A HISTORY OF LEICESTERSHIRE The late Dr. Macaulay shot an immature specimen at Saddington Reservoir on 9 Aug., 1887, and a female in winter plumage was shot at the same place on IJ Oct., 1887, by Mr. A. K. Perkins, who presented it to the museum. When driving with a party of friends near Groby Pool on 16 May, 1889, our attention was attracted by a gull flying over the water. Watching its flight for some time, it repeatedly came quite near to us, giving us all a very good view of its dark head, and I had not the slightest hesitation in pronouncing it to be a black-headed gull in summer plumage. Mr. W. J. Horn writes in 1907 : ' On 5 May, 1903, I saw eleven of these gulls in breeding plumage on floods in Welland Valley below Med- bourne.' 1 94. Common Gull. Larui canus, Linn. Of accidental occurrence, especially after stormy weather on the east coast. Mr. Babington (Potter, op. cit. App. p. 70) said : ' Often seen and shot ; flocks of gulls, probably L. rissa as well as this, frequently fly over Thringstone after violent storms. None except the common gull have fallen into my hands.' I am sorry I cannot endorse this statement, very few but kittiwakes having come under my observation. I saw at Pinchen's a fully mature specimen which was shot at Wigston on 1 6 Aug., 1889, and two days later I saw five gulls of some kind fly over Wigston. Mr. How informs me that he saw at Pinchen's a specimen said to have been shot at Frisby early in December, 1892. Mr. G. Frisby writes on 27 July, 1906 : 'A young common gull was shot upon the Fishpond here and brought to me for identification.' Mr. W. J. Horn writes in 1907 : 'Three gulls of this species were seen by me on 5 May, 1903, on floods below Medbourne, in the Welland Valley.' 195. Herring Gull. Larus argentatus, J. F. Gmelin. Potter, the taxidermist of Billesdon, reported a specimen caught alive by Mr. W. Hart, of Rolleston, in September, 1869, and if this be correct it creates a new record, whilst it is highly probable that some of the large gulls which I and others have seen every spring flying over Leicester are of this species. Mr. W. J. Horn writes in 1907 : 'In April, 1901, numerous in the flooded meadows near Rockingham, in fact they are nearly always to be seen in the valley when the Welland is in flood. In the last week of February, 1902, it was reported to me, " Scores of gulls in the Welland Valley. They were probably of this species." ' 196. Lesser Black-backed Gull. Larus fuscus, Linn. A rare straggler from the coast. The late Rev. A. Evans recorded in his notes the occurrence of a specimen on Groby Pool in 1850. In the autumn of 1880 I saw an adult specimen, said to be from Bradgate, in the hands of a man named Donnell. Three immature specimens, one shot at Somerby in 1880, one at Melton in 1881, and another obtained at Claybrook in 1900, are in the museum. 197. Greater Black-backed Gull. Larus marinus, Linn. Locally, Cob. Mr. O. Murray-Dixon again creates a new record for the county, having shot one of this species on 4 Sept., 1905, at Swithland Reservoir. Mr. W. J. Horn writes in 1907: 'On 16 April, 1894, two seen by me soaring over the canal near Hinckley.' 198. Kittiwake. Rissa tridactyla (Linn.). Of accidental occurrence in spring and autumn. Mr. Babington (Potter, op. cit. App.) recorded its occurrence at Bardon, and Harley wrote : ' Occurred on the Soar, 1854,3)80 on Groby Pool and elsewhere in the county.' A mounted specimen presented to the museum by Mr. H. J. Bellairs on 7 June, 1852, is noted in the donation-book as having been found dead at Evington ; another is noted under date 9 March, 1 86 1 , as having been ' shot at Upton.' The Midland Naturalist (1880, p. 43) recorded that one was shot by Mr. Warner's keeper in a field near the Sewage Works on 1 9 January, a fourth was found dead in the Abbey Meadow on 7 Feb., 1881, and a fifth was obtained at Melton Mowbray in 1 88 1. The late Dr. Macaulay mentioned one shot at Gumley on 3 Jan., 1880, and another an adult female in winter dress which is now in the museum, shot by Mr. Thomas Aulay Macaulay on Saddington Reservoir, 15 Sept., 1 88 1. Mr. Davenport says two immature specimens were shot at Ashlands in Sep- tember, 1 88 1, and he shot another, fully mature, flying over the house at Ashlands some time in 1886. I saw an adult specimen in the hands of Pinchen, which was shot at Braunstoneon 14 April, 1888. Mr. W. T. Tucker shot one on a pit at the brickworks, Loughborough, on 1 8 Nov., 1889. He had the bird set up, and then took a rough photograph of it, which he sent to me together with a description and measure- ments of the specimen, and from these I have no doubt it is a kittiwake in change of plumage. Dr. Macaulay reported an immature specimen shot at Carlton Curlieu, 1 1 Dec., 1891. Mr. W. J. Horn writes in 1907: ' In Zoo/. 1868, p. 1213, Mr. Theodore Walker writes: " A specimen was shot at the West Bridge in Leicester, during March."' [Common Skua. Stercorarius catarrhactcs (Linn.). An autumn and spring visitant, but of rare and acci- dental occurrence inland. Mr. Babington (Potter, op. cit. App. p. 70), said : ' One shot near Wymeswold, December, 1841. Communicated by Mr. Potter,' and Harley wrote : ' This species of Lcstris has been captured in the county, but the visit of the creature must ever be considered unusual and irregular. The bird appeared in the month of October, 1846, during the prevalence of a heavy gale from the N.W.' The occurrence in the county of Leicester of the ' common ' skua, probably one of the rarest of the skuas, must stand or fall upon Mr. Babington's note, as in October, 1846, Harley evidently could not discriminate between this bird and the pomatorhine skua, from the fact that in November, 1 846, he admitted that he had misnamed the one recorded by him (see follow- ing species), which he had wrongly pronounced to be the common skua.] 199. Pomatorhine Skua. Stercorarius pomatorblnut (Temminck). Locally, Pomarine skua (by error). A rare straggler from the coast. Harley related that one was shot near Leicester, in November, 1846, and being merely wounded was kept some time in a 154
