BIRDS 



176. Corn Crake or Land Rail. Crex pra- 



tensis, Bechstein. 



A spring visitor, formerly very plentiful but 

 now much rarer. I fancy the mowing 

 machine has much to answer for this. A 

 pale cream-coloured variety was shot near 

 Newark-on-Trent and is in my collection. 



177. Spotted Crake. Porzana maruetta 



(Leach) 



Has been killed in various parts of the 

 county ; twenty-five were brought to one 

 bird-stuffer in Nottingham in 1871, in which 

 year several pairs nested in Nottingham 

 meadows. 



178. Baillon's Crake. Porzana baillom (Vieil- 



lot) 



On 22 June 1893 a man going to work 

 in the early morning picked up one of these 

 birds from under the telegraph wires close to 

 Gedling near Nottingham ; it was an adult 

 specimen in beautiful plumage, and looked 

 rather as if it might have been nesting. 

 Another of these crakes was shot near Retford 

 a short time after. 



179. Water Rail. Rallus aguaticus, Linn. 



This retiring bird is, I believe, more com- 

 mon than is supposed. I have often seen it 

 at Rainworth, and have shot several near 

 Epperstone. I have no doubt it nests, though 

 I have never found one. 



1 80. Moorhen. Gallinula chloropus (Linn.) 



Common on all streams and ponds ; there 

 are great numbers on the different pieces of 

 water at Rainworth. A tawny variety was 

 killed some years back in Nottingham mea- 

 dows, and in 1894 my son also shot one at 

 Rainworth. Mr. Watson of Beeston has a 

 pretty speckled variety obtained near there in 

 1872. A beautiful white bird shot at Glebe 

 Thorpe in 1901 is in my collection. 



181. Coot. Fulica atra, Linn. 



Fairly common, but local. There are 

 numbers on the lake at Thoresby, and also on 

 Rainworth Water ; a pied variety was shot 

 on the mill dam at Southwell. 



182. Crane. Grus communis, Bechstein. 

 This very rare straggler has only been ob- 

 tained in the county once, when it was shot 

 by a man on the Trent near Gunthorpe in 

 1851, and bought for Js. 6ct. by Cutts for 

 Mr. Felkin. It was a young male in imma- 

 ture plumage, and is now in the Nottingham 

 Museum. 



183. Little Bustard. Otis tetrax, Linn. 

 There are several occurrences of this bird 



one in 1854 at Shelton, where it was feeding 

 with some fowls ; another at South Clifton 

 on 21 December 1856 ; I have two, bought 

 at a sale of Mr. Foottit's collection, which 

 were killed near Newark ; the male is in full 

 breeding plumage, and was the first ever seen 

 in Britain in this state (since then one was 

 killed in Norfolk in 1898, also in full 

 plumage). 



184. Stone Curlew. CEdicnemus scolopax 



(S. G. Gmelin) 



This fine bird has been seen many times 

 in Nottinghamshire. It has been shot at 

 RufFord, Farnsfield, Papplewick and New- 

 stead. A pair nested near Rainworth in 

 1881, also in 1887 and 1891, and I have 

 two of these eggs in my collection. 



185. Dotterel. Eudromias morinellus (Linn.) 

 A few were shot on Oxton Warren about 



1860, and I killed a young bird at Ramsdale, 

 2O August 1890. Small flocks are seen 

 occasionally in May on Ratcher Hill ; about 

 twenty were there for a few days in May 

 1901, resting on their way north. 



1 86. Ringed Plover. /Egialitis hiaticula 



(Linn.) 



A good many have been seen from time to 

 time, and several have been obtained on the 

 side of Mansfield reservoir. In August 1873 

 eight were seen on the side of a small stream 

 at Rainworth and two were shot. It has 

 also been shot at Burton Joyce and Wilford. 



187. Golden Plover. Charadrius pluvialis, 



Linn. 



Some years, and more often in the spring, 

 great numbers of this species are seen in the 

 large fields at Rainworth, and stay till the 

 end of March, when many have got their 

 black breasts. A scattered few are found in 

 suitable localities in autumn, and I know no 

 place where they are oftener seen than at 

 Papplewick. 



1 88. Grey Plover. Squatarola helvetica (Linn.) 

 This is a rare straggler, and I have notes 



of only four occurrences in Nottinghamshire 

 one, a fine old bird, in my collection, shot at 

 Mansfield reservoir ; one killed at Sutton ; 

 one near Edwinstowe, and one near Notting- 

 ham. 



189. Lapwing. Vanellus vulgarly Bechstein. 

 A resident and seen in large flocks ; it 



breeds in fair numbers, especially in north 



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