Common Wild Birds of the Scarborough District. 261 



I have not found more than 4 eggs in the nest which in this district has 

 been known to contain young birds as early as May 6th. Although not in 

 any sense gregerious in the breeding season I have found two pairs nesting 

 within fifty yards of each other with four eggs in each nest. 



The Wheatear {Saxicola oenanthe L.). Never arriving here before the 

 i:wenty-first of March, it has not been known to remain later than October 

 i6th. Nowhere abundant it is most noticeable about rabbit warrens, 

 small and large, on sandy soil where it usuallj^ nests in the small or 

 ' blind ' burrows, but when the young are well fledged and quite able to 

 fly they often retire into any of these dug-outs when alarmed. The nest 

 is made of grass, roots, herbage-stems, wool, hair and feathers. The eggs 

 which are the palest of pale blue, weigh from -i to -12 oz. May 13th is the 

 earliest date on which I have found them. 



*The Whin-chat {Pratincola rubetra L.). Locally called the grass-chat, 

 comes into summer residence in our district in varying numbers annually 

 and remains with us from April i8th till September 19th. The song, 

 somewhat like the robin's in style, but rather quicker, may be heard at 

 midsummer from 3-12 a.m. till 8-45 p.m. After July it says nothing but 

 ' U Tick,' very aggressively if you approach its now fledged young. It 

 sings usually whilst perched on the top of a fence of hedge, but I have 

 seen it singing on the top of a 40-foot ash tree. Its nest, composed of 

 grass stems, herbage, hair and moss is not usually difficult to find on 

 road-side banks, in meadows or on furze covered hill sides but never with 

 eggs before May 28th. Usually six eggs are laid, varying much in the 

 depth of their bright green ground colour ; some being practically spotless 

 and others well covered with markings. Six eggs is the usual number, 

 each weighing about -06 oz. 



The Stone-chat {Pratincola rnbicola L.). This bird is very scarce, of 

 local distribution, and as likely to be seen in winter as in summer. Odd 

 pairs nest occasionally on the Moors and more regularly on the cliffs 

 between Filey and Speeton. One of the most difficult of bird's nests to 

 find, those that I have examined have been composed of dead grass, moss, 

 fine roots and hair. 



*The Redstart {Ruticilla phoenicurus L.). Locally called the ' firetail,' 

 a common, well distributed and very beautiful bird, to be seen from April 

 1st to September 20th in woods and about gardens throughout the district. 

 It commences to sing on arrival and at Midsummer may be heard at 2-10 

 a.m., but it is silent except for its call note after June 24th. Nests with 

 eggs may be found as early as May 7th, the materials used being moss, 

 dead grass, leaves and feathers. Any hole of suitable size is adopted, 

 in tree or wall, it may be close to the ground or 15 feet above it. This bird 

 lays more eggs than any other bird of the family turdince, seven in a nest 

 being quite a common number. Weighing from -05 to -07 oz., they are 

 usually unicolorous pale blue, but, although this has been disputed, I 

 know from personal experience that all the eggs in a full clutch are oc- 

 casionally faintly but regularly spotted. 



{To he continued). 



In The Quarry for July, Dr. J. Scott Haldane writes on ' The Effects 

 of Dust Inhalation.' 



In addition to the usual reviews of recent Progress in Science, Science 

 Progress for July contains the following papers, among others : ' Some 

 Aspects of Animal Colouration from the Point of View of Colour Vision,' 

 by J. C. Mottram and F. W. Edridge Green ; ' The Food Requirements 

 of a " Normal " Working-Class Family,' by Sir Henry Thompson ; and 

 ' Science and Industry," by Prof. R. A. Gregory. 



1918 Aug. 1. 



