Field Notes. 283 



sea and fly into the cliff. They did not alight, but flew along" 

 the side of the rock at an altitude of about 150 feet, and very 

 close to the cliff side, prying into all the little hollows and 

 crevices. After a time the three birds departed together 

 over the sea. Between 3 p.m. and 9 p.m. I saw a constant 

 procession of single birds, possibly the same individuals over 

 and over again, visiting the cliff, where they paid brief visits 

 of inspection and then departed. On several occasions they 

 alighted on the small patches of rough, grassy earth, about 

 two thirds way up the cliff, and once or twice on the rock 

 ledges, where the resident Jackdaws resented their intrusion. 

 They seemed very clumsy at getting a footing, and made many 

 attempts, frequently falling back into the air before achieving 

 their object. On the following afternoon I went down again 

 and saw the same thing, on one occasion five birds being 

 in the cliff at one time. I have heard of a flock of 25 of these 

 birds being seen recently in the North Bay at a distance of 

 a mile from the shore, and numerous smaller parties have 

 been reported, which appear from the description given; 

 to be of this species.— W. J. Clarke, F.Z.S., Scarborough. 



Birds in Duncombe Park, Helmsley. — In company 

 with Mr. F. H. Edmondson I spent the first week-end in June 

 at Helmsley, where we had the advantage of the company of 

 Mr. A. Gordon, the head gamekeeper, who is a good field 

 ornithologist ; his knowledge extending to the smaller species- 

 just where most game-keepers fail. It was a great treat to 

 me again to see the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, although it 

 was no easy matter, as it practically confined itself to the 

 upper dead branches of the larger trees. No doubt one bird 

 was incubating, and the other bird quieter, as I never saw 

 two birds at the same time, or heard it call or ' rap,' during the 

 few hours in all (at different times) that I watched for it. 

 Mr. Gordon said that there were at the least two pairs of that 

 local Yorkshire bird, the Nuthatch. We watched one pair 

 for some time, that was very busy feeding young in a hole in a 

 tall Beech. The Pied Flycatcher was a fairly common bird 

 all along the river side in the park ; a pair being stationed 

 every few hundred yards along its banks. By their disused 

 nesting holes we saw plenty of evidence of the larger Wood- 

 pecker, but did not actually see the birds. Mr. Gordon 

 informed us that both the Green Woodpecker and the Greater 

 Spotted Woodpecker occurred and were not uncommon. 

 Jackdaws were abundant, and several pairs were nesting like 

 Rooks in the upper forks and branches of trees ; but without 

 the assistance of being in a rookery, as I have usually noticed 

 such nests before — H. B. Booth, Ben Rhydding. 



Water Rail Breeding near Wilsden. — ^During the later 

 part of last April, two young men informed me that they 



1921 Aug. 1 



