ORNITHOLOGICAL NOTES. 



NOTES— ORNITHOLOG K 



Crossbills (Loxia curvirostra and L. pityopsittacus) on the East Coast 

 of England. — Besides the Crossbills which you have recorded, two were taken 

 the last week in July at the Outer Dowsing Lightship, which is far out to sea, and 

 almost in the same line of latitude as the Humber mouth. They were brought 

 alive by a sailor into Yarmouth, and taken to Mr. G. Smith. In April two 

 Parrot Crossbills were shot near iSTorwich. Mr. Gunn and I compared their beaks 

 with the common species, and were satisfied that they were typical examples of 

 this form, which has only once occurred before. — J. H. Gurney, Jun., Keswick 

 Hall, Norwich, September nth, 1888. 



Purple Heron in West Yorkshire. — On the 20th of April last I examined, 

 in the flesh, a fine mature male specimen of Ardea picrpurea Linn., which hail 

 been obtained the previous day on the margins of Farnley Pool, near Otley. 

 When first seen, the bird was approaching the water from the direction of Hare- 

 wood. It appears to have been quite unsuspicious of danger, and allowed a 

 keeper to approach within gun-range, and this in quite an exposed situation, where 

 the bird was shot for a Common Pleron {Ardea cinerea). This specimen makes 

 the seventh occurrence known to me for Yorkshire of a bird which has occurred 

 chiefly in the spring and summer in the county. The bird is now, I believe, in 

 the possession of the Rev. F. Fawkes, of Rothwell. — Wm. Eagle Clarke. 



Black Guillemot near Whitby.— On the 30th August, a Guillemot was shot 

 off Sandsend. It is splashed black and white from the beak, all the underside to 

 the tail, also round the head and neck to the shoulder ; the back black, with slight 

 splashings here and there ; each wing has two white bars, and the legs and feet 

 are a beautiful red. Can you say what it is? — T. Stephenson, Whitby, Sep. 13th. 



[There can be little doubt that the bird above described is an adult Black 

 Guillemot {Uria grylle), in the transition stage of plumage between summer and 

 winter. The species is a casual visitant on the Yorkshire coast during the autumn 

 and spring. — W.E.C.] 



Reed Warbler nesting- in the Washburn Valley.— On July 5th I found 

 the nest of the Reed Warbler {Acrocephaliis streperns), with young ready to fly, on 

 the bank of one of the reservoirs. The nest was in mowing-grass, supported by 

 long stems, which were woven in its structure. This is, I believe, the first note of 

 the nesting of the bird in the above-named locality.^ — H. Knight HorsI'TELd. 



Flamborough Bird-notes. — The late storms have brought several of our 

 summer migrants down to the Headland, where they generally stop a few days to 

 take rest before leaving our shores. Several yo\xxv^ Q,\XQkoo% {Ctutihis canonis)^ 

 Nightjars [Caprinnilgus europcciis), Wagtails, Redstarts {Riiticilla phain'cui-us), 

 and Wheatears [Saxicola ccnanthe), have arrived, ready to book (to use the late 

 Frank Buckland's metaphor, who represents Flamborough Head as a railway 

 station for birds coming and going) for some other j^lace, probably far remote. — 

 Matthew Bailey, Flamborough, September nth, 1888. 



Robin caug-ht in a Mouse-trap. — On visiting my traps, which were set 

 for Red Field Voles amongst a small plot of swede turnips, I was much surprised 

 to find in one of them a Robin {Erithaciis 1 uiieciila), which was caught by the 

 head, and killed, as a mouse would be. The traps used were the common spring 

 ones, set with thread, and which are struck, as soon as the thread is bitten 

 through, death being caused by strangulation. The one in question, however, 

 was set by means of a spring instead of thread, but made on the same principle ; 

 it was baited with oatmeal. The Robin, after releasing the spring, to obtain the 

 bait, had evidently, in its struggles, upturned the trap, which remained in such a 

 position that the bird could not reach the ground with its feet, and was thus quite 

 helpless, being held by its neck, with its body in a perpendicular position. — 

 Basil Carter, Burton House, Masham, October 9th, 1888. 



Naturalist, 



