40 PetcJi : A'oies on Holderncss Birds. 



it has been seen in the winter at Hedon and Boreas Hill. The 

 Hawfinch, which is probably only a summer visitor, nested in 

 the Hull General Cemetery in 1885, and was seen at Roos, 

 3rd June 1899. 



My coco-nuts and bones have never attracted any Tits 

 except the Great (Ox-eye) and the Blue (Billy-biter). The Coal 

 Tit is only an accidental visitor ; one was seen at Hedon, 

 24th December 1S97, and Mr. W. Kirk took a nest there in 

 1884. In the winter, small flocks of Long'-tailed Tits are 

 occasionally met with (Aldborougfh, December 1896; Hedon, 

 27th December 1899), and the Goldcrest, which one naturally 

 associates with Tits, is then common. A large flock of Gold- 

 crests was observed at Aldborough, 2oth-22nd April 1899, and 

 what was probably the same flock was recorded at Rowlston, 

 with a note on the probable point of departure of mig^rants o\\ 

 the Holderness coast, but only two were seen there, about the 

 same date in 1900. The Bearded Tit was recorded for Hornsea 

 Mere in 1901*, but has not yet been seen by local ornitholog'ists, 

 thoug"h the record should not remain unconfirmed long-, as it 

 seldom travels far from its breeding- haunts. It has a very 

 distinctive note, best syllabised as 'ping'-ping-,' and best imitated 

 on a banjo ; the male has an orang-e beak and a long black 

 moustache. Its flight is undulating, and its long tail seems to 

 hamper it considerably in a moderate breeze. 



In the winter, our resident species are reinforced by migrants 

 from the Continent : Larks are especially noticeable, and the 

 Wren and Lesser Redpoll are then far more common than in 

 the summer. Redwings and Fieldfares arrive in large numbers, 

 the latter often remaining till the end of April ; occasionally 

 flocks of Snow Buntings, Bramblings (November 1896), and 

 Shore Larks (December 1895) are seen at Aldborough, and the 

 Tree Sparrow is then seen in the stackyards. From October to 

 April the Danish Crow forms a prominent feature of Holderness 

 bird life ; we always reckoned his time of arrival as Hull Fair 

 day (nth October), but I saw eight at Flamborough, 9th 

 August 1898. Mr. Fisher reports a single bird at Aldborough, 

 ist and 4th June 1902. I have looked in vain for the Grey 

 Shrike for many winters. 



Holderness is not a game-preserving district, but we have 



perhaps a more destructive agent than the gamekeeper, for 



almost every Holderness farmer is a keen sportsman, and any 



rare or brightly-coloured bird is soon shot. Consequently, 



* The Xatitralist, 1901, p. 230. 



Naturalist, 



