NATURAL HISTORY NOTES FROM YORKSHIRE. 231 



cover their eggs. Put up a Nightjar, which flew into a Scotch 

 fir, and squatted, as they always do, lengthwise along a bough. 



17th. — Found a Hawfinch's nest with eggs. Waterhen's with 

 young on the top of a reed-fence five feet from the ground. 



22nd. — Several Tree-Sparrows' nests in an old orchard. Long- 

 eared Owl's with young in an old Magpie's nest. 



27th. — A fine Allis Shad, weighing 6 lb. 2 oz., was brought to 

 me. It had been caught in a Salmon net not far from York. 

 These fish rarely come up the Derweut so far nowadays. 



28th. — Young Magpies out of the nest. In some of the 

 market-gardens about here they do damage to the strawberry- 

 beds, eating the fruit just before it gets ripe. 



29th. — Metcalfe and I found several Heed Bunting's, Lark's, 

 Meadow Pipit's, and Whinchat's nests. It has been asserted in 

 the pages of ' The Zoologist ' that the latter bird is not double- 

 brooded, but it is undoubtedly so here. The customs and habits 

 of birds differ in different localities. Nearly all the Sky-Larks' 

 nests contained three eggs. I look upon this as the usual clutch 

 in Yorkshire ; often there are four, but very rarely indeed five. 



31st. — Found eggs of the Black-headed Gull. This colony, 

 almost our last in the county, is, I am glad to say, holding its 

 own, thanks to the protection afforded by the owner of the estate. 

 It used to be ruthlessly harried, the eggs taken regularly, and it 

 is a wonder that it has survived. The Wild Birds Protection Act 

 is very often a mere farce, and were it not that private enterprise 

 frequently steps in, it would be a complete failure. Moore got a 

 photo of a Redshank on her nest. The camera was most care- 

 fully covered up, and he was working with a hundred yards of 

 fishing-line tied to the trigger, and hiding behind a clump of 

 gorse ; but he had to wait five hours before she came back, and 

 then he got a shot at her. A Cuckoo's egg, ordinary type, much 

 incubated, in a Hedge-Sparrow's nest. 



June. 



1st. — An old Rook, well powdered with white on the breast 

 and back, got at Cottingwith. 



3rd. — A fine old cock Crossbill, caught in a Magpie-trap at 

 Thornton-dale, was brought to me by Mr. R. Hill, which I 

 stuffed. 



