A HISTORY OF LEICESTERSHIRE 



banks of Groby Pool, in November, 1845, and that 

 during the year several other examples were shot in 

 various parts of the county. Mr. John Hunt, for- 

 merly of Leicester, informed me that some time about 

 1880 he shot one at Kilby Bridge. Early in 1902 

 Dr. E. Young shot a fine male in Narborough Bogs, 

 which he presented to the museum. 



134. Common Teal. Nation crecca (Linn.). 

 Resident, but sparingly distributed. The late 



Dr. Macaulay recorded (Mid. Nat. 1882, p. ll) that 

 he had shot this species on Saddington Reservoir and out 

 of the River Welland. Mr. Ingram writes : 'Visits 

 the Knipton Reservoir and the lakes at Belvoir.' 

 Mr. W. A. Vice, M.B., of Blaby Mills, showed me a 

 specimen shot on the mill-stream, and I have also 

 seen a fine male, shot by Mr. Bevans some years ago 

 at the Abbey Meadow. In the spring of 1825 

 Hurley came across a brood in a pond choked with 

 rushes and sedges near Dishley Mill. The nest, 

 composed of rushes and grass and lined with down, 

 was carefully concealed beneath a small shrub which 

 overhung the pond. Both parents assisted in the 

 care of the young. In 1844 there was another nest 

 of this species on the banks of Groby Pool, where 

 the young, seven in number, came abroad early in 

 the month of June. Mr. G. Frisby, under date 

 24 Dec., 1906, reports 'a good number at Swith- 

 land Reservoir.' Mr. W. J. Horn writes in 1907 : 

 ' I have seen this bird on Saddington Reservoir 

 and the Upper Welland. I March, 1902, I saw one 

 at Ashley. I have no record of its having nested 

 in this district, but on 10 June, 1901, I flushed two 

 males from the Welland adjoining the Market Har- 

 borough Sewage Farm.' Mr. H. S. Davenport shot 

 a male at Billesdon 12 Dec., 1890. 



135. Garganey. Querjuedula circia (Linn.). 

 Locally, Summer Teal. 



A rare summer visitant. It is here included on 

 the authority of the late Dr. Macaulay, who (Mid. 

 Nat. 1 88 1, p. 256) shot four (at one shot) at Sad- 

 dington Reservoir, in July, 1 868. Unfortunately so 

 little interest attached to these specimens that they 

 were all eaten. 



136. Wigeon. Mareca penelope (Linn.). 

 Locally, Smee, Whew Duck. 



A winter visitant. Not uncommon on the rivers 

 Soar and Trent, as well as on large sheets of water, 

 such as Saddington and Knipton Reservoirs. On 

 28 April, 1886, two were procured at Belvoir ; both 

 were males one a beautiful adult, the other imma- 

 ture and are now in the museum. Mr. O. Murray- 

 Dixon saw a flock of twenty on Swithland Reservoir 

 1 6 Dec., 1903, and Mr. G. Frisby observed it there 

 so late in the spring as 12 May, 1906, and four 

 returned on 20 Sept., 1906. Mr. W. J. Horn 

 writes in 1 907 : ' I have seen several on Saddington 

 Reservoir. On I March, 1902, I saw three on the 

 Welland, near Ashley Station.' 



137. Pochard. Fuligula fenna (Linn.). 



Locally, Dunbird, Poker-Duck (a corruption). 



A winter visitant, occurring occasionally. Harley 



observed that the species was met with on Groby 



Pool and other waters in different parts of the county, 



in the winter of 1841-2. He also stated that Mr. 



Babington's MS. notes contain a record of the 

 occurrence of this bird at Kegworth. The late Mr. 

 Widdowson's diary records one killed at Leesthorpe 

 on 29 June, 1 867. The late Dr. Macaulay reported 

 one shot at Thornton Reservoir in 1883. The Rev. 

 G. D. Armitage informed me that on 8 Feb., 1884, 

 ' seven came to the mill-dam at Broughton Astley and 

 five were shot by Mr. C. W. Berridge, who has one 

 male bird now stuffed.' A male pochard was 

 obtained at Saddington Reservoir, 15 Jan., 1886, by 

 Mr. A. K. Perkins. Mr. W. A. Evans shot one on 

 Saddington Reservoir on 23 Feb., 1889. Both speci- 

 mens are now in the museum. Mr. S. H. Pilgrim 

 received from the Rev. A. F. Aylward, of Enderby, a 

 fine male specimen which had been shot by him at 

 that place on 3 Jan., 1893. Mr. O. Murray-Dixon 

 shot two drakes and a duck on Swithland Reservoir 

 on 8 Oct., 1906, and Mr. G. Frisby reports it there 

 on 1 6 Oct., 1906, and as being 'fairly abundant 

 recently,' under date 24 Dec., 1906. Mr. W. J. 

 Horn writes in 1907: 'On 1 8 March, 1899, I 

 saw seven on Saddington Reservoir, and on 20 April, 

 1903, I saw a male and a female at the same place. 

 On 7 June, 1902, I visited Saddington Reservoir, and 

 Stafford, the keeper, informed me that a pair of pochards 

 had that year nested on the island. The female was 

 sitting on seven eggs on Whit Sunday, but Mr. 

 Evans camped on the island for two or three days, 

 causing her to desert. Stafford placed the eggs under 

 a hen, but without result. I did not see the birds, 

 but Stafford said they were still on the reservoir, he 

 having seen them that morning. I saw the nest, it 

 was composed of dead leaves, but unfortunately there 

 was no down.' 



Mr. A. Dalby, of Castle Donington, had a male 

 brought to him 12 Jan., 1895, which is preserved 

 and is now in his possession. 



138. Tufted Duck. Fufigula cristata (Leach). 



Locally, Crested Pochard, Tufted Pochard, Tufted 



Scaup. 



Not uncommon in winter, but does not appear to 

 remain to breed. Mr. Babington (Potter, op. cit. 

 App.) stated that it had been shot at Groby by Lord 

 Stamford's keeper. Harley recorded that it had been 

 killed frequently on the River Soar, as well as upon 

 several large pools in the county, and that in the 

 winter of 1840 it appeared in small flocks. On 

 Groby Pool Chaplin shot many examples, and Harley 

 was assured it was found no less abundantly in other 

 localities. Again, in March, 1845, several were seen 

 on the Soar and other streams. The thermometer 

 on the I ithand 1 2th of that month fell to 10 degrees 

 Fahrenheit, and in some localities to 3 degrees below 

 zero a degree of cold not experienced, he remarked, 

 since 1838. At Groby Pool the wild-fowl tarried 

 late, but on the break up of the frost, on the 1 4th of 

 the month, they disappeared entirely. Mr. C. Mar- 

 riott informs me that a male was shot at Cotesbach 

 by the keeper, John Freer, circa 1860. Sir George 

 Beaumont wrote to the late Dr. Macaulay that one 

 was killed at Coleorton Hall in 1865. Dr. Macaulay 

 shot one at Saddington Reservoir on 2 Dec., 1880, 

 and recorded (Mid. Nat. 1883, p. 85) that one was 

 killed by Lord Boyle at the Reservoir on 1 1 Jan., 

 1882. Mr. Ingram wrote: 'Specimen shot on 

 the Belvoir Lake in winter,' and one (a male) was 

 sent by him to the museum, shot by the keeper, 



142 



