A HISTORY OF NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 



near Nottingham, four of which were killed 

 at one shot. Mr. Hall has two which were 

 killed at Park Hall, and a pair were obtained 

 at Beeston Rylands near Nottingham in 

 1891. 



1 66. Ring Dove or Wood Pigeon. Columba 



palumbus, Linn. 



A very common bird, and flocks of several 

 hundreds are seen on the new seed fields near 

 Mansfield in winter. It breeds in quantities 

 and does much damage to young seeds. I 

 once shot twelve at a ' right and left,' and 

 I have white, sandy and cream-coloured 

 varieties, also a very pretty pied one which 

 was shot near Mansfield. 



167. Stock Dove. Columba aenas. Linn. 

 Fairly common locally, but not so numer- 

 ous as the last species, I have four or five 

 pairs nesting in boxes put up in the trees at 

 Rainworth. In my collection there is a very 

 pretty hybrid between a stock-dove and a 

 common tame pigeon. The bird was hatched 

 in one of the old hollow oak trees where the 

 pair were often seen together, and it was shot 

 at Haywood Oaks. I have also a pretty 

 speckled variety, shot at Rainworth, but in 

 this species varieties are very rare. 



1 68. Turtle Dove, lurtur communis, Selby. 

 The first turtle-doves ever noticed in Not- 

 tinghamshire, to my knowledge, were observed 

 in the very dry summer of 1868, when I 

 shot one which was the first stuffed in Not- 

 tingham ; since then they have increased and 

 are now common. In May 1902 I saw a 

 flock of twenty-seven, but it is rare to see 

 them in flocks of such size. 



169. Pallas's Sand Grouse. Syrrhaptes para- 



doxus (Pallas) 



In the extraordinary flight of these birds 

 that visited Great Britain in 1863 five were 

 killed ; a pair, male and female, were shot in 

 May at Farnsfield ; another male at Farnsfield 

 on 20 August ; and a pair of females were 

 caught in rabbit traps on Two Oaks farm 

 near Mansfield. A much larger flight visited 

 us in 1888, when I saw as many as sixty 

 together in the forest ; and one day in June 

 of that year thirty-two flew over my head in 

 the Deer Park at Rainworth. They had all 

 left by the following October. Two eggs 

 were taken in the forest, but were broken 

 before I could secure them. 



170. Black Grouse. Tetrao tetrix, Linn. 



I am delighted to say we still have a few 

 of these grand game birds in the forest, and 

 some forty years back packs of fifties were 



about. I have heard of a man who killed eight 

 at one shot when sunning themselves on some 

 rails. The species has become more scarce, 

 as the odd bits of forest have been enclosed ; 

 but I hope it will be long ere it is a bird of 

 the past in these parts. 



171. Red Grouse. Lagopus scoticus (Latham) 

 Now and again in severe winters this bird 



is driven from the Derbyshire moors and is 

 shot in Nottinghamshire. A male was killed 

 at Bevercotes in 1860 ; in 1863 several were 

 killed near Nottingham ; one was shot at 

 Clipstone in 1 883, and one was seen on Mans- 

 field Forest in January 1903. 



172. Pheasant. Phasianus colcbkus, Linn. 

 Found in quantities all over the county, 



and in addition many thousands of tame birds 

 are turned up. Over 2,000 have been killed 

 in a day at Welbeck. 



173. Partridge. Perdix cinerea, Latham. 

 Nottinghamshire is one of the best counties 



for this species of game bird, particularly in 

 the middle and north, where it is very numer- 

 ous. At Welbeck over 600 brace have been 

 shot in one day, and Mr. Hollins has killed 

 over 300 brace in a day at Berry Hill near 

 Mansfield. I saw a very pretty pale cream- 

 coloured variety shot one day at Clipstone. 

 The large increase is due to driving and turn- 

 ing up Hungarian birds. 



[Virginian Colin. Perdix virginiana 

 (Latham) 



Several of these birds have been obtained 

 in the county, and though they have been 

 turned out in numbers in various parts of 

 England as far back as Montagu's time, I 

 think it as well to notice this species. I have 

 one shot at Thrumpton in September 1872, 

 and another was killed at the same place 

 shortly after.] 



174. Red-legged Partridge. Caccabis rufa 



(Linn.) 



About 1872 the late Duke of Portland 

 turned some of these birds out, and they were 

 added to by Mr. Lees ; a few were obtained 

 prior to this time, but it was then a rare bird. 

 Latterly they have increased much, and as 

 many as forty-eight brace have been shot in 

 a day at Welbeck. 



175. Quail. Coturnix communis, Bonnaterre. 

 This is not so plentiful as formerly, and is 



regarded in these days as a rare bird. I have 

 shot it at Ramsdale in September and Decem- 

 ber ; it has nested there on several occasions, 

 and also at Rainworth. In 1 874 I killed seven 

 in one day at Ramsdale. 



170 



