BIRDS 



153. Black Grouse. Tetrao tetrix, Linn. 

 Still breeds annually in the moorland 



districts near Cheadle and Leek, on the 

 Weaver Hills, on Cannock Chase, in the 

 Bishops' Wood near Eccleshall and at 

 Chartley. 



154. Red Grouse. Lagopus scoticus (Latham) 

 Locally, Garcock or Red Game (Plot), (obs) 



Resident and plentiful on the moors in the 

 north of the county and also on Cannock 

 Chase. In severe winters they have been 

 seen at Rolleston (1859), Burton-'on-Trent 

 (1860-1) and Cheadle (1885-6). In the 

 Swythamley collection is a slate coloured 

 variety shot in 1862 (Birds of Staffordshire, 

 P . 1 1 8). 



155. Pheasant. Phasianus colchicus (Linn.) 

 Abundant where preserved. Owing to 



crossing and interchange of eggs varieties of 

 plumage are very common, and in some 

 districts it is quite the exception to meet with 

 the normal plumage of the old English bird. 



156. Partridge. Perd'ix cinerea, Latham. 

 Not so common as formerly when there 



was more arable land. In September 1900, 

 five specimens of a dark chestnut or ery- 

 thristic variety were shot at Pyrehill near 

 Stone, which correspond with the Perdix 

 montana of Brisson (Report North Staff's 

 Field Club, 1901). Two others of the same 

 variety were shot near Pyrehill in October 

 1901. Mr. J. Whitaker has a very pale 

 bird from Staffordshire, formerly in the col- 

 lection of the late Mr. F. Bond. Four 

 others of the rufous variety, but three of them 

 much splashed with creamy white, were shot 

 on Lord Lichfield's Staffordshire estates and 

 are in the Shugborough collection. 



157. Red-legged Partridge. Caccabis rufa 



(Linn.) 



Garner mentions this species as introduced 

 at Teddesley, etc. It is still rare, but has 

 been recorded from Great Barr (1881), 

 Woore (1894) and Stone (1900), while nests 

 have been found at King's Bromley (1886) 

 and Caverswall (1896) (Reports North Staffs 

 Field Club). In 1901 this bird was reported by 

 sportsmen from several districts in the county 

 and seems to be on the increase. 



158. Quail. Coturnix communis, Bonnaterre. 

 An occasional summer migrant. Sir O. 



Mosley mentions one killed at Rolleston on 

 15 December, 1856 (Nat. Hist, of Tutbury, 

 p. 52). Near Burton it has occurred several 

 times and nests have been recorded from 



King's Bromley in 1887 and 1892 and near 

 Stoke sewage works in 1893. Two brace 

 were shot at Gnosall in September 1885, and 

 it has also occurred several times near Eccle- 

 shall (Reports North Staff's Field Club, 1888, 

 p. 21, and 1894, p. 41). 



[Virginian Colin. Ortyx virginianus 

 (Linn.) 



An introduced species mentioned in Mr. 

 Sainter's list.] 



159. Land-Rail or Corn-Crake. Crex pratemis, 



Bechstein. 



A common summer migrant, arriving in 

 April and leaving in September, but a few 

 young birds occasionally stay later. 



1 60. Spotted Crake. Porzana maruetta 



(Leach) 



Occurs not infrequently in the lower part 

 of the Trent valley but is a rare visitor to 

 other parts of the county (Nat. Hist, of Tut- 

 bury, p. 55). The Garner MS. mentions 

 Burslem and Stone ; others have been recorded 

 from Fauld (1841), Handsworth (3 Nov. 

 1890) and Morredge (1891). Lea Head near 

 Maer, 1881 (Report North Staffs Field Club, 

 1894, p. 52). 



[Little Crake. Porzana parva (Scopoli) 

 In Sainter's addenda (p. 147) but without 

 any details.] 



161. Water-Rail. Rallus aquaticus, Linn. 

 Not uncommon, but seldom seen. Said to 



have nested at Swythamley and certainly does 

 so in the Dove valley. Usually met with by 

 sportsmen in hard winters. 



162. Moor-hen. Gallinula chloropus (Linn.) 

 Common on all our rivers, lakes and pools, 



and semi-domesticated, feeding on lawns at 

 Trentham, Draycot-in-the-Moors Rectory, 

 Milwich Hall and other places. 



163. Coot. Fulica atra, Linn. 



Frequent on large pools and meres but not 

 so common as the moor-hen. 



164. Little Bustard. Otis tetrax, Linn. 

 One specimen shot at Birchfield 'many 



years ago ' is now in the collection at Aston 

 Hall. Another was killed by a keeper about 

 1899 at Warslow and is now in the Calke 

 Abbey collection. 



165. Dotterel. Eudromias morinellus (Linn.) 

 A rare spring and autumn visitor on migra- 

 tion. ' Its line of migration appears to be 



155 



