582 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. 



the " Egrittes," to the number of 1,000, served at the 

 celebrated banquet to Archbishop Nevell in 1466, are refer- 

 able to this species ; under the synonym of " Wype " it 

 was mentioned in the Northumberland Household Book, 1512, 

 where in the list of birds to be bought for " my Lordes owne 

 mees " the price of " Wypes " was fixed at id., " so they 

 be good and in season " ; while under the name of Bastard 

 Plover it figured in " Wildfowl at Hull " in 1560, the price 

 being stated at three-halfpence each. 



Thomas Allis, in 1844, wrote : 



Vanellus cristatus. Common Lapwing Common in most districts. 



In addition to being a well-known and abundant resident, 

 the Lapwing is a common migrant in autumn, when enormous 

 flights arrive on the coast during October and November, 

 these migrations sometimes continuing for several days in 

 succession, and extending to as late as the last week of 

 December, whilst on one or two occasions I have noticed large 

 flocks crossing late in January. Great "rushes" occurred 

 in 1881 in the month of November ; in 1887 there was a 

 constant migration from mid-October to mid-November ; 

 also in October 1890, in November 1899, and in 1901. On 

 some days the passage continues from daylight to 3 p.m., 

 the birds crossing incessantly in immense bodies ; a rough 

 estimate of the numbers contained in one of these " rushes," 

 in October 1899, was computed to be at the rate of 10,000 

 in a quarter of an hour. On arrival many of these new-comers 

 settle on the lowlands near the coast, while others disperse 

 inland, and in 1901 they were more numerous in the pastures 

 and marshes near the seaboard than I have ever known them 

 to be. Should mild weather prevail they continue to haunt 

 these localities throughout winter, but depart southward 

 if frost and snow ensue, and during conditions of this nature 

 there was a decided southerly movement in February and 

 early March 1904. The bulk of the winter visitants depart 

 in late March or April on their return migration ; on 23rd 

 and 24th March 1895 I observed a passage of oversea migrants, 

 and these would, doubtless, be birds returning northward. 

 In this connection an interesting entry is found in the " Annual 



