BIRDS Reservoir, on 1 6 Oct., 1891. The Rev. H. Parry presented to the museum a phalarope which was killed one wing being cut off by flying against the telegraph wires at East Norton in Tugby, on or about 17 Oct., 1891. I saw three mounted speci- mens in the hands of T. Adcock, one of which he had imagined to be the red-necked, owing to its having some trace of the summer plumage upon It, all of which were said to have been shot in the district during the stormy week in October, 1891. On 1 5 Oct., 1 906, Pinchen of Leicester showed me a bird of this species, said to have been killed in that neighbourhood and sent to him to be set up. 17 [Red-Necked Phalarope. Phalaropus hyperboreus (Linn.). A mounted specimen, said to have been shot at Birstall, near Leicester, was purchased for the museum early in 1904. from a taxidermist. If correct, it establishes a new record.] 171. Woodcock. Scolopax rustlcula (Linn.). A winter migrant, sparingly distributed. Harley remarked that it had bred in Martinshaw and also in the woods at Donington Park, in the northern division of the county. A nest found by Chaplin in Martinshaw Wood contained four young ones which were reared off. Sir George Beaumont wrote to the late Dr. Macaulay that woodcocks bred some years ago at Coleorton, and Dr. Macaulay stated (Mid. Nat. 1882, p. 10) that 'a nest was found in Owston Wood a few years ago.' Mr. Davenport shot a very light-coloured example in Cold Overton Wood, in December, 1884, and I shot at Aston Firs, on 29 Nov., 1887, a large dark-coloured female bird. A notion prevails amongst sportsmen that the light- coloured birds are males and the dark-plumaged ones, on the contrary, females ; but such I do not think is the case, no author having as yet differentiated the sex by plumage, although it is well known that the female is the larger bird. Mr. H. S. Davenport informed me that when hunting on 5 April, 1889, at Rolleston, the hounds flushed a woodcock. The Rev. C. H. Wood reports one shot at Leicester by Mr. John Buck by the ceme- tery gates in the old ' Occupation ' road (now Vic- toria) a year or two previous to 1871. The Rev. G. D. Armitage writes that he shot one in a turnip- field of the Glebe at Broughton Astley on 29 Oct., 1890. Mr. W. T. Everard informed me that it bred at Breedon Cloud in 1894, and on 20 April, 1905, the Rev. Hugh Parry flushed a bird in Stockerston Wood which was sitting on four incubated eggs in a nest made under a small blackberry bush. Mr. W. J. Horn writes in 1907 : ' It was reported to me that woodcocks were breeding at Noseley Lodge Farm, and I interviewed Bottrill the tenant. He said he had seen a pair of woodcocks in the early morning twice recently feeding in a wet bottom by the osier bed. It is possible these birds may have nested in the Langton Woods a mile or so distant. V A specimen of Wilson's Phalarope, Sieganofui Wihoni (Sabine), is said to have been obtained at Sutton Ambien near Market Bosworth, and the occurrence was mentioned in the Proc. Zool. Soc. (1886), pt. 3, p.'297, and in the Zoo!. (1886), p. z;6, but the authenticity of the record has not been fully established. A man named Tooms reported to me in 1904 that he had heard and seen several woodcocks during July and August flying to or from the Langton Woods when he was fishing in the canal.' 172. Great Snipe. Gallinago major (J. F. Gmelin). Locally, Double Snipe, Solitary Snipe. A rare autumn visitant. According to Harley, Chaplin of Groby shot one in Martinshaw Wood during the winter of 1838. Mr. Davenport says his father shot oneatTilton in December, 1861 and ate it ! The late Mr. Widdowson's diary contains a note of one killed at Little Dalby on 28 Sept., 1868. The late Dr. Macaulay recorded (Mid. Nat. 1882, p. 10) one killed near Lutterworth some years ago by Mr. Sansome of that town and in his possession ; another obtained at Noseley a few years since ; a third 18 which was killed in 1879 near Smeeton by Mr. Elliott, and a fourth picked up dead in 1881 at Billesdon Coplow, which appeared to have died from starva- tion. On 2 Sept., 1885, Mr. A. Ross of Leicester, whilst shooting over the Garthorpe Estate near Melton Mowbray, killed a great snipe, which his dog pointed in a clover field, and, as is usual with this species, at some considerable distance from water. The specimen, a fine dark-plumaged one, was pre- sented by Mr. Ross to the museum (Field, 12 Sept., 1885). I saw in the hand of Ludlam, a bird-stuffer, a great snipe which had been shot by Mr. J. C. A. Richards, in a field at Blaby, during the first week in September, 1885. 173. Common Snipe. Gallinago caekstis (Frenzel). Locally, Full snipe. Generally distributed, but not so common as for- merly, except at the Sewage Farms of Leicester and other places, and although seen for the greater part of the year, it is doubtful if it now remains to breed except occasionally ; nevertheless, Mr. Robert Groves found a nest and one egg which latter he presented to the museum on 24 April, 1889. Mr. E. L. Ferrall saw a snipe near Market Harborough on 1 8 May, and at Rearsby in June, 1906. Mr. W. J. Horn writes in 1907 : 'Nearly always to be found in the Wei- land Valley in winter, where it has also bred just beyond our borders. I have no note of its nesting in the county, but on 12 June, 1904, I flushed a single bird on the Upper Welland. It topped the hedge and alighted on the far side, where from a distance of but a few yards I had a good look at it through the glasses.' On IO April, 1907, I flushed two snipe near Bransford Bridge, Cotesbach, but I could not gather that they had ever bred near there. 174. Jack Snipe. Gallinago gallinula (Linn.). Locally, Half Snipe, Judcock. An autumn visitant, sparingly distributed, and leav- ing us early in the spring. I have seen some mounted specimens which were shot by Mr. Samuel Bevans in the Abbey Meadow, some time about the year 1877. A specimen in the museum was caught in the ' allot- ment gardens,' close to Lancaster Street, Leicester, on 20 Oct., 1884. Mr. Davenport informed me that in 1885 he ' shot one out of some thistles at Lowesby on 1 6 Sept., a very early date.' The late 18 Dr. Macaulay did not see this specimen, but as he was informed that it weighed J lb., he thought it must have been of this species. 149
