71 



THE OCCURRENCE OF RARE BIRDS IN HEREFORD- 

 SHIRE AND THEIR NIDIFICATION IN THE 

 COUNTY. 



By ARTHUR ARMITAGE, Esq., Vice-President, 

 And the Rev. CLEMENT LEY. 



In attempting to give some account of the occurrence and nidification of 

 the more uncommon birds in Herefordshire, it will be desirable to follow as a 

 guide, in the matter of arrangement, the usual order of ornithological classifica- 

 tion, not as the most technical (for technicalities will be aa far as possible avoided * 

 in the following paper), but as affording the most obvious and convenient course. 

 It is intended to give a short account of the visits of the rarer species, so far as 

 they have come iinder personal observation, and of some particulars relative to 

 the nests and eggs of birds, which it is hoped may be found interesting. 



Commencing then with our birds of prey : Besides a few stragglers of the 

 rarer falcons, such as the Peregrine (Falco perer/rinusX a specimen of which was 

 taken last year in the neighbourhood of Ross, Herefordshire can boast of some 

 rather uncommon regular visitors and residents. The Hobby (Falco subbiUeoJ, 

 though nowhere numerous, may frequently be seen in the summer months in that 

 neighbourhood, and probably in other of the more wooded portions of the 

 county, and a summer never passes without our occasionally seeing a pair of 

 these beautiful falcons, soaring with their narrow bow-like wings and rapid 

 flight over our larger woods. The eggs have been taken in the woods on Aeon- 

 bury HilL 



The little Merlin (Falco cesalon) is still to be found, or was a year or two 

 since, on the Black Mountain, and the eggs exhibited, we took ourselves from a 

 neat in the heather on the Fwddog Mountain 10 years ago, in the month of May. 



The Kite (Falco milvus) is almost a bird of the past in our county, though 

 once or twice we have noticed it, and the Common Buzzard (Falco buteoj is 

 becoming yearly more uncommon. 



It may be mentioned that only last week, in the parish of Sellack, we had 

 a fine view of a pair of these birds, which continued to circle round for a quarter 

 of an hour nearly over the same spot. 



In the woods thatjborder the "Wye valley between Ross and Monmouth, they 

 may still be seen, but are rapidly disappearing under the ruthless persecution of 

 the gamekeeper. 



