76 Yorkshire Naturalists’ Union: Annual Report, 1912. 
and Robins, which were exceptionally early with their first 
broods, in many cases reared a second. 
Migrants arrived on the average slightly earlier than last 
year, and commenced breeding in good time, and some of 
them, e.g., the Common Whitethroat, after their second broods 
had been destroyed in June, were generally in full song and 
apparently breeding in mid-July. 
The ground breeders, Skylark, Titlark, Whinchat, etc., 
were completely driven from their nesting grounds, and had 
almost disappeared from our meadows in the summer months. 
Warblers, said to be scarce in some localities, appeared 
in the usual numbers, but the cold wet summer seems to have 
driven off some of the later migrants. 
The Spotted Flycatcher was particularly late in appearing, 
and scarce, while Swallows, House Martins and Swifts were 
below the average number. The Swallows and House Martins 
reared two or three broods, but many young perished when 
fully grown. 
The Whinchat, Lesser Redpoll and Goldfinch, remain the 
scarcest of our small birds, and must continue so until more 
vigorous efforts are made to stop the depredation of the pro- 
fessional birdcatcher. 
The season for game birds opened full of promise and ended 
in disaster. Pheasants and Partridges laid early and large 
clutches, and the latter, which had almost disappeared from 
our Holderness claylands, appeared again in greater numbers 
than for many years, no doubt owing to local migration from 
the wolds, but nearly all the young were destroyed, hatching 
eggs being floated out of the nests in some localities. In 
only one part of Holderness have coveys of young birds © 
been seen. The season is the worst since the record of 1878 
when the wet, though not lasting on through July and August, 
wiped out the young broods of pariridges even more effect- 
ually than in the present case. 
The Stone Curlew has again been specially protected on the 
Wolds, and has held its own, while there is room for hope that 
a slight increase has taken place in the number of young reared. 
Spurn and Hornsea are dealt with under the Protection 
Committee’s report. 
BEmptTon.—The weather has seriously interfered with egg- 
gathering, and the climbers believe that, apart from the 
scarcity produced by irregular climbing, eggs have not been 
so numerous as last year. 
Of rare visitors, the immigration of the Little Auk in 
February, already fully reported in The Naturalist, has been 
the most remarkable. 
An immature Black-tailed Godwit was shot on _ the 
Humber on 3rd February. 
Naturalist, 
