176 



The NATURii list. 



I saw an extremely fine variety of the blackbird on Strensall 

 Common, on the 24th of April. The head and neck were pure white, 

 end most sharply defined from the black of the body. Eedshank, teal 

 and snipe were breeding on the common in some numbers ; but the 

 place is too near York, and consequently is completely ransacked. 



Migratory waders, on their way north, made their first appearance 

 on the Humber clays on the 24:th of May, when sanderling in partial 

 summer dress, and turnstone in full breeding plumage, were observed. 

 On the 25th, eight dotterel {E. morinellus) and nine whimbrel were 

 noted. But it was not until the 27th that the great rush took place^ 

 when thousands of waders were seen. 



The dotterel is a stupid bird when passing north to its breeding 

 grounds. A party of them are seen almost annually in an identical 

 field, and linger there for about a fortnight, during which period they 

 appear to know no fear, and should a gunner appear upon the scene, 

 the lot would fall an easy bag. 



In May, a nest and eggs of the shoveller were found, by a friend of 

 mine, on a large tract of heath in the vicinity of the coast. This is, I 

 believe, the first undoubted record of this species breeding in Yorkshire. 



Waders from their northern breeding haunts made their appearance 

 on the coast early. A knot, in summer dress, was killed under the 

 Spurn telegraph wire on the 23rd of July. Three grey plovers, an 

 immense flock of dunlins, and several whimbrels were observed on the 

 25th. The first sanderlings were seen on the 15th of August. 



The year 1880 witnessed the destruction, by enclosure, of Riccall 

 Common, a locality which, until the commencement of the present 

 century, could claim the ruff among its annual breeding birds ; since 

 those palmy days until the present it has been the annual resort of red- 

 shanks, black headed gulls, teal, and other ducks, but, alas, it has had 

 its day, and Strensall, like it, is soon to follow suit. 



But while we are thus banishing certain species from old haunts, it 

 is a pleasure to hail the return of others to former ones. Thus, the 

 sheldrake, once not uncommon on the Holderness coast, has returned 

 and this year reared her young in safety ; a brood of six were seen to 

 issue from a rabbit burrow, and on digging out the nest, two addled 

 eggs were found. Now that Spurn is so very strictly preserved, it is* 

 to be hoped that this species may become numerous there. This year 

 has also seen the return of the cormorants to the Flamborough cliffs, 

 from which they were driven in the murderous times preceding the 

 Sea-Birds Act. 



An immature black tern was shot at Spurn, on the 28th of August. 



