152 Protection of Wild Life in Yorkshire. 
granted, it was decided to investigate this record. After some 
difficulty the duckling was unearthed. Several of us examined 
it carefully and were convinced that it was nothing but a young 
Mallard! In order to make assurance doubly sure it was 
sent to the natural history museum at South Kensington, 
where our identification was confirmed. The Shoveler duck, 
too, is much more numerous and would be more so, but for its 
unfortunate habit of nesting some distance from the water, 
and very often in perfectly open places which causes ua of 
them to be destroyed by foxes. 
The Pochard, too, another handsome duck, has increased 
rapidly, especially on Hornsea Mere, and in one or two other 
localities, which for the present shall be nameless; ‘ some- 
where in Yorkshire,’ shall we say ? The Great-crested Grebe 
now frequents most of our fresh water lakes in the breeding 
season. Unfortunately many of their young, and young ducks 
also are destroyed by Pike. JI have noticed a curious feature 
for some years in connection with a large sheet of water which 
acts as a reservoir for one of our big towns. A pair of Grebes 
regularly nest there, and usually have occasion to construct 
several nests owing to the first ones being left high and dry by 
the receding water, as the reservoir is lowered by the water 
being drawn off. Little Grebes suffer the same way. 
The Black-headed Gull is now to be found in many parts 
of the county chiefly in small colonies. A fairly large one is 
established at Skipwith Common. They have been accused 
of destroying the eggs and young of other birds on the moors, 
but this is quite a mistake, as far as our county is concerned. 
Wandering Lesser Black-back or Herring Gulls are usually the 
culprits.* 
A bird we can offer a genuine welcome to is the Turtle 
Dove. It has nested in small numbers in the southern parts 
of Yorkshire for a long time. Its frail nest, consisting of a 
few, a very few slender twigs, may now be seen in our woods 
and coppices in annually increasing numbers. 
An undesirable introduction into the ranks of our bird 

* A good deal of ridiculous information is nowadays imparted by the 
press of this country with regard to natural history matter, but I think 
this extract from The Shooting Times, a paper which ought to know better, 
will take some beating. After giving the Black-headed Gull credit tor 
doing a lot of good in devouring solid matter on the Sewage Farms of 
West Yorkshire, they go on to Say: ‘ We hear of a pair of these birds which 
made themselves very objectionable by visiting the shrubberies of a 
Yorkshire admirer of birds and devouring all the young blackbirds and 
thrushes as they hatched out.’ Comment is needless. The same paper 
recently gravely discussed the questions as to whether a Mistle Thrush could 
sing or not, the editor evidently being sure it could not. The question 
as to whether the upper jaw of a Badger could move independently of the 
skull was also discussed, and it was astonishing to find how many asserted 
that it did. 
Naturalist, 
