276 



NOTES on YORKSHIRE BIRDS. 



Rook with Recurved Beak near Barnsley.— On 17th May I saw, 

 perched on one of the telegraph wires near the Lancashire and Yorkshire 

 Station here, a Rook {Trypanocorax frugilegus) with the beak much 

 recurved. It is impossible for me to say whether the malformation affected 

 both upper and lower mandibles, probably the former only. The length of 

 the beak was fully twice that usual in the bird, and gave to it a most curious 

 appearance. — E. G. Bayford, Barnsley, 15th June 1902. 



Unusual position for Nest of Sedge-Warbler, Hornsea Mere. — 



During the excursion of the Hull Scientific and Field Naturalists' Club to 

 Hornsea Mere, on 28th June, a nest of a Sedge-Warbler {Acrocephalus 

 phragi7iitis) was noticed in a Willow tree, at a height of ten feet from the 

 ground. It contained four eggs and had every appearance of the nests 

 usually built among the reeds, with the exception that it was built amongst 

 the young shoots of the Willow tree. The tree was situated many yards from 

 the water's edge. — T. Sheppard, Municipal Museum, Hull, 2nd July 1902. 



Hull Museum : the Swailes Collection of Eggs. — Mr. George 

 Swailes, of Beverley, has presented to the Hull Municipal Museum the col- 

 lection of eggs of British-breeding birds, got together during twenty years' 

 collecting by his brother, the late Mr. Johnson Swailes, of Beverley. There 

 are nearly 1,300 eggs, and many of them are of great value and local 

 interest. The collection is well known to north country ornithologists, who 

 will be pleased to hear that it has been permanently secured to the district 

 through the kindness of Mr. G. Swailes. — T. Sheppard, Municipal Museum, 

 Hull, 4th July 1902. 



Hawfinch at Huddersfield.— Noticing that the peas in my garden were 

 being rapidly taken by birds, last evening I had them netted. This morn- 

 ing, on going past them, my son found that a Hawfinch {Coccothraustes 

 coccothraustes) had got beneath the nets, and he was able to catch it at 

 once. It was an adult specimen in beautiful plumage. After an exami- 

 nation of it in the house, during which it showed me the strength of its 

 powerful beak on my flesh, I set it at liberty. The peas were so surrounded 

 with netting we hoped they would effectually keep off birds, and it shows 

 the fearless boldness of this species that it should at once discover a small 

 opening and get under. A single Sparrow {Passer domesticus) was in with 

 it, but my son says there were a number of other sparrows outside vainly 

 endeavouring to get in. 



I recorded a young Hawfinch from close by here last year; and I had 

 previously seen one on another side of the town, so apparently the bird is 

 not so rare here as we formerly supposed. — Geo. T. Porritt, Crosland 

 Hall, near Huddersfield, 9th August 1902. 



NOTES on LAKELAND BIRDS. 



Hawfinch in Westmorland.— On the authority of Mr. W. Duckworth, 

 of Penrith, it is recorded that a Hawfinch {Coccothraustes coccothraustes) 

 was found dead on a farm in North Westmorland on 15th April last. — - 

 T. Sheppard, Hull, 22nd July 1902. 



Hawfinches in Westmorland, — It may be of interest to note, in 

 connection with Miss Armitt's remarks on the Hawfinch {Coccothraustes 

 coccothraustes) as breeding at Rydal, Westmorland, that just about the time 

 of receiving my ' Naturalist ' for August a young specimen of this bird 

 was placed in my hands. It had been caught in a Sparrow-trap along with 

 Sparrows at Levens, in South Westmorland. Similarly, about a fortnight 

 previously, another specimen was caught in exactly the same way and at 

 the same place. Last year another young one was shot near Arnside ; this 

 was stuffed and is now in my possession. — G. STABLER, Levens, Westmor- 

 land, 13th August 1902. 



Naturalist, 



