Page:VCH Leicestershire 1.djvu/153

BIRDS creased enormously, and in some cases are far too common and are doing immense mischief to crops and fruit. Amongst the Passeres to take the birds in the order adopted in this volume the ring-ouzel, said formerly to breed in the Charnwood district and at the present day regularly in the county of Derby, is now but a straggler, and there is no authentic instance of its breeding for the last fifty or sixty years. The nightingale appears to me to be of much commoner occurrence within the last twenty years, which is probably due to protection. The black redstart has occurred as a solitary specimen ; on the other hand the Dartford warbler recorded by Yarrell, Macgillivray, Morris, Dresser, and others for the county is founded upon error. No record exists of the occurrence of the firecrest in the county. The reed-warbler, although it has been driven from the precincts of Leicester by the diversion of the old Soar, is still found along the streams of the county ; one specimen of the aquatic warbler has, on the authority of Mr. J. E. Harting, occurred in the county. The dipper or water-ouzel, quite common and breeding in Derbyshire, is merely a rare straggler to this county. The bearded reedling has been said to occur, but as it is now rare in its accredited haunts it is not likely to occur here again. The grey or winter wagtail, although fairly common and breed- ing in Derbyshire, is an occasional visitor, once only recorded as breeding. The great grey shrike and its supposed ally Pallas's great grey shrike have occurred as rare stragglers. The waxwing, of sporadic occurrence in Britain in some winters, has occurred a few times. The pied flycatcher has not occurred for years, and there is no record of its nesting. The goldfinch has been always considered a scarce bird in the county, but Mr. H. S. Davenport (1906) and Mr. H. Butler Johnson (1907) believe it to be increasing in numbers. The siskin occasionally occurs in winter, generally along the streams, but has not been recorded as breeding. The hawfinch appears to be more common than formerly and nests in some localities. The brambling occurs in some winters, but has never bred ; the same remarks apply to the twite, whilst the snow-bunting is a rare winter visitant. The starling has increased alarmingly of late years. The rose-coloured pastor, one of the rarest British accidental visitants, has been said to occur thrice in the county. The magpie appears to have become more common of late years. A few specimens of the hooded crow occur most years, but the raven, fairly common sixty or so years ago, has now disappeared for ever. The wood-lark may occur, but I have never seen a local specimen. Amongst the Picariae I have grave doubts as to the authenticity of the record of the white-bellied, or Alpine swift, said to have once occurred ; whilst the wryneck, fairly common in the south, appears to be a rare bird. The hoopoe has occurred more than once. About the Striges the most remarkable incident is the growing com- monness, and the breeding especially, of the little owl, Athene noctua. I should be disposed to attribute its occurrence in this and adjoining counties to the fact that foreign specimens were turned loose in Northamptonshire by the late Lord Lilford and perhaps by some other persons. As throughout the whole of Britain, the Accipitres have suffered more than most sub-orders of birds from the inroads of civilization, and species quite common a century ago and others fairly common and nesting within the "5