I 2 



NOTES— ORNITHOLOGY. 

 Albino Jay at Acaster, near York. — A beautiful albino variety of 



the Common Jay {Garridus glandarius) was shot last July by Dr. Raimes, of 

 York, in Stubbs' Wood near Acaster, York. The bird is an immature 

 specimen. — William Hewett, Howard Street, York, 27th October 1900. 



Raven on the Cheviots. — Mr. Alexander Martin, of Belford, in a note 

 to the 'Newcastle Weekly Chronicle' of 22nd Sept. 1900, states that while 

 out Grouse shooting on 8th Sept., on Hygip, he saw a pair of Ravens 

 {Corvus corax) fly off the summit of the Cheviot, and hover round the valley 

 below, uttering- their harsh ' Crok, crok ' call.— J. W. FAWCBTT, Satley, 

 Darling-ton, 2nd November 1900. 



Little Gull at Redcar. I picked up an immature bird of this species 

 {Larus minutus) on 29th Sept. last, washed in by tide (quite fresh), near 

 Redcar Jetty, Yorkshire side of the Tees estuary. It was in length 

 12 inches; the upper parts were mottled with dark brown, and a band of 

 a sooty shade was at the tip of the tail ; the tail was very slightly forked ; 

 the primaries were black on both webs next the shafts and white on the 

 remainder of the inner webs ; the under wing was white, the bill was blackish, 

 and the feet were yellowish-pink. — T. ASHTON LOFTHOUSE, Linthorpe, 

 Middlesbrough. 15th November 1900. 



Attack by Missel-Thrush on Young Rook.— On the 1st of May 



this year, whilst chasing a young Rook {Cori<ns frugilegus), fallen from its 

 nest, I saw it hiding near a tree in which a Missel-Thrush | Turdus viscivorus) 

 had its nest with three young ones in, and at once the old hen got off 

 the nest, darted down on the Rook, and knocked il over with ils wing. 

 I stopped to watch them, and she did not leave until the Rook was driven 

 quite fifty yards away. The Missel-Thrush would rise from the ground, 

 then dart down like a hawk, and each time the Rook was knocked over. 

 I noticed a few days after in 'The Naturalist' that the same thing 

 occurred with a Jackdaw I Miss M. L. Anderson's note, May 1900). B. R. 

 Lucas, 3, Dyer Terrace, Winnington, Northwich, 2nd November 1900. 



Crossbills near Twigmoor, Lincolnshire. When out on a ramble 

 on the nth October I passed the Twigmoor and Scawby Wood. On the 

 Twigmoor side of the road are a few Scotch fir and spruce trees. Here 

 I saw a small flock of Crossbills (Lox/a curvirostra L. ) feeding. They were 

 busy dismembering the cones I counted nine birds, but, from the cries 

 uttered from time to time I gathered that more were feeding further 

 inside the wood. 



The late Mr. Cordeaux was of opinion that it bred within the bounds of 

 the county. In his list of ' British Birds Belonging the Humber District,' 

 1899, P- ir r ne WI "ites thus :—' Probably resident and nesting, as it is found 

 in certain localities through the year where conifers flourish. 



It has become much commoner of late ; we used to count it a rare 

 visitor some years ago, but now we meet with it nearly every autumn and 

 winter.— Max Peacock, The Manor, Bottesford, Lincolnshire, 15th Oct. 1900. 



Pied Rooks and Blackbird at Kettlebythorpe and at Wooton- 

 Wold, Lines. — On Friday, 19th of October, my brother (the Vicar of 

 Cadney) and myself went over to Kettlebythorpe (Div. 3). At this place we 

 came across a grass field that shows the remains of earthworks and ponds, 

 also an oblong barrow which is marked on the last Ordnance Survey as 

 'grave-yard.' When we entered this meadow we put up a large flock of 

 Rooks {Corvus frugilegus), but they were very tame and did not take to 

 wing until we were within easy gunshot of them. Three out of the number 

 had white feathers in both wings. All the birds thus marked showed an 

 equal quantity of white. As a rule, when we see an odd white feather or 

 two, we put it down to an injury, but in this case I think the three birds had 

 carried these distinctive marks from the date they cast off the shell. 



In the garden of Mr. F. E. Nowell, ot Wooton-Wold (Div. 3), may be 

 seen a white cock Blackbird {Turdus merula). — Max E. Peacock, Cadney, 

 Brigg, 31st October 1900. 



Naturalist. 



