4 



CORDEAUX : THE SPURN. 



Spurn it will be seen resembles a long pear-shaped island, a mile 

 in length and a few hundred yards in breadth, joined to the mainland 

 by a narrow curved isthmus of sandhills, so narrow that, at high 

 water, it is not difficult, standing on the ridge, to pitch a stone 

 into the sea on one side and the Humber on the other. On a clear 

 day the view from the lighthouse is very pleasing, to the south 

 and west the Lincolnshire coast, trees and houses distinctly visible 

 at the distance of seven miles, backed by the range of the wolds, on 

 the highest level of which we can see Pelham's pillar in the 

 Brocklesby woods ; to right and left there is 



'The long, grey, horizontal wall of the dead calm sea.' 

 Northward is the Yorkshire coast line, Dimlington high-land and 

 the towers of village churches, and homesteads buried in trees. 

 At low water a vast extent of mudflat is laid bare on the Humber 

 or concave side ; in the autumn and winter this is the resort and 

 favourite feeding ground of thousands of waders ; on the sea or 

 convex side there is a comparatively narrow belt of firm yellow sand, 

 sweeping northward in one bold curve to Kilnsea beacon and 

 Dimlington. 



Perhaps the chief interest of Spurn is connected with the 

 periodical occurrences of various birds during the vernal and autumnal 

 migrations. Migrants following the coast-hne at the latter season on 

 their southward journey pass to the extreme end of the point before 

 launching out to the Lincolnshire side. Numerous species, too, which 

 come direct across the north sea by an east to west flight find here a 

 temporary resting place before proceeding inland ; hence it follows that 

 in favourable seasons there is a constant succession from day to day 

 of winged travellers. To enumerate all the species recorded here 

 and in the neighbourhood would exhaust the greater portion of the 

 British list, and many of what are designated casual and accidental 

 visitants in the Yorkshire avifauna"^ have occurred at or near Spurn. 



Recent additions are the Rustic bunting {Emberiza riistica Pall.) 

 a native of north-eastern Europe and northern Asia, shot near 

 Kilnsea beacon, on September 17th, 1881 ; a fine example of 

 White's Thrush {Turdus varius Pall.) obtained at Rimswell, near 

 Withernsea, in November, 188 1, and now in the collection of 

 ]\Ir. R. T. Burnham, of the former place; and the Bluethroat {^Cyaiic- 

 cula^ ? species) in immature plumage, one of a pair obtained at 

 Spurn on August nth, 1882. In the schedules recording the 

 migration of birds at the Spurn lighthouse in 1883, a Manx 



*'A Handbook of the Vertebrate Fauna of Yorkshire,' 1881. Clarke and 

 Roebuck. 



Naturalist, 



