A HISTORY OF WORCESTERSHIRE 



as it was observed doing so. Arrived at 

 Welford, it was seen and shot by Mr. W. 

 H. Baylies on the day above mentioned, and 

 is now in the writer's collection. The 

 plumage is that of an adult, but the sex 

 could not be determined, as the internal parts 

 were destroyed by shot.] 



183. Gull-billed Tern. Sterna ang/ica, Mon- 



tagu. 

 I can only record a single undoubted oc- 

 currence of the gull-billed tern in Worcester- 

 shire, and I have no note either of the date of 

 appearance or sex. It was shot while flying 

 over the reservoir at Cofton, near Barnt 

 Green, Bromsgrove, and taken to Birming- 

 ham for preservation. A specimen has also 

 been met with in Warwickshire, quite near to 

 the boundary of Worcestershire. 



184. Common Tern. Sterna fluviatHis, 



Naumann. 

 So far as I know, the common tern is a rare 

 bird in the county, and indeed in the valleys 

 of the Severn and Avon ; at any rate, I have 

 seen but few specimens either in the hands of 

 local bird stuffers or in collections. Speci- 

 mens of terns, both adult and immature, sup- 

 posed to be of this species, have nearly always 

 proved on examination to be Arctic terns. A 

 pair, however, of common terns were shot 

 while flying over the Avon on August 1 8th, 

 1 84 1, which proved on examination to be 

 male and female in full plumage. The 

 date is rather early in the autumn for the 

 appearance of any species of tern in passage. 



185. Arctic Tern. Sterna macrura^'HaMmdinn. 

 This is by far the most common tern seen 



in our inland county, and has been known to 

 appear in extraordinary numbers during the 

 spring migration. In 1842 an immense flight 

 came ' in and about the estuary of the Severn, 

 and up the line of its course.' So wrote 

 Yarrell in his History of British Birds. He 

 might have added that their flight extended 

 up the tributaries of the Severn. A full 

 account of that remarkable appearance of 

 Arctic terns was published in the Annals and 

 Magazine of Natural History, by Mr. H. E. 

 Strickland, then residing at Cracombe near 

 Evesham. As many as forty which had been 

 shot on the 8th and 9th of May of the year 

 above mentioned, were taken, as we learn from 

 that account, to one bird stuffer in that town. 

 The present writer well remembers that flight 

 of unusual birds appearing over and about the 

 Avon. Every man who could command a 

 gun of any description, large or small, sallied 

 forth intent on slaughter ; and there was no 

 need to wait long for the chances of a shot, 



for the birds were by no means wary, but 

 came freely within range. From any station 

 by the side of the stream twenty or thirty 

 could be seen at once. Since that date a few 

 have appeared taking the same course up 

 stream, but only as single stragglers. Im- 

 mature specimens are common in local collec- 

 tions, all of which have been taken at the time 

 of the autumn migration. 



186. Little Tern. Sterna minuta, Linn. 



A rare straggler, but has appeared on the 

 Severn and the Avon. Hastings records it as 

 a Worcestershire bird, on the authority of 

 Mrs. Perrott, it having been observ'ed, accord- 

 ing to that lady, on the Avon. Lees says 

 that the one mentioned by her was seen a 

 little above Tewkesbury. The present writer 

 has specimens which were shot on the Avon. 



187. Little Gull. Larus minutus, Pallas. 

 According to Lees, one was shot at Upton- 



on-Severn ; and I saw one some years ago 

 which was shot on the Avon and taken to 

 Stratford to be stuffed. On enquiry I was 

 told that it had been killed a little lower down 

 the stream than Bidford, and probably there- 

 fore in the county of Worcester, or, if not, in 

 very close contiguity to it. 



188. Black-headed Gull. Larus ridibundus, 



Linn. 

 Like all other gulls which have been met 

 with in Worcestershire, this species is only a 

 straggler, though it cannot be said to be rare. 

 There is a large breeding colony in Stafford- 

 shire. 



189. Common Gull. Larus canus, Linn. 

 An occasional individual of this species 



appears in our cultivated fields, and stays for 

 awhile, taking up its quarters in the large open 

 parts, and feeding on worms and insects. I 

 have known one frequent a ploughed field for 

 more than a week, following the plough, 

 always however at a respectful distance, and 

 devouring the worms which were brought up. 



190. Herring-Gull. Larus argentatus, GmeVm. 

 An occasional bird of this species may be 



noted in Worcestershire, most frequently in 

 mottled immature plumage. It cannot, how- 

 ever, at any age be considered as any other 

 than a waif and stray, and is really much more 

 often seen passing over the county than actually 

 frequenting it. 



191. Great Black-backed Gull. Larus mari- 



nus, Linn. 

 Hastings mentions the appearance of this 

 gull in Worcestershire on several occasions, 

 and gives the following in a note on page 7 1 : 



168 



