A HISTORY OF STAFFORDSHIRE 



ham and Betley, but none of these ever be- 

 came established heronries. In 1893, when 

 the Birds of Staffordshire was published, three 

 heronries were mentioned at Aqualate, where 

 there were only about six nests in 1892 but 

 none in 1893, although as many as forty or 

 fifty have been built in some years in Bagots 

 Park, where there were nineteen nests on 

 young oak trees in 1893, and at Patshull 

 where there were about ten nests, and the 

 birds are strictly preserved by Lord Dartmouth. 

 In 1901 there were only two or three nests at 

 Aqualate. The Aqualate and Bagots Park 

 heronries are of ancient origin, but that of 

 Patshull is more recent. A curious point in 

 reference to the Aqualate birds is that every 

 year one or more pairs nested among the 

 reeds at the side of the mere. Some large 

 pellets picked up at Bagots Park were com- 

 posed of the hair of voles, rats and mice. 

 Isolated pairs have been also known to breed 

 in Dovedale and the Ham valley. 



117. Purple Heron. Ardea purpurea, Linn. 

 One was shot at Wetmore on I July 1856 



(E. Brown, Fauna of Burton, p. 105). Some 

 additional particulars are given in the Birds of 

 Derbyshire, p. 154, on the authority of Mr. 

 C. Hanson, who states that it was killed as it 

 sat in a pollard willow on the banks of the 

 Trent on the Derbyshire side, as he thinks. 



1 1 8. Squacco Heron. Ardea ralloides, Scopoli. 

 Recorded as having occurred in the county, 



a male having been shot on the banks of the 

 Dove near Colon on 17 May 1874 (Birds of 

 Staffordshire, p. ioi ; see also Science Gossip, 

 1875, p. 4). 



119. Little Bittern. Ardetta minuta (Linn.) 

 A rare straggler. Garner mentions one 



from the Dove or Trent (Mr. Emery), and 

 Mr. E. Brown (Fauna of Burton, p. 228) 

 states that one was killed at King's Bromley 

 about 1838. One is reported to have been 

 shot near Hanley, May 1901, but further 

 details are needed. 



1 2O. Bittern. Botaurus stellaris (Linn.) 

 Formerly plentiful, nesting in the county. 



Sir O. Mosley states that when a boy he fre- 

 quently heard in the evening the ' boom ' of 

 the bittern, which then frequented the osier 

 beds on the banks of the Trent and Dove 

 (Nat. Hist. ofTuttury, p. 53). A few still 

 visit us as winter migrants, but most of them 

 are unfortunately shot. Stuffed specimens ob- 

 tained in the district are to be found in many 

 cottages round Eccleshall. In the Birds of 

 Staffordshire (p. ioi) definite records of some 

 twelve occurrences are given. 



121. White Stork. Cicoma alba, Bechstein. 

 Garner says vaguely that it has occurred 



several times on the Dove (p. 284). Sir O. 

 Mosley gives some details : one was shot by 

 Mr. Emery some years since and another is 

 said to have been obtained near Abbots 

 Bromley (Nat. Hist, of Tutbury, pp. 54, 

 105). 



122. Glossy Ibis. P/egadis falcinellus (Linn.) 

 One was shot on the Trent at Fradley in 



1840 (Nat. Hist, of Tutbury, pp. 54, 105). 

 Another was shot 'many years ago' at Walton- 

 on-Trent (Birds of Derbyshire, p. 159). 



123. Spoonbill. Platalea leucorodia, Linn. 

 One shot by Mr. D. Hopkins in Rolles- 



ton Park on 14 June 1872, is now in the 

 Rolleston Hall museum. 



124. Flamingo. Phoenicopterus roseus, Pallas. 

 Early in September 1881 an adult flam- 

 ingo was seen for a week or so on the estate 

 of the late Sir John H. Crewe in the 

 northern part of Staffordshire, but having 

 crossed the river Manifold to another property 

 it was captured and taken to the owner of the 

 land, by whom it was kept alive for a few 

 days and then killed (H. Saunders, Manual, 

 ed. 2, 1899, p. 395, and Yarrell's British 

 Birds, ed. 4, iv. 245). 



125. Grey Lag-Goose, dnsercinereus, Meyer. 

 A rare winter visitor, formerly frequently 



seen passing over the county on migration. 

 Sir O. Mosley and Mr. E. Brown agree that it 

 was plentiful ' fifty years ago ' (i.e. about 1813), 

 but it is doubtful whether any of the geese 

 that still visit the Trent valley belong to this 

 species. Mr. E. A. Brown has examined one 

 killed at Burton and another was shot at 

 Swythamley in 1869 (Birds of Staffordshire, 

 p. 103). 



126. White-fronted Goose. Anser albifrons 



(Scopoli) 



This species is included in Garner's list but 

 no details are given. It is however known 

 to visit the Trent valley (Birds of Derbyshire, 

 p. 1 60). One was shot near Wolverhampton 

 12 January 1901 by Mr. Harold Twentyman 

 (Report North Staffs Field Club, 1903). 



[Bean Goose. Anser segetum (J. F. Gmelin) 

 Included in Sainter's list ; a very doubtful 

 record.] 



127. Pink-footed Goose. Anser brachyrhynchus, 



Baillon. 



Probably this is the species most frequently 

 seen in the Trent valley, but specimens are 



152 



