130 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



ruthlessly hunted out and shot ! Near the top of the deoe lies 

 the pit-village of Holywell ; through this runs the high road, 

 which I have taken as my western boundary. This passes 

 through Earsdon, Monkseaton, and thence behind Whitley and 

 CuUercoats to Tynemouth. 



To sum up the geographical details, I must mention a rather 

 important feeding-ground of the avifauna of the district. This 

 is a large refuse-heap in the fields of Fenwick Wilson, Esq., of 

 Harden, a half mile or so behind CuUercoats. To it large 

 numbers of birds used to, and sometimes now, resort, especially 

 in winter when natural food is scarce. Starlings and Gulls are 

 usually the commonest, while in spring and autumn large 

 numbers of small migrants, such as Whinchats, Wheatears, and 

 Pipits, frequent it and feed on the myriads of insects which are 

 to be found in abundance on the decaying offal. 



This is the area, the ornithology of which I write, and, 

 considering its small extent and mostly unfavourable nature, 

 the number and interest of its bird-visitors are, at any rate, 

 remarkable. 



It will be noticed that, wherever it is possible, I have given 

 the earliest record I can find for the species, but, of course, as 

 regards the very common birds this is unnecessary. 



It will also be observed that the records of the smaller 

 Passerine species, especially the Warblers, are not numerous. 

 In all probability they have occurred on migration, but as this 

 usually takes place at night they have passed on, and were out 

 of the district by daybreak, especially as such little shelter is 

 afforded to them. 



For the past twelve years I have kept a close and careful 

 log-book of the various occurrences in the district, especially 

 with regard to the arrival and departure of the migrants, and 

 wherever possible I have given the average date of arrival and 

 departure of the migratory species. 



I have culled some of my information from J. Hancock's 

 ' Catalogue of the Birds of Northumberland and Durham,' and 

 besides that from the following : Selby's ' Catalogue of Birds ' of 

 the same two counties ; ' Catalogue of the Collection of Birds at 

 the Hancock Museum, Newcastle-on-Tyne' ; ' A History of Tyne- 

 mouth, CuUercoats, and Whitley Bay, Northumberland,' by W. 



