marsh
Titmouse as an immigrant at the coast, and the accession
to its numbers, usually noted in the fall of the year, is
probably caused by birds roaming further afield in search
of food during the autumn and winter months.

Though generally speaking an insect feeder it has a
" penchant " for Indian corn when obtainable. At Burton
House, Masham, a bird of this species used to feed almost
wholly on this grain, which was thrown out for the poultry
during the winter of 1883, and would fly down from a tree,
select a piece and return to its perch, then, after biting out
the softer centre of the corn, drop the remainder. In time
the ground beneath the tree became quite strewn with the

* In the order observed by the B.O.U. list, and followed in this work,
the Blue Tit is placed after the Marsh Tit, and does not precede it as
in Allis's list.

112 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE.

discarded fragments (James Carter MS.). At Kirkleatham,
near Redcar, during the winter of 1901-2, three Marsh Tits
used to feed with the Pheasants upon the corn thrown out
in front of the keeper's lodge. (See also Mr. F. Boyes's
remarks on a similar habit observed in connection with the
Blue Tit, p. III.)

Local names are : — Blackcap and Tom Tit (general) ; and
Blackcap Titmouse (Hinderwell's "Scarborough").

BLUE TITMOUSE.

Parus casruleus (Z.).

Resident; generally distributed; common. Regular autumn migrant.

The first allusion to this bird in Yorkshire is contained in
the Tunstall MS. : — " We have plenty of the others (Titmice),
particularly the Blue." (Fox's " Synopsis," p. 75.)

Thomas Allis, 1844, wrote :—

Parus cesruleus. — Blue Tit — Also common.

This familiar species, the commonest of its family, is
generally distributed in the woodlands, fields, and hedgerows,
and, as may be expected, is most abundant in the more
wooded portions of the county, but even in the higher moorland
districts it is by no means uncommon in the fall of the year,
as the wandering parties of this and other small birds visit
almost every hedge, wood, and town and city garden in the
autumn and winter months, although they may be absent
in the nesting season.

Great arrivals take place on the east coast in the autumn,
generally accompanied by their larger relative, the Great Tit,
and at the times of migration, from mid-September to mid-
November, the hedgerows near the coast swarm with these
little clean-coloured individuals. In 1878 there was a great
influx during the last fortnight in October, which corresponded
with a similar " rush " at Heligoland {Zool. 1879, p. 44) ;

to

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BLUE TITMOUSE. 113

another heavy migration took place in 1889 ; and on 14th
September 1901, there was a great arrival at Redcar, where
I have noticed it in most seasons in autumn, though not in
such abundance as in 1878.

The Migration Reports contain entries from Spurn,
Flamborough, Whitby, and Teesmouth, relating to its
occurrence in October, while in the Report for 1883 (p. 40)
one is noted as having struck the glass at Flamborough
Lighthouse on April 3rd.

Inland the Blue Tit has been seen settled on such unusual
places as house tops in the centre of large towns during the
early mornings in October, which is significant of its being
newly arrived, and at this period it may also be frequently
observed in the trees right in the heart of our busiest towns.

This species is classed by fruit-growers among the
" undesirables " in a garden at the time of harvest, and
the damage caused by it, particularly to the best varieties
of pears, is too often beyond computation. Mr. F. Boyes
bears eloquent testimony to the destruction wrought by these
little creatures to the choicest kinds of pears in his garden
at Beverley, and the same observer, so long ago as 1877,
records the propensity of this bird for feeding on Indian corn
in a similar manner to the Marsh Tit, described by the late
James Carter under the heading of the latter species. (See
Zool. 1875, p. 4298.)

The peculiar situations chosen for nesting purposes have
brought this bird into prominence in this respect, beyond
any other British species ; a hole in a tree trunk or branch
is the most usual site, but often they make use of holes in
walls, railings, or gate-posts, street lamps, pumps, and letter-
boxes, and the newspapers every year contain paragraphs
recording " Tom Tits " nesting in these odd places. At
Gunnergate, near Middlesbrough, a Blue Tit laid nine eggs in a
Blackbird's nest placed high up in a spruce fir, in May 1901 ;
the Blackbird's eggs had been taken a week or two previously,
and the Tits had lined the nest with wool and hair before
laying. At Kirkleatham, near Redcar, a nest was foimd
in 1902 containing twenty-four eggs, and in this instance

VOL. I. I

114 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE.

also the birds had utilised an old nest placed at the foot
of a tree. Yet another strange site was a crevice in the
jaw-bone of a whale used as a gate-post on the road leading
from Bempton village to the cliffs, a road traversed by
ornithologists from all over the country ; here a brood was
hatched in 1901, ere the nest was discovered, and in 1902
I found the owner of the gateway had sawn down the bone
arch [Nat. 1901, p. 256).

An instance of three old birds feeding a brood of young
at Boroughbridge is mentioned by Mr. Holtby [torn. cit. p. 282)

The only recorded example of a departure from the
ordinary plumage was mentioned by the late Rev. J. Chaloner
of Newton Kyme, who saw one in 1892 " coloured as yellow
as a canary " {op. cit. 1892, p. 215).

Of local names Blue Cap, Tom Tit, Billy Biter, Billy Blue
Cap, and Jacky Blue Cap are general ; Little Billy Bluecap
and Blue Bonnet are used in the West Riding ; Bluey at
Scarborough ; Twitty Blue in Wharf edale ; Jenny Wren in
Craven ; and Titinaup in the Aire Valley (fifty years ago).

CRESTED TITMOUSE.
Parus cristatus {L).

Accidental visitant, of very rare occurrence.

In Great Britain the Crested Tit is confined to the woods
on Speyside, Scotland ; it breeds in the low country of Holland
and elsewhere on the Continent.

It is of very rare occurrence in this county, though an
early reference is made to it by that old ornithologist, W.
Lewin, who remarked so long ago as 1797, " It has been
killed in Scotland and also in Yorkshire." (" Brit. Birds,"
Vol. iv., p. 46.)

Thomas A His thus alluded to it in 1844 : —

Parus cristatus. — Crested Tit. My friend J. Heppenstall states
that one was seen in a garden at Thorne.

In addition to the occurrences mentioned by Lewin and

NUTHATCH. 115

Allis (above), four examples are said to have been actually
obtained, and if this be correct these birds must either
have been wanderers from the Scottish forests, or, what is
more probable, individuals which have straggled across the
North Sea from the Continent, with other small migrants.
The particulars relating to those which have been preserved,
so far as it is possible to obtain details, are : —

Whitby, one, March 1872, on the Newton House estate,
and now in the Whitby local museum. Mr. T. Stephenson
states that Parker (formerly the keeper at Newton House,
where larch j)lantations are plentiful) saw the bird in both
summer and winter. (Stephenson, MS. and Zool. 1872,
p. 3021).

Thirsk, one taken to Mr. Robert Lee, who preserved it
*' many years ago." (Lee, MS. 1880.)

It is unfortunate that full details respecting these
specimens are not available.

The reported occurrences of this bird in March 1870,
and August 1887, near Bradford and Keighley, mentioned
in the " Vertebrate Fauna of Yorkshire " (p. 24), and in the
Naturalist (1888, p. 15), are, as I am informed by Mr. E. P.
Butterfield, not authenticated by subsequent investigation.*

NUTHATCH.

Sitta C£esia ( Wolf).

Resident ; local ; not at all numerous ; chiefly conflned to old
timbered parks.

The earliest reference to this bird in connection with York-
shire is contained in a communication from Ralph Johnson
of Brignall, near Greta Bridge, to John Ray, in 1678, thus : —

" The Nuthatch or Nut- Jobber — Piciis cincreus — She hath

* Those interested in the occasional appearance in England of the
Crested Tit would do well to peruse Mr. J. H. Gurney's article on this
subject in the Zoologist (1890, p. 210), and Naturalist (1891, p. 116).

ii6 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE.

not a long tongue as the other [the Woodpecker kind] because
she feeds not on Cossi as they do, but on other insects, and
especially on nut-kernels. It is a pretty sight to see her
fetch a nut out of her hoard, place it in a chink and then
stand over it with her head downward, strike it with all her
might, and breaking the shell, catch up the kernel. The
feathers of her tail are not stiff and pointed, because her
motion is rather down than up trees ; nor hath she two
hind toes, but the inner toe is separated a little from the
middle, and falls somewhat across (as in the Owl kind)
whereby she can support herself in any motion. Her voice
is very shrill. Mr. Johnson." (Willughby " Orn." 1678, p. 23.)
Thomas Allis, 1844, wrote : —

Sitta europcea. — European Nuthatch — By no means common.
J. and W. Tuke report that it breeds at Castle Howard ; scarce near
Leeds, but is met with at Scarcroft and Harewood Bridge ; it is rare
at Sheffield ; it occurs near Doncaster, and is frequently met with in
the Stainborough Woods at Wentworth Castle, the seat of Thos. T. V.
Wentworth, Esq.

This interesting little bird is very local, somewhat irregular
in its distribution, and nowhere very common. In the
southern portions of the county it is a scarce species, though
formerly abundant in Stainborough Park, near Barnsley,
where it is still known. Near Sheffield, Doncaster, Ackworth,
and several other localities it is occasionally met with
and nests very sparingly. In the central districts it has
undoubtedly increased in numbers and become more widely
distributed in recent years ; it nests in the neighbourhood
of Leeds, and in the valleys of the Nidd and Lower Wharfe
it is fairly numerous ; it breeds annually at Plumpton,
Newton Kyme, AUerton Park, Rudding Park, Ribston
Park, Knaresborough, Harrogate, Ripley, Harewood, the
Washburn valley, and other well timbered districts, where
it can obtain suitable nesting trees ; it is also found at
Eavestone and at Studley Park. In the north-west it is
extremely rare, though it has been noticed at Bolton-by-
Bowland.

It occurs fairly regularly round York, as at Moreb}' and

'/

Whales Jaw-bones near Bempton, nesting place of Blue Tit.

Aftcy a Dialling by 11'. Woodhonsc, fioin a Photo by E. C. roller.

See p(tgc 1 1 4.

NUTHATCH. 117

Skelton, breeding most years. At Creyke there were a few
pairs ten or twelve years ago and probably are still. Mr.
J. Backhouse has once observed it in the York nurseries.
One of its headquarters in the North Riding used to be
Castle Howard, where it was an abundant nester, though
now it is not so common there ; it is frequent at Hovingham,
and in the valley of the Rye, near Helmsley, Rievaulx, and
Hawnby, also at Leckby Carr and Masham, in Wensleydale,
Bedale, Copgrove, and Bolton Woods, though scarce near
Richmond, Thirsk, and Northallerton. In Cleveland it nests
in several of the preserved woods and parks, notably
at Wilton and Saltburn ; a few years ago it was fairly
numerous at Grinkle Park, but has greatly decreased in
numbers. It has occurred at Whitby, and is a rare resident
near Scarborough.

So long ago as 1780 Tunstall mentioned a specimen taken
in a little wood near his house at Wycliffe-on-Tees, where
he stated they were very frequent. (Timst. MS. p. 61.)

It is of very rare occurrence in the East Riding and is
restricted to one or two localities. In Scampston Park
there were six pairs until 1894-5, and for several years two
pairs breeding ; until 1890 they nested in an elm tree, and
the last time they were observed they were building in a beech
tree on the lawn. At Kirby Underdale, near Pocklington,
a pair bred a few years ago, the male bird being afterwards
shot and preserved.

A very interesting reference to the Nuthatch is mentioned
in a letter entitled " General Observations in Natural History,
made at North Bierley in Yorkshire, by Dr. R. Richardson,"
as foUows : — " The Nuthatch or Nut- jobber is not frequently
to be met with in the South, yet is so common with us that
I have sometimes seen six or seven of them in one day in my
own woods. ... I have with much pleasure often observed
these Birds to crack nuts, which they do with very great
dexterity. I ordered one of my servants that was with
me in a wood last Christmas to observe from whence she
fetched her provision ; which he soon discovered in a hollow
tree, and cutting the place open, brought from thence

ii8 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE.

several pints of very choice nuts." (Phil. Trans. Vol. xxviii.,
1713, p. 167.)

The only names other than its ordinary appellation are
Wood Cracker, at Doncaster, and Nut Jobber at North
Bierley (1678).

WREN.
Troglodytes parvulus {Koch).

Resident ; common ; generally distributed. Spring and autumn
migrant.

The earliest published reference to this bird is in a letter
from Dr. Richardson, about the year 17 13, entitled " Several
Observations in Natural History, made at North Bierley in
Yorkshire," which contains an allusion to the Common Wren.
(" Phil. Trans." Vol. xxviii., p. 167.)

Thomas A His, in 1844, reported as follows : —

Troglodytes vulgaris. — The Wren — Common in most districts,
though near Huddersfield Wm. Eddison states that it is not so frequent
as in lower and warmer districts.

This familiar and favourite little bird is found more or
less commonly in every locality where its simple requirements
are met with, from the dwellings of civilized beings to the
opposite extreme, in the high moorland districts, where it
has been known to nest to an elevation of iioo feet, and
its loud notes may even be heard right out on the bleak moors.

Although for the most part resident, considerable numbers
migrate to our shores in autumn, especially at Spurn, where
they were very abundant in October 1870, and they usually
arrive in that month with easterly winds, but in some years
they are later and do not put in an appearance until November
or December ; in 1881 the migration extended over eighty
days, from July the 17th, at Flamborough, where several
remained round the lantern during the night, to October
the 4th.

At the Teesmouth they are sometimes seen on migration,

WREN, 119

though never in large numbers, with the exception of October
1899, when they swarmed on the sand-hills and sea-walls
for a day or two, but, like other small migrants, they remain
only a short time, being here one day and gone the next.
(See Migration Reports.) At the light stations they are
regular visitors in autumn, and on the vernal passage are
observed from March until May, but with less frequency
and in much smaller numbers at the latter period ; their
occurrence on vessels in the North Sea is by no means
uncommon.

Although March to April is the usual time for nesting,
the eggs have been found as early as February the 9th, in
1874, at Barnsley, and a late date is noted at Beverley, where
newly hatched young were seen on October 9th 1902. Very
odd sites are often chosen for the nest : Charles Waterton
in 1847 recorded one in the coils of a rope hung up against a
tree in Walton Park ; one made within the nest of a Swallow
is mentioned in Neville Wood's Naturalist, in 1837 5 and
at Fewston in May 1903, I saw a similar case of usurpation,
a pair of Wrens having built for two years in succession and
reared their young in a shed where they utilised a Swallow's
nest which they domed over ; but the most curious building
place I have known of was in the carcass of a Crow, hung up
on a keeper's museum near Winestead, in Holderness, where
the parent bird was sitting on three eggs when discovered by
Mr. Potter on 19th May 1902.

The confiding nature of our little bird ensures its protection,
as it does that of the equally well-known and homely Red-
breast, and Yorkshire folk-lore associates the two in story
and verse, as exemplified by the familiar couplets : —

" The Robin and the Wren

Are God Almighty's Cock and Hen,

Him that harries their nest

Never shall his soul have rest ; "

a similar idea of sacredness being felt for the species under
notice as for her supposed mate.

It has been observed that the individuals seen on the
coast in October appear to belong to a slightly larger race

120 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE.

than the bird of our gardens, and Mr. E. P. Butterfield
informs me that he has on one or two occasions observed this
large form in autumn, on the moors near Bingly.

Its local names are somewhat numerous : Jenny Wren,
Tom Tit, and Kitty are general ; Jenner Hen is given as
general by Johnson {Zool. 1848) ; the name is pronounced
Jenny Wa-ren about Doncaster (Hawley, op. cit. 1849) ; Jinties
is used at Barnsley ; Tommy Tit and Tricker at Thirsk ;
Tommy in the Nidd Valley ; Peggy about Huddersfield ;
Stump-tail about Staithes and Loftus-in-Cleveland ; Chitty at
Sedbergh ; and Runt at Skelmanthorpe, near Huddersfield.

CREEPER.
Certhia familiaris (/^).

Resident ; generally distributed in woodland localities, parks, and
orchards, but nowhere very numerous.

The first published mention of this bird in Yorkshire
is contained in Graves's " Cleveland " (1808), where it is
enumerated amongst the residents.

Thomas Allis, 1844, wrote : —

Certhia familiaris. — The Common Creeper — Met with in most parts
of the county, though not very numerous anywhere. R. Leyland
remarks that the old walls so frequent in the neighbourhood of Halifax
as fences form, in the absence of hollow trees, convenient building places
for this species.

The above account of the Creeper as given by Allis in
1844 holds good at the present time, and from every part
of the county it is reported as being found in the wooded
portions, but nowhere abundantly. Being a bird of the
woodlands it is, of course, uncommon in the higher moorland
districts, although it breeds in all the upper dales where
suitable woods exist. After the nesting season, and during
the winter months, it is more in evidence, as it commonly
associates with the roaming bands of Titmice and Goldcrests
in their search for food through hedgerow and wood, when
its mouse-like appearance as it runs up the trees may be

()5

PIED WAGTAIL, I2i

more conveniently observed than in the summer months
when the foliage screens it from view.

Although not classed among the regular migrants it is
not improbable that this species does occasionally cross the
North Sea in autumn ; an entry relating to its occurrence
at Spurn on August 14th 1885 appears in the Seventh
Migration Report, p. 42, and on the ist November 1889,
two examples, male and female, were shot at Easington
Lane End, where it meets the coast line. {Nat. 1890, p. 10.)

Of local names, the book-name, Tree Creeper, is in general
use ; at Barnsley it is recorded as being named Creepy-tree,
and as Jinties {Nat. 1853, p. 201) ; at Marton-in-Cleveland
it is called Little Woodpecker.

PIED WAGTAIL.

Motacilla lugubris {Temminck.).

Resident in small numbers, also summer visitant ; generally
distributed and common from March to September. Occurs in great
numbers on the coast in spring and autumn.

The first allusion to this Wagtail as a Yorkshire bird is
a quotation in Willughby's " Ornithology " from Ralph
Johnson of Brignall, near Greta Bridge (a friend and correspon-
dent of the celebrated John Ray), under the heading of " White
Wagtail," but it is evident that the pied kind is meant : —

"Water Wagtails. The White, Motacilla alba. This comes
every seed time and follows the plowman, and is therefore by
him called the Seed Bird. Mr. Johnson." (Will. " Orn." 1678,
pp. 7, 237.) See also Montagu's Ornithological Dictionary,
p. 361.

Thomas Allis, 1844, wrote : —

Motacilla yarrellii. — Common Wagtail — Common in most parts.
Few remain during winter.

It is somewhat difficult to avoid controversy in defining
the faunistic status of this bird ; perhaps it maj^ be best
described as a summer visitor, with the adjoinder that in
the more sheltered parts a small proportion remain throughout

122 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE.

winter. That accomplished ornithologist and Yorkshireman,
Marmaduke Tunstall, made an early reference to its wintering
in the county, thus : — " Have seen not unfrequently in the
north of Yorkshire, in the middle of winter, as well as the
Grey. Saw one this year January 8th, in a very hard frost
and snow." (Tunst. MS. 1783, p. 71.)

During the summer months it is a common and generally
distributed bird, being the most widely diffused of our
Motacillidae, but in the higher portions of the Shire, and
particularly in the west and north-west, it is generally reported
as being absent in winter. Even in the low-lying districts,
and at the coast-line, the numbers met with between November
and February are very few in comparison with the hosts
which come in March and April, and depart in August and
September. Very noticeable features of our coast migration
are the vernal and autumnal movements of this bird ; in
late February or early March, the first arrivals take place,*
in pairs or small parties, and up to the latter part of April
the migration of Pied Wagtails is an ordinary event to be
looked for in an early morning's walk along the shore. A large
migratory flock was observed in Wharfedale in March 1879.
In August and September the return passage commences,
and at the estuaries of the Tees and Humber large assemblies
are daily to be seen in readiness to depart. Should the wind
be favourable, by noon the greater portion have passed on.
The Migration Reports contain frequent entries, too numerous
for mention in detail, of its appearance, in both spring and
autumn, at all the Yorkshire coast stations.

Nidification in the higher localities commences a little
later than in the lowlands, and not infrequently the birds
make choice of peculiar situations for the nest ; amongst
these may be mentioned a railway truck, a cowshed, and a
hollow can, while a most curious instance is mentioned in
the Zoologist (1863, p. 8844), of a pair near York usurping
a nest in an unused chimney that had been occupied for

* So regular is their return in spring, when bean-sowing commences,
as to give rise to a local proverb in North Yorkshire, " Sow beans when
the Wagtail returns."

WHITE WAGTAIL. 123

some years by a pair of Swallows, and in spite of endeavours
to dislodge them they retained possession and reared their
young. On the Wolds of the East Riding a favourite site
for nesting is in the chalk-pits.

Vernacular names are — Water Wagtail and Black and
White Wagtail (general) ; Seed Bird (Willughby, 1678 ; and
in Wharfedale) ; Watterty or Watterty-wag (Huddersfield
district) ; Willy Wagtail (Thirsk and East Riding) ; Water
Waggy (Cleveland) ; Peggy Dish-wash (North Riding) ;
Bessie Ducker (Huddersfield).

WHITE WAGTAIL.
Motacilla alba (Z.).

Bird of passage in spring, of uncommon occurrence.

The first published reference to the White Wagtail in
Yorkshire is contained in the Zoologist (1848, p. 2229), where
J. S. Webb recorded having seen a single bird close to York
on July the 13th of that year.

Although there are comparatively few early records of
this bird, which is the Continental form of our common
Pied species, there is every reason to believe that it has been
overlooked, and is a regular though scarce visitor on spring
migration, its appearance usually coinciding with the arrival
of the bulk of the Pied Wagtails in April. The first Yorkshire
notice is that by J. S. Webb quoted above. Seven years
subsequently the late Alfred Roberts {op. cit. 1855, p. 4631)
reported one shot at Deepdale near Scarborough on 23rd
January 1855, which, if correct, is the only winter occurrence
that I am aware of. In 1866 a pair were noticed in company
with Pied Wagtails on the banks of the Calder, on March
the 25th, while a second pair were met with on Brierly Common
where the nest is said to have been found (" Birds of Wake-
field," 1876) ; and Thos. Lister recorded an example in May
1874, near Huddersfield. On the river Wharfe, near Bolton
Abbey, the White Wagtail was noted on 12th April 1879,

124 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE.

and in the Aire Valley on the 9th of the same month in 1905.
One was caught near Leeds about 1880, and it is recorded
from Gisburn on i8th April 1881 (Vertebrate Fauna of
Yorkshire, p. 25). In more recent years it has been met
with near Pontefract on 3rd June 1893 ; it is also reported
to be a summer visitor in the Wakefield district. Near
Huddersfield it has been noticed occasionally near the Kilner
Bank ; at Harrogate in the spring of 1900 ; and several were
observed in the Sedbergh neighbourhood. Mr. Wm. Morris
informs me that a pair bred in a quarry in Maj^, while the
late James Carter noted it at Masham.

The neighbourhood of the coast is more favoured by the
White Wagtail's appearance, and it is reported as a rare
summer visitor (non-breeding) to the Humber and coast. At
the Teesmouth it appears every spring, usually in April
and May, the black cap contrasting strongly with the pearl
grey back, and giving it a more delicate appearance than the
Pied Wagtail, with which it is certainly attracted here on
migration ; the call note also seems different from our English
bird, being softer in tone.

In 1899 a male was seen on April the 27th, near a slag
heap by the Tees side, and a week later it was joined by a
female. The pair were kept under observation up to the
end of June, when they were accompanied by five young not
long out of the nest. The slag heaps of Cleveland are strong-
holds of the Pied species, and there seems no reason why some
of the White Wagtails which are noticed every year on
migration should not remain to breed.

1 The date of its arrival at Teesmouth in 1900 was May the
6th ; in 1901 April the 9th ; and on the 3rd of that month
in 1902, another bird was seen at Ingleby Greenhow in
Cleveland on the 20th of April ; and in 1903 one was noted
on the 7th of May on the reclaimed land at Tod Point.
Singular to relate, this bird has so far entirely escaped observa-
tion during the autumn southward movement.*

* Those interested in migration would do well to peruse Mr. W.
Eagle Clarke's very concise account of this bird's movements, contained
in the Report of the British Association Bradford meeting, 1900.

125

GREY WAGTAIL.

Motacilla melanope {Pallas).

Resident ; chiefly confined in summer to the moorland streams of
the west, from Sheffield northward, and Cleveland ; autumnal migrant
in small numbers ; more generally distributed in winter.

Willughby, in 1676, was the first to make reference to
the Grey Wagtail as a British bird, thus : — " The Grey Wagtail
— Motacilla cinerea, an flava altera Aldrov ? . . . . The
description of this bird was communicated to us by Mr.
Johnson of Brignall, near Greta Bridge, in Yorkshire." (Will.
" Orn." pp. 24, 238.)

Thomas Allis, 1844, wrote : —

Motacilla boarula. — Grey Wagtail — Frequently breeds on the moor
streams near Sheffield, and visits the neighbourhood of the town in
winter ; the neighbourhood of Luddenden near Halifax has been a
favourite breeding place of this species, but the same bird-stuffers
that have persecuted the Pied Flycatcher make a point of shooting all
the males. It is common in most parts, though not very frequent near
Huddersfield.

A characteristic bird of the rocky and moorland streams
of Yorkshire, the Grey Wagtail is, during the breeding season,
practically confined to the upper reaches of our rivers from
Sheffield northward, including the dales of the north-west
and the Cleveland district, where, in the most elevated parts
of the county, it is fairly abundant. In autumn the birds
descend to the lower lands and become more general in their
distribution, remaining until the following spring when they
depart for their breeding places.

Although a sedentary species with us it is regularly noted
as an autumnal immigrant on the coast in small numbers,
and usually during the first fortnight in September ; at the
Teesmouth I have noticed that, although the call of this
bird may frequently be heard among those of the hosts of
migrants which are coming in before daybreak, very few are
actually seen at the coast line. We always have a few
" tired out " individuals on the beach in the early mornings

126 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE.

during September, but the bulk move inland ere daybreak.
At the Humber mouth, young birds, often in considerable
numbers, pass through the district early in September,
while the adults which spend the winter in the east
coast districts do not arrive before October, leaving
again in March. It is common around Beverley in winter,
frequenting running streams and ditches, and seems especially
fond of sewers and sewerage beds. At Flamborough the
Grey Wagtail has been shot in autumn when taking its
departure. The observations communicated to the British
Association Migration Committee contain but two references
to this bird, viz. : — " Spurn, September 7th, Grey Wagtail,
several " (Fourth Report, p. 34) ; and " A few during
September " (Sixth Report, p. 47).

Its local names are : — Winter Wagtail at Barnsley and
Beverley ; Yellow Wagtail along the Lower Wharfe and at
Middlesbrough in winter ; Yellow Water Waggy at Staithes
and Loftus-in-Cleveland ; Waggy Wagtail at Fewston,
Washburndale ; and Washtail at Sedbergh.

BLUE-HEADED WAGTAIL.
Motacilia flava f/.).

Casual visitant during the spring and autumn migrations, of rare
occurrence.

When we consider that the Blue-headed Wagtail breeds
at no greater distance from us than the opposite shores of
the Continent from Norway to the Mediterranean, there is
every reason to believe that the bird visits us in the spring
and autumn much more frequently than the appended records
would lead us to suppose. Careful observation of the flocks
of newly arrived Yellow Wagtails in spring, especially at
the coast, may shew that this darker, and slightly larger.
Continental form occurs in their company from time to time.

The instances of its appearance, so far as I have been
able to ascertain, are as follows : —

GREY-HEADED YELLOW WAGTAIL. 127

In the spring of 1879 an example was obtained by the
late James Cunningham, on the side of a small pond at
Fern Hill, near Warley, in the Borough of Halifax ; it was
recorded at the time, but disputed, and sank into oblivion
until re-discovered by Mr. A. Crabtree, F.L.S., who kindly
submitted the specimen to Mr. W. Eagle Clarke and myself.

Another occurred on the 29th March 1892, on the banks
of a small stream intersecting the sand-hills between Redcar
and Marske ; it was brought in the flesh to me, and is now in
my possession.

Other reported occurrences are : —

At Ackworth, where one was observed on ist May 1891,
in a flock of Yellow Wagtails, by Mr. J. H. Fryer (Major
Arundel MS.).

The late J. Cordeaux mentioned an example at Easington
on 17th April 1897, following the plough, " seen by a com-
petent observer." {Nat. 1898, p. 237.)

And on 6th May 1900, three individuals were noted at
the Teesmouth, consorting with a flock of Yellow Wagtails.
(C. Milburn MS.)

GREY-HEADED YELLOW WAGTAIL.

Motacilla borealis {Sundevall).

Accidental visitant from northern Europe and Siberia, of extremely
rare occurrence.

This species, which inhabits northern Europe and Siberia,
migrating in winter to Africa and India, had not been recorded
in Great Britain until the 20th of May 1903, when a Yorkshire
example was exhibited on behalf of :\Ir. W. Eagle Clarke and
myself at the meeting of the British Ornithologist' Club,*
and the following details supplied by Mr. W. Eagle Clarke : —

" This specimen was submitted for determination by

* At the same meeting of the B.O.Club Mr. W. R. Butterfield
exhibited two male examples of this bird procured on 13th May 1903,
near Willingdon, Sussex.

128 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE.

my friend Mr. T. H. Nelson. It was captured in a lark-net
at Halifax in the spring of 1901, and is now in the collection
of Mr. Arthur Crabtree of that town, who obtained it from
a friend who saw the specimen in the flesh. It is very
surprising that this species is not somewhat more frequent
in its visits to our shores, when on passage to and from its
Scandinavian summer haunts, and yet I believe this to be
the first really authentic record of its occurrence in the
British Isles." (Bulletin of the Brit. Orn. Club. No. 98.)

I here beg to acknowledge my indebtedness to Mr.
Crabtree for his courtesy in forwarding the specimen and
giving the information concerning its capture.

YELLOW WAGTAIL.

Motacilla raii {Bonaparte).

Summer visitant, generally distributed, but in varying numbers ;
arrives in mid-April, leaving again in September.

Historically, the earliest reference to this species in York-
shire is found in Willughby's "Ornithology" (1678), thus: —
" The Common Yellow — Motacilla flava. The other Yellow
— M. flava altera. This was observed in the north by Mr.
Johnson (of Brignall, near Greta Bridge), and the description
thereof communicated to us."

Thomas Allis, 1844, wrote : —

Motacilla rayi. — Yellow Wagtail — Common in sandy districts near
York, and not abundant in the East Riding.

On the whole a fairly abundant summer visitor, the Yellow
Wagtail, the most elegant and delicate looking of the genus,
usually arrives about the middle of April, the approximate
date in the south of the county being the 13th for the first
comers. At the Humber mouth it may be expected in the
middle of the month, but at the Tees the bulk do not appear
till the third week, when at times the neighbourhood swarms

YELLOW WAGTAIL. 129

with the newly arrived birds ; in the higher lying districts
it is a few days later in arriving. The first immigrants are
generally male birds only ; later both sexes are met with
in about equal proportions. Although it has been stated
that this species is found in the north of England in March,
these early arrivals are extremely rare, and I am not aware
of any authentic instance in this county.

As a breeding species it is rather local, and nowhere in
Yorkshire is it so abundant as in the high moorland dales
of the north-west ; the upper valleys of the Tees, Swale, and
Ure, and the lower reaches of the Nidd being favourite
localities for its nesting quarters ; and up to 1300 feet elevation
the bird commonly haunts the fields and pastures bordering
the rivers and their tributaries. It is not uncommon in the
central parts of the West Riding, but in the North and East
Ridings it is more frequently seen on passage than as a
nester, though in the Beverley district it is generally
distributed.

In late July and August both old and young assemble
in small flocks in readiness to depart, and by the third week
in September the Yellow Wagtails almost to a bird have
left us ; indeed I have no note of its being obtained in October.
At the coast large numbers of migrating birds are to be met
with during the latter half of August and the first fortnight
of September, and at the Tees and Humber estuaries the
fields, sand-hills, and beaches in the early mornings are often
swarming with them, though by mid-day they have usually
passed on. One extract from many, collected by the British
Association Migration Committee, will serve as an illustration
of this movement. " Spurn, August 14th, a few immature
Yellow Wagtails ; 23rd, thousands, the whole district ablaze
with them ; 24th, less numbers." (Seventh Report (1885),

P- 43-)

The Yellow Wagtail breeds commonly in clover, tare, and
wheat fields, preferring thick herbage to conceal its nest,
which is always very difficult to find ; after the young can
fly they are brought on to the mown meadows, fields, and
commons to feed.

VOL. I. K

130 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE.

A white variety, having a faint tinge of yellow on the
rump, was shot by Capt. Turton on the loth of September
1827, at Rampton, in the North Riding.

Local names are Cow Bird at Sedbergh ; Ray's Wagtail
at Ackworth ; Water Wagtail at Doncaster {Zool. 1849,
p. 2325) ; Yellow Water Waggy at Staithes and Loftus-in-
Cleveland ; Spring Wagtail in south-west Yorkshire ; and
Barley Seed Bird in Craven (Carr's " Craven Dialect," 1828).

TREE PIPIT.
Anthus trivialis (Z.).

Summer visitant ; generally distributed in wooded localities ;
arrives in mid-April, and leaves in September.

The first published reference to the Tree Pipit is in
Willughby's " Ornithology," under the heading of The
Lesser Crested Lark, Alauda cristata minor. This last we have
not yet seen. Mr. Johnson (of Brignall, near Greta Bridge)
found and described it in the north of England." (Will.
" Orn." 1678, pp. 24 and 209.) According to Montagu's
" Ornithological Dictionary " this is the Tree Pipit. See also
Yarrell's " British Birds," 4th ed., Vol. i., p. 571,

Thomas Allis, 1844, wrote : —

Anthus arboreus. — Tree Pipit — Common.

This species, which is our only true summer visitor of
the Pipit family, usually arrives about the middle of April.
From a long series of observations, extending over half a
century, the average taken gives April the 15th as the
approximate date, while the earliest note of its appearance,
so far as I am aware, is the i8th of ^Nlarch 1894, when Mr. R.
Fortune observed several near Harrogate.

During its sojourn with us it is generally diffused, commonly
frequenting the outskirts of woods and plantations, and, in
more open country, the scattered timber on the borders of
fields and streams. Altitude does not seem to affect its

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§'

Pi

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TREE PIPIT. 131

distribution, for in the higher dales affording the necessary
woody environment it is quite as common as in the low
cultivated districts.

The average date of its departure from south Yorkshire
was calculated by the late Thomas Lister to be the
22nd of September, and the late J. Cordeaux stated (MS.),
" After the nesting season they congregate into small flocks,
leaving in August and September, occasionally migrating
with Meadow Pipits." The observations communicated to
the British Association Migration Committee do not afford
much information as to this movement, which takes place
quietly and unobtrusively, this bird being not easily
distinguished by the light-keepers from others of its genus.
The only entries relating to it are : — " Spurn, August 20th
to September loth, Common " (Sixth Report, p. 47) ; and
*' Spurn, September 14th, Tree Pipits, etc." (Seventh Report,
p. ^2). An unusually late date for its autumn passage
was mentioned by Edward Blyth, who recorded in Rennie's
" Field Naturalist " (1833, p. 466), the capture of Tree Pipits,
among other species, on board a vessel when fourteen miles
•off Whitby, on the 7th of October 1833.

In reference to the great diversity of colouring in this
bird's eggs, I have noticed that the red and pink types much
outnumber the other variable colours met with, though the
reverse is considered to be the case in Holderness. Instances
of six eggs in a clutch are not uncommon, and Mr. F. Graves
found one in the Sedbergh district containing the unusual
number of seven.

This bird, as stated above, is the Lesser Crested Lark
of Willughby. Local Yorkshire names are Tree Lark and
Titlark, used generally. Bulking Lark is a term applied to
it at Thirsk (Morris's Nat. 1854, P- io5). while Wood Lark and
Bank Lark are in use in Cleveland and Ribblesdale. It may,
however, be observed that it is not usually distinguished
from the ^leadow Pipit which frequently alights on trees.

132

MEADOW PIPIT.
Anthus pratensis {L.).

Resident ; generally distributed ; abundant in summer, especialljr
in moorland and marshy districts. A regular spring and autuma
migrant.

Historically the earliest allusion to this bird in Yorkshire
is made in a communication, dated 1678, from Ralph
Johnson, of Brignall, near Greta Bridge, a friend and
correspondent of John Ray, in the following terms : —

" Honoured Sir, .... I have only observed this change
from proper colours to white .... to be very usual in
' Titlarks,' which I have seen on our moors." (Corres. of
John Ray, p. 96, 1848.)

Thomas Allis, 1844, wrote : —

Anthus pratensis. — Titlark or Meadow Pipit — Frequent in most
parts ; breeds abundantly on the moors.

One of our commonest birds, the Meadow Pipit is found
breeding from the low-lying marshes near the coast up to the
highest moorland districts, where at both extremes it is most
abundant. In more highly cultivated parts, though by nO'
means uncommon, it is not so much in evidence, for this species
loves open uninclosed tracts ; being a common and generally
diffused bird of the fields, commons, moors, and marshes
it requires no further notice as regards its distribution. During^
the winter months the Titlark, as it is best known to Yorkshire-
men, is reported as being scarce or altogether absent from
every part of the county above 300 feet elevation, while even
in more congenial localities it is much scarcer at this season
than in summer, and there can be little doubt that the bulk
of our breeding birds are summer visitors.

The migration of the Meadow Pipit at the coast is a very
noticeable feature of bird life and, as a rule, it makes its
appearance a little earlier than the Pied Wagtail ; the first
comers in the latter part of February, but the main body
in the middle of March, and at this period, at the Tees and

MEADOW PIPIT. 133

Humber estuaries particularly, the sand-hills, marshes, and
fields are absolutely swarming with the light clean-coloured
immigrants. An enormous influx took place at the Tees-
mouth during the third week in March 1903, when I noted
many crossing at Redcar, against a strong north-west gale,
and apparently completely exhausted with their long journey.
In the autumn immense flocks pass south from August to
mid-October, our departing home-bred birds being augmented
in numbers by individuals from higher latitudes. At the
Tees and Humber there is frequently a great arrival of these
Pipits coming in direct from seaward, the majority of which
move on after a short stay. The British Association Migration
Reports contain many entries, too voluminous for recapitula-
tion, concerning this species, quantities of which are immolated
against the lanterns of the coast beacons during the night
in both spring and autumn.

In Yorkshire the nest of the Meadow Pipit is most
frequently chosen by the Cuckoo for the deposition of its
parasitic egg. A late date for nidification was noted at the
Teesmouth in 1902, when a nest with newly hatched young
was discovered on the 3rd of August.

White varieties are mentioned by Ray's correspondent
so long ago as 1678 (see above), and a pied specimen is
recorded at Dalton, near Huddersfield (S. L. Mosley MS.).

Local names : Titlark is in general use throughout the
county ; terms of more restricted use are Chit Lark at
Skelmanthorpe ; Ground Lark at Loftus-in-Cleveland ; Ling
Bird at Sedbergh ; Ditch Lark near Skipton, where the eggs
are reddish coloured ; Ground Laverick in Upper Teesdale ;
Ling Tit and Titling in Nidderdale ; Titty at the Teesmouth ;
Bank Lark in Cleveland ; Heather Lintie in the North
Riding ; and Moor Tit in the Wilsden district.

134

TAWNY PIPIT.
Anthus campestris {L.).

Accidental visitant from Continental Europe, of extremely rare
occurrence.

The Tawny Pipit is found in the western and southern
portions of the Continent, migrating in winter to Africa
and Asia Minor.

The only Yorkshire example, a male, was found at
Barmston in Holderness, on the 20th of November 1869,
by Mr. Thomas Boynton, and is preserved in his collection
at Bridlington, where I have had the pleasure of examining
it. (See Zool. 1870, pp. 2021, 2068, 2100.)

[A specimen of Richard's Pipit, Anthus richardi (Vieill.)
is said, on the authority of the late David Graham of York,
to have occurred on the coast in 1849 i^ool. 1849, p. 2569),
but the circumstances connected with its occurrence are not
of a sufficiently reliable nature to warrant its inclusion in
the Yorkshire list.]

ROCK PIPIT.

Anthus obscurus {Laf/iam).

Resident, local ; confined to, and generally distributed on, the
coast. A regular spring and autumn migrant.

The first allusion to the Rock Pipit, as being a native
of Yorkshire, is contained in Thomas Allis's oft-mentioned
Report of 1844, as follows :—

Anthi(s obscurus. — Rock Pipit. Arthur Strickland observes that
the Pipit or Rock Lark is general all along the coast, confining itself to
the sea shore and cliffs adjoining ; this species, which frequents this
country and the northern shores of Europe, is to be designated obscurus
and is the " Dusky Lark " of Pennant and Levvin. The aquaticiis
is ascertained to be a distinct species, and frequents a more southern
range than the last.

ROCK PIPIT. 135

As may be expected this bird is strictly limited to the
coast line, and from no inland locality is there any report
of its occurrence. As a nester it is more local than at any
other time of the year, the cliffs at and near Flamborough
being its chief breeding quarters. The nest has been found
in the Scarborough and Whitby districts, and I have also
seen considerable numbers of the birds, in pairs, on the Staithes,
Boulby, and Saltburn cliffs in spring and summer, so that there
can be little doubt that it breeds — sparingly, perhaps —
along the whole line of cliffs on the coast. On the low-lying
parts of the seaboard it is rare in the breeding season, although
the late J. Cordeaux stated that at Spurn he noted
old birds with young. I have no conclusive evidence as to
its breeding at the mouth of the Tees, but the nest and eggs
have been taken a few miles to the northward on the Durham
coast.

In the autumn and winter, from September to April,
it is frequently found along the seaboard from the Tees to
the Humber, being most numerous during September and
October. In the early part of the former month the autumn
migration commences, usually continuing to the first half
of November, and at this period the bird may be commonly
met with ; at the Teesmouth I have not infrequently seen
small flocks consisting of from twelve to fourteen individuals.
The spring migration takes place in March and April, but
is not so pronounced as that of the autumn.

Concerning the nidification habits of the Rock Pipit,
it may be of interest to state that near Scarborough on 12th
June 1881, a nest was found containing a Cuckoo's egg
besides those of the lawful owners ; the only recorded
Yorkshire instance of this bird acting as the Cuckoo's fosterer.
At Whitby a pair of these birds have, since 1902, chosen a
crevice in the stone pier in which to build their nest, and
there they annually succeed in bringing off their young in
safety. Another unusual building site is reported from
Bridlington, on i6th May 1879, by Mr. Major Lawson, who
discovered a nest amongst the herbage growing on the clay
cliff, and within four feet of high-water mark.

136 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE.

The food of an example shot at Hornsea consisted almost
entirely of beetles, the particulars being communicated to
the Field of 29th November 1890.

In mid-autumn a race, having a light brown back with
rich buff or cinnamon-coloured breast, very lightly streaked
with a darker hue, is found equally as common as the dark
resident bird. These light coloured individuals do not
stay with us, but pass on in their journey southward, and
there can be no doubt that they belong to the Scandinavian
race which has been named Anthus rupestris (Nillson), by
some authors, but, in the opinion of other ornithologists,
is not considered specifically distinct from the ordinary
A. obscurus. No record occurs of the light-coloured form
in large numbers on the return passage in spring.

The only local names are Sea-beach Pipit, mentioned by
J. Hogg {Zool. 1845, p. 1061), and Rock Lark and Sand Lark,
used at Bridlington ; though it is sometimes called Titlark,
in the belief that it is the common Meadow Pipit.

GOLDEN ORIOLE.
Oriolus galbula (Z.).

Accidental visitant, of very rare occurrence during the spring
and autumn migration.

This beautiful species, which nests on the European
Continent and in north Africa, can only be regarded as a rare
straggler in Yorkshire at the periods of its spring and autumn
movements, when the few specimens observed have, doubt-
less, accidentally deviated from their accustomed line
of migration.

The earliest Yorkshire reference to this bird is contained
in AUis's report, 1844, as follows : —

Oriolus galbula. — Golden Oriole — A fine female was killed in
spring of 1834 near the Spurn Point lighthouse, and is in the possession

GOLDEN ORIOLE. 137

of Arthur Strickland, Esq., which appears to be the only known
Yorkshire specimen.

The specimen mentioned by Allis is now in the York
Museum.

One which occurred at Boat Bottom near Wakefield
during the first week of August 1856, was seen in the flesh
by the late Wm. Talbot and described as being in splendid
plumage (Talbot MS.).

In May 1859, ^^^ ^^^^ Alfred Roberts of Scarborough
had brought to him for preservation a male in the finest
adult plumage, which had been killed on Admiral Mitford's
estate at Hunmanby {Zool. 1859, P- 6561). Mr. Roberts
further stated (MS.) that a specimen in the museum at
Scarborough, and another in a private collection, are said
to have been obtained near that town.

The late Rev. J. W. Chaloner of Newton Kyme observed
on 28th April 1870, a male Golden Oriole whilst driving on
the North Road, a short distance out of Doncaster, the bird
flying between the conveyance and the roadside hedge for a
distance of two hundred yards. About the same date one
was observed in Grimston Park near Tadcaster, by Hamer
the keeper (Chaloner MS.).

At Swinton Park, Masham, one was seen in May 1870
(James Carter MS.).

Regarding the occurrence of an example near Bingley,
about the end of August or the beginning of September 1875,
Mr. E. P. P. Butterfield writes that a gamekeeper, on whose
veracity he can rely, gave him a description of a bird which
was no doubt a Golden Oriole. It was flying in company
with some Thrushes. (See also Zool. 1875, p. 4623.)

The Hull Museum Guide (i860) informs us that " speci-
mens have been seen near Hull," and the late J. Cordeaux,
in his " Birds of the Humber District," (1872), mentioned
that a pair in the collection of the late W. W. Boulton are
said to have been shot on the east coast ; Mr. Boulton con-
sidering the authority a fairly reliable one.

A female example was found dead, on 3rd May 1888, at
Hob Green near Ripon, and was examined by the late J.

138 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE.

Carter, who stated it was in good plumage {Field, 19th
May 1888). And the latest notice of its occurrence was
communicated to me by Mr. Thomas Machen of Bridlington,
who had sent to him for identification a female specimen
caught in June 1903, near Boynton.

GREAT GREY SHRIKE.
Lanius excubitor (Z.).

Winter visitant, in limited numbers, chiefly on the coast line
remains through winter, departing in spring.

Probably the first mention of this bird in connection
with Yorkshire is contained in Ray's " Synopsis," 1713, where
it is referred to under the name of " The Greater Butcher
Bird, or Mattagasse, Eboracensibus." The earliest known
Yorkshire specimen that I am aware of is a female in the
Burton Agnes collection, shot near Malton in 1836.

Thomas Allis, 1844, wrote : —

Lanius excubitor. — Great Grey Shrike — Is not uncommon near
Doncaster in winter ; several specimens have been obtained near
Sheffield ; it is occasionally met with near Huddersfield and York ;
it is rare in most other districts, one specimen only being known in
the neighbourhood of Barnsley and of Burlington.

Allis's remarks as regards the scarcity of this species at
Burlington (Bridlington) were probably due to the paucity
of observers in his day. At the present time on the coast,
and especially in Holderness, the Great Grey Shrike is observed
almost annually as an autumn immigrant, arriving as a rule
during the latter days of October ; in some years it may
almost be called common, such being the case in 1880, as
evidenced by the observations of the British Association
Migration Committee, while in 1892 no less than twenty were
seen near Kilnsea on the 15th of October, and seven were
noticed the next day. Off Scarborough one was taken on
board a smack in October 1889, and I have a specimen in
my collection which was brought in on 25th October 1891,

GREAT GREY SHRIKE. 139

by a pilot who captured it three miles out at sea while resting
on the " sheet " of his coble ; it lived for several days, feeding
on small birds. The adult males with pure white under
parts are seldom seen, the bulk of the immigrants being
young birds or females ; they linger near the coast for a few
days, and then gradually spread over the country.

The occurrence of quite a young bird of the year at Kilnsea
in the East Riding, on 26th August 1877, recorded in the
Field (1877, p. 281), is unprecedentedly early. Remaining
throughout the winter, it has at that season occurred in
most parts of the county, but cannot be said to frequent
any locality regularly, though the list of recorded occurrences
is very voluminous. Taking its departure on the advent
of spring, we must look upon the shooting of one at York,
whilst in the pursuit of Fieldfares, on i8th April 1849 i^ool.
1849, p. 2452), as a late record. It has occurred on the
coast on the return journey as late as the 3rd of May, and
six were noted as being seen near Spurn Lighthouse on
17th February 1881, doubtless preparing to brave the dangers
of the North Sea passage.

As regards the habits of this bird the late J. Cordeaux
remarked (MS.) " I have known one to hover in the air
for a few minutes. Kestrel-like, as if uncertain whether
to make a swoop on its quarry ; the small immigrants on
first arrival in autumn offer an easy prey to this marauder,
and both the Redbreast and the Wren fall victims to the
cunning Shrike, who will carry off one of these birds in his
beak with the greatest ease. The Grey Shrike has great
power of concealment, and if shot at and only wounded,
where there is any cover as long as sea grass, is almost certain
to escape detection, however carefully the ground is looked
over." The same observer saw a Great Grey Shrike impale
a Goldcrest on the spikes of a wire fence, and one was noticed
at Flamborough that had three mice gibbeted on a thorn hedge.

A curious example, in the collection of Mr. P. Loten of
Easington, that was procured at Spurn, had the upper parts
dark-plumbeous, the head the darkest ; it was first thought
to be the southern L. meridionalis of Temminck, but sub-

140 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE.

sequent examination, and comparison with skins in Mr.
Dresser's collection, proved that it cannot be referred to that
form, and that it is probably a melanism of L. excubitor,
and as such is a most interesting variety.

The only vernacular appellation is the well-known one
of Butcher Bird.

LESSER GREY SHRIKE.

Lanius minor (y. F. Gmelin).

Accidental visitant, of very rare occurrence.

The Lesser Grey Shrike is a summer visitor to southern
and central Europe, wintering in South Africa, and is but
a rare accidental straggler to the British Isles, the instances
of its occurrence, as previously chronicled, being eight in
number and all confined to the southern or south-eastern
counties of England.

Mr. Thomas Stephenson of Whitby reports a ninth
example, which is the first known for the North of England,
and a new species to Yorkshire. The individual in question
was shot at Sleights, near Whitby, on the 20th September
1905, and was forwarded to Mr. Stephenson for identification
to Mr. W. Eagle Clarke, who pronounces it to be an immature
bird, in first plumage, and a most interesting addition to the
avi-fauna of the county (see Naturalist, March, 1906, p. 70).

The specimen is now in the Whitby local museum.

RED-BACKED SHRIKE.
Lanius collurio (Z ).

Bird of passage, of rare occurrence ; has occasionally remained
to nest.

Apparently the earliest local reference to the Red-
backed Shrike is contained in the second book of Willughby's
" Ornithology," 1678, where it is stated that in Yorkshire it
is called " Flusher."

Nest of Red-backed Shrike in north-west Yorkshire.

A". For/iiiu

See page 141.

RED-BACKED SHRIKE. 141

Thomas Allts, in 1844, wrote : —

Laniiis coUurio. — Red-backed Shrike — Not very uncommon near
Sheffield and Doncaster ; it breeds occasionally near Halifax, but is
becoming scarce ; it is met with occasionally near Huddersfield and
York, but is not known in the East Riding.

This bird is of much less frequent occurrence in the county
than the Great Grey Shrike. It has been chronicled as
breeding in a few instances, but does not now, so far as my
knowledge extends, repair annually to any locality, with
the exception of Sedbergh, where it is a fairly regular nester,
though formerly it seems to have ranked as a somewhat
constant visitor, for the late Henry Denny, who was an
excellent naturalist, in his Leeds Catalogue, 1840, cited this
species as not uncommon in several localities near Leeds.
Allis's statement, quoted above, refers to its occurrence in
the West Riding ; though, as regards Huddersfield, the late
J. Varley stated he could well remember it as an almost annual
visitor in that neighbourhood, where he had himself taken
both the nest and eggs ; the remarks respecting East Yorkshire
must, also, be modified. When on its migration it has been
observed both in the spring and autumn, but its visits then
are few and far between, and, generally speaking, it may now
be ranked as a bird of passage, occasionally remaining to breed.

The following are the occasions on which it has nested
in the county : — Dr. Farrar of Barnsley obtained a pair of
old birds, which were snared on their nest, in Cliff Wood
near that town in the year 1826. Mr. H. Smurthwaite of
Richmond, in Morris's " Naturalist " (1854, p. 81), mentioned
that eggs in the collection of his friend Mr. Wood were taken
from a nest near that place. Dr. Hall communicated to
the Field (1869, p. 435), a note that a nest with four young
birds had been taken within a mile of the town of Sheffield
in the early summer of 1868.

Regarding the nesting of this bird at Beverley in 1876,
Mr. F. Boyes communicated the following particulars to the
Zoologist (1877, p. 157) : — " The Red-backed Shrike is a
very rare bird here, and I cannot hear that one has been
seen for fifteen years. On May the 27th a hen bird of this

142 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE.

species was shot, and on the following day a pair were
obtained. A circumstance occurred in connection with the
capture of these birds that is perhaps interesting ; it appears
the male and female were both sitting on a dead branch
near each other when the female was shot. The person who
shot it repaired to the same place early the following day
to shoot the male, when he found a second female ; this he
shot, and later in the day shot the male. Is it possible
that the male had two wives ? It is scarcely reasonable
that he could have picked up another mate in so short a time
in a part of the country where these birds are so rare. I
ought to mention that the first female was laying, and had an
egg fully developed in the ovary. A search was afterwards
made, and the nest, containing one egg, found near the
spot where all three birds were shot. The second female
was a younger bird, and showed no signs of breeding, the eggs
in the ovary being very small."

At Swillington Hall a female and young one, thought to
have been bred there, were obtained on 2nd July 1881, as
communicated by the late J. Tennant. A nest and eggs were
found on Oliver's Mount, Scarborough, 3rd July 1889
(W. Gyngell MS.) ; in the north-west Mr. W. Morris states
that he has taken the nest in a thick thorn bush, and I am
aware of several instances of this bird breeding in Clevel .nd ;
twice near Redcar, about 1870, when both nest and young
were found, and in June 1898, when a nest and two eggs
were discovered in a thorn bush at Gunnergate. Lastly,
the late J. Cordeaux recorded (Nat. 1895, p. i), the nesting of
a pair at Winsetts, a farm between Skeffiing and Easington,
in the summer of 1894 ; five young got off in the third week
of July, but unfortunately the parent birds and two young
were killed, the latter having apparently just left the nest.

Concerning the reported nesting of this species at Silsden
in Airedale (" Vertebrate Fauna of Yorksliire," p. 27), the
evidence is not considered to be of a satisfactory character.

In addition to the above, the Red-backed Shrike has been
observed on the undermentioned occasions. In some of these
instances the dates would seem to indicate that the species

RED-BACKED SHRIKE. 143

had nested in the locahty, but the majority of the occurrences,
were doubtless birds on their spring or autumn migrations.

Prior to 1845 one occurred near Guisborough, and another
was observed near Hull {Zool. 1845, pp. 1055, 1023). One
was taken in a trap baited with young Thrushes at Ackworth
in the summer of 1856 (Morris's Nat. 1857, P- ^9^)- In April
1864, one was obtained in Ribblesdale {Nat. 1896, p. 39) ; on
26th September 1866, a fine female was found at Flanshaw
near Wakefield, and preserved by the late Wm. Talbot.

On ist July 1879, Mr. J. Lucas observed a Red-backed
Shrike chattering and making a great noise in a dell known as
Hole Bottom, in Nidderdale ; adding that it is there a rare
bird, and that he had no other record of its occurrence in that
part of Yorkshire {Zool. 1879, p. 404). On i8th May 1872,
one occurred at Clayton West, and about 1876 a mature bird
was obtained near Richmond. Mr. M. Bailey of Flamborough
has in his collection a fine male, which I have seen, that was
brought to him in the flesh by a fisherman, who had captured
it on the sheet of his boat when seven miles at sea off the
headland, on 8th May 1877. ^^ adult male was shot at
Addingham in July 1879, ^.s mentioned by Mr. Stuart of
Skipton (MS.). Near Scarborough the late A. Roberts
reported it as rare, but he had known of one being killed
while sticking caterpillars and humble bees on the thorns
of an old hedge. A male was reported near Carperby, in
Wensleydale, in 1872, and a pair were seen near Eastholme
Bridge in 1882. Mr. G. Steels of Pocklington has once had
an example brought to him. At Spurn Mr. W. Eagle Clarke
saw a pair on 28th May 1882, and he surmised that they were
fresh arrivals from over-sea. On 19th August 1884, an
immature bird occurred in Holderness (Sixth Migration
Report, p. 48), and in 1885 two or three were seen at Spurn
in August and September (Seventh Migration Report, p. 43).
One obtained near York is now in the Bluecoat Boys' School
collection in that city {Nat. 1886, p. 308). Mr. Harper
records the occurrence of an individual near Scarborough
in 1889 {Zool. 1889, p. 150). At Whitby one was procured
on_^ioth September 1891 ; Messrs. Hewett and Potter saw

144 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE.

one sitting on the telegraph wires at Spurn on 26th May
1895, and another at Everingham on 22nd May 1898. At
Aldborough in South Holderness Mr. T. Fetch noted one on
4th May 1898 ; and lastly, in 1899, an example was observed
on the 15th of May, near Scarborough, by Mr. W. Roberts.
Vernacular names of this species are obviously few ;
Butcher Bird is generally applied to the genus. An old
Yorkshire name now obsolete is " Weirangle " or " Wariangle "
(Cf. " Wiirgengel," Germany) i.e., " Worrying or Destroying
Angel " ; called also " Wiirger " or " Worrier," "Throttler,"
Another obsolete name is Flasher or Flusher (Yorkshire,
Willughby), derived from the ruddy colour of its plumage,
or perhaps from Flesher, i.e., Butcher Bird (Swainson).

WOODCHAT SHRIKE.

Lanius pomeranus {Sparrmaii).

Accidental summer visitant from central and southern Europe

and northern Africa.

Thomas Allis, 1844, wrote : —

Lanius ruftis. — Woodchat Shrike — I find only one Yorkshire speci-
men recorded, which was in the possession of Mr. Leadbitter. See
Yarrell's " British Birds."

This species, which breeds freely on the Continent, winter-
ing in southern Africa, has occurred in Yorkshire — so far as
I have been able to ascertain — on six occasions only, and I
greatly regret my inability to give full particulars of them,
for details respecting so rare a visitant to Britain, and so
fine a species, would be most acceptable to all interested
in Yorkshire ornithology.

W. Yarrell in the first edition of his " British Birds "
(vol. i., p. 161), published in 1843, stated that " A few years
ago Mr. Leadbitter received a specimen which had been
killed in Yorkshire." Professor Newton in his edition of
that work (1871) mentions its having been met with in
Yorkshire, no doubt referring to the same specimen.

According to the late A. Roberts of Scarborough, Mr. Alwin

WAXWING. 145

S. Bell obtained two young birds in the Castle Holmes, Scar-
borough, in the year i860 or 1861, but he (Mr. Bell) only
succeeded in preserving one of them, owing to their being
so very fat.

The late J. Varley, of Almondbury, near Huddersfield,
reported in 1879 that when he was a bird-nester he saw two
Woodchats brought in to be preserved by a bird-stuffer.

An adult male, shot at Hackness, near Scarborough, in
June 1881, is in the collection of Mr. R. Chase of Birmingham
{Zool. 1892, p. 347).

The late J. Cordeaux mentioned (Nat. 1897, p. 15), that
the late H. B. Hewetson informed him that he saw two at
Easington, near Spurn, on 8th September 1896. Mr. Cor-
deaux added that his informant knew the bird well, having
frequently seen it in Morocco.

And the latest information with reference to this species
is imparted by Mr. C. G. Danford of Reighton Hall, who
informed me on 28th May 1903, that on the 9th of that month,
when on the middle clif^ at Reighton, he distinctly saw a
male Woodchat alight on a furze bush within a few yards
of where he was sitting, and he watched it at close quarters
for some minutes. Mr. Danford is familiar with the bird,
and has often seen it in Hungary. {Nai. 1903, p. 262.)

WAXWING.
Ampelis garrulus (L.).

Accidental visitant, appearing at irregular intervals during winter ;
absent some years, plentiful in others.

The first record of the appearance of the Waxwing in the
British Isles was by the celebrated Dr. Martin Lister, F.R.S.,
who in a letter to John Ray (" Phil. Trans." 1685, No. 175,
p. 1 161, fig. 9) said " One or two were shot at York in January
1680 (or, to use the new style, 1681). His figure, though rude,
sufficiently shews the species, to which he gave the English

VOL. I. L

146 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE.

name of Silk-tail." Other early notices were by Ralph
Johnson, who, writing to Ray from Brignall, near Greta
Bridge, May 7th 1686, described two which had been killed
in the preceding March, saying " They came near us in great
flocks, like Fieldfares, and fed upon haws as they do."

Thoresby, in a letter to Ray, dated Leeds, April 27th, 1703,
mentioned a third visitation, and said " I am tempted that
the German Silk-tail is become natural to us, there being no
less than three killed nigh this town the last winter."

Tunstall, according to Latham in Pennant's " British
Zoology," recorded " Many seen in Yorkshire (1787), and
a large flock at Wycliffe [on Tees]. Many taken alive, but
they did not thrive. They fed on dog-berries." (See also
Yarrell's " British Birds," 4th Ed., i., p. 525).

Thomas ALUs' s account, 1844, is as follows : —

Bombycilla garriila. — Bohemian Waxwing— Obtained near Sheffield
most seasons ; rare near Hahfax and Hebden Bridge, though occasion-
ally met with ; a large flock was seen about Storrs Hall and in the
neighbourhood of Kirkburton about ten years ago in the company
of Fieldfares and Redwings ; another large flock was seen in the same
locality about four years back [i.e., 1840] from which Wm. Eddison
obtained seven or eight specimens ; it is only in severe winters that
they resort there ; they are occasionally met with in hard winters
near Doncaster, York, and Bridlington. It is a very rare visitant
near Barnsley ; John Spencer Stanhope, Esq., of Cannon Hall, has a
couple of specimens which his keeper shot in his immediate neighbour-
hood, and Dr. Farrar has a pair shot at Carr Green, July ist 1832 ;
several specimens have been shot near Thirsk.

This peculiar looking bird is an inhabitant of northern
Europe, and an erratic, casual visitant to Yorkshire, as to
the British Isles in general, being what may be termed a
gypsy migrant ; in some years appearing in considerable
numbers, and scarce or altogether absent in others, whilst,
between the years of plenty, odd flocks or occasional
stragglers are met with at irregular intervals.

It was abundant in 1828-29, according to writers in
Loudon's Magazine of Natural History, and very numerous
in the winters of 1834-5 and 1849-50, when it was noted in
all the three Ridings, as evidenced by the records in the
Zoologist for 1850, the pages of which contain numerous

WAXWING. 147

references to its occurrence all over the county. Another
visitation was in November 1863 and the early part of 1864,
large flights appearing, particularly near the coast ; a flock
of about forty was seen at Acklam near Middlesbrough, eleven
being procured by G. Mussell, who ate the bodies, which
he found to be excellent food. (See also Zool. 1864.) The
next great arrival took place in December 1866, and January
1867, the neighbourhood of the coast again being most
favoured, though numbers were seen and shot inland. In
Holderness, at Whitby, and at Scarborough a good many
were obtained, one of those killed near the latter place having
the waxen appendages on all the tail feathers as well as on
the secondaries and tertiaries. From Sheffield Henry Seebohm
mentioned meeting with a flock in Glossop Road, and
recorded others shot in the county (" British Birds," Vol. ii.,
p. 4). Large parties were also noticed, and examples killed,
in Arkengarthdale, Wensleydale, and other remote districts.
In 1870 the West Riding was visited by several flocks, and
sixteen were obtained near Doncaster. A few stragglers
•occurred in 1872, 1879, ^.nd 1881 {Nat. 1881, p. 82), and in
January 1883 some were noted in the North and East Ridings
within short distance of the sea.

An interval of ten years then elapsed before any consider-
able flight again occurred, and in February 1893, small parties
were reported, chiefly on or near the sea-board ; one obtained
at Beverley had eight tips to each wing ; a specimen shot at
the Tessmouth in October, was sitting on a slag ball on the
reclaiming wall. Another visitation was in 1897, when many
were killed, principaUy in the North Riding, in Cleveland,
and near Scarborough ; and the most recent flight occurred
in the autumn and winter of 1903, when they appeared
in small numbers in many parts of the county, but most
frequently in the neighbourhood of the coast.

It will be observed that the time of arrival of the Waxwing
is generally from October to February, but an unusually late
date was mentioned by Allis, viz., July the ist 1832 ; an
additional July record is given by Mr. Foster of Bridlington,
who procured an example at Sewerby in that month in the

148 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE.

year 1890 ; another specimen, one of two seen, was taken
near Patrington in Holderness on April the 23rd 1894.

There are, as might be expected in the case of a casual
visitant, no vernacular names in use, but, in addition to
its ordinary book-name, it has been mentioned by the names
of Silk-tail (Thoresby and Hogg), Waxwing or Waxen
Chatterer, and Bohemian Waxwing.

SPOTTED FLYCATCHER.

Muscicapa g^risola (Z.).

Summer visitant, common, and generally distributed.

The " Beam Bird " of Pennant (Vol. ii., p. 263, 1766),
quoted by that old writer as obtained by Willughby in
1678, and " known in that county (Yorkshire) by the name
of Beam Bird, because it nestles under the ends of beams
on outbuildings, etc.," is probably to be referred to the
species under notice, and as such is the earliest mention
of its connection with the count3'.

Thomas Allis wrote as follows, in 1844 : —

Muscicapa grisola. — Spotted Flycatcher — Less frequently met with
than in the south of England, though obtained in most localities,
and, like most of the migratory birds, returns to the same locality
year after year ; it is remarkable above all other birds for the exposed
situations it frequently chooses for its nest.

The Spotted Flycatcher is a common and generally
distributed species, annually arriving during the first fortnight
in May. An unprecedentedly early record is the 9th of April,
at Skipton, where one perched close to the observer, who
was perfectly satisfied as to its identity. It departs again
in September, very few remaining beyond the third week
in that month.

This is one of the few birds to be found in our town gardens,
and has been alleged to be guilty of destroying honey bees
{Nat. 1886, p. 277), a practice, however, which does not
appear to be general. It is well known for its habit of return-

Spotted Flycatcher on Nest.

h. Lazenby.

See page 149.

PIED FLYCATCHER. 149

ing to its favourite breeding haunts, and for the frequency
with which it makes choice of curious sites for its nest. The
records of these are too voluminous for more than one or two
instances to be cited, viz. : — one mentioned by John Atkinson
("Compendium of Ornithology," 1820), built on the angle
of a lamp-post in one of the streets in Leeds, where young
were brought off ; and in the spring of 1880, a pair nested
on the hinge of a door in constant use opening into a tennis-
court at Masham, but in spite of disturbance the birds
contrived to hatch five eggs and rear their brood in safety-
Near Harrogate a nest described by Mr. R. Fortune, was
built of strips of paper, and lined in the usual manner.

A variety of this species obtained near Wath-upon-Dearne
in August 1870, is described by Dr. H. Payne as having
" the upper plumage and tail whitish fawn, the under parts
nearly white." At Croft-on-Tees a clutch of unspotted eggs
was found in 1890.

The vernacular names at present in use are Grey
Flycatcher, Bee-bird, and Wall-chat, the latter term known
in north Yorkshire. The old and now obsolete names
which were applied to it by old writers were Wall-bird or
Beam-bird, and Rafter or Rafter-bird (Swainson).

PIED FLYCATCHER.
Muscicapa atricapilla (L).

Summer visitant ; very local in its distribution ; fairly numerous
'n some districts ; is noticed on the coast on both the vernal and
autumnal migrations.

Thomas Allis's Report, written in 1844, contains the
first allusion to this as a county species : —

Muscicapa arctuosa. — Pied Flycatcher — Dr. Farrar says this
species is one of our latest summer visitants, and quite local in its
habitat. The Stainborough Woods are a very favourite resort,
especially frequenting the lofty oaks with which these woods abound,
but I never saw it without the Park enclosure. It has bred at Danby
near Middleham ; 2, Wharncliffe, 3, Ovenden, Harewood, and Studley.
W. Eddison says it bred at Dalton for several successive years, when

150 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE.

it disappeared, probably destroyed by some collector ; R. Leyland
says that a few years ago it was frequently found breeding at Luddenden
Dean in the Parish of Halifax, but that one or two bird-stuffers have
nearly extirpated it ; it is very rarely seen in the East Riding or the
immediate vicinity of York.

Of this conspicuous bird, whose distribution in Britain
as a summer resident is exceedingly limited, Yorkshire is
one of the chief headquarters, and perhaps the most southern
county in which its occurrence in any numbers can be
considered regular. Although single individuals are occasion-
ally observed in April, yet the usual time for its appearance
is from the first to the second week in May ; the earliest
record is the 12th of April 1878, at Barnsley ; at Masham
one was seen in 1882 on the 22nd of the same month ; on
the 24th of April 1893, I watched a male bird for some time
in Borrow Greens Wood, Easby-in-Cleveland, and five days
subsequently one was caught asleep, soon after daylight,
on a garden hedge behind Redcar sandhills. On their first
arrival in spring I have noticed the birds in considerable
numbers in the fishermen's garden plots, and on the loth of
May 1899, I saw one sitting on a post within a few j-ards of
my smoke-room window. They only remain to rest for a
few hours in the vicinitj^ of the coast, soon dispersing inland
to their breeding haunts.

The choice of localities in which this species annually
breeds shows a strong predilection for the combination of
woodland and water, preferring as it does either deeply
wooded river valleys, or woods in close proximity to extensive
sheets of water. In the North Riding it nests annually
on the Yorkshire side of the Tees near Barnard Castle, and
also higher up the dale ; on the banks of the Lure near
Sedbergh ; by the river Wiske in the neighbourhc od of
Northallerton ; in the woods at Castle Howard ; and at
Duncombe Park, Helmsley, and Hovingham in Ryedale ;
near Easby and Ingleby in Cleveland ; in the Esk valley
and the small dales branching therefrom ; Mulgi'ave Woods ;
and also at Haxby, Hambleton, Coxwold, Swainby, Loftus-
in-Cleveland, Whitby, and Scarborough. In Wensleydale it

Pied Flycatcher taking food to young.

T. A. Metcalfe.

See page 151.

PIED FLYCATCHER. 151

is known to breed on the banks of the Ure near Masham —
but decreasing in numbers — at Danby, Hackfall, and Caperby.

The West Riding contains, perhaps, the chief resorts
of this interesting species, which nests in Bolton Woods in
Wharfedale ; in Nidderdale it visits the woods near Harro-
gate, Knaresborough, Fewston, Brimham, Guyscliffe, Loft-
house, Bewerley, and Harefield, being scarcer near Pateley
Bridge (in which locaUty two broods were hatched in 1869,
the second being on the 15th of July). Other localities
annually resorted to in the West Riding are Stainborough
Woods, and those at Cannon Hall, both near Barnsley.
It has also been reported as breeding occasionally, and
singly, near Halifax, Sheffield, Huddersfield, Hebden Bridge,
Gisburn, Skelmanthorpe, Ripon, and in 1904 Mr. James
Moore of Morecambe informed me a pair nested near Ben-
tham, close to the Westmorland border. In 181 1 the Rev.
James Dalton, a noted naturalist in his time, found it
breeding at Copgrove (near Boroughbridge) ; and in 1844
Ovenden (near Halifax), Harewood, and Studley were quoted
as breeding stations by Thomas Allis. I have no informa-
tion of their now being frequented, with the exception of
Studley, and there it only nests irregularly.

In the East Riding it is more frequently observed on
passage than as a breeding species ; the only districts from
which its nest is recorded being Heslington, Pocklington,
and in Holderness, where the late Colonel B. B. Haworth-
Booth informed me he found one in a yew tree in June 1895.

On the coast it occurs regularly at the periods cf the
vernal and autumnal migrations, in some seasons in consider-
able numbers. An interesting and unusual occurrence took
place at Flamborough on 3rd May 1866, and the two follow-
ing days, several specimens of both sexes in mature and
immature plumage being shot out of a large flock by Mr. M.
Bailey. Another very remarkable incident which occurred
at the latter end of April, " about fifty years ago," has
been communicated to me by Mr. J. Braim, formerly of
Sleights, who discovered no fewer than four Pied Flycatchers,
one male and three females, drowned in a rain-water tub,

152 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE.

they having, presumably, fallen into the water in their efforts
to procure flies. Mr. Braim has obligingly oresented me with
three of these specimens.

The greatest arrival yet known took place from the
3rd to 6th May 1885, and was very pronounced at Spurn,
Flamborough, and Redcar (Seventh Migration Report, p. 43).
On the return passage in autumn they are reported at various
stations on the seaboard, from mid-August to the end of
September, and have been observed to alight on a vessel
at sea on passage from Sweden to Hull {Nat. 1893, p. 5).

The individuals which occur on the East Coast during
the autumn immigration are invariably described as immature
birds. It is very likely that observers are mistaken in this
matter, as at this season the sexes, both mature and immature,
are hardly distinguishable. The late J. Hancock (" Birds
of North'd. and D'm." p. 79), pointed out the close resemblance
in plumage of the sexes in young and old birds.

This species affects the tops of the highest trees as its
hunting quarters, while its nesting holes are not far above
the ground. Like its congener, the Spotted Flycatcher, it has
been accused of killing honey bees, and at Whitby one was
shot in flagrante delicto {Nat. 1886, p. 277).

Mr. W. Eagle Clarke had examples, obtained at Spurn in
autumn, which are an inch less in total length than the average
measurement.

RED-BREASTED FLYCATCHER.

Muscicapa parva (Bechsl.).

Accidental summer visitant from the European Continent, of
extremely rare occurrence.

This species nests on the Continent of Europe and in
Persia, migrating in winter to northern India and China.
Its claim to be included in the Yorkshire avi-fauna rests
on the occurrence of one immature example only, which is
the seventh specimen recorded for Britain, and was obtained
by Mr. John Morley, at Scarborough, on the 23rd of October

SWALLOW 153

1889, in a wood amongst beech trees. It was observed to
fly from its perch at intervals after flies, the white feathers
in its tail being then very conspicuous. The wood was
swarming with Golden-crested Wrens, and also Woodcock,
which had evidently just arrived.

The bird was sent to London for comparison, and its
identity fully established, as Mr. J. H. Gurney exhibited
it at the Zoological Society's meeting for that purpose ;
it was too heavily shot for the sex to be determined.
(Gurney, Nat. 1890, p. 14 ; Field, i8th January 1890 ; Zool.
1891, pp. 362-3, 471.)

The specimen is now in the collection of Sir Vauncey
Crewe of Calke Abbey, Derbyshire.

SWALLOW.

Hirundo rustica (Z.).

Summer visitant, generally distributed, abundant. Arrives in
mid-April and departs at the end of September, a few remaining
until October.

In its connection with Yorkshire history, the earliest
reference to the Swallow, of which I am aware, is contained
in a letter from the erudite Dr. Martin Lister to the celebrated
John Ray, and is dated York, February 8th 1675, thus : —

" Dear Sir, .... One and the same Swallow [Hirundo
rustica], I have known, by the abstracting daily of her eggs,
to have laid nineteen successively, and then to have given
over." (" Correspondence of John Ray," p. 117.)

Thomas Allis wrote, in 1844, ^-s follows : —

Hirundo rustica. — Chimney Swallow, — Common, Dr.Farrar remarks,
respecting the whole tribe, that, probably the same cause, or causes,
which have diminished the number of Cuckoos this season, may also
have had their influence on these birds, as he seldom remembers having
seen so few as up to the date of his communication, June 6th 1844

One of our familiar and most eagerly looked-for summer
visitants is the Swallow, which usually arrives in Yorkshire
from the loth to the middle or third week of April, varying
slightly as the season is early or late ; in the south of the

154 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE.

county it may be noticed a few days earlier than in the
middle and north ; Neville Wood, in 1837, mentioned the
loth as the average date, and at Barnsley the same estimate
was arrived at after an analysis of many years' notes. In
the central and northern districts its appearance may be
expected in mid-April, and so far back as 1784 that able
Yorkshire ornithologist, Marmaduke Tunstall, writing from
Wycliffe-on-Tees, calculated its arrival at this period, though
it does not reach the higher dales and remote upland localities
until the third week or even the end of the month. Two
authentic instances of March Swallows are reported ; one
by Thomas Allis, who noticed two near Pontefract on 30th
March 1830 ; and, in more recent years, Mr. J.J. Emerson
of Easby-in-Cleveland, saw a pair on the 25th of the same
month in 1897. Solitary birds have not infrequently been
recorded from various parts of the county in the first week
in April, but the old adage " one Swallow does not make a
summer " holds good in Yorkshire as elsewhere, and these
first arrivals are merely the advance guards of the main hosts
that follow at the end of April and early in May.

The departure of the main body takes place at the end of
August and throughout September, a few sometimes remaining
till mid-October, whilst exceptional cases have been known
of odd birds being observed in the winter months. At Spurn
some were seen on 8th November 1891, at the time when our
winter migrants, the Snow Buntings, were coming ; at
Redcar I have seen individuals as late as the 22nd of November
in the year 1891, and two were noted there on 3rd December
1846 {Zool. 1846, p. 1368) ; three were noticed at Huddersfield
on i8th January 1837 '■> ^^^ ^^^ ^ea-r Halifax on 4th February
1862 (See J. E. Harting on "Belated Swallows," Field, 30th
January 1892). These lingerers probably belong to late
broods, or are from more northern regions. The first birds
moving south are young ones, and in September they may
be seen the whole day passing along the coast ; on the 3rd
and 4th September 1898, there were continuous flights
passing Redcar to the south-east ; and at Flamborough
they have been frequently observed in mid-September

SWALLOW. 155

congregating about the Headland preparatory to their long
journey.*

The Swallow is generally diffused in the county and ascends
into the highest parts of the dales, being known to breed
in Nidderdale to 1150 feet, and to 2000 feet elevation in
Teesdale ; in Arkengarthdale odd pairs nest in the shepherds'
huts on the moors ; I have also known a nest in the shooting
house on Swainby Moor, and, while grouse shooting, have
seen birds hawking for insects about the moors. In the
Harrogate neighbourhood its numbers had considerably
decreased a few years ago, but it appears to be regaining
ground, though it is to be feared that, generally speaking,
it is not so plentiful in the county as formerly. In some
seasons, owing probably to severe weather, it is less abundant
than in other years ; this was the case in 1901, as testified
by several writers, notably James Carter {Field, 25th May
1901), and on 12th and 13th May 1886, after the bulk of the
late comers had appeared, a spell of cold wintry weather,
with heavy snow and gales of wind, caused terrible mortality
amongst their ranks ; thousands perished of cold and want
of food, many being picked up in a famished and dying
condition {Nat. 1886, p. 182).

Swallows have often been observed hawking for insects
several miles distant from land, both off the Cleveland coast
and in the Humber district.

The ancient myth respecting birds of this family hibernating
at the bottom of ponds and rivers dies hard in the remote
dales, but Pennant (Vol. iv., pp. 13, 14), related an instance
of probable hibernation, several bushels — full of birds in a
torpid state being found in a cliff at Whitby while digging
out a fox ; and in mid-winter, about 1850, some twenty
Swallows were discovered inside an old tree, cracked with
age, that was cut down on Lord Feversham's estate near

* In this connection the Migration Reports furnish plenteous
evidence concerning Yorkshire, the entries being, however, too
voluminous to be given in detail ; and for a concise account of the
migration of the Swallow the student is referred to Mr. W. Eagle
Clarke's report, read at the British Association meeting at Glasgow, 1901 .

156 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE.

Helmsley ; only one of the birds showed signs of animation,
and it soon collapsed.

During the whole of the winter of 1895 two of these
birds took up their quarters in an old barn at Elton Wold,
near Beverley, and remained until the new-comers in spring
had appeared ; but a most circumstantial statement is
given, by the Rev. T. Powell, of two wintering at Healey
Vicarage, near Masham, in 1895-6, as follows : —

" They were members of a very late brood of four hatched
in a nest under the slates inside our cowhouse. I may here
mention that a pair of Swallows nest every year in the same
place. The two Swallows in question were seen flying about
by members of my family long after the other Swallows
had disappeared. They finally lodged above the lintel of
the cowhouse door, squeezing themselves into a small hole
in the stonework, and thus escaping the draught. When
I saw them the tail was the only part of their bodies that was
at all conspicuous. My eldest son, then sixteen years old,
had them both in his hand at the beginning of last Christmas
holidays. They were in a drowsy condition and did not
attempt to fly when he gave them the chance. On very fine
days, as he informs me, he saw them flying for about two
hours in the middle of the day from eleven to one o'clock.
One of the Swallows died some time in the spring, the other
left its winter quarters shortly before the return of the
Swallows (in April), and was a conspicuous object among
its fellows during spring and early summer through having
lost one of the forks of its tail. It mated with another
Swallow, and they attempted to nest in the pigsty, which
joins the cowhouse, but this came to nothing — the lowness
of the roof of the pigsty most likely causing them to desist
from the attempt." {Field, 2nd January 1897.)

The selection of breeding sites of this bird does not vary
greatly, though at Campsall Hall a pair for several years
successively attempted to build in the upper corner of the
entrance hall (Neville Wood's Nat. 1837) 5 another pair built
a nest, in June 1887, and reared its brood, on the curtain
pole overhanging a staircase window of a country house near

See page 156.

Cup-shaped Swallow's nest, near Harrogate..

R. Fortune.

SWALLOW. 157

Cottingham {Field, 8th October 1887) ; and at Wilstrop two
nests were built under the eaves of an outhouse against a wall,
and without any supporting ledge ; whilst at the same place
other two were in a shed built against the inner walls and
about a foot below the angle of the roof {Nat. 1890, p. 258).

Late nests are not infrequent, therefore one or two
instances only need be cited ; one at Starbeck had young
in October 1884, the old birds being observed feeding them
during a snowstorm at the end of that month ; and in the
following year several were reported, one, near Rotherham,
having young as late as the loth of October.

White varieties occur almost every season ; of Yorkshire
examples the earliest and latest known may sufhce : — One
in the Tunstall collection was shot at Bradford-on-Tees
(Tunst. MS. p. 76), and the latest was noted at Market
Weighton in 1896. A dun coloured specimen was observed
at Beverley in 1866, and at King's Mill, near Huddersfield,
one of a pale drab plumage is recorded.

The folk lore of this county abounds with superstition
connected with this favourite bird ; it is deemed to be a
very good omen if a pair take possession of a place and build
a nest against it, while it is unpropitious for them to
forsake a place they have once tenanted. Terrible penalties,
we are told in the North Riding, arc paid by the rash hand
that destroys or robs a Swallow's nest ; rain will continually
descend on his crops for a month, or his cows will cease to
give milk, or else give it mixed wuth blood. In the West
and East Ridings punishment is considered certain to follow
the ruthless act in one form or other, either death or some
great calamity will fall upon the family. A farmer's wife
near Hull told how some young men, sons of a banker in that
town, pulled down some Swallows' nests about a little farm
he possessed. " The bank broke soon after," she said,
" and, poor things, the family have had nought but trouble
since." (Henderson's Folk-lore.) The descent of a Swallow
down a chimney, as in the case of a Jackdaw, portends the
speedy decease of the inmates of the house.

A country rhyme runs : —

158 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE.

" The Martin and the Swallow,
Are God Almighty's bow and arrow."

The only vernacular names are Fork-tailed Swallow,
Chimney Swallow, and Barn Swallow.

HOUSE MARTIN.

Chelidon urbica (L.).

Summer visitant, abundant, generally distributed. Arrives late
in April and leaves in September, stragglers occasionally remaining
until November or December.

The first reference to this species as a county bird is
contained in a letter from Mr. Bolton, near Halifax, dated
30th August 1794, and runs as follows : —

" In the latter end of August 1779, some boys beat down
a Martin's nest, with young. The birds built anew for
another brood, which had but just learned the use of their
wings, when their congeners took leave. Several times in
the course of the winter I have seen sometimes one, sometimes
two, flying about, the weather was mild, and the sun shined
warm ; and after the 25th of March they were constantly
to be seen on fine days." (Latham, " Gen. Hist. Birds," 1823,
vii., note to p. 278.)

Thomas Allis, 1844, wrote : —

Hirundo urbica. — The Martin — Common in most districts, but
Arthur Strickland remarks " There seem few birds less disturbed
in their nidilication than this, notwithstanding it appears to me to have
greatly diminished in numbers of late years ; many houses I remember
annually abounding with their nests now hardly possess more than two
or three." I think the same remark applies to the neighbourhood
of York.

The House Martin arrives a little later in spring than the
Sw^allow and, as a general rule, in the third week of April ;
in the south of the county it is somewhat earlier, the 14th
of April being the average date of its appearance, but in most

HOUSE MARTIN. 159

parts of Yorkshire its presence does not become apparent
until the third or last week of the month. In 1877 it was
noted in Wensleydale on the 6th of March, which is remarkably
early ; in Cleveland the earliest arrival of which I have a
note is the 4th of April 1901, when one was seen at Marton.

Dm"ing August and September most of the House
Martins leave us, but a few linger until October almost
every year, while some stay into November. Two records
are known of its being seen in December : one at Whitby in
1888, on the 4th of the month, and another which came under
my notice at Redcar in 1900, on the 14th ; the bird was
afterwards repeatedly seen flying in front of my house until
the 20th, when from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. I had it under
observation for the last time. An instance of this species
wintering in the county is given by Latham's correspondent,
as mentioned above in the first Yorkshire reference to this
bird.*

Though generally distributed, and common in most
localities, the House Martin is, unfortunately, decreasing
in numbers in the manufacturing districts and in the
neighbourhood of many large towns, where whole colonies
have deserted their breeding places owing to the prevalence
of smoke and the destruction and usurpation of their nests
by the ubiquitious House Sparrow. This decrease appears
to be noticed also in many other parts, although in some
places, and particularly at Harrogate, the reverse is happily
the case. In the west and north-west portions of the county
the bird is found up to 1150 feet elevation, at which altitude
it breeds in Teesdale and Nidderdale, and I have often met
with it hawking for insects on the Cleveland moors in August,
whilst grouse-driving operations were in progress. Great
mortality amongst the Swallow tribe was caused by the
severe weather in May 1886, and this species suffered equally
with its congeners (cf. Swallow, p. 155, and Nat. 1886, p. 182).

Along the sea-cliffs a great number of Martins breed

* (cf. J. E. Harting on " Belated Swallows." Field, 30th January
1892 ; and Nat. 1901, p. 74.)

i6o THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE.

annually, placing their nests under the ledges, and colonies
exist in these situations at Saltburn, Boulby, Whitby, Scar-
borough, and the famed Flamborough range. In a few in-
land localities it also breeds in cliffs, as at Malham Cove, where
the nests are lower down than those of the Swifts ; in a quarry
between Kirkby-in-Cleveland and Bilsdale, and at Kilnsey
Crag in Wharfedale. In some colonies many nests are found
in close proximity to each other ; in Nidderdale forty-six
were built within a space of nine yards, and at Battersby-in-
Cleveland I counted fifty-two on a small row of railway
cottages. A curious site was chosen by a pair of these birds
at Sedbergh in 1885, where a nest was noticed fixed on the
face of the station clock ; at Malham Cove a nest was built
on a wall instead of under the eaves, and was domed over,
with the entrance at the side.

Mr. Wm. Storey of Fewston informs me that, in 1893,
he caught a pair of Martins, which had built under the eaves
of his house, put a split ring on the leg of each and liberated
them. Next year, on the 20th of June, the birds returned
with the rings on their legs. They again nested in 1895,
but the male was, unfortunately, killed by flying against the
telegraph wires, the ring still remaining on its leg, and so
proving its identity.

Late nesting with this species is noted almost annually ;
three instances were reported at Beverley in October 1885,
one with young still unfledged on the 19th of the month ; and
the late P. Inchbald mentioned, in the Field of 5th November
1887, a nest and young at Hornsea on the 7th of October.
A few days later he was told the nest had been taken down, in
consequence of the warblings of the birds being considered
tokens of ill omen at so late a period of the year. At High
Harrogate, in the year 1905, I saw Martins feeding their
young in the nest as late as the nth of October ; on the
I2th the young had flown, though it is doubtful whether
they would be able to migrate, as a spell of severe cold
weather immediately ensued.

White and parti-coloured varieties are not uncommon ;
Marmaduke Tunstall mentioned one of the former in August

SAND MARTIN. i6i

1781 (Tunst. MS. 1784, p. 76), and a pure albino, with pink
eyes, was noted at Patrington on 26th September 1880.

The local names in general use are : Swallow, House Swallow,
Window Swallow, and Martin ; while Eaves or Easin Swallow
is a name applied to the bird in the Craven district.

[An American Purple Martin {Progne purpurea, L.) was
shot at Colne Bridge near Huddersfield in 1854 (Hobkirk's
Huddersfield, 1859, P- ^44)' ^^t' ^^ this distance of time, it
is not possible to investigate the circumstance, and the
record is to be considered unreliable.]

SAND MARTIN.

Cotile riparia (Z.).

Summer visitant, abundant in suitable localities.

Probably the first notice of this species in the county is
found in Graves's "History of Cleveland " (1808), where it is
enumerated in the list of migrants.

Thomas A His, in 1844, referred to it thus : —

Hirundo riparia. — Sand Martin — Common near Doncaster ; a
few pairs are occasionally met with near Sheffield ; pretty frequent in
favourable localities in other districts.

The Sand Martin arrives from early in April to the middle
of the month ; in the south of the county, at Barnsley,
the 9th is computed, from an analysis of many years' records,
to be the average date ; in central and north Yorkshire
it does not make its appearance till a few days later, though,
as in the case of its congeners, stragglers are occasionally
noted much earlier, as at Otley where one was recorded on
29th February 1886 {Field, 3rd April 1886), and at Ackworth
a pair were seen on 28th March 1897. This species felt the
ill-effects of the storm that proved so disastrous to the Swallow
tribe on the 12th and 13th of May 1886, many being picked
up dead or starving [Nat. 1886, p. 182 ; see also Swallow, p. 155).

VOL. I. M

i62 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE.

It departs a little earlier than the Swallow and House Martin,
though small parties sometimes linger until late in October ;
the late Wm. Talbot, in his " Birds of Wakefield," 1877,
recorded one as late as the 14th, and on the 20th of the same
month, in 1880, about twenty were observed in Flamborough
village, hawking for insects.

This bird, the least of the genus, is abundant in those
localities where suitable situations for its nesting galleries
are met with, such as the sandy banksides of rivers, sand
quarries, and the face of precipitous cliffs both inland and
on the sea-coast. In some districts it is more numerous than
the two preceding species, this being the case at Pateley
Bridge ; but it is necessarily a local bird, its numbers depending
on the presence of available nesting quarters ; on the east
Wolds and in the higher reaches of some of the dales, such
as Swaledale and Arkengarthdale, it is, for lack of them,
rather rare. In Teesdale a colony is established about two
miles above Middleton, and in Nidderdale it is met with
to 1400 feet elevation, and is not infrequent in the neighbour-
hood of the large reservoirs in the West Riding dales. On
the sea-cliffs of Boulby in the North Riding, and at
Flamborough in the East, several large colonies are found,
those at the latter place being in the sand veins in the upper
cliff, between the chalk and the boulder clay on the south
beach. Twenty or thirty years ago they were very common
on the sandhills between Redcar and Saltburn, where they
had nesting galleries in the steep sides of the banks facing the
sea, but, erosion of the coast having destroyed the holes,
they have deserted the place and are now quite scarce. At
Thorne Waste, near Goole, the Sand Martins excavate holes,
drilling the peaty sides of the trenches cut for the drainage
of the moss ; this is a departure from the ordinary habits
of the birds, though a more unusual nesting place was utilised
by several pairs, which bred in the markers' huts on Strensall
Common, in 1881 ; and a still more curious locality was
mentioned by the late E. TindaU of Knapton, who found
a pair nesting in the north end of an old haystack ; the eggs
were on the point of hatching when they were, unfortunately,

GREENFINCH. 163

destroyed by some boys. Numbers of these birds nest in
the heaps of rejected Hme at the whiting works near Beverley.

A bird so weak and frail as this species is not considered
to be of a quarrelsome nature, but a rather remarkable
instance occurred in 1901, near Bashall Hall on the Lancashire
border, where a pair of Sand Martins dispossessed a Dipper,
which had reared a brood, and the Martins afterwards hatched
two broods in the same nest (T. Altham, in lilt. 13th
February 1902).

There are several Yorkshire records of white or parti-
coloured specimens ; one with silvery plumage is mentioned in
Neville Wood's Naturalist, 1837 5 ^^^ ^^v. F. O. Morris noted
one at Doncaster in the same year with a white breast and
a white band round the nape of the neck ; a white variety
was seen near Wilsden, and one at the same place, in 1877,
with the upper plumage bluish white, and the lower parts
glossy white. An example near Settle, in 1895, had white
wings ; and, finally, an albino is recorded from Killinghall,
near Harrogate, in 1898.

The local names are not very numerous, and have all
reference to the situations in which it nests : Bank Martin
is general ; and Bank Swallow a West Riding term ; it is
Pit Martin in Craven ; Sandy in Teesdale ; and Sand or River
Swallow is given by Swainson, 1886.

GREENFINCH.
Ligurinus chloris (Z).

Resident, common, generally and abundantly distributed. A
great influx of migrants in autumn.

Probably the earliest Yorkshire reference to this species
is given byTunstall (MS. 1783, p. 66) thus: " Loxia Chloris. —
Green Grosbeak. Heard from pretty good authority, that
there had been a mongrel between this bird and the canary."

Thomas Allis, 1844, wrote : —

l64 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE.

Coccothraustes chloris. — Green Finch — Abundant everywhere.
One of our commonest residents is the Greenfinch, which
is found wherever it meets with suitable conditions for its
existence, and in the dales it has occurred to an elevation
of 1000 feet. It congregates in vast numbers in autumn,
at which period large flocks of immigrants cross the North
Sea in October and November, and resort to the stubbles to
feed in company with other Finches and Linnets ; the old
males migrate separately from the females and young. It
has also been occasionally noticed during the vernal migration.
In the autumn and winter of 1881 an immense concourse
of these birds gathered in the stubble fields near the coast,
attracted by the grain that had been scattered by a storm
during harvest time ; the year 1883 witnessed another great
arrival, with Linnets, in October, and in the same month of
1887 many were seen at the Teesmouth. Several " rushes "
are recorded in the Migration Reports, while in October 1901,
a strong migration from the north took place at Redcar,
accompanied by Linnets, Siskins, and other small birds.
On the Cleveland coast the flocks generally arrive from about
east or north-east, in foggy weather being often so greatly
exhausted as to drop on the rocks, or on the sands, directly
they " make the land." During the spring passage in 1901,
there was a great influx at Redcar on the ist of May, with
Siskins ; they came from due east, early in the morning,
which was misty, with a light easterly breeze, and many were
seen sitting on the hedgerows and in the gardens ; in all prob-
ability these birds were on their passage further northward.

An exceptionally late nest, containing young, was reported
at Patrington on August 30th 1857. -^^ Redcar, in 1902,
a pair of Greenfinches built a nest, and reared their young
brood in a garden, close to the entrance gate, and within three
feet of the footpath.

An instance of variation from the ordinary plumage is
that of a white example, seen near Bradford, on nth April
1890 {Nat. 1890, p. 335), while specimens almost as yellow
as canaries have occurred at Beverley.

As regards varieties of the eggs, the late Canon Atkinson

Greenfinch's Nest.

R. For/line.

See page i6.^.

HAWFINCH. 165

mentioned a clutch at Danby, in 1863, of a warm shade of
white, resembhng the hue of Dippers' or Sand Martins' eggs.

Of local names, Green Linnet and Green Lenny are general ;
Greeny is in use in Cleveland and the East Riding ; Green
Grosbeak was the name used byTunstall in 1783 ; Featherpoke
has been noted at Newsome, near Huddersfield ; and Bighead
at Beverley.

HAWFINCH.

Coccothraustes vulgaris {Pallas).

Resident, local ; breeds regularly in some parts. Greatly increasing
in numbers and extending its northward range.

The earliest Yorkshire reference to this species appears
to be in Leyland's Halifax Catalogue, 1828, where it is stated
to be " very rare."

Thomas Allis, in 1844, wrote of it thus : —

Coccothraustes viUgavis. — Hawfinch — Is a rare winter visitant near
Sheffield ; one or two have been taken near Halifax ; it occurs rarely
at Killingbeck near Leeds, and near York, as well as in the neigh-
bourhood of Barnsley, and is very rare about Huddersfield ; eight
specimens were shot near Doncaster in 1843, and are now all in the
possession of Hugh Reid, bird-stuffer of that place. Arthur Strick-
land observes that a few of these birds are generally killed every
winter in the neighbourhood of Bridlington, but they have not been
known to remain over the summer in that district.

Although formerly considered to be rather rare, the
Hawfinch, while somewhat local, has vastly increased of late
years and extended its range northward. Whatever may
be the cause of this increase, whether it is to be attributed
to the protection afforded by law, or due solely to natural
causes, the fact remains that the bird is now resident in many
places where it used to be merely a winter visitant, or perhaps
its presence was unsuspected or overlooked, possibly the
latter in some cases, for it is of a shy disposition, and may be
existent in a locality, without being known, until close

i66 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE.

investigation reveals its loosely made nest, and it is more
likely to be noticed in autumn, when the young are out and
feeding in vegetable gardens.

In the south of the county it was rare up to the
"sixties" ; it now breeds regularly, yet not numerously, near
Sheffield, Halifax, and Barnsley ; it is fairly abundant and
has greatly increased in the Aire Valley, where it was first
noted as a nester in 1878 ; near Wakefield it bred in several
places in 1876 and continues to do so annually ; it has increased
in the Huddersfield neighbourhood, where a few nests have
been known of recent years ; at Hebden Bridge the eggs
were found in 1883 ; it is rare near Selby and Askern ; at
Doncaster it is resident, though the fact of a nest being
discovered in 1863 was considered worthy of record in the
Ibis (1865) ; the young were found at Ackworth in 1881,
and up to 1889 it had nested regularly for several years in
the Pontefract district, but it is still a rare species near
Goole. In the Leeds area one or two localities are occasionally
favoured, as also are Otley and Staveley ; it is rather scarce
in lower Wharfedale, though some breed near Boston Spa
and other suitable places ; it has also been recorded from
Ben Rhydding in the upper portion of the valley, and at
Fewston in the Washburn valley ; Nidderdale claims it now
as an annual breeder, yet it was only detected there in 1886 ;
along the lower reaches of the stream it has increased, and
breeds near Harrogate, Ripley, Rudding Park, Knaresborough,
and Ribston Park. In the Ripon district it is fairly common
and increasing as a nesting species near the city and at Studley
Park ; it has also occurred at North Stainley. It is rare
generally in the north-west, but is now numerous at Bolton
Abbey and Bolton-by-Bowland, where it has been caught in
gardens and orchards when attacking the pea crops.

In East Yorkshire the Hawfinch is a fairly abundant species
near Pocklington, Warter, and Nunburnholme ; at Scampston
it has only been identified within the past ten or twelve years,
but nests annually, and the late Col. B. B. Haworth-Booth
recorded nests at Hullbank House in 1893 and 1895 ; in
the Beverley district, where it may be described as nesting in

HAWFINCH. 167

some numbers, it has been overlooked, having been common
and an annual nester in the Public Pasture for the past
forty years, and it has also occurred in flocks in the winter ; it
breeds at Brough-on-Humber, and has been observed near
Hedon in the nesting season.

Coming to the North Riding, where it was but a winter
visitant, or an uncommon breeding species, it is noticeable that,
within the past ten or fifteen years, it has become much more
numerous ; one or two pairs nest at Castle Howard ; near
Bedale several broods are reared every year, and at Richmond,
Thirsk, and Helmsley its nest has been found. At Staithes,
Whitby, and Scarborough it nests sparingly, and in upper
Teesdale an odd pair or two have bred on the Yorkshire side
of the river since 1897 ; near Sedbergh, in the extreme north-
west, it is a scarce winter visitant, as also in Arkengarth-
dale and Swaledale. The increase of this bird in Cleveland
is very remarkable ; so recently as the year 1890 it was
considered rare, but at the present time it is not by any means
uncommon ; it occurs as a winter visitant in most places
in the district, and nests more or less frequently all over the
division, from Loftus on the south-east to Yarm on the
north-west, at which latter place there has been a small
colony for the past ten years ; it also breeds in the dales
on the south and south-west almost up to the moor edges,
as at Danby and Swainby.

The Migration Reports do not contain any reference
to the Hawfinch at the Yorkshire stations, though a striking
feature in its increase is that, in 1902, an example was reported
from one of the Yorkshire lighthouses, and it would thus appear
that it may now be looked for as a migrant on our coast.

The nest is usually in low situations, such as fruit trees in
orchards, low growing oaks, or thorn bushes ; in Wharf edale
Mr. E. P. Butterfield states the birds are not at all shy and
have to be frightened off their nests, but this is contrary to
the general experience, which is that they are of the shyest
nature and forsake their nests on the very slightest interference,
though in a few instances I have known them exhibit the
trait Mr, Butterfield refers to.

i68 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE.

Since 1897 there has been a large colony in Cleveland
(the precise locality of which it would be unwise to indicate),
where some twenty to thirty pairs breed in comparative
security ; the first year or two the nests were on low and
easily accessible trees, some not more than five feet above
the ground, but, after being disturbed, they changed their
places of abode, and for the past three years most of the
nests have been built on the extremities of branches of oak
trees in a plantation, and are not discoverable until the fall
of the leaves in autumn. The usual time for nesting is the
third week in May, though a full clutch of eggs has been
found on the 13th of that month. In the early days of this
colony the nests were mere platforms of twigs and a few roots ;
afterwards more elaborate structures were built, with cup-
shaped nests on the platforms, made of roots or pieces of
fibrous bark, and lined with grass and hair. In the year 1902,
although it was known that nearly thirty pairs were in the
locality, only two nests were discovered, the remainder
being hidden by the thick foliage on the trees ; consequently
a swarm of young birds made their appearance in the
neighbouring gardens, and commenced an onslaught upon
the pea crops as soon as the pods began to fill. The irate
owners, whose property was thus destroj-ed, waged war on
the plunderers, with the result that, up to the middle of
September, no fewer than thirty-five, young and old, were
killed by means of traps, guns, and bird-lime. On the 9th
of September I saw whole rows of peas that had been
demolished by the powerful beaks of the Hawfinches, instru-
ments well adapted for such purposes.

A departure from the usual t5'pe of egg is occasionally
met with, and some of a bluish colour have been found in
the Masham neighbourhood.

The local names are few : — Grosbeak is of general use,
and Cherry Finch is applied to it at Upsall, Swaledale.

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169
GOLDFINCH.

Carduelis elegans {S/eph.).

Resident, local, not common, decreasing in numbers ; a few
migrants in autumn.

This species was first alluded to as a native of Yorkshire
by Marmaduke Tunstall, in 1783, thus : — " Goldfinch. —
Called in the north of England Redcap and Gold Linnet."
(Tunst. MS. p. 68.)

Thomas Allis, in 1844, wrote of it as follows : —

Carduelis elegans. — Goldfinch — Common at Doncaster and Hebden
Bridge ; formerly by no means uncommon near Halifax, now nearly
extinct ; it is met with near Leeds ; is not very common about
Huddersfield ; it is very plentiful in the moorland districts near
Barnsley ; it is rarely seen in the immediate neighbourhood of York,
though pretty abundant a few miles to the east of the city ; it is
obtained about Thirsk.

This charming little finch, which was formerly abundant
in most cultivated districts, is becoming extremely rare, its
decrease in highly farmed neighbourhoods being attributable
to the destruction of those plants on whose seeds it usually
feeds ; in some places linseed and flax were extensively
cultivated for manufacturing purposes, and in harvest time
the birds were attracted to the ripening seeds ; this industry
has almost died out, and, with its decline, a corresponding
decrease in the number of Goldfinches has taken place.
The professional bird catchers are also partly responsible
for their scarcity, as many used to be snared in autumn
to sell for cage birds, and so recently as 1904 no fewer than
seventeen were captured near Knaresborough ; the result
is that in only few places can it, at the present time, be found
nesting in a wild state. In the south, south-west, and south-
east portions of the West Riding it is almost extinct as a
nester, though it was formerly plentiful in suitable localities ;
odd pairs still breed near Wakefield, and about Ackworth
it is slightly increasing. In the Leeds area it used to be
frequent near Sherburn-in-Elmet when teazle was cultivated.

170 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE.

and it fed on the seeds ; in 1878 a small flock was observed
in a market garden in Meanwood Road, the first reported
from there. In Lower Wharfedale it was abundant when
flax was extensively grown ; Oglethorpe Whin cover, where
it still nests sparingly, used to be a favourite haunt. In the
Nidd valley it continued to nest up to 1882, as also in the
Washburn valley near Fewston ; at Staveley ; near Ripon,
and in the north-west of the county, though in most of these
districts its present status, generally speaking, is that of
a winter visitant in small numbers.

Many years ago Goldfinches were caught in the Castle
Yard at York ; as breeding birds they are now scarce near
the city, except at Sandhutton, where some considerable
numbers nest, though not so many as formerly ; in the
central valleys of the North Riding it is extremely scarce
as a nesting species, but it bred in upper Teesdale in 1871.
In the Scarborough district it was met with in the years
1900 and 1901 ; and appears to be slightly increasing there,
several nests being found in 1905. It is a scarce resident near
Whitby ; at Loftus it is frequent in winter, though it rarely
breeds there. It used to be plentiful in north-west Cleveland
about the " sixties " when linseed was freely grown, now that
the cultivation of that plant is discontinued it has become
very rare ; it is generally a winter visitant, only nesting
sparingly in one or two localities.

In the East Riding it is not uncommon at Pocklington
and within a radius of several miles in the surrounding district,
where it nests annually ; it is occasionally found at Market
Weighton, but is scarce at Knapton and Scampston, and
generally noticed only in winter. It bred formerly near
Bridlington, but has greatly decreased in numbers, while
near Flamborough and Spurn it is only a winter visitant on
migration. In the Beverley neighbourhood it is scarce,
and as soon as it makes its appearance it is eagerly sought
after by the bird-catchers. It was formerly exceedingly
numerous, and there is very good authority for stating
that no less than four hundred were captured on the site of
the present Union at Beverley in a few days ; this small

GOLDFINCH. 171

site, at that time being a waste covered with thistles, knap-
weed, etc. ; these were caught by a famous bird-catcher
called Greenhough, and large numbers were taken in other
years by him and other well-known bird-snarers. More
recently these birds have been regularly sought for in the
autumn ; the bird-catchers traverse the country in all
directions with a Goldfinch in a small cage, which, on hearing
its wild relatives, immediately gives warning ; the men, from
long experience, know all the likely localities, such as
commons, where the knapweed is seeding freely, and bits
of uncultivated, or waste, land, where thistles are allowed to
seed. In the early autumn the old birds and their broods
usually keep together, and the young are easily caught,
the old birds falling victims later. It still nests in a few
localities in Holderness, especially in plantations of old Scotch
firs, and in spring it feeds on the seeds of the fir cones. It
has also nested sparingly near Hedon and Aldborough.

As a migrant the Goldfinch occurs regularly on the coast
in October, but never in large numbers, although it was
fairly plentiful in 1880. The returns from the light stations
afford but slight information respecting its occurrence, and
there is only one entry referring to its spring passage. The
following items are extracted from the Migration Reports : —
" 1881. A few seen at Spurn on October 27th.

1882. At Spurn, on April 20th, six from south, remaining

all day.
„ At Spurn in autumn. Some in October.

1883. November 22nd. Tees L.V. One on board."

In the year 1898 there were several noted on the sand-
dunes at Spurn on the 19th of November, and in 1901 I
noticed an arrival at the Teesmouth on the 4th of November.

There is a common belief amongst bird-fanciers in
Yorkshire that the Goldfinches obtained from pear-trees
and sloe-bushes are better singers than those reared from
other trees ; the former are synonymous with the " Cheverel "
or " Chevil " ; in some parts this is termed the pear-tree
Goldfinch, while the other so-called variety is the apple-tree
Goldfinch, though, technically speaking, there is only one true

172 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE.

species (See Yarrell's " British Birds," Ed. 4, Vol. ii., p. 124).
The provincial names by which the Goldfinch is known
are : — Goldie and Gold Spink, given by Swainson as in general
use, the latter term being dialectically modified in Craven to
Gowd-Spink. Tunstall, in 1783, mentioned it as known as
Gold Linnet in the North of England, pronounced Gowd Linnet
in the North Riding, and Gold Lenny in Cleveland. Redcap is
another term in general use, and King Harry or King Harry
Redcap, in the North and East Ridings ; Thistle Finch is a
North Riding name, and Captain a West Riding one ; while
Grey Kate or Grey Pate are, in the North and East Ridings,
applied to the young.

SISKIN.
Carduelis spinus (/..).

Winter visitant, of uncertain appearance and in varying numbers.

The first notice of the Siskin appertaining to Yorkshire
appears to be in the Allan j\IS., 1791, of the Tunstall Museum
(p. 205 of Fox's "Synopsis)," where it is stated that this species
" Visits us at uncertain times, but chiefly in winter, and
never known to breed here."

Thomas Allis, in 1844, referred to it thus : —

Carduelis spinus. — Siskin — Rather common near Sheffield some
winters. J. Heppenstall observes " Last year I received several
which were shot feeding on the seeds of the alder ; it visits our gardens
most autumns along with Fringilla montcfringilla, the attraction seems
to be the seeds of the sycamore ; I was informed in Hertfordshire
that they had large flocks last winter feeding on the seeds of arbor-vitae."
It is common in flocks in winter near Bridlington ; it is an irregular
visitant near Halifax, but was very abundant in the winter of 1835-6 ;
it is not infrequently obtained near Doncaster, in April 1837 a large
flock v,-as seen in Sandall Beat ; it is met with rarely near York and
Barnsley ; it is common near Hebden Bridge in some seasons.

Although reported to have bred in Yorkshire, the alleged
instances of the discovery of its nest are so few that the Siskin
cannot accurately be described as a resident species, and
must rank as a winter visitant, irregular in numbers and

SISKIN. 173

varying greatly in different years. It is chiefly noted in
situations where alders grow, those trees being favourable
for the production of its favourite food. The nest is said
to have been found near Halifax about 1850 (F. G. S. Rawson),
Walton Hall (A. G. More, Ibis, 1865, p. 129), and at Haxby
near York {Zool. 1850, p. 2676), but it is doubtful if these
reported discoveries are to be relied upon, except in the case
of the Walton Hall occurrence which was vouched for by
Charles Waterton, who gave the particulars to Mr. More.
In more recent years, however, one or two pairs have nested
near Pickering.

In the West Riding it was fairly abundant about fifty
years ago, much more so than at the present time ; it now
only appears intermittently and in small numbers, though
it was unusually numerous near Bingley, in Airedale, in the
winters of 1902-3 and 1905-6 ; in the north-west it is very
scarce and is only occasionally found in the dales. In the
East Riding it is not a common visitant, but formerly it
was frequent near Pocklington and was often brought in
by bird-catchers ; at Flamborough it is only seen on migra-
tion in autumn ; it has occurred sparingly at Scampston,
Market Weighton, and Beverley, and is reported at Sjnirn
on its passage in most seasons. In north Yorkshire it is a
fairly regular visitant, and when away from the coast is
generally found by the margins of streams, and frequently
in company with Redpolls ; it is met with in most of
the valleys in the central portion of the North Riding,
is somewhat scarce in the north-west, and has been noted
at High Force in upper Teesdale. As early as 1808 Graves
mentioned it in his list of Cleveland birds, and in 1844
John Hogg stated he had seen a few ; it still occurs annually
but is uncertain as to numbers.

As' a migrant at the light stations it appears regularly
in small parties between Spurn and Easington in autumn,
haunting the lanes and drain banks, feeding on seeds of
nettles and other plants, and generally so tame as to allow
of a near approach. It was abundant in the autumn of 1881,
in October, both at Spurn and at the Teesmouth, in flocks

174 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE.

up to twenty, but more generally two or three together ;
they were mostly females and birds of the year, only very few
being old males. In 1889 there were several at Spurn
associated with Mealy Redpolls. At Flamborough it is also
seen during the autumn migration, and on 21st November
1893, three were reported in company with Snow Buntings.
On the Cleveland coast it is observed on both the spring
and autumn passages ; at the former period very irregularly
and only in small numbers, usually at the end of April or early
in May ; on ist May 1901, several came with Greenfinches
from due east (see Greenfinch). In the autumn migration
it is in greater abundance and more regular in its appearance ;
on 23rd September 1901, there was a large arrival at the
Teesmouth, and many remained for several days feeding
on the sand-dunes ; they were also observed at inland
localities, and on the 30th of October there was a great
flight from due north, with Larks, Greenfinches, and Snow
Buntings.

A variety of a light fawn colour was noted by Mr. W.
Morris, near Sedbergh, in October 1905.

The only local name given by Swainson is Aberdavine,
which he interprets to mean Alder Finch ; this is not now in
use in Yorkshire, although the Siskin was well known to old
bird-catchers about Beverley under the name of Aberdevine.

SERIN.
Serinus hortulanus {Koch).

Accidental visitant from the Continent, of extremely rare
occurrence.

This Continental species, which is of very rare occurrence
in England, was claimed as a Yorkshire bird by the late G. C.
Swailes of Beverley, and as the circumstances are exceptional
it may be desirable to give his account verbatim, as follows : —

" I have in a small aviary here a pair of Serin-finches
which have this season nested and reared a brood of young.

HOUSE SPARROW. 175

On the 26th ult. I was surprised to see near the aviary a
strange male Serin, which stayed close by for some time,
and so far as one could possibly judge, it was not an escaped
bird. During the afternoon I heard it singing merrily its
trivial song in the top of some tall oaks a few hundred yards
from the aviary." (G, C. Swailes, Field, 5th June 1897.)

Mr. F. Boyes confirms Mr. Swailes's statement, and
remarks that he also saw and heard the wild bird.

HOUSE SPARROW.

Passer domesticus (Z.).

Resident, general, very numerous ; partially migratory in autumn.

The first Yorkshire allusion to the Sparrow is in a com-
munication from Ralph Johnson of Brignall, near Greta
Bridge, to John Ray, bearing date 29th March 1672 : —

" Honoured Sir, I have only observed this change from
proper colours to white . . . and in Sparrows (P. domesticus)
which is usual. . . ." ("Correspondence of John Ray," p. 96.)

Thomas Allis, 1844, wrote : —

Passer domesticus. — House Sparrow — Abundant everywhere.

The ubiquitous Sparrow, which is only too numerous in
this as in other counties, flourishes exceedingly wherever
there are human habitations, and even in the dales up to an
elevation of 1000 feet ; in the latter situations it sometimes
nests in rocks with Jackdaws and Starlings away from
civilization.

Common as this bird is, however, it may not be generally
known that it is a regular migrant, and of this fact there is
abundant evidence in the returns sent in from the light
stations on the coast, which show that both in spring and
autumn considerable numbers cross the North Sea ; in the
latter season from the first week in September to the end
of the year, and often in flocks of hundreds, some of which

176 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE.

rest on light-vessels, and resume their course in the morning.
At Spurn in 1880 an immense flock, evidently freshly arrived,
was noticed on the shore ; there was a great " rush " from
October 14th to 19th 1884 ; another from 3rd to 7th October
1886, and again from the i8th to the 23rd. Many also came
in from 2nd to 6th November 1895. Large flocks of clean
looking birds, which are undoubtedly migratory, are frequently
noticed at the Teesmouth in winter, feeding on the reclaimed
lands.

The damage caused by Sparrows to ripening corn has
long been a subject of complaint and led to the customs,
which formerly prevailed in many villages, of paying "Sparrow
money " for their destruction. At Falsgrave, now part of
Scarborough, in 1809, the overseers were empowered to pay
3d. per dozen for all killed and brought to them, and id. per
dozen for their eggs. In some parishes the money paid
formed an important amount, as at Worsborough, where in
1820 488 sparrows were paid for at Jd. each — £1 os. 4d.
(Wilkinson's Worsborough). At Patrington the prices were
for two Sparrows id., four unfledged ^d., six eggs |d. In
various other Holderness villages similar amounts were paid,
and this custom continued until about 1850, the village boys
thus obtaining a good supply of pocket money. In the
parishes of Micklefield near Leeds, and Wakefield, a premium
was offered for the killing of Sparrows, and was continued
until 1872 : for every old or fully fledged bird hd., for two
young ones |d., for four eggs -^d. At Linton-on-Ouse the
overseers paid id. for males and T^d. for females ; the gunners
used to shoot the male of a pair, the hen then got another
mate, and no less than seven males have been killed in one
place ; that is, a hen has had seven mates before she was
driven away {Zool. 1865, p. 9711).

In connection with this bird there is a proverbial saying
near Hatfield, " There are no Sparrows in Lindholme,"
which has arisen from the circumstance described as follows : —
" Tom o' Lindholme, being left at home to protect the corn
from Sparrows, to save trouble, got them all into the barn,
put a harrow into the window to keep them in, and starved

HOUSE SPARROW. 177

them to death." (" Hatfield Chase.") Lindholme is about
three miles from Hatfield (Notes and Queries, Ser. i., Vol. viii.,
p. 532).

The choice of nesting sites is occasionally varied from the
usual one ; near Beverley eggs have been found in Sand
Martins' burrows, and in Cleveland I have seen nests placed
beneath those of Rooks in a rookery. Both birds and eggs
are subject to great variation ; of the latter a brown coloured
clutch, resembling those of a Skylark, found at Kirkleatham
on 8th June 1892, is one of the most unusual. As regards
varieties in plumage, there used to be a black breed at Leven
near Beverley ; the males were a deep blackish brown, so
nearly black as to be only distinguishable from that colour
when in the hand ; the hens a shade lighter, and the young
slaty black. The late W. W. Boulton had three sent in 1865,
which are now in the possession of Mr. F. Boyes {Zool. 1865,
p. 9531). Albino, white, pied, buff, and bluish coloured
examples are also met with, and are rather common near
Beverley ; at Northallerton a female, perfectly white, had a
white brood, one of which was captured.

Early and late nesting is not uncommon with such a
prolific species, but one or two examples of each will suffice.
Eggs were found on 27th January 1874, and young were
recorded on 21st February 1846, near Huddersfield ; late in
the year the eggs have been seen in November 1874, whilst
on 12th December 1862 an egg was picked up on a pavement
in Leeds.

Local vernacular names : — Spadge or Spadger are in general
use ; Spuggy is a Cleveland term ; it is Tile Sparrow at Don-
caster, and Collier at Skelmanthorpe, near Huddersfield.

VOL. I.

178

TREE SPARROW.
Passer montanus (/..)•

Resident, local ; large flocks of migrants arrive in autumn.

The first reference to this species is contained in a
communication from Dr. Sherrard (the botanist and friend
of John Ray) to Walter Moyle, and is dated London, May loth
1720. It reads thus : —

" Having received a letter from my old friend Dr.
Richardson of North Bierley in Yorkshire, with a bird he
thinks new, I wou'd not neglect acquainting you of it and
offering you it if you have it not. He calls it Passer domesticus
minor, torquatus, vertice cupreo ; 'tis the hen. The cock, he
writes me, has a much fairer ring about his neck." (The
works of Walter Moyle, Esq., 1726. J. E. Harting, in
introduction to Rodd's " Birds of Cornwall.") It is also
referred to by G. Edwards, who had a specimen sent from
Landesburg in Yorkshire. ("Gleanings of Natural History,"
1760, Part ii., p. 124.) Pennant, after giving a description
of the bird, added : " We are obliged to Mr. Edwards for
this description, who first discovered them to be natives
of Yorkshire." (" Brit. Zool.," 1766 Ed., p. 109.)

Thomas Allis, in 1844, wrote : —

Passer montana. — Tree Sparrow — Near Sheffield, Halifax, and
Barnsley this bird is infrequent ; it is met with near Leeds and Doncas-
ter, and is not uncommon in the vicinity of York. Arthur Strickland
observes "It is well known that this bird usually builds in hollow trees,
but, as a proof how circumstances alter their habits, or perhaps they
return to their more natural ones, at Walton, where birds are protected
from injury, it, for several years, built in a clipped hedge near the house,
making a nest of sticks closed in on all sides like that of a Magpie ;
unfortunately the hedge was cut down and they forsook the place."

The Tree Sparrow is resident, local, and rather eccentric
in its distribution, though during the past twenty years
it has greatly increased and multiplied in numbers ; in

TREE SPARROW. 179

some districts it is now quite common and nests in large
colonies. In the south of the West Riding it is somewhat
rare, abundant in the south-west and towards the central
portions, and very scarce in the north-west ; it is not
uncommon, though local still, in the lower portions of the
valleys of the Nidd and Wharfe, and the northern parts of
the Riding. In the North Riding, in the neighbourhood of
York, it is a plentiful species, as also near Thirsk, Pickering,
Bedale, Northallerton, and in Swaledale and Teesdale. In
Cleveland it is not very plentiful, and the same remark
applies to the Whitby and Scarborough localities. It is fairly
numerous in some parts of the East Riding, as at Flam-
borough and Bempton, Lowthorpe, Beverley, and other places
in Holderness.

Large flocks of immigrants arrive on the coast in autumn,
at the time when the Greenfinches are migrating, but as a
rule not often to the north of Flamborough. The Migration
Reports contain only two references to its occurrence at
this season, at stations north of that headland, viz., in 1884,
on the 9th September, " One at Whitby L.H.," and in 1887,
on October the 2nd, " One at the Tees L.V." A return passage
is sometimes observed in early spring.

In winter the Tree Sparrow often frequents the stack-
yards and feeds in company with Finches and other small
passerine birds. Up to i860 great numbers were caught
at these times in traps and sold to the constable at Linton-on-
Ouse for a half-penny each {Zool. 1861, p. 7818). In some
localities it does not belie its name and builds in pollard
and decayed trees and bushes, though it departs from this
habit, in many instances adapting itself to its surroundings,
and chooses other sites for its nest ; in the Aire valley it
selects crevices in canal bridges ; near Wakefield, stone
quarries ; at Wilstrop it prefers holes in walls and in stacks ;
near Northallerton a colony nested in the thatched roof of
a farm outbuilding ; at Beverley the nest has been found
in the burrows of Sand Martins, and commonly in chalk pits
and pollard willows away from human habitations, where
its sharp chirruping cry cannot be mistaken ; and at

i8o THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE.

Flamborough it breeds in the upper parts of the cliffs, and
also in Lloyd's signal tower.

At Linton-on-Ouse, in i860, J. Ranson had upwards of
a hundred eggs through his hands, and did not find so much
dissimilarity amongst them as in the ordinary House Sparrow.

The local names recorded are : — Rock Sparrow at
Halifax ; and Red - headed Sparrow at Linton - on - Ouse.
Mountain Sparrow is Pennant's name ; and Cuddy was
applied to it in the North Riding by Tunstall (but I do not
find mention elsewhere of this name as referring to the Tree
Sparrow.)

CHAFFINCH.
Fringilla ccelebs (Z.).

Resident, generally distributed, common. A great influx of
migrants takes place in autumn.

This species was first noticed as a Yorkshire bird by
Marmaduke Tunstall, in 1784, thus : — "The Chaffinch — Frin-
gilla ccelebs. In the north of England called Spink from its
cry, as is probably its French name Pinion ; also White Linnet
and sometimes Flaxfinch." (Tunst. MS. 1784, p. 67.)

Thomas Allis, 1844, wrote : —

Fringilla ccelebs. — Chaffinch — Very common.

The well-known and favourite " Spink " of birds' nesting
boys is abundantly distributed in all parts of the county,
excepting the moorlands, ascending the dales to a height of
1 100 feet, at which elevation it has nested in Teesdale where
it replaces the House Sparrow.

During the autumn migration immense numbers arrive
on the coast from mid-September to the end of November,
often in company with Larks, Greenfinches, and other small
migrants, the first flocks usually consisting of young birds ;
the adult males, in comparatively small numbers, coming

CHAFFINCH. i8i

later. Sometimes they alight on board vessels at sea, and
as early as 1833 Ed, Blyth recorded the fact of two female
Chaffinches coming on to his ship off Whitby on October the
7th (Rennie's Field Naturalist, 1833). The Migration Reports
contain frequent interesting entries concerning the passage
of this bird ; in 1879 migration extended over seventy days
from the 17th of September to the ist of December, and
extensive flights are noted almost annually. There was a
great " rush " at Redcar on 20th November 1884, but the
heaviest migration ever chronicled was in 1886, and was
observed along the whole length of the east coast, the chief
" rush " being between the 3rd and the 6th of October ;
on 23rd December 1901, several small flocks passed Redcar
going southward. Late in spring the foreigners congregate
on the lands bordering the coast, preparatory to the return
journey northward.

The habit of separation of the sexes in winter need not
be commented upon here further than by stating that the
hens and young birds assemble in the low country, whilst
old cocks, in smaller flocks, keep to higher ground.

Instances of the Chaffinch singing as early as January
or February, and as late as October, have been known. An
example of exceptionally early breeding took place in 1873
at Heckmondwike, where eggs were found on the 8th of
March ; and amongst the numerous cases of curious localities
chosen for building sites the following may be mentioned :
a nest built on an old Swallow's nest which had been placed
on a beam, in a field shed at Scampston ; two nests built
together, one on top of the other, at Linton-on-Ouse in 1866 ;
and one at the foot of a large oak at Hebden Bridge. A nest
at Northallerton was found on loth May 1882, patched all
over with pieces of newspaper in lieu of lichens. At Beverley
the nest and eggs have been found built inside a deserted nest
of the Mistle Thrush.

The cock bird has been occasionally noticed sitting on
eggs, one such instance being recorded at Settle, though it
may well be that this was in mistake for a hen in male plumage,
an example of which was shot at Chapeltown near Leeds,

182 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE.

on i6th May 1887 ; in its ovary were two eggs, one of which
had the shell partly formed and the yolk perfect {Ibis, 1888,
p. 228). Other varieties in plumage, albino, white, pied,
and cinnamon coloured, have been met with, and Tunstall
mentioned a light coloured specimen given to him " by the Hon.
Fred Vane of Sellaby, brother of Lord Darlington, taken in
this neighbourhood [Wycliffe-on-Tees]. It had much white,
and some fine yellow feathers on the back and shoulders.
If it had not been taken in a wild state, should have almost
judged it to have been bred between a Chaffinch and a jonquil
Canary Bird." (Tunst. MS., p. 67.)

Variations from the ordinary type of eggs, entirely of a
light blue colour, like those of the Pied Flycatcher, are not
uncommon ; and the late Canon Atkinson mentioned a clutch
of very pale buff, slightly tinged with vinous colour ("Moor-
land Parish," p. 342).

Its local names are numerous. Those in general use are
Spink, White Linnet, Spinky, and Bullspink ; Pink is used
in the Nidd valley ; Bully or Bullie in the North Riding
and the Nidd valley ; Shilfa, Sheelfa, or Sheelie, Wet Bird,
and Scobby or Scobbie in the North Riding ; Weetie in central
Yorkshire to the coast ; Wintie in the East Riding ; Chaffy
in Cleveland ; and French Linnet and Fleck Linnet in southern
Holderness ; whilst Tunstall called it Flaxfinch.

BRAMBLING.
Fring-illa montifringilla (/>.).

Regular winter visitant, but varj-ing in numbers.

The earliest reliable notice of this species in Yorkshire is
contained in Atkinson's " Compendium of British Ornithology,"
1820, p. 68, where it is stated to be " pretty common in
Yorkshire."

BRA M BUNG. 183

The Brambling, or Lesser Mountain Finch, of Willughby
is undoubtedly the Snow Bunting.

Thomas Allis, 1844, wrote : —

Fringilla montifringilla. — Mountain Finch — A few met with in
most districts every winter ; occasionally more abundant.

This pretty Finch is a constant winter visitant, but irregu-
lar in numbers, being very abundant in some years and
comparatively scarce in others. It may generally be expected
in the first or second week of October, though an exceptionally
early date is the 2nd of that month in the year 1901, when
several were noted at the Teesmouth ; it was also recorded
at Wakefield on the same date in 1883 ; the earliest arrival
at Spurn was on the 26th September 1896. It is fairly well
distributed, and, as it is particularly partial to beech mast,
the woods where this fruit is in greatest abundance are most
favoured by its attentions.

In 1864 these birds were very numerous, and in 1898-9
they were particularly abundant, thousands being seen in
the beech woods, where they were very tame and allowed a
close approach. In the dales it is sometimes met with almost
on the edges of the moors and occasionally remains till late
in spring ; one or two were seen on Bluberhouse Moor on loth
April 1887, though it usually takes its departure before this
time. The latest record for Spurn is the 9th of April, when
a beautiful male in breeding plumage was observed.

In severe winters, when frost and snow cover up its
ordinary feeding grounds, it betakes itself to the stack yards,
and there consorts with Chaffinches and other small birds,
returning to the fields and woods with milder weather. It
was unusually plentiful in the farm-steads in Cleveland
during the hard frost of January and February 1895, and in
November 1896, it was common in south Holderness.
Seebohm stated ("Br. Birds," Vol. ii., p. 98), that in a
"Brambling year " great numbers resort nightly to roost in
Meersbrook Park near Sheffield, in company with Redwings.

The migration in autumn commences as a rule in October,
and continues in some seasons until December or early in
January of the following year. Late in autumn flocks,

i84 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE.

often of great size and entirely composed of old males, occur
on the coast, and the stubble fields are on their arrival favourite
localities for them. When migrating, or shifting their ground,
they fly very close together like Knots and may thus be
distinguished from other small birds at a distance. On i8th
October 1882, an immense flock, extending over two hundred
yards in length, was observed at Spurn, and on the 12th and
13th of the same month there was a considerable arrival at
the Teesmouth in company with Greenfinches, Snow Buntings,
and Linnets ; a great " rush " was also recorded in October
1895, at the Humber and Tees estuaries. The Brambling
has been known to alight on vessels at sea, and as early as
1855 three were brought into Middlesbrough, having been
captured in an exhausted condition on board a ship, as it was
taking the Tees, on the evening of the 14th of October.

The late Canon Atkinson wrote a circumstantial account
of the supposed nesting of this species at Baldersby Park,
near Thirsk, from particulars supplied by the late Hon.
Guy Dawnay, who forwarded him the nest, which was
constructed of moss, wool, and grass outwardly, and lined
with hair and fine feathers, containing the full complement
of eggs, and had been found on the side shoot of an oak
about six feet above the ground {Zool. 1864, p. 9210 ; Ibis,
1865 ; Field 23rd July 1864).

Mr. Dresser, however, considers it extremely improbable
that the nest and eggs were those of the Brambling (" Birds
of Europe," Vol. iv., p. 16).

A white example was in the late James Carter's possession
at Masham, obtained in 1881 ; and a pied specimen has been
seen at Harrogate.

The vernacular names are not numerous. Mountain
Finch and Bramble Finch are in general use ; French Linnet
or French Lenny is used in the North Riding ; and Over-sea
Lenny at Loftus and Staithes.

i85

LINNET.
Linota cannabina (Z.).

Resident, common, and generally distributed. Large numbers
of migrants arrive in autumn.

The earliest mention of the Linnet in connection with
Yorkshire is found in the following communication from
Mr. Jessop of Sheffield to the well-known John Ray, thus : —
" Sir, ... I have gotten a black-legged Linnet (L. cannabina).
... I am, . . , Fra. Jessop. Broomhall, November 25th
1668." (" Correspondence of John Ray," p. 33.)

Thomas Allis, 1844, wrote : —

Linota cannabina. — Common Linnet — Frequent in most districts,
especially the moorlands.

The Common Linnet is resident and, as its name implies,
common ; it is generally distributed, particularly on moors
or waste and uninhabited lands. Like its more handsome
relative, the Goldfinch, its numbers have lessened during the
past few years, and this is owing to the same causes which
have led to the decrease of the former species, viz., high
farming, the discontinuance of flax cultivation, and the wiles
of the bird-catchers, who are ever on the look out to entrap
them for cage birds. It is, however, still common where
gorse abounds ; on the cliff tops near Flamborough and
Bempton it is particularly numerous in the nesting season
amongst the whin covers and in the bye-lanes ; in the Aire
valley it frequently nests in whitethorn hedges ; and at Spurn,
where it breeds regularly on the sand-dunes, the nests are
sometimes lined with feathers of the Lesser Tern.

During the autumn large migratory flocks arrive from
over-sea, in September and October, and occasionally on the
return passage in spring. In 1884 from the 9th of September
to the end of October great numbers were reported, and also
in 1887 from the 8th of October to the 3rd of November ;
these occurred at all the light stations between Teesmouth
and Spurn, and on the i6th of April 1887, many were seen
at the Teesmouth going north-west. In the autumn of

i86 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE.

1898 thousands were noted on the coast between Easington
and Kilnsea (see Migration Reports). On their arrival they
often remain for some time on the sand-dunes and waste
lands near the coast, afterwards resorting to the stubbles
where they feed in company with Greenfinches and other
small birds, and it is at these times that large numbers fall
victims to the snares of the bird-catchers.

Instances of late nesting are occasionally met with. One
such is reported from Kilnsea, where a nest with callow young
was found on ist September 1886. Spotless eggs are occasion-
ally reported ; a clutch in my collection was found at Malton
by Mr. S. H. Smith and others have been noted at Strensall
and Great Ayton.

As regards variation in plumage, two examples of an
isabelline type ; one with white primaries and tail feathers,
and another with a pure white head, have occurred at Beverley;
one at Bawtry had a white ring round the neck (Neville Wood's
Nat. 1837), ^^d an albino specimen is in the possession of
Mr. Wm. Morris of Sedbergh.

Of local names, we have Brownie in the North Riding ;
Grey Linnet, Red Linnet, and Lemon Bird, applied according
to the stage of plumage in which the bird appears ; Red Lenn
at Huddersfield ; Robin Linnet in Nidderdale ; Song Linnet
at Ackworth ; Goss [Gorse] Linnet near Doncaster ; Whin
Linnet at Sedbergh and in the East Riding ; Thorn Linnet
in Ribblesdale ; and Bent Linnet at Spurn ; while the term
Brown Linnet, and Lennert or Linnet, are of general
application.

MEALY REDPOLL.

Linota linaria (Z.).

Winter visitant, of irregular occurrence.

Probably the earliest notice of this bird is contained in
Thomas Allis's oft-quoted Report of 1844 : —

Linota canescens. — Mealy Redpoll — One specimen shot in the
winter of 1S39 at Sheffield is in the possession of John Heppenstall.

MEALY REDPOLL. 187

Of the different races of Mealy Redpoll, as classified by
modern ornithologists, three have occurred in Yorkshire,
and these will be treated separately and in order.* The
one to be first considered is L. linaria, what may be termed
the typical form ; this is an inhabitant of northern Europe
and Asia, and an uncertain winter visitant to this county,
some years being comparatively al?undant, while perhaps
several seasons may intervene between its visits.

It is very scarce in the West Riding, though a large number
were observed in the Aire valley in the winter of 1877-8,
and a flock was seen at Kirkburton in 1876 ; it has also been
met with sparingly in other localities ; several were shot at
Fewston in the winter of 1892 ; it has been once reported
from Ackworth, and one with curved mandibles is recorded
at Skipton {Zool. 1883, p. 259).

In the East and North Ridings it has occurred rarely
at a few inland places ; there was a flight at Beverley some
years ago ; and at Market Weighton, Pocklington, Richmond,
and Thirsk it has been noticed, but only as a very scarce
winter visitant.

On the coast line it appears at intervals in considerable
flocks, as in 1855, 1861, and 1876, and then for years it may be
absent altogether. A large arrival took place, in company
with Siskins, in October 1881 ; at Spurn a great flight arrived
on the night of the 24th, and a beautiful adult male was
caught at early morning of the 25th, fourteen or fifteen more
being seen in a garden. They were numerous in the vicinity of
Spurn, Kilnsea, and Easington from the 25th to the 27th,
in small parties of thirty or forty, but generally three or four
on plants of Sea Starwort. Some were beautiful old birds,
very mealy, and besides the patch of blood red on the forehead,
had the breast and rump washed with delicate crimson rose.
Out of twenty-four obtained from various flocks all but two
were males, either old or young ; the stomachs contained seeds.
There was a marked difference in the length and depth of

* See Yarrell's " British Birds. ' 4th Ed., Vol. ii., pp. 5-7 ; and
Saunders' Manual, 2nd Ed., p. 189.

i88 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE.

the bills, and this in examples shot from the same flock,
indicating probably that the migration was made up of birds
coming from widely separated districts in Scandinavia. At
Redcar, on the 24th of October in the same year, five alighted
on the road opposite my window, at 10 a.m. ; two were seen
in a garden, and several others came on to the Tees Break-
water ; at Spurn in 1889 some arrived with Siskins from
October the 20th to the 24th ; they were also observed in
the autumn of 1891 ; at both Spurn and Flamborough in
1893, and a small flight appeared in 1895.

NORTHERN MEALY REDPOLL.

Linota exilipes (Coues).

An extremely rare winter visitant from northern Europe, Siberia,
and northern America.

The breeding range of Coues' Redpoll, which is the second
of the three Yorkshire species, is confined to the north-eastern
parts of the Old World, including northern Scandinavia and
probably the Arctic parts of North America, so that the
bird may be termed circumpolar during the nesting season,
migrating south on the approach of winter.

The first instance of its occurrence in this county was
made known by the late J. Cordeaux, who had an example
from the late H. B. Hewetson at Easington in the winter of
1893-4 {Nat. 1894, p. 84). Two others were obtained at
Skeflling on the 30th of December 1898 {op. cit. 1899, p. 80).

Mr. Cordeaux expressed his firm conviction that this bird
occurs much oftener than is supposed, and he has occasionally
obtained Redpolls which are referable neither to L. linaria
nor to L. nifescens, but which resemble the former so far
that they have the margin of the body feathers more or less
edged with a grey fringe, a seasonable change which is never
seen in the Redpoll of the British Isles. (See also Yarrell,
4th Ed., Vol. ii., pp. 5-7 ; Saunders' " Manual," 2nd Ed., p. 189 ;
and Harting's " Handbook," 2nd Ed., p. 376.)

GREENLAND MEALY REDPOLL.
Linota hornemanni {Holboell).

An extremely rare winter visitant from Greenland, Iceland, and
Spitzbergen.

This, the third of the Yorkshire IMealy Redpolls, has its
habitat within the Arctic circle.

Its claim to rank as a Yorkshire species is founded on the
fact that two examples were obtained at Spurn, one in October
1883, and another in October 1893. It was the first of these
specimens and not L. exilipes which was figured by Lord
Lilford in his magnificent work, and it is now in the Royal
Scottish Museum. (Lilford's " Birds," Vol. iv., pi. 29 ; see
also Saunders' " Manual," 2nd Ed., p. 189 ; and Harting's
" Handbook," 2nd Ed., p. 376.)

LESSER REDPOLL.
Linota rufescens {Vteilloi).

Resident, generally distributed, common. An influx of migrants
in autumn.

Probably the first allusion to this bird in connection
with the county of York is the statement in Montagu's
"Ornithological Dictionary" (1802), to the effect that "A nest
and eggs were sent by Dr. Latham from Yorkshire."

Thomas Allis, 1844, wrote : —

Linota linaria. — Lesser Redpoll — Common in most districts, breeding
near Halifax in nearly every shrubbery and plantation.

This, the smallest British Finch, is a fairly common resident,
though somewhat local, and breeds in most districts where
it can find conditions suitable for its requirements ; it is met
with sparingly in the dales to a considerable elevation, but
of late years its numbers have decreased, and especially in
the neighbourhood of large towns, where it is becoming scarce,

190 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE.

yet it holds its own in localities where it is secure from
molestation by the professional bird-catchers. In the East
Riding it is rare as a resident, and best known as a spring
migrant, retiring southward in autumn. The statement in
Yarrell's " British Birds " {1849 Ed., Vol. i., p. 515) that
Halifax is the limit of the Redpoll's southern range is
inaccurate, as it is known to breed in the midland and
southern counties of England.

Its ranks receive considerable additions in autumn and
winter from more northern latitudes ; at the migratory season
large flocks of new arrivals may be observed on the Cleveland
sea-board, also at Flamborough and Spurn, generally in
October when the main stream of migration is flowing ; it
was especially numerous in October 1882 ; and at Flam-
borough in December 1895, and January 1896, there were
more than had been known altogether for the previous
twenty years {Nat. 1890, p. 84).

An albino variety was reported by W. Illingworth, from
Horbury near Wakefield on 21st September 1872, and a
white one, picked up at Kirkheaton, is now in Mr. Alfred
Beaumont's collection at Lewisham.

Its local and vernacular names are : — Red Linnet in the
West Riding ; Rose Linnet about York ; Chivey about
Huddersfteld ; Chippet Linnet at Doncaster (1849) ; and
Redcap at Ackworth ; while Chivey or Chevy Linnet and
French Linnet are in general use.

TWITE.
Linota flavirostris (/>.).

Resident ; not uncommonly distributed on moorlands of the West
Riding, more sparingly in the North Riding. An influx of migrants
in autumn.

The earliest published reference to this bird as occurring
in Yorkshire is a description of an example obtained near

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bII^kI^B^V

1

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TWITE. 191

Sheffield and sent by Mr. F. Jessop, of that place, to Willughby.
(Will. " Orn." 1676).

Thomas Allis, 1844, wrote : —

Linota montana. — The Mountain Linnet — Near Halifax it breeds
in abundance on all the high moors ; also at Thorne Moor ; it is
met with near Leeds, Doncaster, and York.

The Mountain Linnet, as it is called, is resident and not at
all uncommon on some of the high moors in the West Riding ;
near Sheffield it breeds occasionally, and in the higher reaches
of the Aire Valley it is fairly common, though slightly decreas-
ing of late years, as is the case near Halifax and Huddersfield ;
in the vicinity of the latter place it has nested at the low end
of Crossland Moor close to the town ; near Wilsden a small
colony was found, with several nests in close proximity built
on the ground amongst bracken, and in a much frequented
locality (E. P. Butterfield, in litt. 1903). These were
erroneously recorded as Lesser Redpolls {Zool. 1902, p. 193).
Round Keighley it is quite abundant, as many as thirty nests
having been seen in a single season, and on Adel Moor its
eggs have been found several times ; in Upper Wharfedale
and Nidderdale, and on the moors round Ripon, it also
breeds sparingly ; the fells of the north-west claim it as a
nesting species in small numbers ; there is a colony in Ribbles-
dale on Swarth Fell, and it nests in places near the Lancashire
border. In the south-west it was noted on Thorne Waste
in Allis's time, and his statement is confirmed by Mr. Thomas
Bunker, who found the nest so recently as 1884. It is scarcer
in the North than in the West Riding, but breeds in limited
nimibers on the Cleveland Hills, on the moors in Arkengarth-
dale and Swaledale, commonly in Wensleydale, occasionally
on the moors near Bedale, and it has also been once known
at Romanby near Northallerton ; Strensall Common used
to be one of its breeding haunts, though it appears to have
deserted that neighbourhood during the past decade,
and a few pairs nest in Teesdale and near Sedbergh ;
in the Whitby district it nests sparingly on the moorlands
south of the town and also towards the borders of Cleveland
on Crinkle and Waupley. The Rev. H. H. Slater and the

192 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE.

Rev. E. P. Knubley found several pairs breeding on Pilmoor
{Nat. 1882, p. 179), which is only eighty feet above the sea,
though in this fact there is nothing extraordinary, as I have
frequently found the nest in the Hebrides almost on the
sea-level.

In autumn and winter the Twite descends to the valleys
and low grounds and is then seen in greater numbers, more
generally distributed, and is occasionally snared in the nets
of the professional bird-catchers.

A considerable influx of migrants from the north takes
place during October and November, associated with
Linnets and other small birds ; when they first arrive the
Spurn and Kilnsea districts are their favourite haunts, and
at this season they are also met with at most of the coast
stations, Flamborough, Scarborough, and the Teesmouth ;
they soon, however, distribute themselves over the county
and are then met with at many inland localities, though not
in such abundance as formerly. The return migration usually
commences in March or April.

Some old males shot in October 1881, from a flock at Spurn,
had the colour above the tail almost as rich as in the breeding
season.

This bird nests earlier in Yorkshire than in Scotland,
where May is the usual month for nidification ; a nest and
eggs were found at Romanby, near Northallerton, on the 20th
of April 1882, and Messrs. Slater and Knubley discovered
them on Pilmoor on the 27th of the same month. Though
the winter assemblages sometimes do not break up till late
in spring, in Swaledale, in 1888, they were still to be seen
in flocks on the 20th of May.

Several instances are chronicled of white varieties being
procured : two at Bewerley near Pateley [Zool. 1850, p. 2953) ;
one at Bedale (James Carter, Field, August i8th 1877) ; one
on the moors near Huddersfield (S. L. Mosley MS.).

Of local names, Swainson gives Twite Finch as used in
the North Riding ; Mountain Linnet is general ; Twate or
Twate Finch appears to be a variant of the usual name ;
Grey Linnet or Grey Lenny is used in Cleveland and in the

BULLFINCH. 193

Wilsden district, to distinguish it from the Brown Linnet ;
Little Peewit, used in north Yorkshire, is evidently adopted
from its call note ; and Ling Linnet, in Ribblesdale, from
its frequenting the moorlands ; while Thorny Linnet was
stated by Pennant, 1798, to be its name in Yorkshire.

BULLFINCH.
Pyrrhula europoea {Vieillot).

Resident ; locally distributed, and not very numerous. Migrants
arrive in winter.

The first Yorkshire mention of the Bullfinch was made
by Marmaduke Tunstall in 1786, thus : — " Loxia pyrrhula —
Bullfinch. Have had many Bullfinches black, and all the
intermediate colours between that, and the natural ones,

being spotted with black, etc They are very plenty

in the north of Yorkshire." (Tunst. MS. p. 65.)

Thomas Allis, 1844, wrote : —

Pyrrhula vulgaris. — Bullfinch — Common in many parts ; not at
all common near Huddersfield ; R. Leyland says " Gardeners and bird
fanciers alike persecute this beautiful bird, and near Halifax it is
consequently becoming scarce."

This handsome species is resident and generally distributed
where it it can find situations, such as gardens and woodland
localities, containing food suitable for its habits, but it is
becoming scarcer in most districts owing to the persecution
of bird catchers and the animosity of gardeners who resent
the damage done to fruit buds ; in the churchwardens'
accounts for the parish of Ecclesfield, near Sheffield, an entry
occurs proving that it was in bad repute in the sixteenth
century : " 1590, Item for VIJ bulspynke heades, VJd.,"
and we learn by three old acts of Elizabeth's reign that power
was given to churchwardens to pay " for the head of every
bulfinsh or other bird that devoureth the blouthe of fruit — id."
In more recent times as many as three hundred were killed
in the " eighties " in one year at Grinkle, and near Harrogate

VOL. I. o

194 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE.

fifty were taken by one man in a week, though, where any
protection is afforded, it is inclined to increase in numbers.
In autumn it is more frequently observed, as then the old
and young wander about in search of food, and additions
to their ranks are received from northern migrants ; this
was especially noticeable in 1880 when some were seen at
Spurn late in November, and the Migration Reports contain
entries in 1884, 1886, and 1887 concerning its appearance
at the light stations in October and November. It has also
been noted during the return passage in spring, in March
and April, at the Tees Lighthouse (Sixth Report ; see also
Zool. 1881, p. 133, for particulars as to other places).

Melanic varieties of plumage frequently occur when in
captivity, as mentioned by Tunstall (see above), and other
observers, and some have been noticed in a wild state.

Mr. K. Maclean states (MS.) that in the Staithes and Loftus
districts, when a boy, he frequently caught a larger form
which went by the name of the " Russian Bullfinch." (See
next species.)

The local names include Bullspink and Bully, which are
in general use ; Bullflinch at Thirsk ; Bully Black Head or
Black-headed Bully at Loftus-in-Cleveland ; and Thickbill
at Hebden Bridge. The name Bullfinch Grosbeak, given
by M.P. in a Wensleydale list of birds (Loudon's Mag. 1832)
is merely an attempt to bestow a generic and specific term in
English ; and Coal Hood and Hedge Coal Hood, given in
Doncaster records by Neville Wood, are not local names at
all, but merely fanciful appellations given by that author,
and used by no one else.

NORTHERN BULLFINCH.

Pyrrhula major {Brehmy

Accidental visitant from Northern Europe ; rare.

This large form of the Bullfinch, which is separated by
Brehm as a distinct species, is found in Northern Europe

Nest of Bullfinch in fir tree. R. Fortune.

See page 194

PINE GROSBEAK. 195

and Northern Asia, and has occasionally occurred at Heligoland
on migration.

As it has been imported into this country as a cage bird
the task of discriminating between " escapes " and wild birds
is difficult, but one shot by Mr. Craggs Clubley of Kilnsea,
in November 1894, is, in all probability, a genuine migrant ;
this is rendered more likely from the fact that a second
specimen was obtained in the same month and year at Hun-
manby, and came into the possession of Mr. Brown of Filey.

These are the first British specimens, and were both
■exhibited by Col. Irby, F.Z.S., at the Zoological Society's
meeting, November 1895 {P.Z.S. 1895, p. 681 ; and J.
Cordeaux, Nat. 1896, p. 4).

The Hunmanby bird, which is a male, was figured by
Lord Lilford (Vol. iv. pi. 34), and is now in the Royal Scottish
Museum. The Kilnsea specimen is in the British Museum of
Natural History at South Kensington.*

PINE GROSBEAK.
Pinicola enucleator (Z.).

Rare accidental visitant from Northern Europe and America.

The home of this species is among the pine forests near
the Arctic circle, but sometimes it extends to the birch

* Until the present year these were the only recorded instances
of this bird's appearance in Britain, but Mr. W. Eagle Clarke informs
me of the recent occurrence of Bullfinches in Shetland, which he had
no doubt belonged to the large northern form ; a female specimen,
obtained on the island of Fetlar on 4th November 1905, was forwarded
for his inspection, and proved to be an undoubted example of the
race named, the wing measuring 3.67 inches. During the past autumn
quite a number of these birds seem to have arrived in Shetland, and
one or two visited Fair Isle in November. In the spring of 1905 several
Bullfinches appeared in Unst, most probably on their return journey
to their northern summer haunts. Strange to say they seem to have
escaped detection elsewhere in the British Islands, for none have been
recorded in the pages of the serial literature devoted to natural history
subjects. ("Ann. Scot Nat. Hist." 1906, pp. 50-51.)

196 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE.

woods as far as yo° N. lat. Eastward it is plentiful in North
Russia, Siberia to Kamchatka, and southward to Lake
Baikal. In America it is found in the Arctic and sub-Arctic
forests, migrating in winter to California, Colorado, and the
Eastern States.

The Local Museum at Whitby contains a specimen of
this rare Arctic visitor, shot from a flock at Littlebeck, four
miles distant from Whitby, in the winter of (about) 1861,
by G. Kitching, who at the same time procured four others ;
these were made into skins, but have been lost sight of.

At the request of Mr. J. H. Gurney, Messrs, Stephenson
and Wilson of Whitby compared the Whitby Museum example
with a Swedish skin sent by Mr. Gurney, and, writing on 13th
February 1890, Mr. Stephenson pronounced the two to be
the same species, though differing materially in colour ;
the Whitby specimen being of a dullish carmine red colour
on the head, throat, breast, and back near the tail where the
Swedish bird is tinged with darkish yellow, the lower mandible
is lighter in colour than the upper, with greyish feathers at
the base and cheeks, which are afterwards blended or mixed
with carmine on the neck. The beak, which has not the
least tendency to cross, and the legs are the same as the
Swedish specimen. The secondary, etc., wing feathers
edged with dirtyish coloured white, producing a barred
appearance on the wings. Length, if stretched out, would
be 7|in. to 7^'m. He also observed that the red colour on
the back near the tail of the Whitby specimen is slightly
tinged with indistinct yellow towards the flanks, and that
there are no traces of its being in confinement.

Two other Yorkshire examples are mentioned in the
sale catalogue of Mr. Sealey of Cambridge, thus : — " Lot 59,
Pine Grosbeaks, three in a case, one shot at Doncaster and
the other at Sheffield." See J. H. Gurney, Zool. i8yy, p. 242,
and 1890, p. 126, as to the authenticity of British records
of this bird.

197

COMMON CROSSBILL.
Loxia curvirostra (/.)•

Autumn and winter visitant ; somewhat irregular. Has occasion-
ally nested.

Its first connection with Yorkshire was made by Mar-
maduke Tunstall, thus :— " (Loxia curvirostra Linn & Ges.).
Crossbill — Common. A person who was here in July last and
was well acquainted with their cry, was persuaded that at
that time he heard some in my woods (Wycliffe-on-Tees). As
they have never been known to breed here I much doubted ;
but as they breed very early it was possible." (Tunst. MS.
1784.)

Thomas Allis, in 1844, wrote : —

Loxia curvirostra. — Common Crossbill — Periodically common in
fir plantations near Doncaster ; rare about Hebden Bridge ; it has been
frequently obtained near Sheffield, and was numerous in the winter
of 1837-8 ; at HaUfax an irregular visitant, frequenting the gardens
and plantations ; occasionally seen near Huddersfield ; a large
flock was seen about Whitley Hall a few years ago ; sometimes met
with near Barnsle^' in 183 1-4 and 5, also in the vicinity of York.
Arthur Strickland says " For many years back I have almost annually
noted this bird in small flocks about August in the grounds about
Boynton, apparently family groups returning after breeding, and
busy feeding on the larch and lir cones ; on one occasion I detected
it breeding there, and the egg figured in ]\Ir. Hewetson's work was
from that locality ; much doubt has existed as to the time and place
of nidification of this species, but I believe the whole difficulty arises
from making their nests in the tops of very high larch trees, where
it is extremely difficult to detect them ; I see it mentioned that in
lately cutting down some very tall larch trees in Holt Forest this
bird was found to have bred there, a circumstance not before suspected.
We have, besides, occasionally had a large flock of them in winter,
as was the case in 1829, when between thirty and forty were killed,
and some remained till spring." Near Leeds they have been met with
at Killingbeck, and several nests were found in Bramham Park in 1 840 ;
it is also seen about Thirsk.

This un-English looking bird is a native of the pine forests
of Europe, from Lapland to Spain and Greece, the mountain

198 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE.

regions of north Africa, and the woods of Siberia and
Kamchatka, wintering as far east as China.

It has nested at intervals in Yorkshire, and is of almost
yearly occurrence in one district or another, but its appear-
ances are so erratic and uncertain that the term " resident "
or " annual visitant " cannot accurately be applied. It
has been met with irregularly in the fir plantations of the
south, the first being noticed near Sheffield in 1834, ^.nd at
Barnsley in 183 1 ; at Storthes Hall, near Wakefield, there
were many in 1863 and in 1889 ; in the valley of the Hodder
a small flock was seen in 1878-9, and a few in Ribblesdale in
January 1888 ; near Huddersfield it has occurred as a visitant
in late autumn, and has been recorded in the neighbourhood
of Doncaster, Selby, and Ackworth since 1835. In Upper
Wharfedale it occurs in the fir woods in winter, sometimes
in large flocks ; a pair were observed at Grassington in the
summer of 1899 ; it bred near Fewston in 1902, and has
also nested at Birstwith ; in Nidderdale it is a fairly regular
visitant in winter to Pateley, near which place a pair nested
and brought off four young in 1876 ; at Knaresborough
they were numerous in 1838, and a large flock was observed
in 1846 ; it has also been occasionally noted near Ripon.
Turning to the central districts, several nests were found
at Bramham Park in 1840 ; in the vicinity of York, at Kelfield,
in 1855, a young one was obtained which had the appearance
of being bred there ; sixty or seventy examples were noted,
and a nest containing four eggs was found near Stockton-on-
the-Forest in 1872 {Zool. 1880, pp. 403, 515) ; in various
other localities of the North Riding it has occurred in autumn
and winter, being abundant in Wensleydale in 1867, when
thirty were killed at one shot at Thornton Rust. It is an
irregular visitant near Richmond, and is said to have bred
near Gilling, where a keeper saw young birds following their
parents. At Scarborough it has been met with on many
occasions ; ten were obtained in 1898, and on 7th April
1900, Mr. Walter Gyngell heard one singing at the top of
a Scotch fir at Seamer Carr. In the Whitby and Grinkle
woods it used to be very abundant a few years ago, as many

COMMON CROSSBILL. 199

as two hundred being seen in a flock, and it is also reported
to have nested near the former place. In the Cleveland
division it is very irregular in its visits ; several were procured
near Swainby and Osmotherly in 1869, and in 1894 large
parties were in the woods at Swainby, Ayton, and Easby
in November and December ; the Swainby keeper reported
their appearance on the 26th of March following, though
a diligent search through the woods, made by Mr. Emerson
and myself, in hope of finding a nest, was fruitless ; in Teesdale
and the extreme north-west it occurs, as a rare visitant only,
in winter.

In the East Riding it breeds in some seasons near
Scampston, where small flocks were observed in 1864 and 1888 ;
the nest is also reported from Market Weighton, and in the
summer of 1829 a pair bred in a large tree in Boynton Woods
(see Allis). A flock of about twenty was seen in Mr. F. Boyes's
garden, at Beverley, feeding in a Scotch fir tree, on 26th June
1903 ; large flocks have appeared on the estate of Sir Tatton
Sykes at Sledmere, and it has probably bred in the larch
and fir plantations there. It has also occurred irregularly
at Waplington, Bridlington, Beverley, Flamborough, Spurn,
and in various places near Hull, sometimes quite close to
the town.

There were general visitations of these birds in 1855,
1863, 1867-68, and, in 1888, as the pages of the natural
history journals testify, they were common in many counties,
as again in 1894, 1898, and 1903. Although the Crossbill
does not come with the regularity of some of our over-sea
migrants, yet it is frequently noticed on passage ; in the
autumn of 1875, when the Snow Buntings arrived at Flam-
borough, they were accompanied by Crossbills, a gale from
the north-east blowing at the time and very cold ; some were
also reported there in August 1889 ; at Spurn in 1888 there
was an arrival in summer, and on July the 14th and 15th
a pair that were examined were found to have been feeding
on the nymph of the " Cuckoo-spit " ; one was also caught
alive on the Bull Lightship. In August 1894, they were
observed both at Spurn and Flamborough ; and in 1898,

200 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE.

also in August, a considerable number were seen at Spurn,
several being brought in to Philip Loten to preserve ; whilst
on the 2oth of the same month a male in the red plumage
came on board a fishing smack off Scarborough. Another
extensive incursion took i)lace in the autumn of 1903, and
many were observed in the woods in various j)arts of the
county. These three last migrations extended to the Cleveland
coast ; in the year 1898 a red male was i)icked uj) on the
Cth of August, on Redcar sands, and in 1894 large flocks
frequented the woods in the north-western portion of the
district. Again on 16th June 1903, another male in very
fme red jjlumage was killed in a garden at Redcar, and con-
siderable numbers were rei)orted during July and August on
the coast line southward to Spurn.

In connection with the 1894 influx it may not be out of
place to mention that, on the 9th of November, when shooting
with Mr. Emerson in Colemire Wood, Swainby, our attention
was drawn to a jjcculiar noise, exactly similar to that made
by Pheasants when rising in front of the beaters, but the
frequency of which was so unustial as to preclude the idea
that it was caused by those birds. My companion at last
located the sound in a Scotch fir tree, and discovered that
it was caused by some small birds ; on shooting two of them
they jMoved to be Crossbills, and the following day we saw
two very large flocks feeding on the fir cones ; they remained
in the wood until the succeeding spring, but, so far as we
could ascertain, did not nest there.

[In the woods of Scandinavia and north Russia a large,
stout-billed race is found, formerly known as the Parrot
Crossbill {Loxia pilyopsillacus), now deemed to be unworthy
of even sub-specific rank. A female example of this form
was procured by Mr. M. Bailey of Flamborough, on 4th
August 1866, and acquired by the late W. W. Boulton of
Beverley {Zool. 1867, p. 543)].

201

TWO-BARRED CROSSBILL.

Loxia bifasciata {Brehm).

Accidental visitant from Northern Europe, of very rare occurrence.

This species is a dweller in the forest region of north
Russia, Siberia, Kamchatka, and on to the Pacific, in winter
migrating to Sweden, Germany, and the west of Europe.

There are but few instances on record of its occurrence
in the county, the first being from the neighbourhood of
Knaresborough, where one was shot at Plompton in 1826.
This specimen was formerly in the collection of the late
J. C. Garth of Knaresborough, and, at the dispersal of his
effects in December 1904, it was ])urchased by Mr. Riley
Fortune of Harrogate.

On 27th December 1845, at Cowick near Snaith, in Lord
Downe's Park, a flock was seen from wliich two males and
two females were procured, and passed into the possession of
Hugh Reid of Doncaster.

At Easinglon near Spurn, an immature example was
obtained on 12th August 1889, by the Rev. H. H. Slater.
{Nat. 1889, p. 314 ; Lord Clifton, Field, 7th December 1889 ;
Zool. 1891, p. 363.*)

At Flamborough a male, which I have seen in the collection
of Mr. Forster of Bridlington, was obtained about 1898.

CORN BUNTING.

Emberiza miliaria (/..).

Resident ; common, but rather locally distributed. A considerable
influx of migrants in autumn.

The first allusion to this s])ecies as a Yorkshire bird is
in a communication from the learned Dr. Martin Lister of

* It was reported to have occurred about the same time in some
numbers on Heligoland, and others were recorded in different parts
of the British Islands.

202 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE.

York, to John Ray, bearing date 8th February 1675, as
follows : — " The Bunting breaks not oats, but hulls them
dexterously, as I observe, having of them by me at the present
time in cages." (" Correspondence of John Ray," p. 117.)

Thomas Allis, 1844, wrote : —

Emheriza miliaria. — Common Bunting — Met with all over the
county ; common in most parts.

Although the Corn Bunting is on the whole a common
species in Yorkshire, some districts are much more favoured
than others with its presence, owing to its partiality to fields
of high standing herbage, and particularly those in which
grain, vetches, peas, beans, or clover are grown. In the
more wild and moorland tracts the bird is rather scarce,
though in the cultivated districts of the north-west it is
not uncommon. The same remark applies to the majority
of localities where crops of cereals afford the concealment
for its nesting places which this bird loves, though the neigh-
bourhood of the seaboard contains its chief strongholds, and
in the fields adjoining the coast it is a common and generally
diffused species. During the winter months, though not entirely
absent from its summer haunts, it is much scarcer than in the
breeding season, and is usually to be found frequenting the
vicinity of stackyards, often in small flocks and consorting
with other small birds ; it also affects stubble fields, and
congregates at dusk, roosting in flocks in damp, wet pastures.

As an immigrant the Corn Bunting is regularly met with
on the coast in October and November, generally in little
parties, and at this period it is very common ; it is, however,
perhaps less frequently reported from the Lighthouses than any
other of our grain eating birds. These immigrants appear to be
overlooked by many coast observers, probably owing to their
unobtrusive habits, which do not as a rule attract attention.

Two broods are usually reared, the second set of eggs being
laid in August, and at times as late as September. An instance
is recorded of two pure white eggs being found near Wakefield.

White, pied, and cream coloured varieties of the bird
are occasionally met with.

The vernacular names are not numerous. Those used in

b

•^

^

to

YELLOW BUNTING. 203

Yorkshire are : — Bunting, Common Bunting, Big Bunting,
and Corn Bunting (general) ; Ground Lark at Doncaster ;
Chub Lark along the Lower Wharfe and in the Western Ainsty ;
and Titlark in Holderness.

YELLOW BUNTING.

Emberiza citrinella (Z).

Resident ; generall}' distributed and abundant. A spring and
autumn migrant.

The first mention of the Yellow Bunting as a Yorkshire
bird was made by that accomplished naturalist and
Yorkshireman, Marmaduke Tunstall, in 1874, who referred
to it as being " called in the north ' Goldspink,' as also ' Yellow
Yowley.' " (Tunst. MS. p. 68.)

Thomas Allis, 1844, wrote : —

Emberiza citrinella. — Yellow Bunting — Rather common near
Huddersfield ; very common in other districts.

One of the most abundant birds of our hedgerows and
fields, and generally familiar, as the various local names
testify, the Yellow Bunting, or Yellow Ammer, is found
commonly where its simple requirements exist, from the
cultivated parts of the extreme north and west to the hedges
near the seaboard. During the autumn and winter months
the bird is very gregarious, and consorts in large numbers
with finches and others of its genus, in their wanderings in
search of food. It is also a common immigrant in the autumn
in October and November, appearing generally at the same
time and in the same manner as the preceding species ; these
newly arrived birds after a short rest soon make their way
inland. In the spring a return movement is noticed, and
at the Humber mouth considerable flocks may be noted
moving leisurely northward, passing through the district.

In the Beverley district it frequently builds in spruce
trees in young plantations. The latest nest of which I have

204 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE.

had personal knowledge was noted on 21st September 1902,
at Marton-in-Cleveland, and contained four much incubated
eggs, although Mr. J. Ranson {ZooL 1865, p. 9711), mentioned
the finding of eggs and young in October in a hedge on the
high moors of Yorkshire.

A variety of this species with white wing-bars was noted
at Aldborough in Holderness {Nat. 1894, p. 284) ; a pied
specimen was obtained near Scarborough in August 1905 ;
and at Redcar on i6th June 1903, I procured a clutch of
three eggs which were perfectly colourless.

The vernacular local names are numerous. The terms
in most general use are Yellow Hammer or Yellow Ammer ;
Yellow Yowley, noted by Tunstall in 1784, is also in general
use, and Yeldrock is a Sedbergh name. A West Riding term
is Yellow Youldring or Yoldring, with the variants Goldring
and Youldring {Zool. 1848, p. 2290), Yolering at Huddersfield,
Yowlring and Yowley at Ackworth,, Yellow Yowring in Craven
and Youldie in the Western Ainsty ; of close affinity to these
is the general term Goldie. In the North Riding this bird
is Goldfinch, or as pronounced Gowdspink. In 1784 Tunstall
called it Goldspink, a name recorded also as used at Thirsk
in 1854. In Upper Teesdale it is simply Spink ; Bessy at
Sedbergh ; Scribbler in Cleveland ; Writing Lark and Scrib-
bling Lark at Harrogate and in Craven ; Blakeling in Craven ;
and Gold Lenny or Yellow Lenny at Loftus-in-Cleveland.

CIRL BUNTING.
Emberiza cirlus (L.).

Resident ; very limited both in numbers and distribution.

The first mention of the Cirl Bunting in Yorkshire was
made by Neville Wood, who recorded that a fine female, in
excellent condition, was shot at Campsall, seven miles to the
north of Doncaster, on 25th April 1837 (Neville Wood's Nat.
June 1837).

^

■^

CIRL BUNTING. 203

Thomas Allis, 1844, wrote : —

Emberiza cirliis. — Cirl Bunting — Of the only two recorded Yorkshire
specimens one was killed near Campsall Hall, Doncaster. in 1837 (F. O.
Morris's list of Yorkshire Birds, " Doncaster Journal," December 1840) ;
the other was shot near York.

This very distinct species has been usually considered
as a casual visitant, but may now be described as a scarce
resident, and has nested on several occasions, though very
sparingly distributed.

One was taken at Bolton-on-Dearne on 8th January 1881 ;
near Huddersfield a pair nested at Woodsome in 1859 '■> while
at Lofthouse, near Wakefield, the nest and eggs have twice
been found; in May 1882 and 1889 (J. Ward, Nat. 1890, pp.
148, 320). From Doncaster it was reported in 1837 (see
above) ; two were noted at Norland in 1864 ; in the
Western Ainsty it has occurred at Wilstrop and at Newton
Kyme (E. R. Waite, op. cit. 1891, p. 94) ; and, in the year
1903, Mr. R. Fortune discovered a nest and four eggs near
Harrogate ; of which an illustration appears.

In the North Riding it is reported from the Richmond
and Bedale districts in 1840 and 1850 (R. Strangwayes, Zool.
185 1, p. 3056) ; at Carperby, in Wensleydale, in 1870 and in
1883 ; and at Masham (where one was procured in 1851)
the late James Carter turned out a pair in 1886, they nested,
and one was killed in the following year ; in 1891 a young
bird was taken from a nest found on the 24th of August, in
a plantation of fir and spruce trees near Mr. Carter's residence,
and was forwarded to Mr. Wm. Eagle Clarke for identification ;
and in July 190 1, another young one was seen at the same
place. On the coast the only record is from Whitby, where a
female, one of three seen, was obtained at Fen Bog on 28th
February 1882, and is now in the local museum.

206

ORTOLAN BUNTING.

Emberiza hortulana (Z.).

Accidental visitant, of extremely rare occurrence.

This Bunting, which in summer is found as far north as
the Arctic Circle in Scandinavia, and breeds in France,
Flanders, and Dutch Brabant, is only known in Yorkshire
as a rare visitor on the spring and autumn migrations.

The first Yorkshire record is that of a male, now in the
Newcastle Museum, which was caught on board a collier off
the coast in May 1822, and was figured by Bewick for his
" British Birds " (Seebohm, " Brit. Birds," Vol. ii. p. 153 ;
Jardine, " Brit. Birds," Vol. ii. p. 311).

The late Canon J. C. Atkinson of Danby recorded in the
Zoologist (1863, p. 8768), having seen a bird of this species
near Guisbrough, in Cleveland, on i6th August 1863, and,
writing to Mr. W. Eagle Clarke in 1880, he remarked, " I saw
three specimens near Guisbrough in the spring fourteen or
fifteen years ago."

Another Yorkshire specimen was obtained by the late
H. B. Hewetson of Leeds, who, on nth October 1889, shot
a young female in a field near Easington {Nat. 1890, p. 8).

A skin of a male Ortolan, now in the possession of Mr.
S. L. Mosley of Huddersfield, was purchased from the
executors of the late J. Varley of that town, and is labelled
" Bedale, Yorks., July 9th 1882 " {op. cit. 1892, p. 3).

SIBERIAN MEADOW BUNTING.

Emberiza cioides {Brandt).

A straggler from Siberia, of extremely rare occurrence.

To Yorkshire belongs the honour of producing the only
known European example of this rare inhabitant of Siberia

\

J^

See page 207.

Siberian Meadow Bunting.

Reproduced by psniiission of the Editors of the Ibh, 18

RUSTIC BUNTING 207

and Mongolia. It was caught alive in November 1886, during
an easterly gale, at the foot of Flamborough cliffs, south of the
headland, near to the lighthouse, by Wm. Gibbon, fisherman,
from whom it was purchased by Mr. Matthew Bailey, the well-
known naturalist of Flamborough. In June 1888, Mr. R. W.
Chase of Birmingham saw the specimen at Mr. Bailey's house,
bought it from him, and, not recognising it as any known
British bird, forwarded it to the late Canon H. B. Tristram,
who identified it as Emheriza cioides, a species new to Europe.
It was afterwards exhibited by Canon Tristram at a meeting
of the Zoological Society on 15th January 1889, and was
also seen by Prof. Newton.

Seebohm remarked that it resembles the Chinese sub-species
E. cioides castaneiceps, more than the typical Siberian race.
(See W. Eagle Clarke, Nat. 1889, pp. 79, 113, 334, 356; Proc.
Zool. Socy. 1889, p. 6 ; and Ibis, 1889 pp. 293, 295. The
species was figured for the first time in the latter journal,
plate X.)

RUSTIC BUNTING.

Emberiza rustica {Pallas).

Accidental visitant, of extremely rare occurrence.

This eastern species, which in summer inhabits northern
Europe and Asia from Archangel to Kamchatka, occurring
annually as far west as Finland, and has a winter home in
China, has only been known to occur four times in the British
Islands, one of these being in Yorkshire, on 17th September
1881, at Easington in Holderness.

The bird when first observed was on the beach close to
the sea, and on being followed up, took a short flight, alighting
on some thistles for a moment, and then returned to the
beach, where it was captured. It was given to Mr. P. W. Loten
of Easington, who set it up for his collection, but, not knowing
the value of the capture, failed to note the sex, and it remained
unnamed until Mr. W. Eagle Clarke identified it on the 7th

2o8 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE.

of October following. Professor Newton confirmed Mr.
Eagle Clarke's opinion, and exhibited the specimen at the
meeting of the Zoological Society on 15th November 1881.

It is worthy of remark that on the same date that the
Yorkshire Rustic Bunting, which is probably a young female,
was procured, a fine young bird was obtained on Heligoland.
The Yorkshire example is now in the York Museum. (P.Z.S.
1881, p. 827 ; Nat. 1881, p. 57 ; 1888, p. i ; Zool. 1881,
p. 465 ; Ibis, 1882, p. 181.)

[An alleged occurrence of the Little Bunting, Emheriza
pusilla (Pallas), at Yarm on ist January 1900, proved on
examination to be an error, the specimen being an immature
example of the Reed Bunting {Field, 6th January and 31st
March 1900), and although it can scarcely be said, with strict
accuracy, that this species, which is a native of northern
Russia and Siberia, and a straggler to western Europe, has
actually occurred in this county, yet the second recorded
British example was met with on the Durham side of the
Teesmouth under circumstances which call for notice at
our hands. It was shot by the late C. Braithwaite on
nth October 1902, near Seaton Snook, during an easterly
wind which had prevailed for fully a week, and, as the river
Tees is the boundary between Durham and this county,
it is reasonable to assume that the Little Bunting may have
come within the Yorkshire limits. The specimen in question
was exhibited at the British Ornithologists' Club on 22nd
October 1902. {Nat. 1902, p. 353 ; Zool. 1902, p. 466 ; Ihis,
1903, p. 139.)]

REED BUNTING.
Emberiza schoeniclus (Z.).

Resident ; common in most marshy districts. Migrates in autumn,
being replaced by arrivals from the north ; a return passage takes
place early in April.

The earliest reference to the Reed Bunting as a Yorkshire

REED BUNTING. 209

species is contained in the Allan MS. of the Tunstall Museum,
1791 (Fox's " Synopsis," p. 206), where it is alluded to as
being called the " Nettle Monger."
Thomas Allis, 1844, wrote : —

Emberiza schoeniclus. — Black-headed Bunting — Is met with occa-
sionally along the sedgy margins of the canals and old brooks near
Barnsley, and seldom more than a few pairs ; breeds on the banks of
the river near Halifax, but not very plentifully ; it is met with near
Leeds, and is pretty common near Doncaster, Sheffield, and York.

Owing to its partiality to the vicinity of water and low-
growing vegetation on the banks of rivers, canals, and ponds,
or the reedy growth on a marsh, the Reed Bunting, or Black-
headed Bunting as it is often termed, is local in its distribution.
It is found in most parts of the county affording situations
suitable for its requirements, and, as may be expected, the
low-lying parts of the East Riding, and the inland " carrs,"
are most favoured by its presence ; in the high reaches of
the dales it is scarce or altogether absent. The individuals
that breed with us leave in autumn, the sudden desertion of
their favourite summer haunts being very noticeable, and
their places are filled by immigrants, though numerically
the bird is much scarcer during the cold season. About the
end of March, or the beginning of April, the nesting pairs
return to their breeding quarters. During the winter months
Reed Buntings, in the dull winter dress, are generally found
in the vicinity of stackyards or stubble fields, consorting at
times with the common finches and buntings, or are to be
seen in small flocks frequenting the rank vegetation near water.

In September and October numbers of immigrants appear
on our coast, these movements usually corresponding with
" rushes " at Heligoland. On 22nd September 1881, several
were recorded on migration, in conjunction with Chiff chaffs
and Whitethroats (Third Migration Report, p. 25).

The nests in the Holderness district of the East Riding
are often built in the lower branches of hawthorn bushes,
or, according to Mr. T. Fetch, on the top of the drain banks,
which latter is a departure from the bird's usual nidification
habits ; and Mr. James Backhouse records one at York

VOL. I. p

210 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE.

built against the stem of an Austrian pine, and at least four
feet from the ground {Nat. 1884, p. 58).

The earliest date on which I have found the young is the
13th of May in the year 1899, at the Teesmouth.

The Reed Bunting has quite a number of local names :
the terms Black-headed Bunting and Blackcap are in pretty
general use. At Ackworth, Sedbergh, and in the Nidd
basin Reed Sparrow, and, at Doncaster and Filey, Carr
Sparrow are in use. Seave-cap, used at Thirsk in 1854,
is intelligible when we note that Seave is a North Riding
synonym for Rush. Water Sparrow and Ring Sparrow
were in use at Linton-on-Ouse (J. Ranson, 1866) ; and Willow
Sparrow and Toad Snatcher presumably near Huddersfield
{Zool. 1848, p. 2290). Nettle Monger is a term given for
North Yorkshire, in 1791, by George Allan (Fox's " Synopsis,"
p. 206).

LAPLAND BUNTING

Calcarius lapponicus (/>.).

Accidental visitant from northern Europe, Asia, and America,
of rare occurrence.

Although the Lapland Bunting is one of the most abundant
species in circumpolar Europe, Asia, and America during
the breeding season, and very frequently occurs at Heligoland
at the periods of the vernal and autumnal migrations, yet
the scarcity of Yorkshire records seems to point out the
probability of its being overlooked. The inconspicuous
plumage of the old birds in the autumn dress, and the still
duller hues of the young, render them very liable to be passed
by among the swarms of Snow Buntings and other small
immigrants which pour into our coast districts in October
and November. That we are not entirely out of the line
of this bird's migrations is proved by its occurrence in spring
at Flamborough. Probably, like many other immigrants

LAPLAND BUNTING. 211

coming in autumn from north Scandinavia, its line of
flight is more to the east of these islands, and it follows
the European coast line southward ; although its appearance
in considerable numbers in Fair Isle, in autumn, would lead
us to suppose it might be of more frequent occurrence on our
shores.

The Yorkshire records are not numerous, and may be
given in extenso :—

One was caught by J. Kitching, in Ruswarp Fields, about
a mile from Whitby, in the spring of 1870, or thereabouts,
and is now in the Whitby Mviseum (T. Stephenson MS.).

At Scarborough one was netted with Skylarks, on 6th
January 1893 (W. J. Clarke MS.).

The famous headland of Flamborough appears to be more
favoured than any other locality, there being no fewer than
three successive years when the bird was noticed there.
On nth May 1893, Messrs. M. Bailey and J. Cordeaux saw
an adult male close to the edge of Bempton Cliffs, as recorded
in the Zoologist (1893, p. 225), and in November of the same
year Mr. Bailey sent word to Mr. Cordeaux that a large
flock was near Flamborough village. Mr. Cordeaux proceeded
to the place on the 21st of the month, and found the birds
on a barley stubble, associating with Snow Buntings, "Redpolls,
Siskins, and other small species. It was estimated that the
flock comprised some one hundred and twenty individuals,
and the observers had abundant opportunities of inspecting
them at close quarters. They might be easily passed over
for Tree Sparrows, having similar habits to those birds of
crowding on a hedge-top and straggling down to feed, then
flying up in a body when disturbed {Nat. 1893, p. 356, and
1894, p. 39 ; ZooL 1894, p. 19).

Mr. Bailey afterwards gave me a version of this visitation
confirming in every detail the account mentioned above.

212

SNOW BUNTING.

Plectrophanes nivalis (/.).

Winter visitant, chiefly to the coast ; vei^y numerous in most years.
Irregular in its appearance inland.

The earliest reference to this bird in relation to Yorkshire
is contained in Willughby's "Ornithology," under the heading
of " The great pied Mountain Finch or Bramlin." ..." Mr.
Johnson [of Brignall, near Greta Bridge] sent us the Bird
itself, and the description of it out of the Northern part of
Yorkshire." " The same Mr. Johnson sent also the descrip-
tion of another bird of this kind, by the name of The lesser
Mountain Finch or Bramlin, together with the case of the
Bird : which by the case I took to be only the female of the
precedent, he from its difference in bigness, place, and other
accidents rather judges it a distinct species." [Description
follows.] (Will. " Orn." 1676, p. 255.) These are the old
female and young of the year of the Snow Bunting.

T/io}jias Allis, in 1844, wrote of this species thus : —

Plectrophanes nivalis. — Snow Bunting — Occurs near Doncaster and
Sheffield, where a beautiful specimen was shot in a garden close to
the town ; is met with near Halifax every winter, but sometimes
occurs in immense flocks ; is seen in hard winters about Huddersfield,
and in great numbers about the high land near Pateley Bridge ; it
occurs on Hambleton and at Bradford in severe winters. Arthur
Strickland reports that very large flocks every winter frequent some
districts on the edge of the Wolds near Bridlington, but are so wary
that they are very difficult of approach ; there are besides generally
single birds or small flocks that do not seem to join the large ones
and, from possessing more white and being more easily approached,
appear to come from a more nortliern region.

This hardy little Arctic bird usually arrives about the
middle or end of October or early in November ; in 1879
the first appeared on the 23rd of October, and arrivals
continued uj) to the 20th of December ; in 1880 there was
an intermittent stream from mid-October till the following
January ; and it was noted in 1881 on the 6th of October.

SNOW BUNTING. 213

A few solitary adult birds are occasionally seen weeks before
the main bodies put in an appearance ; an early date is 26th
August 1888, when two or three were seen at Spurn ; on
i6th September 1889, an old female was shot at the Teesmouth,
and I saw an adult female on the 20th of the same month
in 1883 near Redcar, and procured it on the following day.
The first flocks consist chiefly of young birds and a few females,
rarely any old ma.es, though as the season advances the
proportion of adult birds increases. Their departure takes
place early in spring, a few sometimes remaining until April
and occasionally even into May ; one was seen on the 3rd
of that month in 1899 at Flamborough ; and in 1882 several
lingered on the sand-banks near the Teesmouth as late as
the 17th of May. As a rule they prefer the coast line, and
are very common in most seasons on the dunes and reclaimed
lands near the estuaries of the Humber and Tees, being
also found in more or less numbers along most of the seaboard
between those two places, particularly at Scarborough,
Flamborough, Bridlington, and the sand-hills of Holderness.

The distribution of the Snow Bunting inland is very
uncertain and irregular, and, contrary to what is the case
on the coast, depends greatly on the character of the season ;
in severe winters it is found fairly frequently in several
inland districts, in other years being extremely rare. It has
occurred in the neighbourhood of some of the large towns
in most unlikely places ; in 1878-9 a flock was seen within
the borough of Leeds, in one of the busiest parts, and in
1881 as many as a hundred were killed near Huddersfield.
It is met with commonly on the Wolds in the East Riding,
feeding on the stubbles ; occasionally on the high moorlands
of the north and north-west, and in the valleys of the central
and northern parts of the county. An early record for the
Tees valley is given by Tunstall, who stated that he had
one in his possession " killed in this neighbourhood " [Wycliffe-
on-Tees] (Tunst. MS., 1783).

This species figures annually in all the Migration Reports
from the Yorkshire light-stations, in numbers varying greatly
from year to year, and its appearance seems to be influenced

214 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE.

by the severity of the weather in the regions whence it com^
rather than b}' that in this country, although it is often noticed
that a great influx precedes or follows gales from the north.
It was very abundant in 1860-61, 1869-70, and again
in 1871, a mild open season ; in 1872, 1873, and 1877-78.
In 1881-82 one of the heaviest migrations on record took
place ; an enormous rush extending from the 14th of November
until the end of December. The great rush at the Teesmouth
was from the 23rd to the 25th of November, and again from
the 6th to the loth of December, many thousands remaining
to feed on the adjoining corn stubbles. Another heavy rush
occurred in 1882 at the Teesmouth early in December,
preceding the snowstorm on the 5th of that month.
I have frequently observed the " ower-sea bird " coming
in from the east-south-east, and sometimes from north-east ;
and when off at sea have noticed flocks on migration. One
of the latest dates was on 29th December 1883, when about
twenty passed the boat at 1-30 p.m., flying west-south-west.
In 1892 there were more recorded from Spurn and Easington
than were ever before known, and the same winter an enormous
flight came in on the 24th of November at Redcar ; they
were plentiful also in 1895-96. On 31st October 1901, an
arrival from due north took place at Redcar, in company
with Siskins, Finches, and other small birds, and on the
22nd of November, after a gale from the north, the sand-
hills at the Tees Breakwater were swarming with new-
comers, mostly adults, nearly all of which left during the
next few days.

On first arrival these Buntings feed on the seeds of salt-
loving plants, and are capable of withstanding more cold than
most other small birds ; even in the severest weather, long
after our resident birds are starving and have betaken them-
selves to the stackyards, the cheery chirp of the Snow Bunting
may be heard as it flits along the sand-banks or over the
hard frozen foreshore ; at these times it often resorts to the
sands below high-water mark and feeds amongst the sea-coal
and other debris washed up by the tide. Late in winter
they take to the fields and stubbles, and are frequently found

SNOW BUNTING. 215

in the marshes bordering the coast. At the end of March
1902, a flock of forty, some of which were adult males in very
fine plumage, was feeding in the fishermen's gardens near
Redcar on ground newly sown with oats.

There are several vernacular names : Snow-Flake is a
general term, varied dialectically to Snow-Fleck in Nidderdale.
In the North Riding it is called French Sparrow ; White Lenny
at Loftus and Staithes ; Ower-sea Bird (over-sea-bird) at
Redcar ; and Over-the-sea Linnet at Kildale and Roxby.
In Arkengarthdale it is called Sleightholme Throstle, doubtless
by reason of making its appearance from that direction, N.E.
Tawny Bunting, given by Tunstall in 1783, was also formerly
used in Cleveland. Mountain Bunting, used by Latham in
1822, is probably only a book-name.

[An adult male example of the White-throated Bunt-
ing {Zonatrichia alhicollis, Gmelin), a native of North America
was observed by the late G. W. Jalland of Holderness
House, Hull, feeding on the lawn with other birds, in the
beginning of the year 1893. It was afterwards shot on
the 13th of February, and was identified as the above
species by the late J. Cordeaux [Zool. 1893, p. 149 ; Nat.
1893, p. 113).

This was probably an " escape " from some ship while
being conveyed to this country as a cage bird.]

STARLING.
5turnus vulgaris (/..).

Resident, very abundant, generally distributed. Immense flocks
of migrants arrive in autumn, departing in spring.

The first Yorkshire reference to the Starling is a quotation
from Ralph Johnson, of Brignall, near Greta Bridge, con-
tained in Willughby's " Ornithology" : —

" The Stare, or Starling, which saith Mr. Johnson I never

2i6 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE.

saw eat berries, whereas all the rest of this tribe, except
perhaps the Water-Ouzel, are bacinivorous." (Will. " Orn."
1678, p. 24.)

Thomas Allis, in 1844, wrote : —

Sturnus vulgaris. — Common Starling — Universally common.

This favourite bird, one of our commonest and most
generally distributed residents, has increased enormously
within the past half-century, particularly in the valleys of
the Wharfe, Nidd, and Washburn, and in Swaledale and
Arkengarthdale, where at the present day it is quite an
abundant species, being even found to an elevation of 1000
feet, and known to nest at Malham, Mr, Ford, of Caistor,
writing in the Field, 20th October 1888, remarks that a friend
of his told him he recollected the first pair of Starlings that
came to Swaledale, at Low Row ; a few years after they
made their way to Summerside, then to Muker, Keld, and
the head of the dale.

An interesting remark in connection with Yorkshire is
contained in a letter from the late Duke of Argyll to Mr.
Harvie-Brown, as follows : —

" Inverary, January 19th 1894. — Dear Mr. Harvie-Brown,
I never saw a Starling till I went to England in 1836. I
still recollect the great interest with which I saw the bird
for the first time at the Posting Inn at Northallerton in
Yorkshire. Argyll."

The immunity from persecution which it enjoys, and its
general usefulness and popularity have served it in good stead;
Thomas Allis observed that it was universally common in
1844, and its numbers have, subsequently to that period,
multiplied almost beyond belief.

This species ranks numerically next to the Skylark on
migration, and is often associated with it at that period,
an early record connected with this phase of its history is
dated 1834, when a vast number were taken in an exhausted
state below Scarborough Castle ; while in Rennie's Field
Naturalist, 1833, mention is made of some alighting on
board ship off the Yorkshire coast on 7th October 1833.
Enormous flocks arrive from the Continent in autumn, and at

STARLING. 217

this season, after stormy weather, they have been found killed
beneath the lanterns of the Spurn and Flamborough light-
houses. At the latter place in October 1869, a flock alighted
during a foggy night on the dome of the lantern, where they
kept up a continual chattering, and on 12th March 1877,
there were many at night roimd the lantern ; as also at Spurn
in November 1903. They arrive from mid-September to the
end of October, and occasionally later in the year in November
and December, sometimes congregating in thousands in the
fields bordering the coast. In spring they reassemble into
flocks previously to leaving this country. The vernal
migration takes place about the first part, or the middle, of
April and is probably carried on at night ; one day great
flocks may be seen and the next morning not a single migrant
bird will be visible. In cold and backward seasons they
remain until late in April, after our resident birds are nesting,
and this was noticeably the case in 1902. On 20th April
in that year an arrival took place, and large flocks were
in evidence on the Tees Marshes as late as the end of the
month, after which they disappeared.

The Migration Reports contain numerous references to the
passage of this bird which occurs in " rushes " almost every
autumn, and is reported from the Light Stations all along
the east coast. On 4th November 1881, an enormous
flight, estimated to contain at least a million birds, came off
the sea at Redcar, from the east, extending in a dense mass
for over two miles, making a noise like thimder, and darkening
the air. They all flew towards the north-west and went
over the Teesmouth. During a " rush " on 13th October
1902, at Kilnsea, many were killed against the telegraph
wires. These immigrants generally belong to the north
European form, having a purplish head and neck.*

The Starling is a well-known mimic of other birds' notes,
amongst which are the Sparrow, Yellow Ammer, Chaffinch,

* An exhaustive account of the migration of the Starhng, by Mr.
W. Eagle Clarke, is published in the Report of the British Association
Migration Committee, 1903.

2i8 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE.

Robin, Curlew, Pheasant, Green Woodpecker, Jackdaw, and
others, varying according to the birds of the locahty, and
in addition may be inckided a note not belonging to a feathered
creature, viz., a dog whistle ! A bird which bears the title of
" Our Whistling Starling," has been, for several years, in the
habit of saluting the dawn by a low melodious whistle on the
roof of my house, and it sometimes gives a very good represen-
tation of a Peewit's call and the Golden Plover's note.

Starlings have of late years been observed to depart from
their usual method of feeding and have developed a taste
for insect food. One fine warm day in October 190 1, Mr. E.
B. Emerson saw about two hundred, hawking insects, in the
same manner as Swallows do, over a field at Deighton, near
Northallerton ; and in the autumn of 1904 he witnessed a
repetition of this habit in Bilsdale. I have observed the
same trait in the flocks frequenting the flats near the sea ;
our " Whistling " bird constantly practises this mode of
feeding in the autumn, and at Fewston these birds have been
noticed feeding on ants. During hard frost and snow they
often resort to the rocks to feed on the small mussels left
bare at ebb-tide ; and in the Beverley district they have been
detected devouring garden fruits.

On the sea coast of Cleveland and at Flamborough the
Starling breeds in large numbers in the cliffs, and also resorts
to holes in rocks in many inland localities. Amongst curious
nesting situations the following have been noted : — the
crevice in a crane at Bridlington station, in May 1901 ; the
balls of a water tank at Thirsk, where, in 1875, a nest was
built in each of the seven balls ; and the cleft of an ivy-clad
tree twenty feet from the ground. A nest is recorded at Nun-
appleton built of pampas grass and twigs, lined with feathers
and placed in an " arborvitae," and resembling the nest of
a Bearded Tit (Field, 26th June 1876). Though not its
usual practice, instances are yet known when this bird has
shared its nesting quarters with another species. In May
1878, four eggs of the Starling were found, in the hole of a
tree, with two belonging to the Stock Dove ; these were
taken, and about three weeks or a month later three more

STARLING.

219

Starling's and two Stock Dove's eggs were in the nest. The
i6th of February is given as an exceptionally early date
for the discovery of eggs.

With reference to the vexed question of the Starling
being double brooded, it is undoubtedly the fact that in some
cases, perhaps exceptional ones, two broods are raised. In
the year 1902 a pair hatched off a brood in May, in the
chimney adjoining my house at Redcar, and on 5th July
the same year they were busy attending to a second family.

White and parti-coloured varieties are not uncommon.
Mr. W. Morris, of Sedbergh, had an albino ; another was
shot on the Knavesmire, York, about 1884 ; and examples
of a cream, buff, and chestnut-brown have been met with.
Two birds with curiously elongated mandibles were seen at
Redcar in 1897, one of which was shot and afterwards figured
and described, in the Field of 27th INIarch 1897, by Mr. W. B.
Tegetmeier, by permission of whom I am enabled to produce
Mr. Frowhawk's excellent drawing of the head of the abnormal
specimen, and also, for comparison, a normal head. Another
example, with elongated upper mandible, is recorded by

220 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE.

Hugh Reid of Doncaster, in 1837 ; and a specimen with
crossed mandibles was obtained about 1888 in the vicinity
of Harrogate.

As to vernacular names, the word Starling is itself a
diminutive of Stare, as used by Willughby in his " Ornithology,"
1678, and is sometimes transmuted into Starnil, as in the
Flamborough district. From its connection with sheep it
derives the name Shepster,* Shepstey, Sheep-stare, which
are in general use, dialectically modified to Shipster in
Cleveland and at Sedbergh, Shepstare in Craven, and Chepster
in the North Riding, as spelt by Tunstall, who also used the
form Chep-starling. These are the same terms as the Ship
or Ship-starling of the North Riding, the Shep-starhng of
Craven and the West Riding, and the Sheep-starling of the
Nidd valley. Sheppy, used at Ackworth, and Shep, in
the West and North Ridings, are possibly contracted forms
of the same appellation. A Cleveland term is Gyp, which
becomes Gypey or Gipey at Eavestone, near Ripon, and
about York ; Gyp-starling at York, and Gyp-starnil or Gyp-
starn'l in the North Riding. Near Beverley it is sometimes
called Jacob.

Mr. James Backhouse of York mentions in the Naturalist
(1886, p. 307), the occurrence of a black Starling, which he
considered to be S. nnicolor, the Sardinian Starling. It is
in a collection belonging to the York Blue Coat Boys' School,
and, according to the label on the case, was procured at Howden
in 1840, and preserved by G. Wright of Fossgate, York.

A suggested explanation by Mr. J. H. Gurney {torn. cit.
p. 340), is that the bird in question may be a melanic variety
of the common Starling, but Mr. Backhouse assured me
that Mr. H. E. Dresser has pronounced it to be the Sardinian
species.

* " Shepster." An old clergyman who had never heard this name
applied to birds, being in the vestry of the church, the clerk, who had
noted the return of the Starlings to nesting operations, said to the
Vicar, " Please, sir, the Shepsters have come." The old clergyman
answered sharply, " Shew them into a pew ; shew them into a pew."
(Nat, 1896, p. 254.)

ROSE COLOURED PASTOR. 221

[The Red-winged Starling {Agelaits phceniceiis L.), an
inhabitant of America, has been so frequently introduced
into this country that it is considered by many ornithologists
to be unworthy of a place in the British list. A male example,
found on 31st March 1877, under the telegraph wires by the
wayside near Ardwick-le-Street, between Askern and Barnsley
{Zool. 1887, p. 257 ; Nat. iSyy, p. 53), was obviously an escaped
bird.]

ROSE COLOURED PASTOR.
Pastor roseus (/^.).

Accidental autumn visitant, of uncommon occurrence, chiefly
near the coast.

The first reference to this species is in Denny's Leeds
Catalogue of 1840, which also appears in Allis's Report,
dated 1844 : —

Pastor roseus. — Rose-coloured Pastor — Hugh Reid of Doncaster
reports that two were shot by Mr. Beal near Bawtry, one is in the
possession of Mr. Lawton of Tickhill, the other is in his own collection ;
F. O. Morris mentions one from Skinningrove, and another from
Thorne, probably the specimen next alluded to, viz. : John Heppenstall
informs me that one was shot at Thorne about ten years ago, and
was obtained for his father's cabinet ; there were three or four
individuals with this bird ; another was killed but was unfortunately
lost. H. Denny has mentioned two specimens, one being shot at
Ripley, the other at Farnley Hall in 182S ; one of these birds was
killed near Beverley about four years ago ; and Arthur Strickland
mentions that one was killed while feeding on the ground near the
house at Boynton in 1829, and is now in his own collection ; another
was killed a few years ago at North Burton near that place.*

The Rose Coloured Pastor, or Rose Coloured Starling
as it is sometimes termed, nests in south-east Europe and
Asia Minor, migrating in winter eastward to India. It is
a casual visitant to Yorkshire, chiefly in autumn, and at

• One of the specimens mentioned by Allis was sold at Steven's
Rooms in London, in 1890, and was purchased by Mr. J. Whitaker of
Rainworth Lodge, Mansfield.

222 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE.

very irregular intervals ; one is recorded at Ripley, and
another at Farnley Hall near Otley, in 1828. These are
mentioned in Allis's Report, as also are examples at : —

Boynton in 1829, in A. Strickland's collection.

Thorne about 1834, in Heppenstall's collection.

North Burton, near Boynton, a few years before 1844.

Near Beverley about 1840.

Near Bawtry, two, before 1844. (One in the possession
of M. Lawton of Tickhill, the other in H. Reid's collection.)

Skinningrove, before 1844.

Additional occurrences are : —

Dunnington near York, one in 1850, now in the York
Museum {Nat. 1886, p. 308).

Coatham Marsh, one, 28th August i85i(Zoo/. 1851, p. 3277).

Middlesbrough, one, 12th August 1855 (Morris's Nat. 1856).

Wetherby, one, about 1855 (J. Tennant MS.).

York, one in 1856 [Zool. 1856, p. 525). (Probably Ranson's
record, op. cit. 1868, p. 1133, refers to this individual).

Huddersfield, one at Edgerton in 1859 (Hobkirk's " Hud-
dersfield," 1859).

Easington, one in i860 (in the Hull Museum : see Museum
Guide).

Withernwick, near Hull, one about 1862-3 ! shot by J.
Darley (MS. 1901).

Skinningrove, several in 1862-3 (Kenneth McLean, MS.).

Scarborough, one, a fine old male, July 1863 (Alfred
Roberts, MS.).

Ingleborough, one in 1864; described; {Zool. 1865, p. 9682).

Cottingham, East Yorks., a mature male, 26th August
1865 {op. cit. 1866, p. 29 ; and MS.) ; now in Mr. T. Boynton's
collection.

Halifax, one in Warley Clough in 1866 ; in the Halifax
]\Iuseum (A. Crabtree, j\IS.).

Huddersfield, one, in Halifax Road, " some years ago "
(J. Varley, MS., 1881).

Easington, one, a male, 4th November 1877 {Zool. 1878,

P- 51)-

Spurn, one, an old female, 30th August 1884 ; the plumage

CHOUGH. 223

was very dusky, like a Hooded Crow on the back ; another
was seen (Sixth Migration Report, p. 53).

Redcar, one, 23rd November 1889 {Nat. 1890, p. 100) ; in
my collection.

Aldborough, one in 1894.

Hull, Rolleston Hall, one seen, November 1901 {Field,
23rd November 1901).

CHOUGH.

Pyrrhocorax graculus (/^ ).

Accidental visitant, of extremely rare occurrence.

The first notice of this species in Yorkshire is contained
in Allis's Report, 1844 : —

Fregilus graculus. — Chough — H. Reid informs me that one was killed
by the gamekeeper of Mr. Randall Gossip at Hatfield, and went into
the possession of Mr. Joseph Cook of Rotherham. F. O. Morris
mentions one as being killed near Sheffield and preserved by H. Reid
of Doncaster, probably the last mentioned bird, which I presume
to be the same specimen also mentioned by my friend J. Heppenstall.

This striking looking bird is resident in some remote
districts in the British Islands, one of its chief strongholds
being on the wild west coast of Ireland ; another colon}' is
established on one of the islands of the Inner Hebrides, and
a few pairs still breed on the Isle of Man and on the coast of
Wales, but in Cornwall, whence it derives its best known
name, the Cornish Chough has been reduced to very limited
numbers.

In Yorkshire it is now only an extremely rare and casual
wanderer, though the probability of its former existence
as a resident is inferred from the discovery of an ulna in
Kirkdale Cave preserved in the British Museum (R. Lydekker,
Ibis, July 1891, p. 385). Further confirmatory evidence
respecting its history in this county is supplied by Mr. K.
McLean, who states that an old man who worked, in the

224 THE BIRDS