ISO 



ORNITHOLOGY. 

 Occurrence of the Hawfinch near Boroughbridge.— A female 



Hawfinch ( Coccathraustes vulgaris) spent a few hours at Staveley on the iothof March. 

 This is the second recorded occurrence in this district. On the 2 1st I noticed a 

 Ring Ousel {Turdus torquatus) feeding in a meadow. This bird has not been 

 noticed in this neighbourhood before. The first Wheatears occurred here on the 

 6th of April. On that day I saw a pair ; one was a handsome male, but I could 

 not be certain of the sex of the other. — E. P. Knubley, Rector of Staveley, 

 April 7th, 1886. 



Cormorant and Green Woodpecker in Nidderdale.— On 



October 17th, 1885, a fine specimen of the Cormorant {Phalacrocorax carbo) was 

 shot near Middlesmoor, by Mr. Littlewood, of Huddersfield. This is the first 

 occurrence in Nidderdale, as far as I can glean. 



On October 27th, 1885, a Green Woodpecker ( Gecinus viridis) was caught in 

 a beech tree, asleep in a decayed hole in the trunk of the tree. This specimen was 

 caught by Mr. F. Robinson, of Dougill Hall, near Pateley Bridge. — Wm. Storey, 

 Pateley Bridge, Leeds, December 14th, 1885. 



Solway Bird-notes. — The following remarks suggest themselves as a 

 corollary to Mr. Armistead's paper. The Short-eared Owl, Crossbill, and Great 

 Black -backed Gull all breed on the English side of the Solway, but the Common 

 Gull does not, and the Pied Flycatcher does not breed within a dozen miles of the 

 Solway. The Lesser Tern ceased to breed on the English side in 1882, though, as 

 some were seen about the old station in 1885, it is possible that they may re-establish 

 their colony. The Lesser Spotted Woodpecker does duty in 'Mr. Armistead's 

 catalogue for the Greater Spotted. The Tufted Duck is fairly common on the 

 upper parts of the Solway ; the Goosander is commoner on the upper parts of the 

 Firth than the Merganser. The Common Sandpiper arrives, not in June, but in 

 April. There are other points which need expansion, but, on the whole, 

 Mr. Armistead's views agree with the conclusions which I have already expressed 

 elsewhere. — H. A. Macpherson. 



Flamborough Bird-notes.— On March 20th I saw the Pied Wagtail 

 and also heard of the Grey Wagtail being seen the same date. March 28th, saw 

 several Hooded Crows taking their departure, steering direct south from the Head- 

 land. The other day one of our farmer's sons brought me for preservation a very 

 fine specimen of the Pink-footed Goose, and also a splendid specimen of the 

 Garganey ; both males in full plumage. April 2nd, the first Wheatear seen. 

 April nth, saw the Lesser White-throat. April 13th, more Hooded Crows taking 

 their departure. The Swallows have not arrived yet. — Matthew Bailey, 

 Flamborough, April 16th. 



Discovery of the Nest of Ross's Gull (Rhodostethia rosea). 



— Slowly but surely the mystery enshrouding the nidification of certain British 

 birds is being solved, and now the nest and eggs of that particularly interesting 

 circumpolar species, Ross's Gull (or Cuneate-tailed Gull), are no longer to be 

 ranked with those of the Knot and the Curlew Sandpiper as things unknown. 



In the Auk for April (vol. iii, p. 273) Mr. John J. Dalgleish informs us that 

 ' Mr. Paul Muller, son of Herr Sysselmand Miiller, the Faroe ornithologist and 

 assistant at the Danish Government establishment of Christianshaab, Greenland, 

 has been fortunate enough to discover a nest of the above rare species. It was 

 found on June 15th last at Ekomiut, in the district of Christianshaab, and was 

 situated in the midst of the nests of a colony of Sterna macroura [Arctic Terns]. 

 The female bird was shot off the nest, which, when found, contained two eggs. 

 Of these one was unfortunately broken, and the other, which was also damaged, 

 is now in the possession of Herr Weller of Copenhagen. It is in colour and 

 appearance very similar to the egg of Larus minutus, is of a pyriform shape, and 

 measures 44 mm. x 33 mm. This discovery is of some interest, the species, as is 

 well known, having been hitherto of rare occurrence and the breeding habitat 

 unknown. ' — W. E. C. 



Naturalist, 



