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 



