400 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. 



observes " It is probable that before the drainage of the Carrs this 

 bird was common in this district, but at present a single bird only 

 is occasionally found, generally in the autumn or winter ; but in 

 January of the winter of 183 1 a singular flight visited this country, 

 stated in some of the country newspapers to have arrived from the 

 north of Ireland ; at that time from what came under my own observa- 

 tion, what was stated to me by others, and mentioned in the newspapers, 

 I collected a list of upwards of sixty that had been killed in this county, 

 besides many others in different parts of the kingdom." 



This interesting species, now, unfortunately, no longer 

 resident in the county, was well known in the early part of 

 the last century ; and, as will be seen from the references 

 to the Archbishop of York's feast in Edward the Fourth's 

 reign, and again at the marriage of Elizabeth Neville in 1526, 

 the Bittern figured prominently as an article of food, together 

 with many other fowl which are only known to present 

 day naturalists as rare and occasional visitants. 



In considering historically the distribution of this bird, 

 we find that accomplished and old-time naturalist, Francis 

 Willughby, in his " Ornithology " (1678, p. 25), stated that 

 " Mr. Johnson [of Brignall, near Greta Bridge] has in an evening 

 heard the drumming of the Bittern a mile off. This, I suppose, 

 is the bird which the vulgar call the Night Raven and have 

 great dread of." The celebrated North Riding naturalist, 

 Marmaduke Tunstall, also remarked (Tunst. MS. 1784, p. 85), 

 that many were in the neighbourhood of his residence (Wycliffe- 

 on-Tees). Another favourite resort of the bird was Askham 

 Bog, near the city of York, where the father of Mr. James 

 Backhouse reported one so recently as the winter of 1874-75. 



In the West Riding, before the drainage of the " Carrs " 

 on the outskirts of the famous level of Hatfield Chase, it was 

 frequently noticed, as also around Doncaster, and in the 

 Western Ainsty. 



In " Historical Notices of Doncaster," by Chas. W. Hat- 

 field (1866, p. 22), Mr, Samuel Crawshaw, who died at Bulby 

 in 1813, aged 74, is quoted as follows : — " The Bittern began 

 to desert the Carrs about the year 1750. The pecuhar sound 

 of the male forms to this day (1866) a topic of conversation 

 of the villagers of Bulby ; they were common, and, from the 



