BIRDS lands in the south of the county, where game was much less cared for than in other districts, the carrion- crow was certainly more abundant. Mr. S. Shackel- ford wrote to me: ' I was driving in May, 1884, along the highway in Knaptoft Parish, when I saw a crow about two hundred yards in front on the road- side, which seemed to me, at that distance, to be fight- ing with another, but as I drove within fifteen yards of it I was astonished to find it trying to kill a mole, and on my stopping it collared the animal with its beak, flew over the hedge with it, and then com- menced again.' Mr. Davenport obtained a very small dark-green egg from a nest containing one other, near Rolleston, in April, l88z ; a precisely similar egg in every respect was taken at the same place in April, 1883, from a nest containing four others. Both eggs are in his collection. The old birds had frequented the neighbourhood during the intervening winter. He further records a third, also similar, taken on 1 3 April, 1885. Mr. Otto Murray-Dixon reports this bird as nesting commonly at Swithland in 1906. Mr. W. J. Horn, writing in 1907, says that there are many nests in the neighbourhood of Market Harborough,and half a dozen about a quarter of a mile apart on the Welland between Market Harborough and Lubenham. 76. Hooded Crow. Corf us corn'tx, Linn. Locally, Grey Crow, Grey-backed Crow, Royston Crow, Saddle-backed Crow. A regular winter visitant, sparingly distributed and not remaining to breed. Mentioned by Mr. Babing- ton (Potter, op. cit. App. p. 68) as having been seen near Charnwood Heath, and he himself had seen specimens said to have been killed near Leicester. Harley noted its first appearance at various dates, commencing z 5 October, and extending over a period of fourteen days, and remarked that from then until about 21 March it might be observed on our uplands and wilds, its range being chiefly limited to the forest of Charnwood and the surrounding district. Mr. In- gram wrote : ' Five or six pairs generally visit Belvoir every November, remaining until spring ; often near the kennels, the smell of flesh attracting them.' The late Mr. Widdowson noted the appearance of this bird close to Melton nearly every winter. Turner reports one shot in the Abbey meadow about 1870 ; and a specimen which I saw in the possession of the once celebrated prize-fighter, Joseph (' Mickey ') Bent, was said to have been shot near Melton Mowbray, somewhere about the year 1873. The late Dr. Macaulay recorded one (Mid. Nat. 1882, p. 64) obtained at Skeffington in 1875, and saw one at Saddington Reservoir on 7 Jan., 1885. One in the museum was obtained from Rothley Plain on 2 Feb., 1881, and another was shot on 3 Jan., 1882, close to Leicester. Mr. Ellis has seen a pair or two nearly every winter ; and I saw two on 24 Feb., 1882, near Bradgate, sitting on an old tree. C. Adcock informs me that he mounted one which had been caught in a trap at Bradgate in 1883, and Elkington has, in past years, received several from Swithland. The Leicester Chronicle and Mercury of 24 Oct., 1885, records that a Mr. Bevin, of Dunton Bassett, found a wounded bird there on 1 6 Oct., 1885. Since then it appears to have been unusually common. I purchased a male, shot on the Cropston Road, 31 Oct., 1885, the stomach of which contained large quantities of the elytra of various beetles and some few uninjured small snails. Another (a female) was shot at Cos- sington on 6 Nov., 1885, and five others had been seen there the day before. One was shot at Nar- borough by Mr. Everard about the same time. Mr. Davenport shot one at Skeffington Vale in Decem- ber, 1880, and reports three seen at SkefRngton on 5 Dec., 1885. The Rev. A. Matthews reports hav- ing seen two at Gumley. Mr. W. A. Evans saw one at Kirby Muxloe on 28 Nov., 1885. One was seen by Mr. H. W. Roberts at Sheet Hedges, Bradgate, on 2 Feb., 1887, and another by the Rev. G. D. Armitage at Broughton Astley in 1887. Among the museum specimens is a female killed at Kimcote on 31 Oct., 1890. Mr. C. R. Smith writing from Loddington on 5 Nov., 1905, recorded one he had shot there. Mr. G. Frisby writes 5 Oct., 1906 : ' First appear- ance this season.' Two were seen by Messrs. P. Druce and S. Maples on 3 March, 1907, at the sewage farm, Beaumont Leys. Mr. W. J. Horn writes in 1907 : 'In ten years I have seen but two in this district ; 8 March, 1902, one seen in Welland Valley near Rockingham.' 77. Rook. Corvus frugi/egtis, Linn. Resident and common, breeding in rookeries at Stoneygate and Knighton, and .it Westcotes until its demolition in 1887. Harley appears to have con- sidered that most of the rooks bred immediately around Leicester congregated and rested for the night, during the autumn and winter, in Sheet Hedges Wood, opposite the village of Anstey. He also re- marked upon the hardships to which this species is exposed during seasons of continued drought, such as the summer of 1826, when numbers perished in the fields for want of food. The eggs vary considerably in size. Two taken out of a nest at Stoughton were presented to the museum on 24 April, 1886, one of them being of normal size, the other about the size of a sparrow's egg. This bird is subject to much variety. The museum donation-book records under date 13 June, 1850, a rather uncommon variety, ' of a pale brown colour, shot at Stoneyg.ite ' ; and under date 25 May, 1885, a pied specimen from Gopsall ; and one with white wings from Belvoir was presented on 24 June, 1880, by Mr. Theodore Walker. I saw an immature bird shot at Wistow Park 20 May, 1885, the beak of which was yellowish- white, claws white, several of the toes barred with white, part of the head and chin white, as also several of the primaries and secondaries. Mr. W. A. Evans sent me an immature female specimen shot by him at Ingarsby on 3 June, 1889, which has the basal half of the setiform feathers of the nares pure white, as are also many of the vibrissae, the setiform feathers at the base of the lower mandible, the sides of the face, the chin, throat, fore part of the neck with the exception of five small black feathers in the region of the chin the major covert of the ninth primary, the distal third of the eighth primary, and the two inner claws of the right foot. Mr. W. J. Horn writes in 1907: 'There are two rookeries in this town (Market Harborough).' fl
