Yorkshire Naturalists’ Union: Annual Report, 1910. 41 
It may be interesting to note the composition of a Sparrow’s 
nest found at Helmsley. The nest was in an outhouse, and 
amongst the usual materials were found six pieces of string, a 
hat pin, half a telegraph form, two pieces of leather, fourteen 
pieces of paper, three match sticks. and one piece of orange peel. 
Mr. W. J. Clarke reports that a Little Gull was shot from a 
boat at Scarborough, on September 28th; a Sooty Shearwater on 
September roth, and a second bird of the same species on October 
5th. Four Sandwich Terns were fishing in the South Bay on 
August 30th, and three more at Filey Brig on the following day. 
A Great Skua was flying about the piers on October 21st, during 
a strong easterly wind. It was chasing Herring Gulls. An 
adult Long-tailed Duck, 3, was sheltering inside the piers on 
October 22nd; it was quite tame, and is the first adult Mr. Clarke 
has any note of locally. An immature bird of the same species 
was shot on October 2nd, and another one on October 11th. 
Mr. Clarke also reports that the Peregrines again endeavoured 
to nest in the cliffs south of Scarborough, but the eggs were taken 
and both birds shot in the latter part of April. 
About 150 pairs of Black-headed Gulls were nesting on a small 
bog on the moors, between Whitby and Scarborough. On May 
25th Herring Gulls were there in numbers, stealing the eggs of 
the smaller species, the result being very few young were hatched. 
The great migration of Little Auks was noticed at Scar- - 
borough by Mr. Clarke, on November 2oth, and on the 21st they 
were passing in hundreds, all going north. Some of the flocks 
would number two hundred to three hundred birds. On this date 
there was a moderate N.E. wind, and rough sea. 
East Riding.—Mr. E. W. Wade writes :—The winter of 1909- 
Ig10 was a hard one, with much snow, wind, and rain till mid- 
March, when about a month of fine sunny weather set in. The 
March gales were so violent that at Bempton chalk stones were 
carried inland as much as 250 yards from the cliff edge, though 
in comparison with the worst gales within memory of the oldest 
inhabitant, this appears to have been mild, as Ned Hodgson 
remembers finding a piece of flint when in the company of the 
late Mr. Nesfield, which had been blown fifty yards inland, and 
which they weighed together; it turned the scale at 7} lbs. 
Spring generally was cold and showery till June brought a spell 
of fine dry weather. After that the season was cold and wet. 
The Spring migrants observed in this district were: a solitary 
Tree Pipit in March, seen by Messrs. Jackson and Griffiths ; 
Yellow Wagtail, Cottingham, 11th April; Swallows, 15th and 
16th April; Chiffchaff, 22nd April; House Martin, and Garden 
Warbler, 24th-25th April ; Tree Pipit, 26th April; Cuckoo, 27th 
April; Common Whitethroat, 24th April; Swift and Sedge 
Warbler, 8th May; Spotted Flycatcher, 14th May; the last 
agtt Jan. 1. 
