36 Yorkshire Naturalists’ Union: Annual Report, 1915. 
York District.—Mr.$. H.Smith writes: —A White-fronted 
Goose was shot at East Cottingwith on Nov. 21st, 1914, being 
one of a party of six that stayed in Wheldrake Ings for several 
weeks. Two pairs of Pochards have successfully nested on 
Skipwith Common ; each nest contained ten eggs. At the 
same place twelve pairs of Shoveller Ducks nested, about half 
of their clutches being hatched, depredations by foxes account- 
ing for the remainder. Although half the heronry wood at 
Stillingfleet has been cut down this year, the Herons were in 
nowise disturbed, as I counted thirty nests during a visit there 
in May. Mr. H. E. Preston, the owner of the wood, carefully 
protects these birds, and he informs me there has been a gradual 
increase during recent years, and that one pair has also nested 
on his Elvington estate where he is trying to establish another 
heronry. On the 28th June I sawa pair of Common Buzzards 
at Poppleton, and after having them under observation for 
fifteen minutes they disappeared in a N.W. direction. I found 
the nest of a Green Woodpecker at Skipwith on July 3rd con- 
taining young, and was much struck by the peculiar noise 
made by the young birds, the sustained hissing closely re- 
sembling the whirr of an aeroplane. The migrant arrival data 
obtained by Mr. V. G. F. Zimmerman and myself for the 
current year are as follows :—Chiff-chaff, April rst ; Willow 
Warbler, April 3rd; Tree Pipit, April 6th; Lesser White- 
throat, and Swallow, April roth; Wheatear, April 12th ; House 
Martin, April 19th; Sand Martin, April 23rd ; Turtle Dove, 
April 22nd; Yellow Wagtail, April 23rd; Sandpiper, April 
28th; Gar den Warbler, Swift, Landrail, Blackcap Warbler, and 
Spotted Flycatcher, April 30th; Nightjar and Redstart, May 
6th; Whinchat, May roth; Pied Flycatcher, May 2oth. 
The first eggs of the Green Plover were reported on March 
22nd at Thorganby, and also a party of very late staying Field- 
fares in the same neighbourhood on the 13th May. Mr. Zimmer- 
man reports a large flock of Bramble Finches, numbering 
some hundreds, frequented the vicinity of Skelton village 
about April 4th. On May 22nd he found a nest of the Nut- 
hatch about three miles from York, in a hole in a beech tree. 
It then contained two eggs, and on the 19th June he observed 
five young fully fledged in the same nest. A nest of the Pied 
Flycatcher was noted at Brockfield on June 7th containing 
newly hatched young. Suitable protection has been afforded 
to the Goldfinches, Bullfinches, and Hawfinches which have 
been discovered within the York district. Mr. W. H. Parkin 
reports the finding of a nest of the Long-tailed Tit on May roth 
at Chandlers Whin. It was in a V formed by two branches of 
an ash tree, and about twenty five feet from the ground. The 
same gentleman during a visit to Knavesmire Wood on March 
18th noted a variety of the Common Chaffinch. The bird was 
Naturalist, 
