28 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. 



to pour out such a flood of song as to entrance the listener. 

 The attitude of the bird whilst singing, every muscle indicating 

 intense excitement, was no less strange than its song (Zool. 

 1889, p. 369 ; and in Hit. 1902). 



The vernacular names are : Whinchacker, used in Craven 

 and Cleveland ; Bush-chat in the West Riding ; Grass-chat 

 and Hay-chat in the North and West Ridings ; Hay-bird 

 in Ryedale ; Stone-chat in the Nidd Valley ; and Utic or 

 Yewtic (from its call) in the East and West Ridings. 



STONECHAT. 

 Pratincola rubicola (Z.). 



Resident ; also summer visitant ; locally distributed. The majority 

 leave in autumn, only a few remaining, chiefly near the sea-coast. 



The earliest reference to this as a Yorkshire bird, is, 

 apparently, that in Part 2 of Willughby's " Ornithology," 

 1678, where it is called " Stone smich." 



Thomas Allis, in 1844, wrote : 



Saxicola rubicola. Stonechat Occurs, but not numerously, on 

 the moors and high lands in most parts of the county ; it is much 

 scarcer than in some of the more southern counties. 



The Stonechat is frequently spoken of as a common 

 Yorkshire bird, though it cannot be considered as abundant 

 anywhere, and in its distribution is an eccentric and puzzling 

 species, being very local and often absent from the very 

 places where its presence might confidently be expected ; 

 its history, therefore, requires careful treatment, for in some 

 parts where it was formerly met with it has now become 

 extremely rare, or died out, as a breeding species. Com- 

 mencing with the extreme south of the West Riding, it used, 



