BIRDS 



ground, and at other times 30 or 40 feet high 

 in a tree. 



31. Great Tit. Parus major , Linn. 

 Locally, Blackcap, Tomtit, Ox-eye. 



This species is I think commoner than the 

 blue tit in Derbyshire. With the exception 

 of the moors it is found in all parts of the 

 county, but is naturally most numerous in the 

 well wooded parts. The nest, like that of 

 the blue tit, is placed in almost any kind of 

 hole. One at Shirley was built in an old 

 water can which had been thrown aside, and 

 contained the unusual number of thirteen 

 eggs. 



32. Coal-Tit. Parus ater, Linn. 

 Locally, Colemouse (o&s.). 



A few pairs are generally to be found 

 where plantations of conifers exist. As a 

 breeding species, it is rare in the valleys of 

 the Trent and lower Dove, but is not un- 

 common in the winter. 



33. Marsh-Tit. Parus palustris, Linn. 

 Absent from the north of the county, but 



found in small numbers in the low-lying dis- 

 tricts of the south, especially where old pol- 

 larded willows are to be found. Apparently 

 this species has decreased in numbers of late 

 years. 



34. Blue Tit. Parus ceeruleus, Linn. 

 Locally, Tomtit, Bluecap. 



Much commoner than either of the two 

 preceding species, and pretty generally dis- 

 tributed. 



35. Nuthatch. Sitta ctesia, Wolf. 

 Locally, Woodcracker (Glover). 



A very local resident, breeding regularly in 

 the country south of the Trent, and in small 

 numbers in the parks of north-east Derby- 

 shire where large timber is to be found. 

 To other parts of the county it is a rare 

 straggler. 



36. Wren. Troglodytes parvu/us, K. L. Koch. 

 Locally, Jenny Wren. 



Found breeding in every part of the county. 

 Even in the wildest parts of the moorlands its 

 cheery little song may frequently be heard. 



37. Tree-Creeper. Certhia fami/iaris, Linn. 

 Resident in all the wooded parts of Derby- 

 shire, but not in large numbers. During the 

 breeding season the old birds follow a regular 

 beat in search of food, and may be looked for 

 about the same time on some favourite tree 

 for weeks together. In default of the usual 

 nesting site, between the bark and trunk of 



some old tree, the creeper will nest in crevices 

 of wooden sheds or between loose timber piled 

 upright. 



38. Pied Wagtail. Motacllla lugubris, Tem- 



minck. 



Locally, Water Wagtail. 



A partial migrant, many migrating south- 

 ward on the approach of winter, but indi- 

 viduals may be seen during every month of 

 the year. It breeds commonly in all parts 

 of the county right up to the edge of the 

 moorlands, and is frequently used as a foster 

 parent by the cuckoo. 



39. White Wagtail. Motacllla alba, Linn. 

 A regular visitor in spring to the Trent 



valley, where it may possibly breed occasion- 

 ally. It was first observed by the late Mr. 

 Edwin Brown, and has been subsequently 

 noticed by several observers. It also occurs 

 occasionally on migration in the north of the 

 county. 



40. Grey Wagtail. Motadlla melanope, Pallas. 

 Locally, Yellow Wagtail. 



Breeds in fair numbers by the banks of all 

 our mountain streams and also by the Dove 

 and Derwent, becoming scarcer as the south- 

 ern plain is reached. On the Trent only one 

 or two pairs nest, but as an autumn and win- 

 ter visitor the grey wagtail is common enough, 

 forsaking its breeding haunts in the Peak. 

 The nest is nearly always beautifully lined 

 with white horsehair, and is placed near water 

 in crevices of walls, ledges of rock, or on a 

 rough bank. One found by Mr. E. W. H. 

 Blagg was placed in a recess at the far end of 

 a large cave in Dovedale. 



41. Blue-headed Wagtail. Motadlla flava. 



Linn. 



Mr. J. J. Briggs (Zool. p. 2488) in his 

 ' List of the Birds of Melbourne,' asserts that 

 a specimen of the grey-headed wagtail (M. 

 neglecta) was killed on November 23, 1846. 

 There is however reason to believe that the 

 bird was wrongly identified (see F. B. Whit- 

 lock, Birds of Derbyshire, p. 64). One was 

 however killed at Darley Dale in the sum- 

 mer of 1895, and is now in the Whitworth 

 Museum (W. Boulsover). 



42. Yellow Wagtail. Motadlla rail (Bona- 



parte). 



Locally, Spring Oatear (N. Wood). 



A regular summer visitor in considerable 



numbers to all those parts of the county 



which are under 500 feet above the sea. 



Higher up it becomes scarce, but a few 



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