A HISTORY OF LEICESTERSHIRE 



had taken up their position in the trees and hedge at a 

 particular spot by the River Soar, and were so en- 

 grossed as almost to ignore his presence. Feeling it wa* 

 something unusual which had caused this, he soon 

 ascertained that hosts of winged ants were sur- 

 rounding the nests of these birds, which were making 

 full use of their opportunities. Mr. W. J. Horn, 

 writing in 1907, says: 'The eggs of this species 

 vary considerably, and I have many varieties.' 



47. Swallow. Hirundo rustlca, Linn. 



Locally, Chimney-Swallow. 



A summer migrant, commonly distributed and 

 breeding. In 1887 I saw a solitary young bird so 

 late as 7 Nov. feebly flying over the houses near 

 Aylestone Church, crossing and re-crossing quite near 

 me several times, this being the latest date recorded 

 for the county since Harley's time. At Aylestone I 

 have found the swallow to be treble-brooded. Elking- 

 ton received a pure white specimen in 1880. In May, 

 1885, I saw a curious variety, a young bird, in the 

 possession of Mr. W. Whitaker, of Wistow, in which 

 the wings, tail, and back were greyish-white, the 

 throat faintly rufescent, the under parts almost of the 

 normal colour but paler, the head and nape faintly 

 tinged with dusky brown ; the oval spots on the tail- 

 feathers showed but dimly, and were of an isabelline 

 colour. Mr. J. B. Ellis presented to the museum 

 a variety almost precisely similar to that possessed by 

 Mr. Whitaker, which he shot at Bardon Hill 

 12 Aug., 1886. It was fully plumaged, without, of 

 course, the long outer tail-feathers of the adult, and 

 appeared on dissection to be a female. I think it is, 

 if anything, whiter than the Wistow specimen, but it 

 was not an albino, it having dark or greyish-brown 

 irides. Mr. Palmer, of Leicester, informed me that 

 on 15 Nov., 1891, he saw two swallows on the 

 Melbourne Road, and a fortnight previously he saw 

 a dozen in Spinney Hill Park. I saw a white or 

 isabelline specimen in the hands of Pinchin, who in- 

 formed me that it was shot at Wistow in the summer 

 of 1889 by Mr. W. Whitaker. Pinchin also stated 

 that a pure white variety was shot at Nailstone in the 

 summer of 1890 by Mr. Henfield. 



Mr. G. Frisby, writing in 1906, gives the following 

 records : ' 1 5 April, 1 906, a few swallows over 

 Swithland Reservoir; 1 8 April, 1906, over 200 at 

 Swithland, bitterly cold wind ; 8 June, 1906, a 

 pair nested on a hair-broom at Beaumanor.' He adds 

 that they roost on the willows at the osier beds, 

 Mountsorrel. Mr. Frisby saw one at Quorn so late 

 as 4 Nov., 1906. Mr. W. J. Horn says that on 

 II Nov., 1905, after a rough night a swallow was 

 flying round his house, and at mid-day it was joined 

 by a house-martin. 



48. House-Martin. Chelldon urbica (Linn.). 



A summer migrant, commonly distributed, and 

 breeding. Being double, and sometimes even treble- 

 brooded, this species occasionally remains with us until 

 very late ; and Harley, writing in 1851, said that he 

 had known the house-martin to remain in Leices- 

 tershire until 23 Nov., and had met with its nest 

 containing young on one of the early days of that 

 month. The Leicester Daily Mercury of 15 July, 

 1887, records that a pair of martins having 

 built a nest on a house at Melton found that a 

 sparrow had taken possession of it. In revenge the 



martin built the intruder in, only leaving a little hole 

 through which the sparrow could thrust its head. 

 The bird, unable to get out, died with its head out 

 of the small opening, and was used as a cushion on 

 which the eggs were deposited. 



The latest date recorded by Mr. G. Frisby is 

 loOct., 1906. Mr. W. J. Horn reports two flying 

 about in Hinckley Market Place, and one flying round 

 his house, n Nov., 1905. 



49. Sand-Martin. Cotile rifaria (Linn.). 

 Locaffy, Bank Martin. 



A summer migrant, commonly distributed, and 

 breeding so close to Leicester as the Aylestone sand- 

 pits. The late Mr. R. Widdowson's diary records : 

 'Saw white variety sand-martin 1 8 July, 1869.' 



50. Greenfinch. Ligurinus thhris (Linn.). 

 Locally, Green Linnet, Green Grosbeak. 



Resident and common in gardens and fields close 

 to Leicester. I have noticed this bird to be so fond 

 of the seeds of the sunflower as to come into gardens 

 within a few yards of the house-door and take but 

 little notice of people close at hand. Few other birds 

 appear to care for these seeds. The eggs are very 

 variable in size, shape, and colour. Mr. Davenport 

 writes: 'In July, 1883, I obtained a tiny egg of 

 this species from a nest near Ashlands ; it was marked 

 with a wreath at the thin end, and was about the size 

 of a tree-creeper's egg. This species constantly lays six 

 eggs.' The late Sir Arthur Hazlerigg possessed a 

 canary-coloured variety which he shot at Noseley 

 about 1868. 



51. Hawfinch. Coccothraustes vulgaris, Pallas. 



Locally, Common Grosbeak. 



Resident, generally distributed, more common 

 than formerly, and breeding occasionally. I 

 received three (two immature and one adult 

 female) from the Rev. G. D. Armitage, which were 

 caught at Broughton Astley, on 1 8 July, 1889. 

 Mr. Stephen H. Pilgrim, of Hinckley, shot one 

 there on 1 2 Dec., 1 889, and said that a man well 

 acquainted with birds told him a good many used to 

 frequent the yew-trees in Fenny Drayton church- 

 yard in winter. Mr. Ingram sent me a male speci- 

 men, shot at Belvoir on 3 Feb., 1890. The late Dr. 

 Macaulay reported a male bird shot at Gumley 

 in February, 1890. Mr. Thomas Barwell of Kirby 

 Muxloe sent me one which he picked up there on 

 13 Dec., 1889, and Mr. S. H. Pilgrim states, on 

 the authority of Puffer, that several were shot some 

 years ago whilst feeding on the fruit of a thorn-tree 

 near the gasworks at Hinckley. He further reports 

 one visiting Croft in the winter of 1 890. The late 

 Dr. Macaulay recorded one seen in the rectory garden, 

 Kibworth, on 15 Nov., 1891, by the Rev. C. E. 

 Crutwell. The late Major H. Jary writing from 

 Bitteswell on 17 July, 1894, said he had a young 

 bird which had become quite tame and was in good 

 plumage. He considered it rare in that stage, although 

 the adults were more common than suspected. 



A pair was seen by Mr. O. Murray-Dixon at 

 Swithland Reservoir on 22 March, 1903, and he 

 considers them fairly common. 



It appears to have nested at Bardon Hill, Coleorton, 

 near Loughborough, and in the grounds of Castle HilL 



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