298 



ORNITHOLOGICAL NOTES. 



Mountain Finch. Fringilla montifringilla. 



Common in winter in some localities. 

 Tree Sparrow. Passer montanus. 



Not uncommon in some parts of Cumberland. 

 House Sparrow. Passer domesticus. 



Common. 

 Greenfinch. Lig-urinns chloris. 



Common. 

 Goldfinch. Carduelis elegans. 



May often be met with where thistles abound, but is not very 

 common. 

 Siskin. Carduelis spinus. 



A winter visitant, occurring some seasons abundantly. 



{To be co7itiimed.) 



ORNITHOLOGICAL NOTES. 

 Occurrence of the Great Grey Shrike near Leeds.— June 



27th, 1885. It gives me pleasure to record the occurrence in this neighbour- 

 hood of the Great Grey Shrike (Latn'us exc2ibitor), especially as it is so rare during 

 the summer months. The bird when first seen was perched on the topmost branch 

 of a hawthorn bush, on the confines of a moor at Adel, near Leeds. I approached 

 it cautiously, wishing to get a good view, and be able to pronounce as to its identity 

 without doubt ; to my delight the bird proved not to be so shy as I had anticipated, 

 but allowed me to get quite close before taking flight, and then it only removed 

 a few yards away, and alighted on another hawthorn. In this way I pursued it 

 from bush and tree for some distance, when it flew across the fields out of my w^ay. 

 While continuing this chase I had an excellent opportunity of noticing the ashy- 

 grey back and white patches of the wings and tail which characterise this bird. 

 The bird appears when on the wing to be about the size of a Song Thrush, and in 

 plumage not unlike the Pied Wagtail. After the pursuit I retraced my steps to 

 the starting point, and on examining the bush I found that it had commenced its 

 butchering process, for impaled on the thorns were three bees still alive. I noticed 

 that the bird has no particular method of impaling them ; one was pierced through 

 the thorax and another through the abdomen. I examined the bushes and whins 

 to see if by any chance it was nesting here, but found no clue. I give this in detail 

 as I do not know whether the species has often been observed in Yorkshire during 

 the breeding season or not. — Thomas Raine, Leeds, July loth, 1885. 



[As the species has not hitherto been recorded as occurring in Britain during 

 the breeding season, Mr. Raine's circumstantial account is of very great interest.] 



Nidderdale Ornithological Notes.— Mr. T. E. Yorke has now in his 



collection at Bewerley Hall a pair of YVaxwings {Bombycilla garnila)^ which were 

 shot in Bewerley Woods several years ago. 



In May. 1880, a pair of Oystercatchers {^cematopiis ostralegiis) were observed 

 on Greenhow Hill, one of which was shot, and is now in possession of Mr. D. 

 Williams of Pateley Bridge. 



Mr. R. Charlton of this place has a living female Brown Owl (Syrnumi ahico) 

 which was taken from a nest in the spring of 1868 ; it is kept in a large cage in a 

 garden, and Mr. Charlton informs me that when the bird hears any music it 

 makes a peculiar noise; also it has been noticed that when all is quiet large 

 numbers of birds such as Chaffinches, Thrushes, Blackbirds, &c., collect together 

 near the cage, and make a noise as if they wished to attack her. — Wm. Storey, 

 Pateley Bridge, April 14th, 1885. 



Naturalist, 



