DISTRIBUTION OF THE NIGHTINGALE. 19 



nesting near Keythorpe, and one at Skeggington, in 1893, an 

 exceptional year. A nest was taken at Tugby in 1888, and 

 another reported in 1893 (Rev. H. Parry). The only definite 

 record from the west of Charnwood Forest is that of one heard 

 in 1906 at Swannington (Mr. G. Frisby). Finally, in the south- 

 eastern border of the county, Mr. W. J. Horn states that in 

 1905 no fewer than twenty-five males were in song in the 

 Market Harborough district. 



Nottinghamshire. — As compared with the adjoining county 

 of Derbyshire, the distribution of the Nightingale is remarkable 

 in extending far more to the north. But here again, as usual, 

 the He of the land gives the clue to the problem, for while the 

 only low-lying parts of Derbyshire are the ^vide vale of the 

 Trent and the lower parts of the Dove and Derwent vallej-s, 

 all in the extreme south of the county, the greater part of 

 Nottinghamshire is traversed by the Trent, with low-lying 

 meadows on either hand as it flows northward to the Humber, 

 and the only rising ground is in the Mansfield district, while 

 even here only one or two scattered portions exceed 600 feet 

 in height. So that it is not surprising to find that there are 

 few districts in which it has not occasionally bred, while it is 

 quite common in the Trent valley between Nottingham and 

 Newark, as well as on the Leicestershire border near Belvoir. 

 In the Trent valley above Nottingham it is much scarcer, 

 but has bred for three or four years past, at any rate, at 

 Wollaton (Miss M. Russell), while Mr. C. E. Pearson heard it 

 only twice in thirty years at Chilwell. Lower down it is much 

 commoner, and is reported at three places between Nottingham 

 and Lowdham (Mr. C. E. Pearson), at Arnold, Oxton and^ 

 Southwell, the two latter regularly (Mr. J. Whitaker), at 

 Bleasby (Miss N. Marsh), while Mr. Poynty Wright has found 

 it plentiful in the Trent valley as far as Newark, and thinks 

 that it shows a tendency to increase. He also considers it 

 fairly well distributed in the south-east comer of the county, 

 and it is common in the Vale of Belvoir, and breeds there 

 (Whatton-in- the- Vale, etc.). In the Sherwood Forest district 

 it is only an occasional visitor, and Mr. Whitaker only records 

 it five times in thirty-four years at Rainworth, but states that 

 it has nested at Ollerton. Still further north we come to the 

 well- wooded and fertile " Dukeries," Here a few pairs have 

 long been known to breed near Worksop, and the Rev. L. C. 

 Barnes heard two in song in May, 1909, at Scofton, while 

 Mr. Whitaker states that it has nested near Retford. From 

 the north-east of the county our information is defective, but 

 it is probable that a few pairs breed there also. 



