Barry: Changes among Animals in Fylingdales. aay 
to be seen away from the main woods. Now, however, they 
come regularly round the house and their weird laugh is for a 
considerable part of the year one of the constant sounds in the 
garden. The green Woodpecker is, of course, the more 
common one; but the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker is, or was, 
here. The Greater Spotted Woodpecker I remember to have 
seen only once. I should attribute the change in the matter of 
Woodpeckers generally to the planting done round the house. 
Bullfinches.—To the same cause | should attribute the 
presence and increase of Bullfinches. Formerly, Bullfinches 
were quite unknown here. At least so I was told, and so I 
found, for I was always looking for them as a boy, and always 
being disappointed. Twenty years ago, however, when the 
plantations made in 1878 and 1879 on the north side of the 
house were beginning to get up, a pair made its appearance and 
nested there; whilst in the course of a very few years they 
became so numerous that my gardener estimated that there 
could not be less than two hundred of them in that plantation 
and in the garden. At that time, the damage that they did in 
the way of picking out (for pure mishief) the young leaf-buds of 
the trees as they made their appearance began to be serious, 
the favourite objects of attack being the currants, thorns, and 
scyamores. Under the scyamores the ground was quite green 
every morniug with the buds that had been pulled out. This 
being so, there was a declaration of war. Sixty were shot one 
spring, and thirty-five the next. The Bullfinches then seemed 
to realise that they were being singled out for destruction, and, 
whilst no other birds left, or exhibited much shyness, the Bull- 
finches took their departure in a body, leaving not one of their 
number behind. A few seemed to take refuge in the main 
woods, particularly in the narrowest part, where there were 
young larch, and there they have remained ever since, but the 
quantity has remained small. This year, I understand, they 
have increased and have come to the plantation at the back of 
the house. The tradition, however, of their persecution seems 
to linger among them, for they do not venture into the planta- 
tion where they were so shot down or into the garden. 
Since the above was submitted, I have seen one Bullfinch on 
the front lawn, but this was in the early morning, whilst I was 
dressing and I noticed that it was very different in its deport- 
ment from its ancestors twenty years ago, being suspicious asa 
corncrake and looking round every few seconds to see if anyone 
was about. 
1907 October 1. 
