NOTES AND QUERIES. 31 



Notes from Wilsden, Yorkshire. — From observations extending 

 over many years, I think that there cannot be any reasonable doubt, 

 so far as this district is concerned, that a separation of sexes of many 

 species of birds occurs on the approach of winter. A very large pro- 

 portion of Sparrows which come to be fed in our garden are male birds 

 — at least, not more than one female to three or four males — and the 

 proportion of male Blackbirds is even greater ; and this remark applies 

 not only to those which frequent our garden, but to the whole district. 

 It is hardly needless to refer to the Chaffinch, as this habit is so well 

 known. We very seldom see a female here from early December to 

 early February. Of the many other species which frequent the garden, 

 the differences in the sexes being less striking than those already men- 

 tioned, make it a much more difficult matter to determine with any 

 degree of certainty the relative proportion of the sexes in winter. It 

 is, however, hardly likely that migration of females will be confined to 

 the above-named species. Even amongst the class of birds which are 

 so called " residents," it is, and has long been, a belief with me that 

 there is much more migratory movement than has been generally 

 acknowledged by ornithologists. I was called to look at a bird the 

 other day which had been shot in the immediate neighbourhood, which 

 proved to be a Hawfinch, a species whose status in our local avifauna 

 has changed of late years, perhaps more than any other British bird. 

 Speaking of this species, Mr. Jenyns, in his Manual published in 

 1835, says : — " Only an occasional visitant in this country during the 

 winter months. Principally observed in the southern countries. In a 

 few instances has been known to remain and breed. Feeds on haws 

 and other stone fruits." Here, I think, it is commoner in summer 

 than winter. We found last summer two nests in Wharfedale, almost 

 in the identical places we found two in the year 1900. On dissection 

 the above bird was found to have been feeding on wheat, which is 

 somewhat curious, when what one would have thought its more 

 natural food was abundant in the locality where it was shot. Another 

 friend recently called here — a caretaker of one of the Bradford Corpora- 

 tion reservoirs — and gave a description of a bird he and another man 

 had seen flying about the vicinity of his residence about the month of 

 last September or October, which could be no other British bird than 

 the Golden Oriole. We are quite aware how unreliable such descrip- 

 tions usually are when given by casual observers, but this species is so 

 very striking that, even allowing for a liberal dash of inaccuracy, 

 it would be difficult to confound with any other bird. A race, if not a 

 species, of Wren, differing from the Wren which nests here, is met 

 with occasionally in early autumn on our high moors, and are evidently 



