Page:VCH Leicestershire 1.djvu/188

 A HISTORY OF LEICESTERSHIRE Dr. Macaulay remarked upon the increasing rarity of the 'Jack,' but in the winter of 1885-6, it was unusually abundant, so close to Leicester as Knighton and Rowley Fields, where I shot and procured several examples. On 13 April, 1888, I saw a small snipe get up quite silently from the old river at Aylestone and believe it to have been a 'Jack,' and if so, it would be a late date for this bird to be with us. A male specimen was killed by flying against the telegraph wires at Cosby and presented in the flesh to the museum on 3 April, 1906, by Mr. Joseph Johnson. Mr. W. J. Horn writes in 1907 : ' A few are nearly always to be found in the Welland Valley in winter, where I have occasionally shot them.' 175. Dunlin. Tringa alpina, Linn. Locally, Plover's Page, Purre, Sea-Snipe, Stint. An uncommon autumn and winter visitant from the coast. Harley recorded it for Bosworth and Loughborough, and also noted several examples killed near the disused reservoir of Charnwood Forest. Mr. Sebastian Evans, writing to the late Rev. C. Babington, who kindly furnished me with the note, quoted from his brother, the late Rev. Arthur Evans's miscellaneous bird notes : ' Dunlin shot at Gopsall, Jan., 184.7.' The late Dr. Macaulay (Mid. Nat. 1882, p. 78) said that it occasionally occurred at Saddington Reservoir, and he had noticed a flock of fourteen there during the winter of 1881. I saw four specimens in the possession of Mr. S. Bevans, shot by him in the Abbey Meadow, about 1878-9 ; one in the possession of T. W. Tebbs, shot by him at Blaby, about the same time ; and two in the flesh in winter plumage shot at Fleckney, by Mr. C. Allsop, 20 Oct., 1885. Harry Throsby shot one with a cata- pult, on the canal near the gas-works, Aylestone Road, Leicester, 2 Feb., 1888, which he brought to me in the flesh. Mr. A. Dalby of Castle Donington shot two 6 Jan., 1894. Mr. J. T. Hincks shot one at the Sewage Farm in 1899, which he presented to the museum. Mr. O. Murray-Dixon shot one in 1904, and a female on I Sept., 1905, both of which are in the museum, and another 6 Sept., 1905, all at Svvithland Reservoir. Mr. W. J. Horn writes in 1907: '20 Aug., 1902, two seen at Saddington Reservoir.' 176. Little Stint. Tringa minuta, Leisler. A rare autumnal migrant. A Mr. Thos. Goatley, writing in The Zoologist for 1867, p. 991, is the first recorder of this species for the county, men- tioning one shot in the Abbey Meadow in January, 1 867, which he had seen, but whether in the posses- sion of Elkington, who preserved it, or in that of Mans- field, who purchased it, is not clear. 19 Two were shot out of a party of three, on 22 Sept., 1885,31 Sadding- ton Reservoir, by the late Dr. Macaulay, who pre- sented them to the museum. The Rev. W. H. Mar- riott shot one at Saddington Reservoir, which was unfortunately recorded as being Temminck's Stint (see following species). Dr. Macaulay informed me that a specimen was shot on the brick-yard ponds, Kibworth, in March, 1893. Mr. O. Murray-Dixon reports that he shot a little stint with plumage approximating to the See also Little Gull (192), for both of which notee I am indebted to Mr. W. J. Horn. summer dress on 22 Sept., 1904, at Swithland Reservoir. [Temminck's Stint. Tringa temmincki, Leisler. The late Dr. Macaulay recorded (Mid. Nat. 1882, p. 78) that a specimen of this bird was shot at Sad- dington Reservoir in 1860 by Rev. H. Marriott, and was seen and identified by Rev. A. Matthews. This statement, after being copied into many publications, unfortunately proves to be an error ; for, suspecting the bird might be referable to the previous species, I wrote to the Rev. Henry Marriott, who, replying on 2 Jan., 1888, most kindly sent me the identical specimen to examine. The first glance showed me that it was a little stint in immature plumage ; and, indeed, Mr. Marriott himself wrote : ' I have al- ways been under the impression that the bird in question is only the Little Stint,' and again : ' I am not, myself, in any way responsible for the error.' Temminck's Stint must therefore be erased from the Leicestershire fauna. To prevent similar mistakes I may, without giving all the points of difference, point out one unerring test by which the two closely-allied species may be distinguished in any stage of plumage ; Temminck's Stint has the outer tail-feathers pure white, the Little Stint has those feathers ashy brown.] [Curlew Sandpiper. Tringa subarquata (Gtlldenstadt). Locally, Curlew-billed Sandpiper, Pigmy Curlew. A spring and autumn visitant. Its occurrence in the county rests upon the vague statement of Harley, who wrote : ' The appearance of this species of Tringa in the county I am enabled to record on the testimony of a sportsman resident at Loughborough, who shot one on the banks of the Soar.'] [Purple Sandpiper. Tringa striata, Linn. Five skins were purchased for the museum in 1904, said to have been shot at Belgrave Sewage Farm, which, if correct, would establish another new record. The condition of the skins, however, with other hypotheses, suggests that at present the verdict should be 'not proven.'] 177. Sanderling. Calidris arenaria (Linn.). A rare straggler from the coast, where it is common in winter. Some years since, according to Harley, who examined them, three or four birds of this species were shot near the reservoir in Charnwood Forest. Mr. W. J. Horn writes in 1907 : 'One shot three or four years ago near Callow Hill, Great Bowden, and now in the possession of Turner, a postman in Market Harborough. This bird has been seen and identified by the Rev. H. H. Slater.' 178. Ruff. (2 Reeve.) Machetes pugnax (Linn.). A spring and autumn migrant. The first specimen recorded for the county is one shot by Mr. A. K. Perkins, at Saddington Reservoir, on 19 Aug., 1887. It proved on dissection to be a female. A second and much larger example, an immature male, was shot at the Beaumont Leys Sewage Farm on 14 Dec., 1899, b y Mr. J. T. Hincks. Both specimen are in the museum. 179. Common Sandpiper. Tetanus hypoleucus (Linn.). Locally, Summer Snipe. ^ A summer visitant, sparingly distributed, remaining with us, in ordinary seasons, from the middle of 150