n8 Wii,d Birds and their Haunts 



a different kind of some of which we have no represen- 

 tatives, and I need not mention these. They are prin- 

 cipally of water birds, of which we are not rich, but of 

 the family, ' Ardidce,' we have the heron, which has bred 

 at Gopsall, and of the ' Anseres ' we occasionally have a 

 flock of geese fly over, probably grey lags, and I suppose 

 we may include the mute swan, and the whooper has 

 occurred at Croft, on floods (the late Mr. W. Brookes 

 having shot two there on one occasion), and of course the 

 wild duck or mallard. The gadwall has occurred at 

 Bitteswell Hall. The teal very occasionally may be 

 flushed from some quiet pond. Several were shot at 

 Sheepy a few months ago, and Mr. Aylward sent me a fine 

 male pochard for identification which he shot at Enderby 

 in Jan., 1893. The golden eye and scoter are reported 

 to have visited Bosworth. The ' Columbidoe. ' gives us 

 the wood pigeon or ring dove, the stock dove and the very 

 pretty little turtle dove. There was in 1888 a remark- 

 able invasion of sand grouse of the family, ' Pteroclidce,' 

 but none were observed in this district, though they did 

 visit the county. It is a remarkable bird, and though it 

 has its legs and feet covered with short down like feathers, 

 as is the case with the grouse, it is really more nearly 

 related to the pigeons. It is an inhabitant of the Steppes 

 of Eastern Russia and Asia. 



' ' Of the ' Phasianidce ' we have the pheasant, which 

 is not indigenous to this country, but is supposed to have 

 been introduced from Asia Minor by the Romans, the 

 partridge, the red-legged partridge, and the quail, but 

 this last is very rare, and I have only two or three records 

 of its occurrence. It is migratory. The family 

 ' Rallidce ' supply us with the water rail (a very shy bird 

 very seldom seen, and consequently appearing to be 

 rarer than it probably is), the corn crake or land rail, the 

 moor hen or water hen, and coot. Of the ' Charadriidce,' 

 the golden plover, Mr. Browne speaks of Mr. Standbridge 

 shooting some at Aston and Mr. Brookes frequently at 

 Croft, a winter visitor only, and the lapwing or peewit, 

 which is much more numerous here now than it was some 

 years ago. The ' Scolopacidce ' include with us the 



