BIRDS 



72. Two-barred Crossbill. Loxia bifasciata 



(Brehm) 



One of these rare stragglers was shot by 

 George Emery in the Residence Gardens at 

 Southwell about 1875. It was taken in the 

 flesh to the late F. Schumach, the taxidermist 

 of Southwell, who preserved it and put it 

 away. After his death it was given to me by 

 his son, who remembered seeing it when it 

 was brought to his father. The bird is in 

 beautiful plumage and is a most interesting 

 county specimen. 



73. Black-headed Bunting. Emberiza melano- 



cephala, Scopoli 



Stanley, the bird-stuffer of Nottingham, had 

 a specimen in fine plumage brought to him 

 with some small birds which had been caught 

 near Nottingham in the spring of 1886. 

 The Rev. J. Ashworth seeing it there and 

 noticing that it was something out of the 

 common expressed a wish to have it ; Stanley 

 at once gave it him, little thinking how rare 

 it was. It was identified by Professor Newton. 

 Only three others have occurred in Britain. 



74. Corn-Bunting. Emberiza miliaria, Linn. 

 Resident and fairly common in cultivated 



parts of the county ; the nest of this bird is 

 very hard to find. It is often a very late 

 breeder, and I have found its nest at Rain- 

 worth in August. I have a pretty pied bird 

 shot in 1882 at Blidworth, and a pale cream- 

 coloured variety shot at Newstead Abbey in 

 1883. 



75. Yellow Hammer. Emberiza citrine/la, 



Linn. 



A very common bird and frequents culti- 

 vated fields with high hedges ; I have several 

 very pretty varieties shot in the county. 



76. Cirl Bunting. Emberiza cir/us, Linn. 

 Rare ; a few have been taken near Ollerton, 



and Mr. Wells shot five at Edwinstowe in 

 1859. On 5 February 1897 two were 

 caught in a clap-net at Bagthorpe near Notting- 

 ham with some chaffinches. I bought the two 

 for is. kd. from their captor, and was very 

 pleased to get such rare county birds for my 

 collection. 



77- Reed Bunting. Emberiza schceniclus, Linn. 



Resident and fairly numerous in suitable 

 places. I have a pretty pied variety shot near 

 Newark-on-Trent. 



78. Snow Bunting. Plectrophenax nivalis 



(Linn.) 



A rare winter visitor. A flock was seen 

 by Mr. Lowe at Highfields in January 1854, 

 three birds were shot at Oxton in 1880 



by Mr. Musters, and in March 1901 when 

 driving with Mr. Aplin near Clipstone we 

 saw one on the high road ; the last specimen 

 was in good plumage and very tame. 



79. Lapland Bunting. Calcarius lapponicus 



(Linn.) 



This rare straggler has occurred once in 

 Nottinghamshire ; it was shot by Mr. Wells 

 in the winter of 1850 amongst a number of 

 larks between Edwinstowe and Ollerton. 



80. Starling. Sturnus vulgarly Linn. 



A resident and very common, nesting in 

 any possible place it can find. I have nearly 

 100 boxes on trees at Rainworth, each one 

 containing a pair of these birds. Great 

 flocks get together early in July and keep in 

 company till the following spring. A fir 

 wood near Rainworth is a favourite place for 

 roosting in winter and is resorted to by tens 

 of thousands of starlings. I have a pure 

 white variety, also cream, grey and sandy- 

 coloured varieties shot in these parts. This 

 bird is single brooded. 



8 1. Rose-coloured Starling. Pastor roseus 



(Linn.) 



Very rare. I know of only two speci- 

 mens, one shot many years ago by my father's 

 keeper at Ramsdale, and the other was killed 

 near West Bridgford and is in the collection 

 of Mr. Chaworth Musters of Annesley Park. 



82. Nutcracker. Nucifraga caryocatactes(L'mn.) 



One was seen at Ramsdale by my brother 

 in the winter of 1871. It flew out from a 

 thorn tree and he had a shot at it, but missed ; 

 on following it up he had a good view of it 

 several times, but could not secure it. 



83. Jay. Garrulus glandarius (Linn.) 

 Fairly common, especially in big woods 



where it nests ; great numbers come to us in 

 autumn. I have four white jays which have 

 been shot in the county, also a pied variety, 

 and I have heard of several others. 



84. Magpie. Pica rustica (Scopoli) 

 Resident, but far from common. It is fairly 



numerous in the southern portion of the county 

 but scarcer in the northern parts. I saw a nest 

 containing five eggs near Farnsfield in 1902 

 on the side of the high road in a small thorn 

 tree not more than 10 feet from the ground. 



85. Jackdaw. Corvus monedula, Linn. 

 This bird nests in the old oaks in the 



Birklands, and is scattered over the county in 

 autumn and winter. A pied one was seen 

 at Ollerton, and I have a brown variety shot 

 near Nottingham. 



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