Page:VCH Leicestershire 1.djvu/186

 A HISTORY OF LEICESTERSHIRE to be one, at Swithland Reservoir, 24 Aug., 1904. Bearing in mind, however, the extreme rarity of the real At, curmica, I am disposed to think he shot a specimen of the small Continental form of Ae. hiaticuh, which often occurs in Britain. Two mounted specimens of the foregoing species in the museum, said to have been shot at Belgrave, are erroneously attributed to Ae. curonka.] 165. Golden Plover. Charadrius pluviaRs, Linn. A winter visitant and not common. Harley re- marked that its appearance in this county was chiefly confined to Charnwood Forest and the wild hills around. Occasionally, however, it was found on the meadow-lands which fringe the River Soar, such as the meadows about Loughborough and Barrow. T. W. Tebbs of the Union Inn, Blaby, showed me one which he shot at Wigston in 1854. Turner informs me that some time in 1865 he shot a golden plover in winter plumage, in the Abbey Meadow. I have seen in the possession of Mr. J. S. Bevins, of Ingarsby Old Hall, a fine specimen which was shot by his father at Wellsborough about 186570. The late Dr. Macaulay recorded (Mid. Nat. 1882, p. 65) its occurrence at Coleorton, Smeeton, and Gumley some years since. Mr. Standbridge tells me that about 1880 he saw and shot the golden plover at Aston Firs. Mr. Davenport shot one at Skeffington on 26 Dec., 1 88 1, and saw a flock of about fifty on 15 March, 1883. He also reports one killed at Foxton in October, 1884. Mr. Ingram wrote: ' In flocks in the winter season, in the Vale of Belvoir.' Mr. W. G. Adams shot three specimens on 30 Dec., 1885, in a field just oft' Saffron Lane, Aylestone, and says there were sixty or more in the flock. Mr. W. Brookes, writing from Croft in April, 1888, says : 'Golden plovers are common here in winter, in times of floods ; I have shot them fre- quently in the meadows. There was a flock of about twenty flying over the floods when the snow melted a month since.' Dr. Macaulay wrote on 29 Nov., 1889 : ' To-day when snipe-shooting with my son (Tom) we came across a small flock, fifteen in number, of golden plover in Smeeton parish. They were in the company of green plovers, were wild, and got up out of shot.' It occurs every year in small parties, and more commonly and in larger flocks in hard weather at the Sewage Farm, Beaumont Leys, where I have seen it. Mr. W. J. Horn saw and shot at one in the Welland Valley, near Rockingham, on 28 Feb., 1900. 1 66. Grey Plover. Squatarola helvetica (Linn.). A splendid male specimen of the grey plover a species hitherto unrecorded for the county was pre- sented to the museum by Mr. Seville, who found it on the morning of 5 Dec., 1892, the bird having been killed by flying against telegraph wires, near the Twelve Bridges, on the canalized Soar, by Leicester. 167. Lapwing or Peewit. Vanellus vulgaris, Bech- stein. Locally, Green Plover. Resident and generally distributed ; in severe winters, however, it withdraws until the early spring, when it is often met with in large flocks. On 4 Nov., 1885, lapwings were reported to be flocking in meadows by the Aylestone Road Gas Works, and the next day floods being out I saw several 'stands' of 148 some six or seven hundred or more congregated in meadows opposite the Aylestone Mill. Mr. Daven- port wrote: "In April, 1884, I remarked a cock and two hen lapwings frequenting a ploughed field for some little time ; eventually I found the two nests on the same morning within ten yards of each other, each nest containing four fresh eggs. I am sure there was only one male bird with the two hens.' It is very numerous at the Sewage Farm, Beaumont Leys. Mr. W. J. Horn writes that large numbers are to be seen in autumn and in mild winters in the Welland Valley. On 28 Feb., 1900, he saw a ' stand ' of from three to four thousand. 1 68. Turnstone. Strff si/as interpres (Linn.). An accidental visitant from the coast. Mr. Turner received a male and female, said to have been shot at the Abbey Meadow about 1 8 80 or 1881, and I saw a young one, said to have been shot in the Abbey Meadow in the spring of 1 883. It appears an old one was shot at the same time and place. 1 69. Oyster-Catcher. Haematofus ostralegus, Linn. Locally, Olive, Sea-pie. A rare and accidental straggler from the coast, chiefly in spring and autumn. Harley recorded the occurrence of one at Loughborough in the year 1840. On 26 Sept., 1887, Mr. J. E. Hodding shot a fine and nearly adult specimen of this bird in a water- meadow next to the Gas Works on the Aylestone Road, Leicester, which he gave to the museum. [Avocet. Recurvtrostra avocetta, Linn. Locally, Cobbler's Awl. Now a rare straggler to this country, and the only authority we have for its admission into the local list is that of Mr. Wolley of Beeston, who saw a specimen of this rare visitant while fishing near the confluence of the Soar with the Trent in June, 1856. It passed over his head 'giving a distinct view of its upturned bill' (Zoo/. 1856, p. 5280).] 170. Grey Phalarope. Phalanpus fulicarius (Linn.). Of irregular occurrence in autumn. Harley stated that during the autumn of 1841 and the following winter many birds were captured throughout the county. The species occurred again in the autumn of 1846, and also in December, 1853, when a fine speci- men was shot by Mr. Bloxam at Twycross. More- over, towards the close of 1854 it appeared at Foxton, where one was shot on the canal which passes through that village. The late Dr. Macaulay recorded (Mid. Nat. 1 882, p. 10) one, killed by the late Rev. H. Mat- thews at Foxton, in the winter of 1860-1, and then in the possession of the Rev. A. Matthews. The late Mr. Widdowson told me that he had received two or three specimens killed near Melton Mowbray. In 1887 I saw, in the possession of Mr. J. S. Bevins, of Ingarsby Old Hall, an example shot by his father at Wellsborough, fifteen or twenty years previously ; and Mr. Richard Naylor, Thrussington, found one dead in May, 1864, on some plough-land near Cressington Fox-covert, on the Old Fosse Road, which he gave to the museum. ' In 1 868 one was killed near Leices- ter by striking telegraph wires ' (T. Walker in Zool. 1868, p. 1212). The late Rev. A. Matthews in- formed me that a grey phalarope in winter plumage was shot by Mr. E. T. Turner near Saddington