Page:VCH Derbyshire 1.djvu/179

 BIRDS ground, and at other times 30 or 40 feet high in a tree. 31. Great Tit. Parus major, Linn. Locally, Blackcap, Tomtit, Ox-eye. This species is I think commoner than the blue tit in Derbyshire. With the exception of the moors it is found in all parts of the county, but is naturally most numerous in the well wooded parts. The nest, like that of the blue tit, is placed in almost any kind of hole. One at Shirley was built in an old water can which had been thrown aside, and contained the unusual number of thirteen eggs. 32. Coal-Tit. Parus ater, Linn. Locally, Colemouse (o&s.). A few pairs are generally to be found where plantations of conifers exist. As a breeding species, it is rare in the valleys of the Trent and lower Dove, but is not un- common in the winter. 33. Marsh-Tit. Parus palustris, Linn. Absent from the north of the county, but found in small numbers in the low-lying dis- tricts of the south, especially where old pol- larded willows are to be found. Apparently this species has decreased in numbers of late years. 34. Blue Tit. Parus ceeruleus, Linn. Locally, Tomtit, Bluecap. Much commoner than either of the two preceding species, and pretty generally dis- tributed. 35. Nuthatch. Sitta ctesia, Wolf. Locally, Woodcracker (Glover). A very local resident, breeding regularly in the country south of the Trent, and in small numbers in the parks of north-east Derby- shire where large timber is to be found. To other parts of the county it is a rare straggler. 36. Wren. Troglodytes parvu/us, K. L. Koch. Locally, Jenny Wren. Found breeding in every part of the county. Even in the wildest parts of the moorlands its cheery little song may frequently be heard. 37. Tree-Creeper. Certhia fami/iaris, Linn. Resident in all the wooded parts of Derby- shire, but not in large numbers. During the breeding season the old birds follow a regular beat in search of food, and may be looked for about the same time on some favourite tree for weeks together. In default of the usual nesting site, between the bark and trunk of some old tree, the creeper will nest in crevices of wooden sheds or between loose timber piled upright. 38. Pied Wagtail. Motacllla lugubris, Tem- minck. Locally, Water Wagtail. A partial migrant, many migrating south- ward on the approach of winter, but indi- viduals may be seen during every month of the year. It breeds commonly in all parts of the county right up to the edge of the moorlands, and is frequently used as a foster parent by the cuckoo. 39. White Wagtail. Motacllla alba, Linn. A regular visitor in spring to the Trent valley, where it may possibly breed occasion- ally. It was first observed by the late Mr. Edwin Brown, and has been subsequently noticed by several observers. It also occurs occasionally on migration in the north of the county. 40. Grey Wagtail. Motadlla melanope, Pallas. Locally, Yellow Wagtail. Breeds in fair numbers by the banks of all our mountain streams and also by the Dove and Derwent, becoming scarcer as the south- ern plain is reached. On the Trent only one or two pairs nest, but as an autumn and win- ter visitor the grey wagtail is common enough, forsaking its breeding haunts in the Peak. The nest is nearly always beautifully lined with white horsehair, and is placed near water in crevices of walls, ledges of rock, or on a rough bank. One found by Mr. E. W. H. Blagg was placed in a recess at the far end of a large cave in Dovedale. 41. Blue-headed Wagtail. Motadlla flava. Linn. Mr. J. J. Briggs (Zool. p. 2488) in his ' List of the Birds of Melbourne,' asserts that a specimen of the grey-headed wagtail (M. neglecta) was killed on November 23, 1846. There is however reason to believe that the bird was wrongly identified (see F. B. Whit- lock, Birds of Derbyshire, p. 64). One was however killed at Darley Dale in the sum- mer of 1895, and is now in the Whitworth Museum (W. Boulsover). 42. Yellow Wagtail. Motadlla rail (Bona- parte). Locally, Spring Oatear (N. Wood). A regular summer visitor in considerable numbers to all those parts of the county which are under 500 feet above the sea. Higher up it becomes scarce, but a few 127