Several Observations in Natural History, Made at North - Bierley in Yorkshire, by Dr.Richard Richardson (M. D.) Communicated in a Letter to Dr. Hans Sloane, R. S. Secr.Author(s): Richard RichardsonSource: Philosophical Transactions (1683-1775), Vol. 28 (1713), pp. 167-171Published by: The Royal SocietyStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/103192 .

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( 1 67 )

.

XVIII; Sesoeral- Obler)Jations in Natnral IIi/Rory^, made at North- Bierley in Yorkfhire, by Dr. Richard Richardfon (M. D. ) Commuw nicated tn a Letter to Dr. FIans SlvaneX R. S. Secr.

NorJh-Bierley, JuneX I 2. l 7 i 3 6

ozr,

T ShalL begin my ObServatxons vith fuch as relate to | Human Kind, wbichareonlytwoaandthe+e--wi-t-h-

in the Townfhip of Slorth-Bxerley. Tt1e firlt was of Xohn WorJ*aape, a poor Boy, who liv'd till lae svas 7 Yearsold, and newr made Water, and yet was in pcro feEt Health, and Vigc)rous and Aftis e. He had ctanttantf ly a Divrrh6ea upon lli{n, but wichoilt much utlcJaf<rleS< The ObLtruAioll muit have been in his Kidneys) for 1Ze had never any Inclination to make W-ater. The Verotls Part of the blood) which thould have 6>-44ta tldrowls oflE by UrineX was diScharg3d by tl]P Cclaick and- AfeJenteric4 Arteries, by the Mediatiorl of the Glands, irtcz tht Guts He dyed -of a Fever.

The Second is an IrRance of Qld ^Age in ,7\fJdrtha 7/1zaterhozfie and fJ>eyier ger) both Born in tllC ()°WN1TXp ti Nartb-Bikrley, atrld Sifie-rs Martha rnarried to :7nhx aw rerX3og0e; HeJZer ded unmarried. Alarth34 died about two Years agoX in the Hundted and fourth Year cf 1C' Age; and Heger this prefent Year 17}3. n tbe JE4un-

dr-d

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( 168) [4urldred arsd [eventll Year of her Age. They had both evf tbem Relsef from tle Townffiip of NarthFBier1e3 nigh fifty Years. I lihould not la-llre taken Notice of their Age Separately, it falling Co far ort of Several In0ances svhich have hsppened in tEz County; bet jointly I do not remember aEly th-at late cone up to them

From the LFont,evXey of tHlumane S;irld, I hall prteed to thW tongf vity of Fiffi -out of their proper Element. About fi Years aRe, great 4uantiti"> of lench werestaken in a Pond bclongeng to Stephen>Teggeff of Brogghtat;in ( ra21en Erq; 3 nd were fent to t be Neighbouring Markets. TLle Filh wer<w eakerz on lHoaday towards Nigllt, and Come brougE>t to Bradtord cn 75aefday about the fame time; and not belng trequent itl our Markers, Six of them were Scnt hither by Mr Berrand the Vicar on Med- refslay. 3[ nor beng at E4ome, tbe Basket was r up" the Kitchen fltabl not far from a gd Fire; where it continued ts11 Therrddy Nlorning (he Servants not knot- ng what was in it.) Upon opnning tlle Basket, and

looking 1lpOtl the FilM, I thought the Eyes of Come of them look'd clear: X put tWO cif thetN into a Pait of Waters and in ltEs thaal tWo Hours time they fwarn very lisely gtl the Watcrw T1ze relmaStli;g four having no ligns of Life upon them, I put tlh4m irxto the fame Pal, and beZ fore hight tllcy all twam about in t.

BxrZ3aSts bcia> a FiCh nOt fre-quently met xvith in tSe Southern Ptivers of Englagd, are often found xn tllis -Countst, eXpecxally in fl Dw Rivers and Itanding Waters, as in rlse Pviver Eofs if] Corks and aifo in Derwent; but in ne Place more frcquentX than in the Fen Oitches of the Lettt'ls? about four iisles from Dnv*r.

I havA b-en leveral times pre(entX when plenty of fsnall T&AOUeS !12VE beeta c-atagtzt tn the mountainous lakes of Corth [7'dles by Anglit.g; ^,td laave, wial] to ftuall Rdtuiratiorx, co^nfiderd ;he diSicule Accefs to thefe PlacesX

where

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( 169 ) where a good Footman can fcarce climb up to them- That thefe Lakes are yearly fupplied from the Brooks at the -Bottom of the Moulltains I do not at all dou5t7 efipe-- aally in Spawning time, aAthen the Trouts endeavour to furmount all Didnculties, by paimg up tlle fmall Rivuw lets, to depofit their Spawn) for the PreServatiotl of their Species, whereitisthemokSecalrefromthe Violellce of other Filhes, and tllere by accident fall into there Natural Ponds, where tlley continue all Surnmcr; no Perfon having yer obSerared (that I know of) Trouts to breed in Ponds. Ncktonly tLze Trouts elzat are takBn in thefe mountainous Lakes are fimall} but alfo the Charr3 that are taken as ttley aScend the fmall Rxver cxut c;>f the great Lakes nigh LhJnBerys,to depoGttheir Spawn in the Sands therc. Thefe very rarely exceed a frefh Herring in mag- nitude, as I harre been aXured by the Relrerend Mr Ev4gs VicarofLbafg Berys, whohasbeenprefent when hundreds of them have been cauglt ; ard by the ac. count he gives of them they are in no reEpeA diffie- rent from t-llofe taken in Winander-Mear, fante *n magni- tude, s4here Xtis no rare thing to meet with them of two Pound weigllt and upwards. This (mallneSs in FiIhes I have fome time thotlght toproceed from the ColdneSs of the Water, theSe lakes being fillpptied w;ith Snow Water from the Mountains eightMonths in tw-elvew The ginera of Vitriol and Allum, being oSen met with3 in the Hills tlarough which fome of t:lle -Water nluft eIrain, perhaps does not a little contribute to the rouglz- nefs and coldnefs of the Water. The Contrary we find in our Waters that run throllgh the LtmeRone Racks, where no rough Salts are found; the Tro]ts there are large and fat An initance ofthis nwe tEnd in the Trouts in blalhaa fEarr in CravenX nig!n SetZeX wllere viley are frequcatly found two Footlot1g.

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( 170 ) I mult alSo take leave to corre& one MiRake iia Mr.

Ry's Synop>Ms d2Xedrwped. Oc p. t9r,. wbere he fayse tbat M#ela v/garis is called here a Fonart or Fitchet. Pgtorixs is called here a Foarts qxa/S foul Mart, or (tinking MartX in oppofition to the Martes which emit a musky SmellX and arc often mee wth itl our Woods, and taken by the Hunters in Snows.

The Erain is noe llnfrequently met with lrre in Win- terf and look'd uponX when they appear, to prefige Snow l Rlould not here llave taken Notice of it, it belng alSo xnet with in moft Gounties of EglanFl but thav l have llad an opportunity, in two or three InkancesX of ob- ferving the Time of in Changes. Itbegins to cl;lange its Colour from Brown to Wbite,i about the beginning of Novewber. I had onc of them brought me about No- tegber was two Years, ̂hen I 6rS obEerved this change. I have Seen one or two of them, that in the begirlning of March were changing from White to Brown. 2X. Whetber thefe Animals do nor alwayscon-tinue White in the more Northern Parts of the World ?

The Agt-hatch, or Nat jobber, is not frequently to be mer with in the South, yet is fio common with us that I have fometimes feen fix or feven of them in one lDay in my own Woods, l^his mu{t be ehe *Bird tllat Drj Plat ill ^aiS Ndt. HiJ2 of OxfordprireX calls a RJfood-Cracker, and xkes to be an undefcribed Bird. I have with much Plearure often obServed theSe Birds to- crack Nuts, which they do svith very great Dexter jty. b orderXd one of my Seroants, that zJaS with me in a Wood laR Chrif - nsa, tO obSerarR from wllence {he fetchXd her Prolrifion; whlcl] lle foon diSso<ver'd in a hollow Tree, and cutting the Placet opcnfi brought fronl thence Several Pints of wery choice bu¢s.

1 mer wi.h a Neft of tile IRegxlxs CrifataX in a thick Thor2] Hcdgea in my osn Orcizard, rhxch was built

rouzd

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( 171 ) tound and a little Hole at the fide; the outfide was green MoS, tlIe infide Hair and FeathersX not much unlike that of the common Wren. The Eggs were fmall and wllite? with many brown Spots upon them. Tlle Note of the Cock is very agreeable, not much unlike feme of thc Ps Kind I do not remember that I have feen any of thefe Birds in Summer before.

Coalea posati 4jor edxlfw G#9neri I never met with 1t in tbe North ; but l found it in plenty la(t Year about elle middle of May in Stwfeld Fieldss amongR ehe Briers and Brakess eEpecially nigh the famous Ro4a Pavement.

X am} eX

R I X R I C H A R D S O N

1X etOlA

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