North Riding of Yorkshire. — have noted the following list of names as being in use in the neighbourhood of Nunnington, in the North Riding of Yorkshire : —
| Blackbird. Blackie. Blue Tit. Tom-tit; Billy-biter. Carrion Crow. Dowp or Dob-craw. Chaffinch. Bullie. Chiffchaff. Feather-poke. Corn Crake. Corn Drake. Fieldfare. Fellfer. Goldfinch. Redcap. Hedge Accentor. Cuddy. |
Heron. Heron-sewe. Lapwing. Teeafit. Common Redstart. Jenny Redtail. Ring Dove. Cushat. Rock Dove. Blue Rock. Rook. Craw (Crow). Starling. Gyp; Gyp Starnill; Stare. Whitethroat. Nettle-creeper. Yellowhammer. Goldie. |
With regard to the provincial name in this district for the Chaffinch, it may be remarked that the Bulfinch is a scarce bird with us, and its name, in an abbreviated form, is erroneously applied to the former. — Walter Stamper (Highfield, Nunnington, Oswaldkirk, York).
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OCCASIONAL NOTES.
Goats eating Tobacco. — I can almost cap Mr. Henry Reeks' story of a Goat eating all the tobacco in a friend's pouch (p. 206.) Nearly thirty years ago, when I was a midshipman in the "Orestes," on the east coast of Africa, we had a goat on board which habitually ate tobacco. I have seen her devour a whole cake of 'Cavendish' at a time. She also drank rum and water with gusto ; and on one occasion she ate up nearly the whole of a Latin dictionary of mine, — a "royal octavo" volume. — William H. Heaton (Meadow Croft, Reigate.)
White-nosed Dolphin on the Irish Coast. — We have long had, in the Museum here, a coloured cast of a dolphin, captured, some fifteen years ago, in the vicinity of Dublin Bay, which, lately, by comparing a coloured sketch taken from the fresh animal with the excellent figure given in the 'Proceedings of the Zoological Society' (1876, p. 679, pl.lxiv.), I was able to identify as Delphinus albirostris (J.E. Gray). So little is known critically of the Irish species of Delphinus that it seems very probable some of the dolphins hitherto passing under the name of D. tursio really belonged to D. albirostris, of which the figures given in the 'Annals of Natural History' and Bell's 'British Quadrupeds' are very far from satisfactory. — A.G. More (Museum of Science and Art, Dublin).
