A HISTORY OF HERTFORDSHIRE 



well kept down where game preserving is 

 carried on to any extent. In 1882 there 

 appears to have been an unusually large im- 

 migration of this bird into the county. 



81. Magpie. Pica rustica (Scopoli). 



This bird is unfortunately in most parts of 

 Hertfordshire a thing of the past, and it is 

 only in those districts where there is little or 

 no game preserving that one is likely to find 

 this handsome species still resident. 



82. Jackdaw. Con/us monedula. Linn. 



The jackdaw is so common in some parts 

 of the county as to be a positive nuisance on 

 account of its depredations. This bird prefers 

 parks with old trees and church towers for its 

 nesting haunts, though I think sometimes it 

 must condescend to take possession of old 

 rooks' nests, as I have seen them round a 

 rookery where there could be no other nesting- 

 place for them. Mr. Arthur Lewis informed 

 the late Mr. Littleboy that he observed a 

 milk-white jackdaw in Gorhambury Park. 

 This bird I believe remained there some years. 



83. Raven. Corvus corax, Linn. 



This bird is unfortunately one of those that 

 is quite a thing of the past so far as Hertford- 

 shire is concerned. Formerly it no doubt was 

 a fairly plentiful breeding species in the county, 

 but it has now completely vanished. At 

 present I am only able to mention two places 

 where it formerly nested, although there are 

 probably several others. The first one is 

 mentioned in the catalogue of the Booth 

 Museum at Brighton, the late E. T. Booth 

 having been shown a tree in Brocket Hall 

 Park by Mr. Norman Thrale, in which a pair 

 of ravens had nested up to 1846. Mr. Thrale 

 himself had two specimens of the bird in his 

 collection, which had been obtained there. 

 With regard to the other nesting-place, which 

 was at Beechwood Park, I have only the 

 statement of a man who was formerly on the 

 Woburn estate, and who heard a former Duke 

 of Bedford, speaking in reference to the raven's 

 nest then existing at Woburn, state that the 

 nearest nest to his knowledge was at Beech- 

 wood. Of late years this bird has occasionally 

 visited the county, six occurrences being re- 

 corded in the Transactions since 1880. In 

 1 88 1 a raven was seen on the outskirts of 

 Mimms Wood on February 25th by Miss 

 Selby and several gentlemen while out hunting. 

 The next record is one seen in 1884 near 

 Royston by Mr. Percy F. Fordham, and two 

 more were seen at Church Hill Farm near 

 that place on November igth, 1885. In 

 1890 a raven is reported to have been shot in 

 Hertfordshire in January, and in October, 



1 894, one was knocked off a tree with a stone 

 by a boy at Tring ; while on December 26th 

 a dead bird was picked up at the same place. 

 With regard to the bird knocked down by the 

 boy, it would seem curious that the raven, 

 which is usually so wary should allow itself 

 to be so easily approached, unless it was an 

 escaped bird ; but Mr. Hartert, who reported 

 the occurrence, stated that he could see no 

 signs of captivity about it. In addition to the 

 above examples there is at Munden in the 

 small collection of local birds belonging to the 

 Hon. A. Holland-Hibbert a bird which was 

 obtained in the neighbourhood, probably be- 

 tween 1840 and 1850. 



84. Carrion-Crow. Corvus corone, Linn. 



This is a species which is sadly on the 

 decrease in Hertfordshire, and is hardly to be 

 found in any part of the county during the 

 nesting season, except along the southern 

 border, where there is much less game pre- 

 serving. In other districts it is only usually 

 seen as a wanderer. At Munden there is a 

 stuffed bird of this species of a creamy-white 

 colour with black tips to the wings which was 

 shot in that neighbourhood some years ago. 



85. Grey or Hooded Crow. Corvus comix, 



Linn. 



This bird is a regular winter visitor to the 

 county, arriving in October and leaving again 

 in March. Large numbers appear at Ash- 

 ridge after there has been a shooting party 

 there. One of the names of this bird is the 

 Royston crow, which is probably taken from 

 the town of that name, which was formerly 

 in Cambridgeshire, but is now in this county. 



86. Rook. Corvus frugi/egus, Linn. 



This species is plentiful all over the county. 

 Lord Verulam informed Mr. Lewis in 1884 

 that there were in Gorhambury Park several 

 more or less white rooks, including one quite 

 white. A black and white rook also was 

 shot at Watford by Mr. Michael Ryder 

 in 1893. Mr. Silvester informed me that in 

 March, 1896, his ploughman saw some rooks 

 attack three jackdaws, two of which they 

 killed. 



87. Sky-Lark. Alauda arvensis. Linn. 



This is a common resident, whose numbers 

 are at times greatly increased by immigration. 

 Albino and colour varieties of this species have 

 on several occasions been obtained in the 

 county. 



88. Wood-Lark. Alauda arborea, Linn. 



During the month of March, 1878, and 

 again in 1879, this species was observed in a 



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