THE ZOOLOGIST 



No. 838.— April 1911 



THE BIRDS OF THAT PORTION OF THE NORTH- 

 EAST COAST BETWEEN TYNEMOUTH AND 

 SEATON SLUICE, NORTHUMBERLAND. 



By J. M. Charlton. 



The following history of the birds of this small piece of the 

 Northumberland coast-line is of much interest, not only on 

 account of the great number of rare species which have been 

 shot or seen from time to time, but also because of the fact that 

 this was one of the most favourite haunts of John Hancock, the 

 distinguished northern ornithologist. Whenever he had the 

 chance, Hancock used to run down from Newcastle for a few 

 days, or an afternoon's shore-shooting along the coast between 

 Tynemouth and St. Mary's Island. Most of these excursions 

 took place between the years 1830 and 1876, from what I can 

 judge by the records. He was usually accompanied by either 

 the late Mr. C. M. Adamson or Mr. W. Hewitson, and on several 

 occasions by Messrs. Philip Stanton, William Kell, and Thomas 

 Harvey, who were all keen ornithologists. That these expe- 

 ditions were not fruitless is shown by the large number of 

 extracts from his ' Catalogue of the Birds of Northumberland 

 and Durham,' which I have collected in this paper. 



Many of the records for this district have been of the greatest 

 interest and value to ornithology. First, as regards Britain : 

 the first example of the Yellow-browed Warbler shot in the 

 Zool. 4th ser. vol. XV., April, 1911. L 



