88 CLARKE AND NELSON : THE RIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. 



sea, on a bright sunny day, their red breasts being very con- 

 spicuous as they passed overhead. Along with other small 

 migrants Robins frequently strike the lanterns of our light- 

 vessels and light-houses during the night, or alighting on the 

 former, leave again after a few hours' rest. They cross Heligo- 

 land also by thousands in the autumn and again in the spring; 

 this return migration in the spring is early compared with that 

 of some other birds, commencing by the first week in March.' 



On the coast, during the autumn migratory period, Mr. 

 Wm. Eagle Clarke has frequently observed this bird in consider- 

 able numbers in the most unsuitable localities, such as sand hills, 

 where food of a congenial nature is almost unprocurable and 

 it often has to resort to a marine 'omnium gatherum' at high- 

 water mark in search of a meal. In such places and at such 

 times it often falls a prey to the marauding Great Grey Shrike, 

 which seems to have a penchant for a dish of redbreast. 



There are very many recorded instances of this bird 

 selecting unusual, nay extraordinary, nesting sites within the 

 county, but I will allude to only two of these : — one, in which 

 the nest, of the usual materials, was placed in the curtains of 

 the drawing-room at Gilling Castle, where three eggs were laid 

 and one young bird reared (Land and Water, 25th May, 1878, 

 p. 478). The other is recorded in the 'Field' for 17th May, 

 1884, and refers to a nest built in a pot of maiden hair fern in a 

 conservatory at Hull. 



Early nesting, too, is very frequent in this species, but here 

 again I will mention a single instance only, the earliest I find 

 noted, namely, a nest with five eggs near York, on the 18th of 

 January, 1848 (ZooL, 1848, p. 2019). Mid-March is the usual 

 period on which nidification may be said to commence, and 

 occasionally unspotted eggs are recorded. 



The tameness, or sociability, of the Robin is proverbial and 

 need not here be commented on at length, though I recall an 

 incident which occurred when out in a N.E. gale, during the 



■J raiib. V.N.U., ISyS (pub. 1001). Series B 



