282 



FIELD NOTES. 

 BIRDS. 



Kestrel's Nest built in a Barn. — Dr. Marquis' son has 

 brought me a young Kestrel to-day which has evidently 

 been reared in a nest in a barn. — E. P. Butterfield. 



Interesting Birds at Melmerby, Cumberland. — On the 



6th of May a male Pied Flycatcher was observed in this 

 parish. It has been previously recorded for this neighbourhood 

 {e.g., at Edenhall, etc.). On June 17th, a nest of the Great 

 Spotted Woodpecker was found in Birknab Wood, Melmerby. 

 The young birds were almost ready to fly. It is unusual for 

 this species to nest in this county. — Rev. W; W, Mason, 

 Melmerby Rectory, Carlisle. 



Spotted Crake near Keighley. — I have a Spotted Crake 

 which I got from Mr. Pilling, which had been met with in the 

 spring near Keighley. This is a much scarcer breeding species 

 than the Water Rail, and although the nest has never been 

 found in this district, it is presumed that it may occasionally 

 breed, as may be inferred from the season when the above 

 bird fell into the hands of Pilling. This species has been 

 found breeding near York and near Ackworth. — E. P. 

 Butterfield, Wilsden. 



Skylark removing its young. — ^A Skylark's nest, recently 

 discovered in the Scarborough Cemetery, contained four 

 young ones. A day or two later the grass was cut, exposing 

 the nest. Shortly afterwards the nest contained only a 

 single young one, and it was suspected that rats had taken 

 the others. Watch was kept, and the parent bird was seen 

 to return to the nest, grasp the remaining nestling firmly in 

 its feet, and fly away with it to a place of security. — W. J. 

 Clarke, F.Z.S., Scarborough. 



Young Thrushes fostered by a Robin. — ^At Castleton, 

 Yorks., on June 19th, I watched four young Thrushes being 

 fed by a Robin. They were fully fledged and almost twice 

 as big as their foster mother. No doubt their parents had 

 been killed by a cat and the robin had taken pity on them. 

 She may have lost her young ones about the same time. She 

 was kept very busy supplying the youngsters with food, 

 and it was most amusing to watch them rush for her as she 

 arrived with bits of bread. — H. A. Booth, Danby. 



Fulmar Petrels at Scarborough. — For some time I 

 have been receiving reports of strange seabirds in both North 

 and South Bays at Scarborough, and eventually I was told 

 that similar birds had been about the Castle Cliff. On June 

 23rd, I went down to the Marine Drive and had not been 

 there very long before I saw three Fulmars come in from the 



Naturalist 



