A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



Leigh, writing in 1700 in his History of 

 Lancashire (i. 195), records : 'About two years 

 ago in the same violent hail storm [which brought 

 the Tropic Bird, see p. 198 infra} the Brazilian 

 magpie was "found dead on the coasts of Lanca- 

 shire." ' The figure 2 on ' Table ye I of Birds,' 

 opposite p. 195, represents unquestionably a 

 Toucan, but as Professor Newton suggests (Diet, 

 of Birds, s.v. Toucan, p. 977), it may have 

 escaped from captivity. Some probability, how- 

 ever, is given to its having really been brought 

 by the storm from the occurrence of another 

 southern and western bird 'the Tropic bird' 

 thrown on the Lancashire shore by the same 

 storm.] 



I oo. Kingfisher. Akedo ispida, Linn. 



A resident occurring on streams and meres, 

 where not too frequented, in large and apparently 

 increasing numbers through the operation of the 

 Protection Acts. It occasionally nests on sea- 

 washed cliffs. 



i o I . Roller. Coracias garrulus, Linn. 



An irregular summer migrant of whose occur- 

 rence some half dozen records, more or less 

 authentic, exist. 



1 02. Hoopoe. Upupa epops, Linn. 

 Formerly an irregular visitor to Lancashire, 



occurring generally in spring and autumn, more 

 rarely in winter and summer ; now very rare. 

 A specimen taken at Knowsley in 1815 is pre- 

 served in the Lord Derby Museum, Liverpool. 

 A late visit on record is from Walney Island in 

 1884. (Macpherson, Fauna of Lakeland, p. 169.) 

 A specimen shot at Sale near Manchester in 

 1905 passed through Mr. H. Murray's hands. 



103. Cuckoo. Cuculus canorus, Linn. 



A constant annual summer visitor. It is still 

 to be heard in the larger shrubberies even within 

 the city bounds, generally in the stillness of the 

 early morning before the din of its turmoil 

 begins. 



104. White or Barn-Owl. Strix flammea, Linn. 

 Locally, Howlet, White Owl. 



A resident species and quite common. 



105. Long-eared Owl. Am otus (Linn.). 



A resident, but more sparsely distributed than 

 the last species, yet plentiful in some parts of the 

 county. Nests in Witton Park, Blackburn. 

 (Zoologist, 1904, p. 259.) 



1 06. Short-eared Owl. Asia accipitrinus (Pallas). 

 The short-eared owl arrives in small companies 



generally in autumn and winter, and becomes 

 fairly evenly distributed over the county. A good 

 few remain and nest annually in suitable spots, 

 such as unfrequented moors and dry mosses. It 

 was seen in considerable numbers at Walney 



Island in 1891, and a pair bred there in 1885, 

 as certified by Mr. Howard Saunders. (Mitchell's 

 Birds of Lancashire, ed. 2, p. 1 1 7.) 



107. Tawny Owl. Syrnium aluco (Linn.). 

 Locally, Wood-owl. 



Resident and still fairly common despite the 

 persecution to which it is subjected. It is more 

 frequent in our wooded districts. 



108. Tengmalm's Owl. Nyctala tengmalmi 



(J. F. Gmelin). 



A single specimen is recorded as taken near 

 Preston in Mitchell's Birds of Lancashire, ed. 2, 

 p. 119, the bird being now in the Nottingham 

 Town Museum. 



109. Little Owl. Athene noctua (Scopoli). 

 The single record for Lancashire occurs in 



the Naturalist's Scrap-book, 1863, part 5. 



1 1 0. Scops-Owl. Scops giu (Scopoli). 



One insufficiently authenticated occurrence of 

 this bird is on record. (Mitchell, Birds of Lan- 

 cashire, ed. 2, p. 1 20). 



in. Marsh-Harrier. Circus aruginosus (Linn.). 

 Formerly a not uncommon straggler over 

 most of the low-lying parts of the county, but 

 now very rare. 



112. Hen-Harrier. Circus cyaneus (Linn.). 

 Locally, Ringtail, Blue Glede. 



Rather rare. It nests from time to time a- 

 mong the Fells, and is seen occasionally still on 

 the low heather-clad hills and on the plain. 



113. Montagu's Harrier. Circus cineraceus 

 (Montagu). 



Has been recorded twice from Lancashire, 

 once from Walney Island in 1874, and once from 

 Whitendale Moor in 1889 (Mitchell's Birds 

 of Lancashire, ed. 2, p. 123.) 



114. Buzzard. Buteo vulgaris, Leach. 



A local much persecuted resident, nesting now 

 only in our lake districts, where it receives less 

 molestation from gunners and gamekeepers. 

 The bird breeds more abundantly in Westmor- 

 land and also numerously in Anglesea, and from 

 these localities many of our Lancashire frequenting 

 individuals doubtless come. 



115. Rough-legged Buzzard. Buteo lagopus 



(J. F. Gmelin). 



A rare autumn visitor, putting in an appearance 

 at intervals of a few years in the neighbourhood 

 of the rabbit warrens along our coasts or in the 

 interior of the county. 



1 1 6. Spotted Eagle. Aquila maculata (J. F. 



Gmelin). 



One occurrence of this species is recorded for 

 1875 from Walney Island by Mr. W. A. Durn- 

 ford in his Birds of Walney (1883). 



196 



