BIRDS 



109. White-tailed Eagle. Ha/ia?tus albicilla 



(Linn.). 



The late Mr. Abel Smith had in his 

 possession a specimen of this fine bird, which 

 was obtained some years previously to 1877 

 at Sacombe. 



1 1 0. Sparrow-Hawk. Accipiter nisus (Linn). 

 This is probably the worst offender 



against the game laws, and deserves all it 

 gets ; but at the same time it is always a 

 pity that any indigenous species should be 

 gradually exterminated, as this seems likely 

 to be. In many districts in this county it 

 is now a most unusual thing to see a sparrow- 

 hawk. 



in. Kite. Milvus ictinus, Savigny. 



The red kite was no doubt at one time 

 resident in Hertfordshire, but it has now so 

 completely vanished that I am only able to 

 mention one county specimen. This is in 

 the collection at Munden, and was shot in 

 that neighbourhood between 1840 and 1850. 



112. Honey-Buzzard. Pe rnis apivorus (Linn.). 



There is also at Munden an example of 

 this species which was obtained near there 

 about the same time as the kite above referred 

 to. In 1 88 1 a honey-buzzard was shot at 

 Little Hadham on September 23rd while 

 being mobbed by some rooks. It measured 

 53^ inches from tip to tip of its wings. On 

 the 29th of the same month another was 

 killed at Westmill Rectory, near Buntingford. 



113. Peregrine Falcon. Falco peregrinus, 



Tunstall. 



As no doubt the sport of falconry will be 

 dealt with elsewhere in the present work, I 

 propose only to treat of this grand bird from 

 a natural history point of view. At the 

 present time the peregrine, which is essentially 

 sporting in its instincts, in most cases meets 

 with an inhospitable reception and finds its 

 way into the taxidermist's hands. In the last 

 twenty-five years it has been recorded in 

 Hertfordshire on some fifteen occasions, but 

 only in about four instances does it appear to 

 have escaped destruction. In 1876 one was 

 shot at Hexton, while in 1878 a pair were 

 killed at Newnham near Baldock, where also 

 a female, which measured 43 inches across 

 the wings and weighed 4 lb., was killed on 

 September 3Oth, 1897. In 1891 a male in 

 fine plumage was obtained at Stoney Hills 

 near Bengeo on September i8th, while 

 another was shot at Bramfield near Hertford 

 on November 23rd. A female, originally 

 reported as a buzzard, was taken at the end 

 of December, 1891, at Cole Green, and on 



March i6th, 1895, I saw a bird of this 

 species, which from its size was presumably a 

 female, stoop at a partridge at Pendley Manor 

 near Tring. In August, 1891, a male was 

 shot at Croxley Green, while Mr. Sutton of 

 Northchurch has a fine example in his posses- 

 sion, which was killed by a boy while attack- 

 ing Mr. Sutton's fowls on August 6th, 1896. 

 In the following year a peregrine was seen 

 near Royston during the autumn, while one, 

 which remained some days, was first observed 

 near Elstree on December i6th. In 1899 a 

 falcon was seen at Cokenach near Royston 

 about the beginning of May. In addition to 

 the above occurrences there are some few 

 others of which full details are not forth- 

 coming, Mr. Franklin of Sandridge owning 

 one, which was obtained near there, while 

 another was killed by a keeper named 

 Pangbourne at Marshall's Wick, St. Albans. 

 The late Norman Thrale also had two in his 

 possession which were shot in Hertfordshire. 



114. Hobby. Falco subbuteo, Linn. 



I am afraid that this little falcon is prac- 

 tically extinct as a breeding species in this 

 county ; in fact with one exception I am 

 unable to enumerate any very recent occur- 

 rences of the bird. That it used formerly to 

 nest frequently with us is certain, as Mr. 

 Joseph Nunn of Royston informed me that 

 in the early forties it was comparatively com- 

 mon in the neighbourhood of Kelshall in the 

 north of the county; in 1849, however, the 

 last specimen obtained in that parish was shot 

 off the nest by a keeper. In 1879 a hobby 

 was obtained in Hatfield Park, while in 1881 

 a nest containing four eggs was found in 

 Moor Park. Mr. Latchmore of Hitchin also 

 informed me that he had eggs which were 

 taken some years ago near Stevenage. Mr. 

 Norman Thrale mounted one of these birds 

 which was shot near Portvale on September 

 1 7th, 1885, while Mr. F. M. Campbell owns 

 one that was killed to the north of Cowheath 

 Wood near Hoddesdon on July 3rd, 1887. 

 The last record I have of this bird is rather a 

 doubtful one : this was a hawk seen by 

 myself on July 27th, 1899, which from its 

 appearance and flight I am nearly positive was 

 of this species, but of which I could not be 

 absolutely sure on account of the light. 



115. Merlin. Falco <esalon, Tunstall. 



This species has only occurred in Hertford- 

 shire about half a dozen times. I am informed 

 by Mr. Latchmore that it has been obtained 

 near Hitchin, and this is confirmed by Mr. 

 J. H. Tuke. At Tring four specimens have 

 been taken, two birds in immature plumage 



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