A HISTORY OF WARWICKSHIRE 



in the second volume of the Zoologist. The 

 fifth specimen was killed at Moreton Morrel 

 near Warwick and the sixth was shot at Radford 

 near Leamington. In the spring of 1860 a 

 honey-buzzard was taken by the gamekeeper 

 in the park at Warwick Castle, and on 26 Sep- 

 tember, 1876, one was shot near Kenilworth. 

 The latest occurrence of this bird seems to 

 have been in the summer of 1894, when one 

 was caught in a jay-trap at Ragley. Mr. 

 J. Steele Elliott records the capture of one 

 at Little Aston on 16 June, 1891. 



1 06. Peregrine Falcon. Falco peregrinus, 



Tunstall. 



A somewhat rare and irregular winter 

 visitor to the county, feeding on partridges, 

 lapwings, moorhens and ring-doves. It is not 

 however so rare as to require detailed mention 

 of appearances, which are recorded from most 

 parts of the county. 



107. Hobby. Falco subbuteo, Linn. 

 Formerly not uncommon as a summer 



migrant in the valley of the Avon, but 

 much less frequent of late years, the falling 

 off in number apparently corresponding with 

 the great diminution in the supply of swallows. 

 A pair of hobbies built a nest in the old nest 

 of a crow or magpie in Snitterfield Bushes, a 

 large cover in the village of Snitterfield, in 

 the summer of 1850; and in September, 

 1846, a young bird was taken in the park at 

 Ragley, the seat of the Marquis of Hertford. 



1 08. Merlin. Falco lesalon, Tunstall. 



A strictly migratory species, appearing only 

 in the autumn, winter, or early spring. Once 

 only has the writer met with it in summer, 

 but the specimen though adult was in such a 

 wretched condition that it could have been 

 merely an accidental visitor. Larks are to 

 some extent the food of the merlin, and the 

 following story shows the persistency with 

 which it follows its prey. A man thrash- 

 ing in a barn had opened the upper half of 

 the barn doors on each side of the building 

 for the admission of fresh air, when just as 

 the flail was at the top of its swing he felt it 

 touch something over his head, and a lark, 

 nearly smashed by a blow, fell on to the floor. 

 In attempting to escape from a merlin it flew 

 in at the open door and was struck by the 

 flail, while the hawk passed through the barn 

 unhurt. 



109. Kestrel. Falco tinnuncu/us, Linn. 

 Though still a common resident the kestrel 



is less abundant than formerly. It is not so often 

 seen hanging in the air or passing leisurely over- 

 head and perching, a conspicuous object, on the 



very top of some tree. Its habit of flight is 

 very unlike that of the sparrow-hawk, which 

 dashes past quite low down and rising up 

 alights in the middle of the tree, never on 

 the top of it. The food of the kestrel con- 

 sists almost wholly of small mammals, as may 

 be seen by the contents of the castings under 

 a roosting-place after they have been disinte- 

 grated by the rains of winter. 



no. Osprey. Pandion ba/iaftus (Linn.) 



Five occurrences of the osprey in Warwick- 

 shire have come to the knowledge of the writer. 

 One preserved in the museum at Warwick 

 was taken in the park at the castle ; another 

 in the same collection was shot at Umber- 

 slade. A third was shot over the Avon at 

 St. Nicholas's meadow, Warwick, and is in 

 the writer's collection. The fourth was also 

 shot on the Avon at a place known as Binton 

 Bridges, between the counties of Warwick 

 and Gloucester, in January, 1865, which 

 came into the hands of the writer and proved 

 to be a female. Mr. Peter Spicer of Leam- 

 ington received an osprey which had been 

 shot at Packington on 26 August, 1887, and 

 a bird of this species was seen by Mr. Steele 

 Elliott at Sutton Coldfield on 30 September, 

 1890. 



111. Cormorant. Phalacrocorax carbo (Linn.). 

 A storm-driven visitor to most parts of the 



county, but of infrequent occurrence and 

 generally, perhaps always, in immature plum- 

 age. 



112. Shag or Green Cormorant. Phala- 



crocorax gracu/us (Linn.) 

 Like the last species an uncertain storm- 

 driven wanderer, and when found generally 

 in a state of exhaustion. 



113. Gannet or Solan Goose. Sula banana 



(Linn.) 



Another wanderer brought inland by stress 

 of weather. An adult gannet was shot some 

 years ago near Warwick and is now in the 

 museum there. Another was found ex- 

 hausted in the middle of a large arable field 

 at Milcote near Stratford-on-Avon. Mr. 

 Chase records the occurrence of one which 

 was taken in a field of potatoes near Tarn- 

 worth. 



114. Common Heron. Ardea cinerea, Linn. 

 There are at present but few heronries in 



Warwickshire. The one at Warwick Castle 

 has either ceased to be or is greatly reduced 

 in size. A small one yet remains at Ragley, 

 the seat of the Marquis of Hertford. The 

 mischief done by the heron where fish arc 



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