NOTES FROM YORKSHIRE. 171 



or " krantzes." Two eggs taken on October 11th were simply laid 

 in a depression in the sandy floor of a miniature cavern. Butler 

 took four slightly incubated eggs on October 16th. They were laid 

 in a depression on the bare rock on a ledge in the crevice of a cave : 

 situation inaccessible, except with ropes, &c. The eggs are very 

 like those of the common European Kestrel in colouring. 



Cerchneis rupicoloides (Smith), Large African Kestrel. — Not 

 observed nearer to Newcastle than Korke's Drift, where Eeid found 

 a pair breeding, and took one egg from a nest on October 4th. 

 He obtained the male bird. Iris white ; bill bluish horn-colour, 

 softening into yellowish white at the base ; cere and legs Indian- 

 yellow. Near Ladysmith it seems to be a common species. Eggs 

 were taken by officers quartered there in October, and numbers of 

 the birds were observed perching on the telegraph-wires near the 

 junction of the Free State and Newcastle Roads by both Feilden 

 and Eeid in November and December. 



(To be continued.) 



ORNITHOLOGICAL NOTES FROM YORKSHIRE. 

 By William Eagle Clarke. 



In 1880 the chief incident for January was an unlooked-for 

 immigration of Fieldfares and Short-eared Owls. Fieldfares, 

 which had been almost entirely absent during the autumn of 

 1879, appeared in considerable numbers at Spurn on Jan. 24th. 

 The Owls immediately followed, and were somewhat numerous 

 on the Holderness coast during the latter days of the month. 

 A large party of Swans, most probably Hoopers, were observed 

 passing Withernsea, in a southerly direction, on one of the early 

 days of the year. During the severe weather of January and 

 February, Brent— or as they are locally termed " Bock "-^-Geese 

 were extremely abundant on the Humber estuary, coming up to 

 the shore and retiring on every tide. 



In my notes for 1879,* I alluded to the occurrence of a flock 

 of Shore Larks at Easington on December 22nd. These birds 

 were again seen on February 9th, and between that date and 

 March 20th I had many opportunities of observing them. At 



::: -The Zoologist,' 188U, p. 353. 



