Wattam : Cape Tarentola at Hiiddersfield. 



questionably devoted bird benedict who sat on a tree branch 

 singing", whilst his wife did all the worm winning. 



So we find that before June is out the Missel Thrush and 

 Starling, the Chaffinch and Redstart, are silent, the Song 

 Thrush and Blackbird almost so. The Tom Tits are not sing- 

 ing, and the Cuckoo has changed his tune. 



Before the end of July, although the Robin will again be 

 freely singing the song that I have heard during every one of 

 the last twelve months, we shall only get very occasional and 

 feeble outbursts from any other of the warblers, and shall 

 probably not hear a note from any of the Thrushes. The 

 season of song is now over. 



But in the dog days and till the end of August we shall daily 

 hear the merry twittering of the Martin and SwalloAv, the long- 

 drawn ' Cree ' of the Greenfinch, whilst the Linnet, the Redpoll, 

 the Corn and Yellow Buntings, will sing through the month. 

 The Ringdove will still coo in the woods, and the Starling 

 again come back to the town house-roof and join with the 

 Robin in song that will continue all winter. 



September makes little difference in the number of singers, 

 and then, strange to say, two of our summer visitors, the Chiff- 

 chaff and the Willow Wren, will occasionally indulge in a feeble 

 repetition of the songs they sang so gaily in May. 



The following figures give the number of different birds that 

 I have heard singing in the Scarborough district during each 

 month of one year: — January, lo ; February, 15; March, 21; 

 April, 28; May, 39; June, 36; July, 29; August, 18; Sep- 

 tember, 13; October, 10; November, 7; December, 8. 



The early morning singing of the birds is heralded by the 

 Skylark at 1.51 a.m. on the 21st June. The evening chorus 

 then concludes with the song of the Thrush, which I have heard 

 as late as 9. 15. 



REPTILES. 



Cape Tarentola at Huddersfield.— Two specimens of this 

 Lizard [Tarentola capeiisis) were captured early in March in our 

 Avholesale market, being found amongst bananas imported from 

 the Canary Isles. Both were brought home by a youth in our 

 village and placed in a warm greenhouse, but owing to lack of 

 proper food they died within a few days. — W. E. L. Wattam, 

 Newsome. 



.1905 May I. 



