2392 The Zoologist — December, 1870. 



of flight, causing them to alight on the first shore they approach ? 

 Those who have seen the weary, heavy and short flights of the poor 

 birds the morning after their arrival will understand the extreme 

 exhaustion caused by a rough and adverse passage. If not disturbed 

 they lie all day like stones, just where they happen to have dropped, 

 but on the next night resume that flight, which except for the 

 circumstance of their difficult and exhausting passage would never 

 have been broken. The suspected arrival of the cocks at this season 

 causes quite an excitement to the dwellers on the Lincolnshire and 

 Yorkshire coasts, and every change in the wind is eagerly watched 

 and commented upon. The first likel}' morning sees scores of shooters, 

 both of high and low degree, out on the sea-shore and sand-hills ; 

 every uook and corner is carefully searched, and often heavy bags 

 made. In former times, when these birds were much more plentiful in 

 the country than they are now, a watch was kept at Spurn Point, as 

 well as other places, for the purpose of informing the neighbourhood 

 of their arrival ; and there is a well-authenticated story that on one 

 wild October Sunday morning, whilst the inhabitants of a little village 

 on the coast, a few miles from the Point, were at their morning devo- 

 tions at the parish church, the watchman rushed in, to the great 

 amazement of the more serious portion of the congregation, with the 

 exciting intelligence, " cocks is corned." 



Lark, Tree Sparrow, Greenjinch and Linnet. — October 10. Now 

 plentifully distributed in the marsh stubbles. The larks in small 

 straggling flocks have been coming in all the morning: and I also 

 noticed a flock or two of tree sparrows. 



Shorleared Owl. — October 24. One shot early this morning on the 

 embankment. 



Field/are and Blackbird.— October 28. Flocks of fieldfares have 

 arrived. 29lh, early morning. Large flocks of these birds on the 

 stubbles near the coast, and others flying over. With the fieldfares 

 many blackbirds have come : a small bush near the sea-embankment 

 seemed nearly alive with them ; I rode up to it and counted fifteen fly 

 out, all males, I believe, but two. They rose to a great height, and 

 flew S.W., the same direction the fieldfares had taken. 31st. The 

 hedgerows in the enclosed district bordering the marshes swarm with 



blackbirds; they fly out a dozen together. 



John Cordeaux. 

 Great Cotes, Ukeby, Linculnshire, 

 November 1, 1870. 



