BIRDS OF THE HUMBER DISTRICT. 29 



V 



during the autumns of the last three or four years ; 

 were extremely abundant in the marshes during the 

 autumn of 1870, the arrivals consisting principally 

 of females and birds of the year, with a sprinkling of 

 old males. 



A few remain in North Lincolnshire throughout 

 the winter, frequenting the sheep-folds in the turnip- 

 fields, and consorting with Pipits and Pied Wagtails. 

 Those wintering with us are invariably in pairs, male 

 and female, and mature birds. They arrive about 

 the first fortnight in October. On the llth, 12th, 

 and 13th of that month in 1869, just before the 

 great storm, I found them numerous on the Marram- 

 covered sand-hills at Spurn *. According to Mr. 

 Wheelwright, is quite accidental both in Scandinavia 

 and Denmark, and not known in Finland. 



46. SAXICOLA RUBETRA (Linnseus) . Whin-Chat. 



One of the commonest of our summer visitants, 

 arriving in North Lincolnshire from the 20th of 

 April to the first week of May inclusive, and leaving 

 again in October. Towards the end of August or 

 early in September many, both mature and imma- 

 ture, appear in the marshes along the coast, pro- 



* Mr. Boulton, writing on the Stonechat in the ' Zoologist ' 

 for 1865, p. 9595, says, " I have never met with the Stonechat 

 in the immediate neighbourhood of Beverley until the present 

 month. On the 25th of March an old male was shot on Swine 

 Moor, one of our common pastures. When shot it was alone : 

 and no other of the same species has since been seen." 



