44 CLARKE : THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE, 



NYCTALA TENGMALMI (J. F. Gmelin). 

 Tengmalm's Owl. 



A rare and accidental visitant. 



In his edition of Yarrell's Birds, Professor Newton enumerates 

 fourteen instances of the visits of this little owl to England, two 

 being to Yorkshire (Hunmanby and Flamborough) ; to these I am 

 able to add a third occurrence, whichhas been hitherto unreported. 



About the year 1847 an owl of this species was shot in the 

 woods at Hunmanby, by Admiral Mitford's keeper, its occurrence 

 remaining unknown until 1849, when it came under the notice 

 of the late David Graham of York. The fact was afterwards re- 

 corded in the Zoologist (1849, p. 2649) by Dr. Morris. 



Mr. W. W. Boulton, of Beverley, and Mr. M. Bailey, of 

 Flamborough, have kindly given me the information relating to 

 the second Yorkshire occurrence, of which the following is a 

 resume : — On the ist of October, 1863, after a severe gale from 

 the N. E. , a splendid specimen, in exquisite plumage, and sup- 

 posed from its size to be a mature female, was captured at Flam- 

 borough in the day time by a man who ran it down in a field, the 

 bird being dazzled by the light and rendered almost helpless. It 

 was taken to Mr. Bailey for preservation, and now forms part of 

 the collection of Mr. John Stephenson, of Beverley. 



The third example of this interesting little owl is now in the 

 possession of Mr. William Lister of Glaisdale. It was shot at 

 Egton, near Whitby, in the year 1872, by a son of Mr. W. Ben- 

 nison, gamekeeper. Like the other specimens, this also occurred 

 in the immediate vicinity of the coast, and I believe has so far 

 been unrecorded. 



Trans. Y.N.U., 1878 (pub. 1880). Series B 



