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 A HISTORY OF DERBYSHIRE other occurrences see Birds of Derbyshire, p. 97. To these may be added : one seen near Bakewell, February, 1894 (W. Bouls- over) ; several also seen near Curbar during the same winter ; one shot and another seen near Curbar on December 7, 1895 (W. Storrs Fox). 75. Starling. Sturnus vulgaris, Linn. Locally, Starnel. Common in every part of the county, breeding indifferently in holes of trees, ivy- covered walls, buildings and rocks. I have seen the eggs taken from a sand-martin's burrow. A nest found near Ashbourne in an exceptionally mild winter contained nearly fledged young on January 26, 1898 (Know- ledge, 1898). Albinos and pale - coloured varieties of plumage are common. 76. Rose-coloured Starling. Pastor roseus (Linn.). This erratic visitor has been recorded several times from Derbyshire. Pilkington mentions the first shot, October, 1784, at Weston Cliff, by Mr. Dawson. J. J. Briggs, in the Zoologist, mentions three other occur- rences, and records a fourth in the Field for 1866. One was seen at Allestree by Mr. Evans (Nat. Hist, of Tutbury, addenda, p. 228) and Mr. G. Pullen states that one was seen near Castle Donington, but this last was probably a Leicestershire record. [Chough. Pyrrhocorax graculus (Linn.). A stray bird shot within ten miles of Sheffield may have been secured within our limits (see F. B. Whitlock Birds of Derbyshire, p. 101).] 77- J a 7- Garrulus glandarius (Linn.). Still fairly numerous wherever woods exist, although much persecuted. Owing to the caution it displays during the breeding season but few nests are found. Although some- times breeding low down I have seen several nests at least 60 feet high in tall larches and firs. 78. Magpie. Pica rustica (Scopoli). Not uncommon except in those districts where the game is strictly preserved and the neighbourhood of the grouse moors. Where not disturbed they are often very numerous : I have counted over twenty in half an hour's walk. Some few nests are to be found in the high straggling blackthorn hedges and are generally difficult of approach. In 1899 a wild hen magpie paired with an escaped cock jackdaw at Fenny Bentley, but though a nest was built no eggs were laid, perhaps owing to the birds having been disturbed too much (Zoo/. 1900, p. 430). A cream coloured variety with pale brown markings was shot near Ashbourne in 1901. 79. Jackdaw. Corvus moncdula, Linn. A common resident, sometimes breeding in large colonies and making use of holes of rocks, buildings and trees as nesting sites. Although cases have been recorded of old rooks' nests having been utilized, I know of no instance in which the enormous well- shaped open nest has been found in Derby- shire. In Staffordshire and Shropshire two or three colonies nest in this way in trees. In north Derbyshire the clutch rarely if ever exceeds four in number, but in the south six eggs are not uncommon. 80. Raven. Corvus corax, Linn. Formerly the raven bred in many locali- ties in Derbyshire, but all are now deserted and only stray birds visit us at uncertain intervals. Most of these breeding places were in precipitous rocks, such as Raven Tor near Ashover, Howden Chest on the Der- went Moors, Cressbrook and Dovedale ; but a large willow in a marsh near Ashbourne was occupied till about forty-five years ago. In 1866 the Rev. J. C. Cox saw two ravens nailed up against the gable end of a barn in Stanton-in-the-Peak Park, and ascertained that they had been shot in Lathkill Dale, where they bred. Between 1866 and 1873 he repeatedly saw ravens at the upper end of Edale and at Chee Dale ; also once between Stony Middleton and Eyam and several times near Ashover. Portions of the original nest described by Seebohm (Hist. Brit. Birds, i. 49) were still visible when I visited Howden Chest in May, 1 900, although they must have been there for nearly 40 years. Now and then a raven is seen on the grouse moors : one was reported at Lane End near Derwent in April 1900 (Zoo/. 1900, p. 431). Another was observed for some time near the entrance to Dovedale in 1898. 8 1. Carrion-Crow. Corvus corone, Linn. Still manages to exist in spite of game- keepers, and in one or two districts, such as the Dove valley between Thorpe and Hart- ington, is decidedly common. The usual number of eggs varies from four to six, but occasionally nests containing a single egg or two only are found, probably the produce of old and almost barren birds (see Zool. 1900, p. 429). 132