THE BIRDS OF nERTFOIlDSHIRE. 97 



153. Rixo-T)ovE {Cohimba palumhiis). — Resident and common, 

 appeiu'iug- in immense flocks some winters. 



1.54. SrocK-DovE ( Columha oenas). — Resident, and fairly plentiful 

 in tlie more wooded districts. 



155. TuuTLE-DovE {'Turtitr coni)nu>n's). — A. common summer 

 visitor. 



156. Pallas' Sand-Gkouse {Si/rrliapfes paradoxus). — In 'The 

 Zoologist,' vol. xxi, there is mention of two male sand-grouse 

 having been shot in June, 1863, at Uugdale Hill, South Minims, 

 Herts. This place is actually in Middlesex, though surrounded 

 on three sides by our county. In the same volume there is also 

 a note of nine of these birds which were obtained near Royston. 

 They were all females, and although not stated, no doubt some 

 of them were shot in Hertfordshire. In 1888 two of these birds 

 were picked up dead near Royston about the middle of May, and 

 on the 20th of that month two were shot out of a flock of about 

 forty at Gepps Farm, near Hoddesdon, The last-mentioned birds 

 are in the possession of Mr. F. M. Campbell. On the 22nd of the 

 same month Mr. A. W. Dickinson saw seven sand-grouse near 

 Batchwood, St. Albans, and on June 4th Mr. Chapman, of 

 Bennington, shot a sand-grouse there which is now in his 

 possession. 



157. Pheasant {Phasianus colchicus). — Very largely preserved 

 on many of the estates in the county. 



158. Partridge {Perdix cinerea). — Common. Very good partridge 

 shooting is obtained in some parts of Hertfordshire. 



159. Red-legged Partridge {Perdix rufa). — Plentiful in some 

 districts. 



160. Quail (Coturnix communis). — This bird, according to Mr. 

 Howard Saunders, was much commoner in Hertfordshire in former 

 times, Nowadays in some years it is fairly plentiful on the 

 Chalk hills to the north of the county, more especially in the 

 Royston district, where no doubt it often nests. In the rest of 

 the county it is only of infrequent occurrence. 



161. Virginian Colin {Ortyx virginianus). — An old female of 

 this introduced species was shot near Stevenage on 1 2th August, 

 1882. Attempts have been made to naturalize this bird in the 

 Eastern Counties and elsewhere, and no doubt the example above 

 referred to was a wanderer from those districts. 



162. Corn-crake {Crex pratensis). — A common summer visitor. 



163. Spotted Crake (Porzana manietta). — In 1878 one was 

 shot in the Colne Meadows, near Watford, on September 4th, and 

 in October, 1881, another, which is in the possession of Mr. 

 Downer, was killed by the telegraph-wires near the same town. 

 In October, 1880, two were picked up dead by the railway near 

 St. Albans, and in September, 1883, one was shot at the Tring 

 Reservoirs, where another was obtained in October, 1885. In 

 November, 1893, a spotted crake, now in the possession of 

 Mr. Latchmore, was killed by flying against the telegraph-wires 

 at Hitchin, where others have been obtained from time to time, 



