BIRDS third was taken alive in 1886 at Uppingham, and a fourth was shot on 14 October 1 89 1 at Hoby Farm. In 1897 one was taken in an exhausted condition at Ashwell Station, and the remains of two were found on 5 November 1898 at Luffenham. 111. Heron. Ardea cinerea, Linn. No longer nests in the county. About 1830 there was a heronry at Burley, and small settlements thirty years later at three or four places close to the Rutland borders. The only one near the county now, and that from which all the Rutland herons probably ■come, is at Milton Park, near Peterborough. As many as ten herons may be seen at a time in the Welland valley. {Purple Heron. Ardea purpurea, Linn. One is reported to have been killed at Burley in 1888, but I have no further par- ticulars of it.] 112. Night-Heron. Nycticorax griseus (Linn.). Said to have been seen 16 and 22 August 1885 at Clipsham by the Rev. B. N. Cherry. His description of the bird seems to point to the correctness of the identification, to which he stated that the late Lord Lilford was in- clined to agree. 113. Bittern. Botaurus stel/aris (Linn.). One shot at Pickworth about 1850 ; a -second about 1854 during the winter, near the Welland; a third in November 1876 at Greetham ; a fourth, a male, at Exton in 1887. A fifth was seen at Exton Ponds in 1898 and the late Mr. R. Tryon told me he had met with it years ago at Beaton. 114. White Stork. Ciconia alba, Bechstein. In a letter by the late Lord Lilford to his nephew is the statement, ' Tom Barrington tells me a Stork has been seen at Ketton, 4 August 1886.' 115. Grey Lag-Goose. Anser ctnereus,M.eyeT. Used to be regular visitors, as late as the fifties, to the Welland valley. The late Lord Lilford considered this the rarest of the four species of geese, and was of opinion that of the geese which were seen flying over- head those that passed in August, Septem- ber, and the first half of October generally belonged to this species. On 29 September 1904 the Rev. H. H. Slater identified a gaggle of grey lag-geese flying overhead near Uppingham. u6. White-fronted Goose. Anser albifrons (Scopoli.). Locally, Laughing Goose. The late Mr. R. Tryon shot two out of a lot of five, which were with a flock of bean- geese in the Welland valley about the fifties. Two were also shot out of a gaggle of twelve near Barrowden about 27 January 1888. They had been forced to take shelter in the reeds by a peregrine falcon which stooped twice at them and struck one. Two were also shot on 11 January 1900 near Caldecott. 117. Bean-Goose. Anser segetum (J. F. Gmelin). Formerly so abundant along the Welland valley that boys had to be employed on cer- tain pasture lands near Gretton to scare them away. They were common as late as the middle of last century. No specimen of this bird has been brought to hand of late years, but four geese put up at night in January 1902 near Liddington by the Rev. S. R. Pocock may have been of this species. They are still observed to fly overhead in the winter months, and as many as twenty-five were so seen 24 November 190 1. 118. Pink-footed Goose. Anser brachyrhyn- chus, Baillon. A few used to be killed in the Welland valley 1850-60, according to the late Mr. R. Tryon. 119. Barnacle - Goose. Bernlcla leucopsis (Bechstein). Mentioned by the late A. C. Elliot as a Rutland species, and he only included in his list birds which he had himself handled in the flesh. 120. Brent Goose. Bernicla hrenta (PzWss). Included, like the preceding, among Rut- land birds by A. C. Elliot. One was shot near Stamford in January 1888. [Egyptian Goose. Chenalopex aegyptiacus, Pallas. One was killed near Stamford in January 1805, and was probably a genuine wild speci- men. Another was killed about i860 on the Leicester border of Rutland. Five visited the Welland on 27 August 1878, and one was shot, and another was obtained at Burley in 1882. About 1895 seven were seen at Burley, and one was shot. All these, with the exception of the first instance, must be considered as stragglers from some ornamental water.] 69
