336 = Barrys) Changes among Animals tn Fylingdales. 
Hawfinches have, as elsewhere, made their appearance here 
within the last few years. As a choice has had to be made 
between letting the peas or the Hawfinches go, it has been 
decided, of course, adversely to the Finches. They have not, 
however, been detained like the Bullfinches from coming, but 
have developed a considerable amount of cunning in making 
their raids. 
The Cuckoo is later in coming than it used to be. I used to 
hear it pretty punctually on April 27th. Now, however, it is 
generally May, and some way into May before I do so. 
The House Martin.—The same is the case with the House 
Martins. This year, for instance, I saw them for the first time, 
after a daily look out, on May roth, whilst in other recent years 
they have been even later. They have ceased to build under the 
cornice of this house (which is a very projecting cornice), and 
under the eaves of the houses in the neighbouring village of 
Thorpe. As regards this particular house the increase of 
sparrows in the ivy at the back might account for the desertion, 
though it must be observed that the front is quite clear of them. 
The Swift which used to be common is now rare. 
The Nightingale, on the other hand, has visited us. The 
first time that it was heard was about Whitsuntide in 1902. It 
was heard both at this house and at Thorpe. In the former 
case, it was recognised by a servant who came from a part of 
the country where Nightingales were abundant. In the latter 
case, it was identified by a family who had recently come to 
settle there, and by others as well. Up here it sang only in the 
early morning. At Thorpe it sang almost always in the evening 
and until past eleven o’clock at night, keeping the family already 
mentioned awake, since it always chose a certain tree opposite 
their house and bordening the public road. It invariably sang 
its loudest, they noticed, the moment the lamp was lighted, so 
that they thought it took it for the moon. The singing was 
continued every night for three weeks, then for some weeks 
there was a cessation, and then, for a short time, a resumption, 
suggesting that in the interval the bird had been nesting. 
On March 22nd, of the present year, | was amazed to hear, 
when walking in the garden at dusk, what seemed to be exactly 
the same notes as those heard in 1902. I approached the tree 
where the bird was and stood for a long time listening to it, 
but could not attribute the strong plaintive lament with its rich 
contralto of ‘heu heu’ to any other bird but the Nightingale. I 
Naturalist. 
