WH INC HAT. 27 



October, the young departing before the old ones, a few 

 of which linger until the end of the latter month. 



It is distributed generally and abundantly in rough 

 pastures, meadows, railway banks, and hillsides up to the 

 very edge of the moors ; in Nidderdale it reaches an altitude 

 of 1000 feet, in Teesdale it nests at 1200 feet elevation, 

 and it is one of the characteristic birds of the roadsides and 

 grasslands in the dales, its familiar cry of " Yewtic " being 

 heard the summer through. Near the large towns it is less 

 numerous, though the nest has been seen within the city 

 boundaries of Leeds. In the Beverley district, where the 

 species is unaccountably becoming scarce, the males arrive 

 first in spring, mount the tallest trees, and sing until the 

 arrival of the females. 



As a migrant, it does not appear to be often recognized 

 by the light-keepers, being referred to only once in the 

 Migration Reports, viz., in 1882, " Spurn, October I5th, 

 All day." It has been noticed on arrival at Flamborough 

 in the spring migration, and towards the end of August, or 

 early in September, there is a large influx, on the return 

 journey, of immature birds, with occasionally a few old 

 females ; the adults generally appear later, early in October, 

 but seldom remain more than a few days. 



An early reference to the autumn movements of the 

 Whinchat is that of Edward Blyth, who remarked (Rennie's 

 Field Nat., November 1833, p. 467), that when on the voyage 

 from London, northward, on the i6th of September, off 

 the coast of Yorkshire, and about ten or twelve miles from 

 Redcliff, several birds, amongst which were Whinchats, 

 alighted on the vessel. 



The imitative powers of this bird have been noticed by 

 Mr. E. P. Butterfield, who detected one in the act of mimicing 

 the Wren, Song Thrush, Chaffinch, Corn Bunting, Tree Pipit, 

 Greenfinch, Ray's Wagtail, and other birds ; and on a 

 recent occasion he heard one imitate the Blackcap. The 

 songster, which was perched on an old wall, allowed an 

 approach within a few yards, and continued for some time 



