William Yarrell

A History of British Birds; Vol I William Yarrell

HISTORY OF BRITISH BIRDS. BY WlLLIAlf PARRELL. PREFACE. THE THIRD EDITION, THE publication of the third edition of this History of our British Birds supplies the opportunity of including the record of seventeen species new to the British Catalogue fifteen of which are figured and described in their places in these volumes, and notice of the occurrence of two others, also new, is here added, with further particulars of some recent and rare additions. More than one hundred pages hare been added to the text. The American Mottled Owl. This bird was shot by Joseph Hen, who resides at Kirkstall. It was killed in the breeding-season of 1852, in Harksworth cover, the property of Lord Cardigan, half a mile above Kirkstall Abbey, on the banks of the river Aire, about four miles west of Leeds. A pair of these Owls were seen by Mr. Omen, and having shot one, he went to their haunt, night after night, to obtain the other, but without success. I was favoured with a notice of the occurrence of this bird by Richard Hobson, Esq. of Leeds and a detailed account, with a figure of the species, appeared in the Naturalist for August, 1855. This Owl was preserved by Mr. Mathew Smith, of Leeds, and recognised by Mr. Denny and Mr. Graham, Naturalists, resicling at Leeds. The bird inhabits the Oregon and the Columbia River districts, and is met with abundantly in the British provinces of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, and Labrador. This little Sandpiper was recorded in the Zoologist as having occurred at Penzance. E. H. Rodd, Esq, very kindly sent me a letter on the subject, promising me a sight of the specimen.