565 



COLLARED PRATINCOLE. 



.Glareola pratincola (Z.). 



Accidental visitant from southern Europe, Africa, and Asia, of 

 extremely rare occurrence. 



This peculiar and interesting bird is an accidental wanderer 

 from the south of Europe, Africa, and Asia, occurring very 

 rarely in these islands. It has been chronicled on three 

 different occasions in Yorkshire, the first being noted by 

 the late Sir Wm. Milner, who stated that a fine specimen was 

 killed when in company with a flock of Dotterels, in May 1844, 

 on Staxton Wold, five miles from Scarborough, and passed 

 into the possession of Mr. Peter Hawksworth {Zool. 1848, 

 p. 2023). 



The second example was recorded by the late Joseph Duff 

 of Bishop Auckland, as being just (9th February 1850) received 

 by him from " Bedlington in Northumberland " {op. cit 

 1850, p. 2771), but, in a subsequent letter to the late John 

 Hancock, he informed him that the locality mentioned was 

 a misprint, and that the bird had been taken at " Bridlington 

 in Yorkshire " (" Birds of Northd. and Dm." p. 96, footnote). 

 Mr. Duff, in conversation with me, confirmed this statement, 

 and added that he disposed of the specimen to Mr. J. H. 

 Gurney. 



The third Yorkshire bird was obtained between Ruswarp 

 and Whitby, by Wm. Wilson. It was a male, and the stomach 

 contained ants and a few feathers. This specimen is now in 

 the Whitby Museum ; but the date on the label, " September 

 1871," should be, as Mr. Thomas Stephenson tells me, " 19th 

 October 1871." 



