146 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. 



name of Silk-tail." Other early notices were by Ralph 

 Johnson, who, writing to Ray from Brignall, near Greta 

 Bridge, May 7th 1686, described two which had been killed 

 in the preceding March, saying " They came near us in great 

 flocks, like Fieldfares, and fed upon haws as they do." 



Thoresby, in a letter to Ray, dated Leeds, April 27th, 1703, 

 mentioned a third visitation, and said " I am tempted that 

 the German Silk-tail is become natural to us, there being no 

 less than three killed nigh this town the last winter." 



Tunstall, according to Latham in Pennant's " British 

 Zoology," recorded " Many seen in Yorkshire (1787), and 

 a large flock at Wycliffe [on Tees]. Many taken alive, but 

 they did not thrive. They fed on dog-berries." (See also 

 Yarrell's " British Birds," 4th Ed., i., p. 525). 



Thomas Allis's account, 1844, is as follows : 



Bombycilla garrula. Bohemian Waxwing Obtained near Sheffield 

 most seasons ; rare near Halifax and Hebden Bridge, though occasion- 

 ally met with ; a large flock was seen about Storrs Hall and in the 

 neighbourhood of Kirkburton about ten years ago in the company 

 of Fieldfares and Redwings ; another large flock was seen in the same 

 locality about four years back [i.e., 1840] from which Wm. Eddison 

 obtained seven or eight specimens ; it is only in severe winters that 

 they resort there ; they are occasionally met with in hard winters 

 near Doncaster, York, and Bridlington. It is a very rare visitant 

 near Barnsley ; John Spencer Stanhope, Esq., of Cannon Hall, has a 

 couple of specimens which his keeper shot in his immediate neighbour- 

 hood, and Dr. Farrar has a pair shot at Carr Green, July ist 1832 ; 

 several specimens have been shot near Thirsk. 



This peculiar looking bird is an inhabitant of northern 

 Europe, and an erratic, casual visitant to Yorkshire, as to 

 the British Isles in general, being what may be termed a 

 gypsy migrant ; in some years appearing in considerable 

 numbers, and scarce or altogether absent in others, whilst, 

 between the years of plenty, odd flocks or occasional 

 stragglers are met with at irregular intervals. 



It was abundant in 1828-29, according to writers in 

 Loudon's Magazine of Natural History, and very numerous 

 in the winters of 1834-5 and 1849-50, when it was noted in 

 all the three Ridings, as evidenced by the records in the 

 Zoologist for 1850, the pages of which contain numerous 



