Protection of Wild Life in Yorkshire. 127 
disappearance of the Buzzard. The Peregrine Falcon has a 
very insecure hold, and it is necessary for our Protection 
Committee to subsidise the farmer or keeper on whose land 
the eyre is situate to the extent of £1 for every young bird 
leaving the eyrie, in order that any of the two or three pairs 
which still nest in the county may rear their broods in safety. 
The pair we have under our protection in the Bempton Cliffs 
do not seem favoured with the best of luck in their family 
affairs. This year a steamer was stranded, only slightly in- 
jured, broadside right under the cliff and close to the Falcon’s 
eyrie. Blasting operations proceeded all through the breeding 
season in order to clear the rocks away and allow the steamer 
to slide down into the open water once again. These opera- 
tions were successful, but the explosions drove the Falcons 
from their eggs, which were upon the point of hatching, con- 
sequently there were no young birds this vear. 
Ravens, too, have practically disappeared. Unfortunately 
they resort to the same crags year after year for nesting. These 
haunts are well-known to collectors, consequently they have 
little chance of rearing broods, as the eggs are persistently 
taken. We can only hope that the experiment of turning 
down some young birds in the old haunt of the species in the 
Bempton Cliffs will result in their being able to firmly establish 
themselves there after an absence of 50 years. 
At the last meeting of our Vertebrate Section Mr. Booth 
recorded the establishment of a new heronry, and Mr. Smith 
of another, bu Iam afraid these are only the result of a decrease 
elsewhere. Generally speaking, Herons are decreasing, slowly 
I think ; of course they are not nearly as abundant as in olden 
times, but we still have one or two very flourishing heron erics 
in the county. It is a great pity that such a picturesque 
bird should be slaughtered in the manner he is, because, the 
generally, I am afraid, unskilful angler is jealous of the bird’s 
fishing powers. They do not recognise the fact that fish forms 
only a portion of his diet, and the fact that his levying toll on 
the small trout in the moorland and hill brooks, helps to make 
the size of those left more takable and acceptable; as a rule 
in these streams there are more trout than there is food for them. 
A common species like the Mistle Thrush would hardly 
be considered to be decreasing in numbers. In my own 
district and in others with which I am familiar, it is not nearly 
so abundant as formerly, when almost every likely tree held 
a nest. Now-a-days one only finds three or four nests in a 
season. The reason for this decrease I cannot fathom, indeed, 
it is impossible to account for the great decrease which has 
taken place in the numbers of many of our common birds, 
both resident and migrant. 
The Long-tailed Tit is a species of which I could at one time 
1916 April 1. 
