564 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. 



dently assembling for migration. Occasionally cases are noted 

 of individuals being met with in winter, these are probably 

 late hatched birds unable to migrate at the usual time ; 

 one occurred at Toothill in January 1862 ; another, obtained 

 near Filey, was preserved by Mr. Stuart of Beverley ; there 

 are several instances known of winter occurrences in Holder- 

 ness ; Capt. Dunnington-Jefferson of Thicket Priory saw 

 one on 24th December 1888 ; I examined a specimen in the 

 possession of Mr. T. Machen of Bridlington, which had been 

 killed at Sewerby on 8th January 1899 ; in the following 

 month another was reported at Reighton ; and, finally, on i6th 

 December, in the same year, a female example was caught by 

 a dog, during a snowstorm, on the Redcar sand-hills, and 

 brought alive to me ; it was, however, suffering from a shot 

 wound, and only lived till the following day. 



Nidification commences early in May, and eggs have been 

 found on the first of that month. As exemplifying the 

 pertinacity with which this species clings to its old haunts, 

 it may be mentioned that, quite recently, Mr. T. Audas 

 found a nest, in the East Riding, in the middle of a fairly 

 large plantation of trees from twelve to fourteen feet high ; 

 evidently an old nesting site, and resorted to prior to the 

 planting of the trees. In the breeding season the Stone 

 Curlew utters a note somewhat like " Kiddy, kiddy, kiddy — 

 Kiddy, kiddy, kiddy. Kiddy, kiddy, kiddy, kiddy " : this is 

 when a bird has lost its companions. In the evening they leave 

 the dry, sandy rabbit-warrens, and seek their food in the 

 cultivated fields, when they become very noisy, and their 

 wild whistling cries may be heard in many places where the 

 birds are not to be found in the day-time. 



Besides the names of Stone Curlew, Norfolk Plover, and 

 Thick-knee, this bird sometimes receives the cognomen of 

 Great or Whistling Plover ; Tunstall terms it Thick-kneed 

 Bustard ; while Kelne was the name given by all the old 

 warreners in east Yorkshire. 



