215 



FIELD NOTES. 



MAMMALS. 



Mammals at Osmotherley. — At the excursion of the York- 

 shire Naturalists' Union to Osmotherley {vide 'The Naturalist,' 

 1908, pp. 403-411), Mr. Wm. Nowell collected several rejected 

 * pellets ' of an owl in a wood near to Mount Grace Priory. Mr. 

 W. Greaves now writes that these ' rejecta ' have since been 

 kept perfectly intact, and that he has recently submitted them 

 to Mr. T. A. Coward, who reports that the\- contain the remains 

 of three Field Voles {Microttis agrestis) ; three Bank Voles 

 [Evotomys glareolus) ; two Long-tailed Field Mice ; one Com- 

 mon Shrew ; and one Rabbit of fair size. The first three species 

 were not observed during our visit. At that season of the year 

 the owl would not be likely to have travelled very far. — 

 H. B. Booth. 



— : o : — 

 BIRDS. 



Old Record of Red = backed Shrike near Silsden. — 

 I have lately been reading some newspaper cuttings from which 

 I see that a Mr. Mitchell communicated to Mr. S. L. Mosley^ 

 late Curator of Keighley Museum, the nesting of the Red- 

 backed Shrike on Howden Clough, near Silsden, on the authority 

 of the late Jesse Miller, of Keighley, a good authority on birds. 

 When Mr. Nelson was writing his work on the ' Birds of York- 

 shire,' I informed him that a friend of mine in the 'sixties had 

 a pair of this species in his possession, which he alleged has 

 been taken on Silsden Clough, and which he gave me to under- 

 stand at the time had bred there, but Mr. Nelson omitted this 

 record. Mr. Miller's record, however, which we have no reason 

 to dispute, corroborates that communicated by me to Mr. 

 Nelson. — E. P. Butterfield, Wilsden. 



FISHES. 

 A Record Yorkshire River Trout. — x\ fine specimen of 

 the Brown Trout (S. fario) was found dead on the banks of the 

 Wharfe at Ilkley, on April gth. It weighed 10 lbs. 9 ozs., and 

 measured 31 inches in length and 15^ inches in girth. Ap- 

 parently it had died from accident or disease. The dorsal fin 

 was a bad colour, nearly white, and partly eaten awaj', and the 

 top of the head was much bruised, otherwise the fish was in fair 

 condition. It was secured by Dr. Bates of Addingham, who 

 is having it preserved. I should say that no river fish has ever 

 been obtained in Yorkshire, approaching this size. — R. Fortune, 



igio May i. 



