A HISTORY OF SUFFOLK 



size and entire absence of white in the 

 plumage distinguish this bird from the ring- 

 dove, and it does not ' coo,' but utters instead 

 a singular grunting note. 



1 80. Turtle-Dove. Turtur communis, Selby. 

 A summer migrant arriving about May 

 Day and easily encouraged by feeding. For 

 some years past they have come daily to the 

 garden at Tostock rectory in the summer 

 months, feeding on maize thrown down for 

 the tame pigeons, and though they do not 

 pass the winter north of the Mediterranean 

 there can be little doubt that the same birds 

 return to their old haunts year after year. 

 They are very fond of salt, and when seen 

 in kitchen gardens they come there with no 

 worse intent than to peck about on the salt- 

 impregnated soil of the asparagus beds. The 

 beauty and harmlessness of this bird well 

 merit the protection ordered in west Suffolk 

 both for itself and its eggs. 



i8i. Pallas's Sand-Grouse. Syrrhaptes para- 

 doxus (Pallas) 

 Suffolk was visited by this Asiatic species 

 both in the immigration of 1863 and the 

 second and much larger one in 1888. Mr. 

 Hele records [Notes about A Idehurgh, ed. 1890, 

 p. 79) that on 28 May, 1863, seven were 

 seen to come in from the sea, which alighted 

 on the shore at Thorpe. A female (Ipswich 

 Museum) was shot and brought to him, and 

 many others were afterwards seen. Dr. 

 Babington [Catalogue, pp. 236-8) has given 

 a very careful record of the first visitation 

 with illustrations of a cock and hen. The 

 pioneers of the second visitation appeared in 

 Suffolk about the end of May, 1888, when 

 one was obtained at Mildenhall and another 

 picked up on the beach at Lowestoft. Several 

 "were shot near Aldeburgh, some of which 

 were taken to Mr. Hele, and a fine pair in 

 the Tostock rectory collection were kindly 

 sent by him in the flesh. The birds soon 

 spread all over the county, and many passed 

 on to the midlands. Some remained till the 

 end of the year, but no attempt at breeding 

 appears to have been made in Suffolk. In 

 1889 'there was a beautiful single male 

 Pallas's sand-grouse killed at Thorpe Haven 

 the very end of January. It was peculiarly 

 marked about the breast, being very dark. 

 The primaries of the wings and elongated 

 feathers of the tail were most perfect. The 

 bird weighed thirteen ounces. I should say 

 about the best example obtained ' (N. F. Hele 

 in litt.). Dr. Babington died in January, 

 1889, having been for some time in failing 

 health, which prevented him from going 



thoroughly into the visitation of 1888, and 

 perhaps the last addition to his fine collection 

 of birds was a male of this species shot at 

 Lowestoft 13 June, 1888. It is impossible 

 to give any idea of the number visiting the 

 county or of those killed, but a local paper 

 stated that on 27 August a flock of two or 

 three hundred birds passed over Eriswell, and 

 it is pretty certain that all those which were 

 shot were not recorded. 



182. Pheasant. Phasianus colchicus, Linn. 

 Though thousands of pheasants are annu- 

 ally reared and shot in Suffolk, it would now 

 be a difficult matter to obtain a specimen of 

 the pure old English form. The great ma- 

 jority of cocks show more or less of the white 

 ring on the neck derived from the Chinese 

 P. torquatus, and as the Japanese pheasant 

 and Reeves' pheasant have also been 

 turned down in various places, cross-bred 

 birds in great variety have been shot. Pied 

 or even white varieties are common enough, 

 and about the end of 1898 two hybrids be- 

 tween the pheasant and common fowl were 

 sent to Bury to be preserved. Colonel Butler 

 records [Zoologist, 1901, p. 477) a black 

 grouse and pheasant hybrid shot near Wood- 

 bridge, and it seems hardly needful to add 

 that the presence of the black grouse in Suf- 

 folk is due to some having been turned down. 



183. Partridge. Perdix cinerea, hutham. 



Suffolk has long been regarded as a strong- 

 hold of this favourite game bird, which is 

 often spoken of as the ' pattridge.' They 

 are expected to be paired by Valentine Day 

 and to have hatched by Midsummer Day. 

 Varieties of plumage occur from time to 

 time. 



184. Red-legged Partridge. Caccahis rufa 



(Linn.) 

 Locally, French Partridge or Frenchman. 



Towards the close of the eighteenth cen- 

 tury these birds were introduced into England 

 ' by the Marquis of Hertford and Lord 

 Rendlesham, each of whom had eggs procured 

 on the Continent, carefully brought to Eng- 

 land, and placed under domestic fowls ; the 

 former at Sudbourn, near (Jrford in Suffolk, 

 one of his shooting residences ; the latter on 

 his estates at Rendlesham, a few miles distant 

 from Sudbourn. From these places the birds 

 have been gradually extending themselves 

 over the adjoining counties ' (Yarrell, ed. 4, 

 iii. 1 1 6). The 'Frenchman' is now dis- 

 persed all through the county, and is perhaps 

 as common in the neighbourhood of Diss as 

 anywhere. Young birds of this species in 



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