3 o6 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. 



a common North American species, in Europe* is contained 

 in the subjoined communication to the Zoologist (1860, p. 

 7104), from Sir Wm. M. E. Milner. It should be clearly under- 

 stood that the mere fact of this and other species being included 

 in this work is not in any way intended to claim for them a 

 place on the British list ; the information relating to such 

 occurrences being simply given for what it may be worth. 



Sir Wm. Milner's words are : " I do not recollect ever 

 mentioning to you for insertion in the Zoologist an account 

 of my having received from a young clergyman, a son of Mr. 

 Bury, who has the church at Osberton (my brother-in-law 

 Mr. Foljambe's place) who, knowing I had a very fine collection 

 of British birds, sent me a small Owl in a very curious case, 

 which was shot in the East Riding of Yorkshire, not far 

 from Beverley, by a keeper, a brother of Sir Thomas Which- 

 cote's keeper, of Aswarbey, Lincolnshire. He sent this bird 

 to his brother, who gave it to Mr. Bury, from whom I received 

 it. I found out afterwards from looking at Audubon's " Birds 

 of America," that it was the Sparrow Owl (Strix acadica), which 

 is rather common in some parts of America, but totally 

 unknown in this country."] 



LITTLE OWL. 

 Athene noctua (Scopoli). 



Accidental visitant from Continental Europe, of extremely rare 

 occurrence. 



Not merely is the whole of the information relating to the 

 occurrence of this species very meagre, but unfortunately 

 exceedingly vague, from the fact that in most instances 

 there is an entire absence of details. 



* Mr. H. E. Dresser, who considers that this Beverley occurrence 

 is the only occasion on which the present species has been taken in 

 Europe, does not feel justified in admitting it into his work on the 

 Birds of Europe. 



