104 BIRDS OF CHESHIRE. 
is only known in Cheshire as a straggler during the 
colder months. The bird is not included in Brockholes’ 
list, but it appears to have been a frequent visitor to 
the Wirral coast in the first half of the present century, 
for Mrs. Longueville of Upton Cross, Chester, who then 
lived at Hoylake, informed Dr. Dobie that she re- 
membered often seeing ‘Royston Crows’ in winter, 
their arrival being watched for by those interested in 
birds. At Hilbre Point they used to feed on mussels 
and crabs, which they broke by dropping them from a 
great height upon the rocks below. In recent years, 
however, the bird has only been noticed occasionally 
in Wirral. Two were shot out of a flock of seven or 
eight near Ledsham in November 1888, one of which is 
now in the Grosvenor Museum, Chester. Another bird 
in the same collection was obtained on the shore of 
the Mersey at Ince in 1882. Dr. Dobie also records 
the bird from Aldersey and Eaton Park.? 
The Hooded Crow occurs but rarely on the Cheshire 
Plain. One was shot some years ago at Warburton, 
and another, in the collection of Mr. J. E. Newton of 
Denfield Hall, was obtained near Rostherne some time 
prior to 1860. About the year 1884 a couple were 
seen in the woods at Plumbley; one, which was shot, is 
now in the possession of Mr. J. W. Nuttall of Bowdon. 
Mr. John Baddeley saw a Hooded Crow at close quarters 
when he was shooting near Cheadle in December 1895.8 
On February 17th, 1897, a bird was killed near North- 
wich; Hilton of Sale, in whose shop we saw it, assured 
us that he had preserved others which had been ob- 
tained on Carrington Moss. 
1 Dobie, op. cit. p. 306. 
2 J. E. Smith, Manchester City News, May 16, 1874. 
3 Manchester City News, April 18, 1896. 
