22 TliE ZOOLOGIST. 



are to be found exceptionally fine oaks. The two sheets of water 

 known as the Old Forest Reservoir, near Thringstone, and the 

 reservoir for supplying the town of Loughborough with water, 

 should not escape notice, though the latter locality is but poorly 

 patronised by wildfowl. 



The River Soar — a sluggish stream of no great volume, and 

 to-day sadly polluted — takes its rise from the Warwickshire 

 border, and, roughly speaking, flows through the centre of the 

 county until it falls into the Trent at Redhill. The country in 

 the Soar Valley is principally pastoral ; arable land in the 

 Loughborough neighbourhood, and down to the Notts boundary, 

 being almost entirely absent. This is owing to the liability of 

 the land to sudden floods, consequent on the increased drainage 

 of the higher grounds. These floods are more prevalent in the 

 spring than at other times. Along the course of the Soar are 

 many flour-mills, most of them accompanied by a backwater and 

 a weir : such spots are patronised to a certain extent by water- 

 fowl, but the best cover is afforded by the numerous osier-beds 

 lying along the whole course of the river. 



Coal is worked at Whitwick and the immediate neighbour- 

 hood. Slates are quarried to a small extent on Charnwood 

 Forest, whilst extensive granite quarries exist at Mountsorrel, 

 Sheepshed, Markfield, and other places. Barrow-on-Soar pos- 

 sesses large lime-works. Otherwise the surface of the land is 

 not much disturbed. 



The rest of Leicestershire may roughly be said to be undu- 

 latory, many of the hills being crowned by small woods and 

 copses. There are large woods at Belvoir and Belton, and 

 smaller ones in other parts, such as Diseworth and ,Castle 

 Donington ; a well-timbered park runs down to the Trent at the 

 latter locality. Sheets of water are few and far between, and 

 mostly owe their origin to the exigencies of water supply for the 

 neighbouring towns. 



A glance at Mr. Browne's map will show the county boundaries, 

 but I must call particular attention to that portion formed by the 

 course of the Trent in the north of the county. It is well known 

 that the Trent Valley is extensively used as a fly line by birds 

 arriving on our east coast and journeying towards the Bristol 

 Channel, and other haunts of wildfowl on our S.W. coasts. It 

 is much to be regretted that Mr. Browne's notes are so sparse 



