ON THE AUTUMN MIGRATION OF BIRDS IN 1878. 49 
The following notes have been sent by correspondents. I give 
them as nearly as possible in their own words :— 
Tees 5th Buoy-lightship, June 9th, 1878.“ Two Sheldrakes with 
sixteen young ones with them came close to the light; they appeared to 
have been hatched that morning, as they were very small.” 
The same, July 31st, 1878.—“ Light breeze from the N.E. and cloudy. 
Observed a great many Sea Swallows [Sterna minuta] in the Tees this day ; 
some of them havé black heads—some are as small as Larks. There was 
a ‘Chaser’ [probably Lestris parasiticus] with them; it is a dark brown 
bird. When the ‘Swallows’ caught a sprat the Chaser would fly after 
them and take it from them; they never fish themselves. Seamen call 
them ‘ Boatswains.’” 
January, 1877.—‘ About the middle of this month a very fine Cor- 
morant, with top-knot, came to the Light, which I caught and kept all 
night. Next morning I let it out, and it flew away; but at 4 P.M. it 
returned, and J threw it some small fish, which it seemed to enjoy; it 
roosted on the Light. After that its visits became regular, and it got very 
tame. I did not take particular notice how many weeks, but for some 
considerable time it kept this practice up, when all at once it disappeared.” 
March 30th, 1878.-— Strong wind from the W.N.W. to N.E., with 
snow storms and a heavy sea running. I observed a large flock of Cor- 
morants come into the Tees at 4 p.m.; one came to the Light and roosted 
all night, and at 7 a.m. left; however, at 4 p.m. it returned, and as it 
roosts on the same place and appears very tame and quite at home, I con- 
cluded it was the same bird which came in 1877. I feed it with small fish ; 
it does not like strangers, and when they come to the Light it leaves. The 
end of this poor bird I heard in July; it was shot on Seaton Snook by a 
puddler or some other gunner.” 
It is worth remarking t st I got a young Chiffchaff on 
the 10th December. It flew into a friend’s room on the 7th, and 
killed itself against the glass. This is a very late occurrence for 
this bird in North Lincolnshire. 
An interesting occurrence at Spurn was a small flock of 
Siskins, seen by Mr. William E. Clarke, of Leeds. They were 
feeding by the roadside between Easington and Spurn, on the 
seed-bearing plants, and were so tame as to allow him to approach 
within a few feet. 
