102 
Wheatears in the Settle District. 
same place, where they come feeding on rose-hips. Small 
parties were seen almost daily until December 16th and 22nd, 
which were fine, genial, sunny days, when eleven birds were 
very busy feeding on insects which they took in the air by 
making short flights after the manner of flycatchers. These 
proceedings were very interesting as they are not often observed. 
About twelve birds were seen in another part of the district 
on December 29th, and on December 31st nine were noticed 
near Sleights, about three miles inland from Whitby, which 
village they often visit to feed on the berries of the cotoneaster, 
of which they appear to be very fond. After this date no birds 
were seen in the immediate vicinity of Whitby, but on January 
4th about twenty were observed near Robin Hood’s Bay 
feeding on rose-hips, possibly our birds which had passed on. 
Usually the birds which visit us disappear about the end of 
December, and nothing more is seen of them in the neighbour- 
hood, but sometimes odd birds remain until April. The fact 
that the birds leave an abundance of berries behind them 
suggests that it is not a lack of food which causes them to 
move. 
SNOW BUNTINGS AT TEESMOUTH. 
W. F. FEARNLEY. 
On October 30th, Mr. J. L. Illingworth and myself saw a 
flock of about fifty Snow Buntings at the mouth of the Tees. 
When first seen they were amongst the tufts of grass on the 
river side of the north breakwater, and only flew about thirty 
yards when disturbed. Later they were feeding amongst 
the huts near by and when we left at sunset they were indulging 
in more extended flights over the adjoining golf course. 
WHEATEARS IN THE SETTLE DISTRICT. 
CHRIS. A. CHEETHAM. 
Wheatears were seen near Cockett Moss, Giggleswick, on 
March 24th ; and on Penyghent and Moughton Scar on 
March 25th, this is earlier than last year when I first saw them 
here on April 1st. The fine, bright weather of this year is 
very different to the cold windy spell we had at the end of 
March in 1932, and this is possibly the reason for the earlier 
arrival of this migrant. 
The spring flowers have come out quickly, and on March 
22nd the wood anemones, sweet violets, marsh marigolds and 
crowberry had joined the primroses and celandines whilst the 
daphnes and purple saxifrage had lost their early freshness. 
On the 28th a small tortoiseshell butterfly was seen on the 
celandines in the bright sunshine. 
The Naturalist 
