BIRDS 



ing species, so the note may refer to it. the Burton and Tutbury districts, and James 



Whitlock's statement that it is mentioned Harley includes it in his list from the Trent ; 



by Sir O. Mosley and Mr. E. Brown is but no particulars are given and more definite 



erroneous.] information is very desirable. 



2O I. Curlew. Numenius arquata (Linn). 



A summer visitor, breeding in scattered 

 parts not only on the moors of the High 

 Peak, as stated by Whitlock, but also along 

 the ridge known as the East Moor. Mr. W. 

 Storrs Fox visited nests near Ramsley Lodge, 

 Baslow, and on Ankirk Moor in 1894. On 

 migration they are frequently observed in the 

 Trent valley, and stragglers have occurred in 

 the winter months. The fusilade on the 

 opening day of the grouse shooting has been 

 known to drive them from their usual haunts 

 to districts twenty miles away, such as the 

 hills near Ashbourne. 



202. Whimbrel. Numenius phteopus (Linn.). 

 F. B. Whitlock describes this bird as a 



regular visitor in small numbers during mi- 

 gration periods, seldom alighting. One bird 

 was however observed on the river margin 

 at Long Eaton on April 15, 1892 (Birds of 

 Derbyshire, p. 217). To the Dove valley it 

 is a rare visitor, but two which had been seen 

 for about a week on a hill near Swinscoe on 

 the Staffordshire side were killed at the end 

 of April, 1899. 



203. Black Tern. Hydrochelidon nigra 



(Linn.). 



An occasional visitor, sometimes, according 

 to Whitlock, in some numbers, and usually 

 in the spring. Two were killed on June 6, 

 1889, near Langley (Field, June 8, 1889), 

 and one near Etwall early in September, 

 1900. 



204. Whiskered Tern. Hydrochelidon hybrida 



(Pallas). 



One shot near Barrow-on-Trent in the 

 autumn of 1883, and now at Calke Abbey 

 (Birds of Derbyshire, p. 2 1 8). 



205. Sandwich Tern. Sterna cantiaca, J. F. 



Gmelin. 



According to J. J. Briggs, not an uncom- 

 mon visitor in spring and during stormy 

 weather to the Melbourne district. F. B. 

 Whitlock observed one on May 14, 1888, 

 on the Trent between Barton Ferry and 

 the mouth of the Soar. 



207. Common Tern. Sterna fluviatilis, Nau- 



mann. 



A common visitor on migration to the 

 Trent valley, and also occurs after stormy 

 weather. Many of this and the following 

 species appeared in the Tutbury district in 

 May, 1842 (Nat. Hist, of Tutbury, p. 57), 

 and individuals have frequently been recorded 

 from Trent side parishes. Stragglers are also 

 occasionally met with on the Dove as high as 

 Hanging Bridge. 



208. Arctic Tern. Sterna macrura, Naumann. 

 Like the preceding species, the arctic tern 



is a frequent visitor to the south of Derby- 

 shire, but has also been occasionally noticed 

 in the Longdendale valley and on the reser- 

 voir at Butterley (Birds of Derbyshire, p. 22O). 



209. Little Tern. Sterna minuta, Linn. 

 Much less common than either of the two 



preceding, but has occurred several times in 

 the south. Whitlock mentions four instances, 

 all from the Trent valley, and adds that a 

 small flock was seen at Barton about 1886. 



210. Sooty Tern. Sterna fuliginosa, J. F. 



Gmelin. 



The first example of this tropical species 

 obtained in the British Islands was killed by 

 a stone near Tutbury about October, 1852, 

 and was subsequently exhibited by Yarrell 

 at a meeting of the Linnaean Society in 

 February, 1853. 



211. Little Gull. Larus minutus, Pallas. 

 One was killed on January 22, 1851, on 



the Trent (Zool. p. 3118) near Weston 

 Cliff; another immature bird was shot in 

 Locko Park in 1891, and is now in the 

 Derby Museum. F. B. Whitlock observed 

 one on August 10, 1890, near Barton Ferry 

 (Birds of Derbyshire, p. 222). 



212. Black-headed Gull. Larus ridibundus, 



Linn. 



Visits us more frequently than any other 

 species, large numbers frequenting the Trent 

 valley, especially during the spring migration. 

 Storm-driven birds and stragglers are occa- 

 sionally met with in all parts of the county. 



206. Roseate Tern. Sterna dougalli, Mon- 213. Common Gull. Larus canus, Linn. 



ta u> Also occurs regularly in the Trent valley. 

 Both Sir O. Mosley and Mr. E. Brown About 1823 a flock of over a hundred re- 

 assert that this species has rarely occurred in mained for nearly two days on a pond at 



147 



