1 903 Rutland Birds 4 1 



overrun with rats, moles, and mice, which would afford them 

 plenty of food. Such a beautiful and majestic bird would 

 add much to the charm of the landscape. Another most 

 interesting species has become extinct as a nesting species 

 in the last forty years, and that is the Norfolk or Thick- 

 kneed Plover. Ryhall Heath, its last habitat, has proved 

 no longer fitted to its requirements. 



The Peregrine and Merlin still appear regularly as winter 

 visitors, and the Sparrow-Hawk and Kestrel hold their own 

 fairly well in spite of the efforts of gamekeepers to extermin- 

 ate them. The White Owl is common, but the Wood Owl 

 is scarcely holding its own, partly owing to the iniquitous 

 poletrap, which works great havoc in this species. To the 

 late Lord Lilford we owe the acclimatisation of the Little 

 Owl {Athene noctua), which is now found as a breeding 

 species all over the county. It is a most engaging little 

 bird, and extremely useful to the farmer, but one that stinks 

 in the nostrils of the gamekeeper. As it is not so nocturnal 

 as its congeners, it suffers more from their persecution. 

 Lord Lilford, besides introducing this species, urged the 

 introduction of the continental Stork, a bird which adds 

 so much to the interest of many foreign cities. 



The only other successful acclimatisation of species has 

 been in the case of game-birds. The French Partridge, 

 introduced about 1850 by Sir Gilbert Heathcote into this 

 country, has thriven so well, that on some estates its nest 

 and eggs are purposely destroyed. Though not really such 

 a fine game-bird as our own Partridge, it serves the sports- 

 man better when driven. By some it is supposed to quarrel 

 with the indigenous breed and drive it out, but this is very 

 doubtful. It runs a better chance of survival in the contest 

 for life, because in this fox-ridden county it has learnt to 

 build in safer places than the English breed, making its 

 nest sometimes even above the ground, in haystacks and 

 byres. An attempt to introduce the "Virginian Colin" 

 failed. Our severe winters are too cold for them. 



But the ordinary Quail deserves more attention than it 

 has received. In common with the rest of England, Rut- 

 land has to lament the increasing scarcity, if not the ap- 

 proaching extinction, of this very esculent and altogether 



