90 A. F. CBOSSMAN A LIST OF 



evidence was forthcoming that a chough had escaped from confine- 

 ment at that time, although that would seem to he the most likely 

 solution of such an occurrence. 



82. Jay {Garrulus glandarius). — E-esident and common. 



83. Magpie {Pica rustica). — Though no doubt at one time 

 a common resident, this bird has now completely disappeared 

 from those districts in which game-preserving is carried on to any 

 extent. 



84. Jackdaw [Corrus motiedula). — Resident and common. 



85. Raven {Corvus corax). — This bird was probably a fairly 

 plentiful breeding-species in Hertfordshire in former times, but it 

 has now vanished. At present I am only aware of two places 

 where it formerly nested, although there are no doubt several 

 others. One is in Brocket Hall Park and the other is in. Beech- 

 wood Park. The late T. H. Booth, in the second edition of the 

 catalogue of his famous museum at Brighton, stated that he was 

 shown by Mr. Norman Thrale a tree in Brocket Hall Park where 

 a pair of ravens had nested from time immemorial up to about 1846, 

 and that Mr. Thrale had two specimens of the bird in his collection, 

 which had been obtained there. With regard to the nest at 

 Beechwood I have only the statement of a man who formerly 

 lived at Woburn Park, and who heard a former Duke of Bedford, 

 talking of the raven's nest there, state that the nearest nest to 

 his knowledge was in Beechwood Park. Of late years this bird 

 has only been a very occasional visitor; in fact, since 1880 there 

 have only been six recorded occurrences. In 1881 a raven was 

 seen on the outskirts of Mimms Wood on February 2oth, and in 

 1884 a specimen was obtained near Royston on December 16th, 

 near which place also two were seen at Church Hill Farm on 

 19th November, 1885. In October, 1894, one was knocked off 

 a tree with a stone by a boy at Tring, while on December 26th 

 a dead raven was picked up in Tring Park. In 1890 a raven is 

 reported to have been shot in this county in January. In addition 

 to the above instances there is in the hall at Munden a stuffed 

 raven, which was obtained there pi'obably between 1840 and 1850. 



86. Carrion-Crow {Corvus corone). — This is another resident 

 which has diminished in numbers on account of game-preserving, 

 although it is still comparatively plentiful in the south of the 

 county. 



87. Hooded Crow [Corvus corm'x). — A regular winter visitor. 

 This bird takes one of its names — Royston crow — from Royston 

 in this county. 



88. Rook {Corvtis frugtlegus). — Resident and common. 



89. Sky-Lark {Alauda arvensis). — Resident and common. 



90. Wood-Lark {Alauda arhorea). — The only record which I can 

 find of this bird in Hertfordshire is a statement that in 1878 and 

 1879, during the month of March, this species was observed in 

 a field close to Symoud's Hyde Wood, in the parish of Sandridge, 

 bv Mr. A F. Griffith, who had no doubt that it bred thei'e. 



91. Shori-toed Lark {Alauda hrachydactyla). — On 9th March, 



