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 



