BIRDS 



49. Waxwing. Ampelis garru/us, Linn. 



Locally, Bohemian Chatterer (obs.), Waxen 

 Chatterer (Glover). 



Many instances of the occurrence of this 

 erratic winter visitor in our county are on 

 record since 1774, when it was shot by Mr. 

 Gisborne. Pilkington (1789) mentions a 

 flock of fourteen seen at Smalley and Mel- 

 bourne and one killed near Bolsover. Sir O. 

 Mosley says that many were observed and 

 some shot near Burton and Willington in the 

 years 1827, 1835 and 1850; several were 

 shot near Derby in January, 1829 (Glover) ; 

 one shot and another seen at Hazelwood 

 December 20, 1878 (Journ. Derb. Arch, 

 and Nat. Hist. Soc. i. 127); one shot on 

 the road by Shottle Wood near Hazlewood in 

 January, 1879, by Major Holmes' keeper 

 (J. C. Cox) ; another seen at Chellaston on 

 January 11,1879 (Midland Naturalist, 1879) ; 

 remains of a dead bird picked up near Bake- 

 well in 1893 (W. S. Fox) ; one shot at Smalley 

 January 22, 1895 (Zoo/. 1895, p. 69); and 

 one shot at Matlock Bridge early in February, 

 1902 (R. Hall). 



50. Spotted Flycatcher. 

 Linn. 



Muscicapa griso/a, 



A common summer visitor to nearly every 

 part of the county except the bleak upland 

 country and the moors, often resorting to the 

 same nesting site for many years together. 

 J. J. Briggs (Zool. p. 2478) mentions one 

 locality occupied for twenty years and an- 

 other for nine. When two broods are reared 

 in a season a fresh site is usually selected for 

 the second hatch. In some clutches the 

 ground colour is a distinct blue and the spots 

 few, showing a decided approach to the egg 

 of the pied flycatcher. 



51. Pied Flycatcher. 

 Linn. 



Muscicapa atricapilla, 



Locally, Goldfinch (Willughby). 



There is reason to believe that this beauti- 

 ful species formerly bred regularly in small 

 numbers in the dales of north-west Derby- 

 shire ; but though an occasional bird is still 

 seen in the spring, there are very few in- 

 stances of its having nested with us of late 

 years. Willughby in his Ornithology (p. 236) 

 describes two specimens sent to him from the 

 Peak by Francis Jessop, and Neville Wood 

 mentions Buxton as a favourite resort, but 

 adds, ' the latter occurs very rarely in any 

 part.' Possibly a pair or two may have 

 continued to nest in Dovedale till more 

 recent times. Mr. W. N. Statham informs 

 me that he found two nests at Matlock in 



1892, and that two of the eggs are still in his 

 possession. 



Stragglers on the spring migration have 

 been recorded from Melbourne (Zool. p. 

 2478), Alderwasley (Zool. 1844, p. 645), 

 at Draycott about 1873 and also more re- 

 cently, and from Belper about 1883 (Birds 

 of Derbyshire, p. 74). On May 14, 1887, 

 I watched a cock bird for some time near 

 Ash bourne ; in May, 1898, Mr. H. G. 

 Tomlinson saw one near Tutbury ; on May 

 7 another was observed at Froggat (W. S. 

 Fox), where one had been shot some years 

 previously ; and a fine male bird was seen in 

 Callow Wood near Ashbourne on May 4, 

 1902 (Mrs. Henniker). 



52. Swallow. Hirundo rtistica, Linn. 



A common summer visitor to all parts of 

 the county, entering by the Trent valley 

 seldom before the end of the first week in 

 April, but usually rather later, and gradually 

 spreading over the country. Although the 

 nests are almost invariably placed on or in 

 buildings, I have once or twice found them 

 in the roofs of caves in the limestone district. 

 Chimneys are not resorted to for nesting pur- 

 poses as in the south of England. 



53. House-Martin. Chelidon urbica (Linn.). 



A summer visitor in considerable numbers, 

 but less numerous than the preceding species ; 

 nesting in the plains on the external walls of 

 buildings and in parts of the Peak in colonies 

 on precipitous rock faces. A large colony of 

 this kind exists near Stony Middleton, but 

 not in Dovedale, as Seebohm by a slip of the 

 pen asserted (Hist. Brit. Birds, ii. 180). 



[American Tree-Swallow. Tachycineta 

 bicolor (Vieillot). 



One bird of this American species was re- 

 corded by J. Wolley (Zool. 1853, P- 3 8 6 ) 

 as having been killed near Derby in 1850. 

 It is now in the Norwich Museum (see also 

 Proc. Zool. Soc. 1860, p. 131, and Zool. 1860, 

 P- 7I45)-] 



54. Sand-Martin. Cotile riparia (Linn.). 



Locally, Bank Swallow. 



Common wherever suitable breeding places 

 are available. A few are to be found nesting 

 in the Peak, but the largest colonies are situ- 

 ated in the Trent valley and those of the 

 lower Dove and Derwent. In default of 

 steep sandy banks, they have been known 

 to nest in the interstices of a stone wall or 

 sunk fence. The sand-martin usually ap- 

 pears about a fortnight before the house- 

 martin. 



129 



