BIRDS 





a dozen nests being built there annually. I am in- 

 formed by Henry Long, keeper at Bosworth Park, 

 that some years ago a single pair of herons built a nest 

 there. Mr. G. H. Storer records a solitary nest 

 built in Buddon Wood in 1885, and Mr. R. Groves 

 another in May the same year at Bradgate. Mr. 

 Ingram writes : 'Occurs winter and summer, and a 

 pair have nested for several seasons in a wood at 

 Belvoir.' On 6 May, 1884, I went over to Staple- 

 ford Park, by permission of the late Rev. B. Sherard 

 Kennedy, to see the heronry. I found the heronry 

 had increased since Harley's time, from forty to fifty 

 nests being built in high elms and firs on an island in 

 the lake, to which the keeper rowed me. Nests and 

 old and young birds were procured and are now in 

 the museum. 



Harley wrote at p. 423 of his Synopsis: 'The 

 most noteworthy and remarkable bird that appears to 

 have visited Groby Pool of late years was a white 

 heron shot by Chaplin a few years ago. It was 

 purely white with black legs and a yellow bill, having 

 also an elongated occipital crest like that of the grey 

 species. The bird when surprised attempted to escape 

 and rose on the wing with several other birds of the 

 cinereous species ; but the albinism of its plumage, 

 according to Chaplin, caused it to be singled out and 

 shot. The bird must have been an albino variety of 

 the grey heron or a white egret ; but the elongated 

 crest and occipital plumes which Chaplin affirms the 

 example possessed, denote, I conjecture, a close 

 affinity to the former species, rather than to the white 

 egret.' Whilst at p. 266 we find: 'The albino 

 example of heron shot by Chaplin on the banks of 

 Groby Pool, some few years since, and which he 

 described to me very carefully, could not be Ardea 

 alba, as I am assured by Professor MacGillivray, to 

 whom I took occasion to communicate the notice of 

 its occurrence. The "elongated crest and occipital 

 plumes denote," observes the Professor, " its true 

 affinity to ardea cinerea." ' Harley's opinion therefore 

 appears to have been confirmed by Professor Mac- 

 Gillivray solely on these grounds ; but as the size of the 

 bird is not stated it might have been a specimen of 

 Ardea garzetta but for the colour of the bill. Mr. 

 Harting, who commented upon this in the Zoo!. 1886, 

 p. 197, thinks it 'more likely to have been a spoon- 

 bill,' but surely Chaplin, who appears to have been a 

 fairly competent observer, would have noted the 

 extraordinary bill of the spoonbill so utterly unlike 

 that of any other bird and have described this pecu- 

 liarity to Harley. Mr. G. Frisby writes, 30 Jan., 

 1906 : ' Herons are seen occasionally at Beaumanor 

 Park, about half a dozen regularly at Swithland 

 Reservoir.' He further writes, in 1906 : ' It is not 

 unusual to see the heron mobbed by the rooks, and 

 once this summer I saw one mobbed by swallows.' 

 Mr. W. J. Horn writes, in 1907 : 'Frequently seen 

 on the Welland.' 



1 1 6. Night Heron. Nycticorax grlseus (Linn.). 



A very rare visitant, about which Harley, writing 

 1850-5, said: 'A fine example was shot by a 

 countryman a few years since in the lordship of 

 Ansty as it was sitting on the top of a pollard wil- 

 low by a pool.' Harley examined it shortly after 

 capture. He also mentions another bird which was 

 shot in 1846, at Donington, and recorded by the 

 Rev. A. Evans. 



1 1 7. Little Bittern. Ardetta minuta (Linn.). 



An accidental summer visitant, which according to 

 Harley ' has once occurred, namely on the banks of 

 Groby Pool, at the close of the summer of 1863, as I 

 learn from Chaplin.' Mr. Davenport wrote, in 

 January, 1886: 'One was shot some dozen years 

 ago by a Mr. Allen of Glen, sold by him to Potter 

 and re-sold by Potter to the Rev. J. S epherd, the then 

 curate of Billesden.' Potter of Billesdon remark- 

 ing upon this, gives the date as November, 1867, and 

 seems to be quite sure of the species ; but as the bird 

 cannot be traced, the record must stand upon its merits. 

 Since then Mr. W. J. Horn has called my attention 

 to the following note in the Zool. of 1868, p. 1212, 

 contributed by Mr. Theodore Walker : ' Little 

 bittern, one shot at Billesdon Coplow in January 

 of this year.' This he considers is the bird already 

 referred to. 



1 1 8. Bittern. Botaurus ttellaris (Linn.). 



A rarer visitant to Britain than formerly. Mr. 

 Babington (Potter, op. cit. App. 68) said: 'One 

 was shot near Ashby, in 1834, by the late Mr. 

 Joseph Cantrell ; another, killed at Wanlip, is in the 

 possession of C. Winstanley esq., of Braunstone Hall.' 

 Harley wrote : ' The species occurred during the 

 winter months of the year 1844 at Croft, and it has 

 since been met with on the marshy part of Bosworth 

 pool or " Big River." It has been met with also 

 at Swithland. It occurred in the winter of 18545 

 at Carlton Curlieu.' He further recorded that it 

 occurred in December, 1855. A notice appeared in 

 the Leicester Journal of 29 Jan. 1847, of the occurrence 

 of a bittern at Swithland a few days before. Mr. W. 

 Brookes of Croft informs me that a friend of his shot 

 one at Elmesthorpe somewhere about 1848. The late 

 Mr. Widdowson informed me that he had known 

 about six killed in his neighbourhood in about twenty- 

 five years. Mr. Theodore Walker, writing in the 

 May number of the Zool. for 1868, p. 1212, 

 recorded that a splendid specimen was shot in the snipe 

 grounds of Groby Pool in March. The museum 

 contains a fine example (probably a male) shot at 

 Enderby, and presented by Mr. William Simpson, 

 21 Dec., 1871. I saw a fine specimen in the posses- 

 sion of C. Adcock, who told me that it was shot 

 at Thurmaston on 28 Dec., 1878. A female bittern, 

 presented to the museum by Mr. E. Willars on 

 4 March, 1885, was shot at Cropston Reservoir. The 

 late Mr. Thomas Woodcock informed me that Mr. 

 H. C. Woodcock, of Rearsby House, saw a bittern on 

 the Wreak between Rearsby and RatclifFe Mill, on 

 26 Jan., 1892. 



119. White Stork. Ciconia alba, Bechstein. 



Of accidental occurrence in Britain. Harley re- 

 corded that one was obtained near Melton Mowbray 

 in 1849, and the narrative of its capture was related 

 to him by a resident of that place, Mr. Widdowson, 

 who had the bird in his possession. One in the 

 possession of Mr. T. Morris of Wycombe, near 

 Melton Mowbray, was shot by his brother early one 

 morning as it sat on one of his farm-buildings at 

 Scalford Lodge in 1 8 5 1 . I believe this to be the one 

 alluded to by Harley. Another specimen of this bird 

 was shot in the Narborough Road, Leicester, on 

 6 March, 1873, and is in the museum. 



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