A HISTORY OF STAFFORDSHIRE 



has now become resident and has nested regu- 

 larly since 1880 at Weston Park on the 

 borders of Stafford and Shropshire. About 

 twenty pairs were breeding here in 1900 

 (H. E. Forrest, Zool. 1900, p. 506). It also 

 breeds at Patshull and is occasionally met 

 with in other parts of the county, at Cheadle 

 in 1886 and not infrequently on the Trent, 

 Willoughbridge in 1892, Aston 1879 (Re- 

 ports North Staffs Field CM, 1894, p. 58). 



142. Scaup-Duck. Fuligula marila (Linn.) 

 A winter visitant not uncommon on the 

 Trent during the frost of 1890-1. Lord 

 Lewisham observed several near Wolver- 

 hampton in November 1887 (Reports North 

 Staffs Field Club, 1 



143. Goldeneye. Clangula glaucion (Linn.) 

 An occasional winter visitant. Frequently 



seen near Rolleston, and a female killed on 

 22 November 1847 (Nat. Hist, of Tutbury, 

 p. 56), one near Burton in 1881 (E. A. 

 Brown), one near Cheadle in the winter of 

 1888-9, two at Madeley in 1893, and one at 

 Great Gnosall, 6 January 1901 (Report North 

 Staffs Field Club}. 



[Long-tailed Duck. Harelda glacialis 

 (Linn.) 



Included in the birds of Staffordshire, but 

 the specimen referred to was killed at Twy- 

 ford in Derbyshire (Nat. Hist, of Tutbury, 

 pp. 56, 109).] 



144. Common Scoter. CEdemia nigra (Linn.) 

 A marine species which has frequently 



visited the Rolleston district. One remained 

 on the pools at Rolleston in January and 

 February 1854 (Nat. Hist, of 'Tut bury ', p. 56). 



145. Velvet Scoter. CEdemia fusca (Linn.) 

 Dickenson in 1798 mentions one shot at 



Batchacre, and Garner (p. 287) gives also 

 Aqualate and Burton-on-Trent, 1841, as 

 localities for this species. 



146. Goosander. Mergus merganser, Linn. 

 Locally, Sowgouder (Dickenson), Green- 



headed Goosander (Garner), obs. 

 An occasional winter visitant. Dickenson 

 in 1798 records it from Aqualate; Sir O. 

 Mosley mentions two, a male shot on the 

 Dove and female killed at Burton in January 

 1854 (Nat. Hist. of Tutbury, p. 56). A female 

 was shot at Swythamley in 1880 and another 

 at Leigh on 1 1 January 1901 ; the latter was 

 accompanied by a second bird (Report North 

 Sta/s Field Club, 1901). Mr. R. H. Read 

 has observed this bird at Sidway near Wil- 

 loughbridge several times (Report North Staffs 



Field Club, 1894, p. 58). Three of these 

 birds, a male and two females, were shot on the 

 Sow at Shugborough a few years ago out of 

 a flock and are now in Lord Lichfield's collec- 

 tion (Report North Staffs Field Club, 1903). 



147. Red-breasted Merganser. Mergus ser- 



rator, Linn. 



Has occasionally been shot in the Trent 

 valley and is given in Garner's list, but with- 

 out particulars (p. 288). One seen at Sid- 

 way near Willoughbridge in the winter of 

 1880 by Mr. R. H. Read (Report North Staffs 

 Field Club, 1894, p. 58). 



148. Smew. Mergus albellus, Linn. 

 Locally, Whiteheaded Goosander (Garner), 



obs. 



Sir O. Mosley records two killed at 

 Sudbury on the Dove ' some years ago,' and 

 a male and female shot at Fradley in 1855 

 (Nat. Hist, of Tutbury, p. 56). Mr. E. A. 

 Brown also speaks of several records from 

 near Burton. 



149. Ring-Dove or Wood-Pigeon. Columba 



palumbus, Linn. 



Resident and very generally distributed. 

 In winter its numbers are increased by 

 migratory flocks which feed upon acorns in 

 woods during severe weather. 



150. Stock Dove. Columba anas, Linn. 

 Not so common as the last species and 



more local. Nests in hollow trees or thick 

 ivy and in winter associates with wood- 

 pigeons. 



151. Turtle-Dove. Turtur communis, Selby. 

 A summer migrant which has extended its 



range of late years and is common in the 

 middle and south of the county but rare in 

 the north. First observed breeding at Chea- 

 dle in 1887 and now nests there regularly, 

 also at Oakamoor in 1901. 



152. Pallas's Sand-Grouse. Syrrhaptes paradoxus 



(Pallas) 



The two great immigrations of this central 

 Asian species took place in 1863 and 1888. 

 In the first-named year the two first British 

 examples were shot in Northumberland on 

 2 1 May, and on the following day three more 

 were killed out of a flock of about twenty near 

 Eccleshall in Staffordshire by a man who 

 was returning home at dusk when the birds 

 flew over his head. In 1888 a female was 

 shot at Rough Hill, Wolverhampton, on 23 

 May, and in September a male at Ipstones, a 

 moorland village five miles north of Cheadle 

 (Birds of Staffordshire, p. 1 1 3). 



154 



