124 



The Naturalist. 



yard, among which I found six mountain linnets. Since that 

 time I have seen several which had been caught in this neigh- 

 bourhood in the winter months. 



Bullfinch {Pyrrliula vulgaris) — 



The nest of this bird may be met with every season at Nostell, 

 Hems worth, and New Park Spring, and occasionally at Royston, 

 Woolley, and Bretton. In winter I often meet with it in the 

 orchards near the town. 



Crossbill (Loxia curvirostra) — 



During the winters of 1850-1-2, I frequently saw the crossbill 

 in Brodsworth Wood, and I was much interested in witnessing 

 the dexterous manner in which it could split open, and extract 

 the seed irom the fir cones. Since that time I have had upwards 

 of a dozen birds sent to me to preserve. I have met with it at 

 Nostell, and I have been informed that two have been shot at 

 Newmillerdam. The dissimilarity in its plumage is very 

 remarkable, there being seldom two found alike. 



{To be continued.) 



Habits of the Goosander. — On 

 going to the Zoological Gardens I 

 observed one of the Goosanders 

 with its neck shortened and greatly 

 bulged out on the left side. I was 

 aware that the oesophagus was 

 dilatable, and I have no doubt it 

 had swallowed a large fish, and 

 because it was " crop-bound," or 

 for some other reason it would not 

 at once pass. This species has 

 been known to swallow a fish, tail 

 first, which I take to be a curious 

 circumstance, for generally it is the 

 other way. A fish may occasionally 

 be found on opening its gizzard all 

 perfect at the caudal end, yet with 

 its head digested. A writer in the 

 Zoologist gives us some particulars 



of the life of a blind shag which 

 would never swallow a fish or even 

 a strip of fish against the scales. — 

 J. H. GuRNEY, Jun. 



Northrepps Hall, Norwich. 



Sabine's Gull at Flamborough 

 Head. — As your columns are open 

 to the occurrences of rare birds in 

 Yorkshire, allow me to record a 

 very rare one in my collection. 

 It is an immature Sabine's Gull, and 

 was shot on the 15th of October, 

 1873, by a correspondent of mine, 

 near the Smithwick Buoy, some 

 three miles south of Flamborough 

 Head. It is singular that there 

 should be no work on the birds of 

 such a large and important county 

 as Yorkshire — a county where so 

 many varieties have been obtained. 

 Almost every county possesses its 



