BIRDS 



state of captivity.* 1 Another, an immature bird, killed 

 near Hinckley in the autumn of 1879 and secured 

 for the collection of Mr. R. W. Chase, of Birmingham, 

 has since been presented by him to the museum, for 

 which also has been purchased an immature speci- 

 men (mounted) almost identical in plumage with 

 that last mentioned, said to have been shot at Somerby 

 m November, 1 88 1. I saw at Pinchen's on z Feb., 

 1891, a specimen which had been picked up by 

 Mr. Sharp at Bradgate Reservoir, in October or No- 

 vember, 1 890, and which, until I saw it, Mr. Pinchen 

 had believed to be the great skua and had sold as such, 

 at a high price to the late Dr. Macaulay, in whose 

 possession it was, and who considered it to be the 

 common skua. A bird of this species was found 

 exhausted in a pigstye, at Wigston, after a great storm 

 (area 1 900) ; and though slightly injured, was kept alive 

 by three different persons until 1906. It would 

 come for food if called by its name ' Jacob,' but was 

 rather timid and afraid of dogs and fowls. 



zoo. Arctic or Richardson's Skua. Stercoraritu crept- 

 datus (F. Gmelin). 



Also a rare straggler from the coast. In the autumn 

 of 1880 I saw in the possession of a man named 

 Donnell a nearly adult specimen said to have been 

 shot at Enderby. 



zoi. Razorbill. Aka torda, Linn. 



Of very unusual occurrence inland. I saw an adult 

 specimen in 1888 in the collection of Mr. H. C. 

 Woodcock, who assures me that it was shot on the 

 Wreak, at Rearsby, many years ago by his keeper. 



zoz. Common Guillemot. Uria troile (Linn.). 

 Locally, Willock. 



A very rare and accidental straggler from the coast. 

 The late Dr. Macaulay stated (Mid. Nat. p. 79) that 

 he had a specimen shot many years since on the 

 River Soar, at Cossington, by the miller who then re- 

 sided there. This specimen I have seen. Elkington 

 showed me one in the skin said to have been killed at 

 Husbands Bosworth, 1883. One was reported to have 

 been shot at Belgrave, Leicester, on the water, 

 21 July, 1893. 



203. Little Auk. Mergulus alle (Linn.). 

 Locally, Rotche. 



A rare straggler from the coast, driven inland by 

 severe weather. According to Mr. Babington 

 (Potter, op. cit. App.) a pair of these sea-birds were 

 taken alive at Nanpantan, 6 Nov., 1837, in a 

 turnip field, by Mr. J. Cartwright, of Loughborough, 

 who endeavoured, without success, to keep them alive 

 on fish and insects. Writing, probably, of the same 

 pair, Harley stated that during the autumn of 1838 

 a pair in a semi-exhausted state was picked up 

 among the hills of Charnwood Forest ; and further 

 that in the autumn of 1 840 this species again occurred 

 in the county and adjoining districts. The late Mr. 

 Widdowson wrote to me, circa 1885, from Melton : 

 ' Several have been picked up at different times near 

 here.' 



The late Dr. Macaulay presented to the museum a 

 specimen in the flesh which had been found alive at 

 Smeeton Westerby 18 Nov., 1893, and Pinchen 



21 Mentioned also in the late Rev. A. Evans's Miscellaneous 

 Bird Notes, in the possession of Mr. S. Evans. 



received one in the flesh which had been shot near 

 Belgrave, Leicester, 20 Oct., 1894. One was 

 picked up alive by either Mr. B. or Mr. W. L. Fosse 

 in the former's garden at Barkby, 4 June, 1903 (an 

 unusual date), and I saw the specimen. 



[Great Northern Diver. Colymbus glatialis, Linn. 



The only authority I have for including this species 

 in the present list is a statement by the late 

 Mr. Widdowson that it ' has been killed here in im- 

 mature plumage ' ; but as both of the following 

 species, especially C. seftentrionaRs, so often do duty for 

 this much rarer bird, I am inclined to think that, in this 

 case as in many others, the species have become con- 

 fused one with another.] 



204. Black-throated Diver. Colymbus arctkus, Linn. 

 A rare straggler from the coast, and seldom found 

 inland in mature plumage. Mr. Babington (Potter, 

 op. cit. App.) reported its occurrence at Donington 

 Park, communicated by the Rev. Thomas Gisborne. 

 Upon this Harley remarked that a second was re- 

 ported to have been killed at Mountsorrel ; " that 

 another a male in mature plumage was procured in 

 a meadow below Leicester Castle on 4 Jan., 1854, 

 but although shot was alive when seen by Harley ; 

 and another ' a female in the plumage of the lesser 

 imber of Bewick ' was shot in the Abbey Meadow on 

 the same day ; the two last examples, he considered, 

 being probably driven inland by the gale which pre- 

 vailed on 4 January, and the severity of the north- 

 east wind, whith brought a hurricane of snow. 

 The museum donation-book contains an entry under 

 date 4 Jan., 1854, to the effect that an immature 

 male was shot at a mill near the Abbey Meadow ; and 

 that another also immature (sex not stated) was 

 shot at Aylestone on 10 Jan., 1854, and presented 

 by Mr. N. C. Stone. The late Dr. Macaulay stated 

 (Mid. Nat. 1 882, p. 7z) that one was shot at Sadding- 

 ton Reservoir in February, 1874. 



205. Red-throated Diver. Colymbus septentnonaRs, 

 Linn. 



A straggler inland, chiefly in winter, and nearly 

 always in immature plumage, According to Mr. 

 Babington (Potter, op. cit. App.), one in immature 

 plumage was killed at Groby, by the keeper of the 

 Earl of Stamford. Harley wrote : ' Captured dur- 

 ing the storm which prevailed on 4 Jan., 1854, 

 in several parts of the county ; but in no instance, I 

 believe, in its perfect state of plumage." It has 

 been frequently met with on the Soar, about Lough- 

 borough, and also on the Trent. It has likewise been 

 shot on the Wreake, and on such pools as those of 

 Groby, Saddington, and Dishley.' T. Freer, of 

 Aylestone, showed me a fully adult specimen (red- 

 throated) which he shot in 1869 (10 Sept.) in 

 the canal between the 'West' and 'Mill Lane' 

 Bridges, Leicester. In October, 1885, at Carlton 

 Curlieu Hall, I saw an immature specimen obtained 

 at Saddington Reservoir 1 6 Dec., 1840, shot by 

 Mr. Hayes Marriott. Mr. G. H. Storer informs me 

 that two (probably a pair) in winter plumage, shot 



w Harley's informant appears to have been the late Rev. A. 

 Evans, in whose Miscellaneous Bird Notei the date 1850 is 

 given. 



23 Probably Harley did not know that in winter its plumage is 

 similar to that of the immature bird, the ted throat persisting 

 only in rare cases. 



155 



