YorksJiirc Xa/iiralisfs' Union : A)iiiiial Report, 1909. 43 



The Hawks produced full clutches. i\Ir. W. G. Grififiths found 

 a Sparrow Hawk's nest, containing six eggs, and two broken egg- 

 shells lyingb eneath the tree ; and on 3rd July I saw a nest of six — 

 a second clutch of the same niunber, just hatching. A Kestrel 

 is reported with six eggs. 



Turtle Doves appear to be extending their breeding-range in 

 Holderness, as unfortunately do Red-legged Partridges in East 

 Yorkshire generally, having been observed in fresh localities. 



Pheasants generally have done well, except at Burton Con- 

 stable, where a record hatch of five thousand young birds was 

 followed by an epidemic which carried off hundreds per week. 

 Analysis showed them to have enlarged liver and spleen, the latter 

 organ quite light-coloured, and the disease was diagnosed as 

 enteric fever. The expert advice tendered was to shoot down the 

 whole stock, and not rear for three years. Some even of the old 

 birds were affected. The weather was said to have acted disas- 

 trously upon a degenerating stock. On the other hand, fresh 

 blood has been continuously introduced, ^but the same rearing 

 ground has been used for six years, so that we m.ay perhaps find 

 reason to differ from the expert opinion. 



Partridges in most parts have been simply \\iped out by a 

 succession of wet summers, and on many estates are not being shot 

 at all. The clutches were full, and hatched well, but the June 

 rains killed off the chicks. To find a parallel to this wet season 

 one must go back to 1895. 



Landrails ha\e almost disappeared from this district. 



Stone Curlews arrived on 31st March, and were nesting in 

 the first week of May. 



Redshanks again bred in Central Holderness on 24th April,, 

 a week earlier than in 1908. 



The report from Hornsea Mere is satisfactorj/. The watcher 

 proved efficient, and warned several men off the nesting ground. 

 Three pair of Grebes bred, and one of the clutches hatched off 

 was a good one. 



Shovellers bred as usual. 



The Pochards do not seem to have recovered from the effects 

 of the shooting of fourteen of their number in the autumn of 1908, 

 and apparently the destruction of the resident birds frightens or 

 deranges the breeding stock for some years, their places not being 

 filled up by new-comers. 



A pair of Tufted Duck was at the Mere all the season, but 

 did not breed. 



A male Pochard and Tufted Duck were at Burton Constable 

 all the summer, unaccompanied by females. In the case of the 

 Pochard, where the males outnumber the females by two or three 

 to one, as at Hornsea Mere, it is not surprising to find a stray 

 drake alone, but the same does not apply to the TuftedDuck. 



The Coots and \\'aterhens were late at the ]\Iere owing to the 

 cold weather. 



19^10 Jan. I. 



