The Zoologist — July, 1867. 809 



Don, near Doncaster, and again on the 19th of May several at 

 Thoresbv Bridge, about eight miles from this place. These are, how- 

 ever, the only instances in which I have seen any, although daily on 

 the look-out for them. 



Tree Pipit. — April 16th. Seen and heard. 



Yellow Wagtail. — April 17th. First appearance. 



Willow Wren. — April 19th. First heard. 



Redstart. — April 22ud. First seen near Barnsley, Yorkshire. I 

 never saw the redstart, except on one occasion, in this parish, on 

 October 8th, 1863, when I shot one amongst some osiers near our 

 trout stream. I see, on referring to my note-book, it was at the time 

 in company of the common whitethroat and willow wren. Redstarts 

 are occasionally met with in the neighbourhood of the Brocklesby 

 woods and plantations, but are considered rare birds. 



Whitethroat and Lesser Whitethroat. — April 23rd. First seen. 

 .(South Yorkshire). 



Common Sandpiper. — April 22nd. First seen. 



Whinchat. — April 25lh. First appearance. 



Cuckoo and Sedge Warbler. — April 29th. Seen and heard. 



Whimbrel. — May 1st. First appearance on their passage north- 

 ward. 



Gray Plover, Godwit, Knot, dtc. — There is one place in this parish, 

 a lonely and quiet spot, a very favourite station of mine for watching 

 the manners and customs of our shore birds, and I seldom at this 

 season visit it without finding there some one or other of the numerous 

 species frequenting this coast, and many a pleasant hour I have passed 

 .there. Near this spot a small stream enters the Humber, after flowing 

 for some short distance across the tide-washed flats, and here even at 

 dead low water, owing to a slight depression iu the fore-shore below 

 the level of the surrounding " flats," the tide seldorp recedes more 

 than five hundred yards from the foot of the embankment, a space 

 which a good field-glass annihilates. On the 9th of May I was 

 unusually fortunate, finding several species feeding about the mouth of 

 the old creek. Stretched on the bank-top and cautiously pushing my 

 telescope through the long grass, I enjoyed for an hour an ornithological 

 treat, which in ray idea the best arranged museum of stuffed skins 

 would fail to give. The first to take my attention was a group of gray 

 plovers, some few still in transition plumage, the bulk, however, mag* 

 nificent birds in full summer plumage, the upper parts chequered pure 

 black and white, the lower intense black, bordered with white, 



SECOND SERIES — VOL. II. 2 O 



