58 
THE HKDHEROWS OF LEICESTERSHIRE 
flight was about October 7th, after three days of North East wind, and 
about the same time we were visited by large flocks of Peewits (Vanellus 
cristatus), which remained with us all the open weather, I have rarely 
seen them in such numbers. On the East coast of England there was 
probably an immigration of Jays (Garrulus glandarius) early in the 
month, as a considerable number passed over Heligoland on the 6th 
(vide “Zoologist,” 1883, p. Ij, and our inland districts were certainly 
affected by it in some degree. Several times during the season I 
observed upwards of a dozen together, an unusual circumstance, and 
the bird appears to have been much more numerous than usual in the 
district generally. On the 28th there were a good many Redwings 
(Tnrdus iliacus) in the hedges. I heard of no Bramblings (FringiUa 
mont if ring ilia) actually ui the county, but a little past the middle of 
October a few were observed on the Warwickshire boundary; the first 
was on the 18th. On November 2nd a Short-eared Owl (Asio ac- 
cipitrinus) was brought to the stuffer’s—the only one I heard of all the 
season. We had an immigration of Goldcrests (Reguhis cristatus) about 
the latter part of November : I saw two examples, which had flown in 
at open windows. I noticed a single Siskin (Chrysomitris .'ipinus) on the 
18th. On December 9th there were some very large flocks of Larks 
(Alauda arvensis) on the stubbles, and Redwings and Fieldfares (Turdus 
pilaris) were numerous. Starlings (Stiirnus vulgaris) also passed us in 
enormous flocks about that time, and especially on the 16th. Teal 
(Querquedula crecca) visited us in some numbers during that month; 
and a Royston Crow (Gorvus cornix), the only one I heard of during the 
season, was brought in on the 21st. On the whole, winter birds, 
properly so-called, although perhaps not so scarce as in 1881, have been 
far from plentiful.—Banbury, Oxon. 
THE HEDGEROWS OF LEICESTERSHIRE * 
BY F. T. MOTT, F.R.O.H. 
Fences of live thorns have been in use for three thousand years at least. 
Homer mentions them in the “Odyssey,” and Virgil in the “ Georgies.” 
It is not known which of the many thorny shrubs of southern Europe 
was used for this purpose by the Greeks and Romans—probably several. 
The Romans introduced the practice of planting Hawthorn hedges 
into England, and this shrub has been chiefly used here ever since 
their time. It is known to have been in use for the same purpose in 
Italy in the 14th century. But live hedges of any sort were not 
common in England until the 17th century. Up to that period they 
had been used for enclosing plantations, orchards, gardens, and other 
specially protected grounds, but not for agricultural divisions. 
Between the years 1600 and 1620 English farmers took to planting 
* A paper read at a recent meeting of the Leicester Literary and Philo¬ 
sophical Society. 
