42. Larus, GULL. 1. Larus Ridibundus, BLACK-HEADED PEWIT OR BLACK-CAPPED GULL.-Whitish; head black; bill and legs purplish red: length fifteen inches; extent thirty-seven inches; weight about 10 oz. Visits this county occasionally. 2. Larus Marinus, BLACK-BACKED OR BLACK AND WHITE GULL.-White; back and wings dusky lead colour; primary quills black, with broad white tips: length two feet four inches; extent five feet eight inches; weight nearly 5 lbs. Found as the last. 3. Larus Canus, COMMON GULL OR SEA MEW.-White; back and wings grey; first quills black at the extremity, fourth and fifth with a black spot at the tip, outermost black on the outer web: length eighteen inches; extent three feet eight inches; weight about 1 lb. Seen occasionally in various parts of the county. 4. Larus Tridactylus or Rissa, KITTIWAKE.-White; back and wings grey; outmost quills black on the outer web; tail white; hind-toe a mere knob: length fifteen inches; extent three feet; weight 7 or 8 oz. Shot at Chellaston and Bretby. One found dead by the side of the Derwent at Duffield, September 2, 1819. It appeared to have been starved to death, its stomach containing nothing but a few fragments of shells. 43. Mergus, MERGANSER. 1. Mergus Merganser, GoosANDER.-Slightly crested, white; head, upper part of the neck, back and quills glossy black; tail grey: length two feet four inches; extent three feet; weight 4 lbs. Shot on the Trent, near Twyford, Catton, &c. 2. Mergus Castor, DUN DIVER.-Crested grey; head and upper part of the neck ferruginous; chin, ends of the middle quill-feathers and belly white: length two feet three inches; extent two feet eleven inches; weight nearly 3 lbs. Found in the same places as the last. 3. Mergus Minutus, RED-HEADED SMEW.-Head and upper part of the neck ferruginous; bill black; above grey brown; beneath and chin white; wings with a white spot before and behind. Female, bill lead colour; breast clouded with grey; back dusky, mixed with grey length fifteen inches and a half; extent two feet; weight 14 or 15 oz. Has been shot at Derby and Staveley. 44. Anas, DUCK. 1. Anas Cygnus, WILD SWAN.-Bill semi-cylindrical, black; cere yellow; body pure white: length four feet ten inches; extent seven feet three inches; weight from 13 to 16 lbs. Sometimes visits Derbyshire in severe winters. 2. Anas Olor, TAME SWAN.-Bill red, black at the nail and sides, with a black fleshy tubercle at the base; body pure white; much larger than the last; plumage cinereous till the second year; legs dusky; ribs twelve. Many of these beautiful birds are found on the Trent, where they remain unmolested, and add greatly to the beauty of the river. 3. Anas Niger Oler, BLACK SWAN.-Bill rich scarlet, near the tip a small black spot, edged with white; whole plumage intense black, except the primary and secondary quillfeathers, which are white; eyes black; feet dusky: length four feet two inches; extent five feet six inches.. This bird is a native of New South Wales. One was shot on the river Trent, opposite Weston Cliff, on the 2nd of July, 1821, by Mr. Joseph Bowmer of Melbourn, gamekeeper to Sir William Rumbold, bart.: who had, within the three preceding years, shot likewise a white snipe, a white sparrow, a white swallow, a white Jackdaw, and an osprey eagle. 4. Anas Anser, GREY LAG GOOSE.-Bill semi-cylindrical, flesh colour, with a white nail; body, above grey, beneath paler, mixed with grey; neck striated longitudinally: length two feet nine inches; extent five feet; weight 8 or 9 lbs. Frequents the rivers, occasionally in the winter. Breeds in March. 5. Anas Albifrons, WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE.-Bill flesh colour, with a white nail; body grey, mixed with brown and white; front white: length two feet four inches; extent four feet six inches; weight 4 to 5 lbs. This bird is found on the Trent in severe seasons. 6. Anas Erythropus, BERNACLE GOOSE.-Bill black, with a flesh coloured spot on each side; body grey; undulate above, with black and white; neck black; face and belly white: ength twenty-five inches; extent four feet five inches; weight 5 lbs. Shot at Barlbrough. 7. Anas Bernicla, BRENT GOOSE.-Bill, head, neck and breast black; a white crescent on each side the neck: length twenty-eight inches; extent four feet; weight 2 lbs. Formerly shot on Sinfen moor. 8. Anas Boschas, WILD DUCK OR MALLARD.-Bill straight, yellowish green; head and neck glossy green, with a white collar beneath; breast purplish chestnut; wing spot purple blue, above which is a black and white band; middle tail feathers of the male recurved length twenty-three inches; extent thirty-five inches; weight 2lbs. This bird is not unfrequent on the rivers and ponds in the winter. The female sometimes hatches her young the latter end of March. 9. Anas Tadorna, SHELDRAKE.-Bill turned upwards, red, with a knob at the base; head greenish black; breast, with an orange bay band, crossed by a brownish stripe running down the belly; wing spot glossy copper green: length two feet; extent three feet six inches; weight 2 lbs. 10 oz. Found formerly on Sinfen moor. 10. Anas Penelope, WIDGEON.-Bill lead colour, tipped with black; head bay, spotted with black; front yellowish white; back with grey and blackish undulate lines; vent black. Female brown, with darker spots; breast paler: length twenty inches; extent twenty-seven inches; weight nearly 24 oz. Shot on the Trent and Derwent. 11. Anas Ferina, POCHARD.-Bill blue, tipped with black; body with grey and black undulate lines; head chestnut; pectoral band, rump and vent black: length nineteen inches; extent thirty inches; weight 28 oz. Found in the same places as the last. 12. Anas Glacialis, LONG-TAILED DUCK.-Bill black, orange in the middle; body black; beneath white; front and sides of the head reddish grey; two middle tail feathers very long, narrow and pointed. Young bird: body white; temples, breast, back and wings black. Female: blackish, varied with rufous and grey; back black; collar and lower part of the belly white: length twenty-two inches; extent twenty-nine inches. Pilkington mentions this bird as having been shot on Sinfen moor, but that tract being now enclosed and drained, it is principally found on the Trent and Derwent. 13. Anas Clangula, GOLDEN EYE.-Bill black; body varied with black and white; head tumid, black with a green and violet gloss; at the corners of the mouth a white spot: length eighteen inches; extent two feet six inches; weight 2 lbs. Not unfrequent on the Trent, and sometimes on the Derwent. 14. Anas Glaucion, MORILLON.-Bill yellowish brown; body blackish, with white lines; head dull ferruginous; neck with a white collar, and a grey one beneath it; wings with a white line: length fifteen inches; extent two feet two inches; weight 1 lb. 3 oz. One of these birds was shot out of a small flock, on the Derwent at Duffield, January 11, 1823. It is not a common bird, as this is the only instance known of its having been shot here. O. J. 15. Anas Querquedula, GARGANEY.-Bill black; over the eyes a broad white stripe; breast with semi-circular brown and black lines; wing spot green: length seventeen inches; extent twenty-eight inches. Formerly found on Sinfen moor. 16. Anas Crecca, TEAL.-Bill black; above and beneath the eyes a white line; breast with roundish black spots; wing spot green: length fifteen inches; extent twenty-three inches; weight 12 oz. Found on the Trent and Derwent. 45. Pelicanus, PELICAN. 1. Pelicanus Carbo, CORVORANT OR CORMORANT.-Bill toothless, black; head slightly crested; chin dirty white; body black; tail rounded, of fourteen feathers: length three feet four inches; extent nearly five feet; weight nearly 8lbs. Sometimes, though rarely, seen in the county. 2. Pelicanus Bassanus, GANNET OR SOLAND GOOSE.-Bill serrate, yellowish white; face bald, blue; body dirty white; primary quills black: length three feet; extent six feet; weight about 7 lbs. In the foregoing list, it has been thought best to give a description of every species of bird which has at any time been found in this county, as far as they could be collected. Enclosures, drainings and improvements, have undoubtedly thinned their numbers: but still, Derbyshire, from the great diversity of its surface and climate, may boast of as great a variety of this beautiful part of the creation, as any inland county in the kingdom. The following is a list of the summer birds of passage, and the time in which they usually appear, arranged somewhat in order. This assemblage of curious and amusing birds, belongs to ten several genera of the Linnæan system. Most soft-billed birds live on insects, and not on grain and seeds: and therefore, at the end of summer they retire; but the following soft-billed birds, though insect eaters, stay with us the whole year: Redbreast and Wren, these frequent houses, and haunt out-buildings in the winter; eat spiders Hedge Sparrow, haunt sinks for crumbs and other sweepings White Wagtail, Yellow Wagtail, Grey Wagtail, The three last frequent shallow rivulets, near the spring heads, where they never freeze; eat the aurelia of Phryganea. Stone-chatter Golden-crested Wren, this is the smallest British bird, haunts the tops of tall trees. The following is a list of the winter birds of passage, and the time in which they usually appear, arranged 1. Ring Ousel, Michaelmas and March, breeds in the 8. Peak 2. Red-wing, about old Michaelmas 3. Fieldfare, about old Michaelmas; though a percher by day, it roosts on the ground at night 4. Royston Crow, about old Michaelmas; most frequent on downs 5. Woodcock, about old Michaelmas somewhat in order. Wood Pigeon, it seldom appears till late; and not 9. Wild Swan, on some large waters 6. Snipe, about old Michaelmas; some snipes con- 15. Grosbeak, stantly breed with us 7. Jack Snipe, about old Michaelmas 16. Cross-bill, on our lakes and rivers these are only wanderers, that appear occasionally, and are not observant of any regular migration. These birds, as they stand numerically, belong to the following Linnæan genera. Turdus. 4, Corvus. 5, 6, 7, Scolopax. 8, Columba. 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, Anas. Loxia. 17, Ampelis. Birds that sing in the night are but few, viz. Nightingale, In shadiest covert hid. Milton. Woodlark, Suspended in mid air. Sedge Warbler, among reeds and willows. 1, 2, 3, 15, 16, Birds that continue in full song till after midsummer, arranged somewhat in the order in which they first begin to open as the spring advances. 1. Woodlark, in January, and continues to sing through all the suminer and autumn 2. Song Thrush, in February and on to August; re- 3. Wren, all the year, hard frost excepted the 21st 7. Skylark, in February and on to October 8. Swallow, from April to September 9. Blackcap, beginning of April to July the 13th 11. Blackbird, sometimes in February and March, until 12. White-throat, in April to the end of July Birds that cease to be in full song, and are usually silent at or before midsummer: 15. Redstart, May to the middle of June 16. Chaffinch, February to the beginning of June 17. Nightingale, April to the middle of June. Birds that sing for a short time, and very early in the spring: reassumes for a short time in September. 18. Missel-bird, January. It is called, in some coun- 19. Great Titmouse, in February, March and April; ties, the Storm-cock, because its song is supposed to forebode windy wet weather; is the largest singing bird we have Birds that have somewhat of a note or song, and yet are hardly to be called singing birds: 20. Golden-crested Wren, its note is as minute as its 24. Grasshopper Lark, chirps all night from the middle person, frequents the tops of high oaks and firs; the smallest British bird 21. Marsh Titmouse, haunts large woods; two harsh sharp notes of April to the end of July 25. Marten, all the breeding time, from May to September 26. Bullfinch, 22. Small Willow Wren, sings in March, and on to Sep-27. Bunting, from the end of January to July. All singing birds, and those that have any pretensions to song, come under the Linnæan ordo of passeres Birds that sing as they fly are but few, viz.: Skylark, rising, suspended, and falling Woodlark, suspended; in hot summer nights all night Blackbird, sometimes from bush to bush All birds that continue in full song till after midsummer, are supposed to breed more than once. FISH. "Let me live harmlessly, and near the brink And on the world and my Creator think: Whilst some men strive ill-gotten goods t' embrace; Of wine, or worse, in war and wantonness." ALL the Derbyshire rivers, and some of the brooks, abound with fish of various sorts; as, pike, trout, grayling, perch, roach, chub, barbel, dace, eels, &c.; in the Trent and Derwent are sometimes caught large salmon; and in the Trent, sturgeon. Wonderful as it may appear to see creatures existing in a medium so dense, that men, beasts, and birds must inevitably perish in it; yet experience proves, that, besides those species which we are in the daily habit of seeing, the very depths of the immense ocean contain myriads of animated beings, to whose very form we are almost strangers, and of whose dispositions and manners we are still more ignorant. In their construction, modes of life, and general design, the watery tribes are perhaps still more astonishing than the inhabitants of either the land or air. The structure of fish, and their adaptation to the element in which they are to live, are eminent proofs of divine wisdom. Most of them have the same external form, sharp at each end and swelling in the middle, by which configuration they are enabled to traverse their native element with ease and swiftness. The fins of fish are denominated from their situations. The pectoral fins are placed at a little distance behind the opening of the gills, and are large and strong, and serve as well to balance the body as to assist the motion of the fish. The ventral fins are placed towards the lower part of the body, under the belly, and serve chiefly to raise or depress the fish in the water. The dorsal fins are situated on the ridge of the back, and are very large in flat fish ; their use, like the pectoral ones, is to keep the body in equilíbrio, as well as to contribute to its progressive motion. The anal fins are placed between the vent and the tail, enabling the fish to keep an upright position. Fish possess all the necessary organs of seeing, hearing, smelling and feeling in an equal degree with either quadrupeds or birds. Voracity is their chief characteristic. Those with the largest mouth pursue almost every thing that has life; and often meeting each other in fierce opposition, the fish with the widest swallow comes off victorious, and devours its antagonist. As a counterbalance to this great voracity, fish are amazingly prolific. Some bring forth their young alive, others produce only eggs; the former are the least fruitful; yet even those produce in great abundance. The viviparous blenny, for instance, brings forth two or three hundred at a time. Those which produce eggs are much more prolific. Naturalists declare, that the cod spawns above nine millions in a season. The flounder commonly produces a million; and the mackerel above five hundred thousand. Scarcely one in a hundred of these eggs, however, brings forth an animal; they are devoured by all the lesser fry that frequent the shores; by water-fowl in shallow waters; and by the larger fish in deep waters. Such a prodigious increase, if permitted to come to maturity, would overstock nature: even the ocean itself would not be able to contain, much less provide for, one half of its inhabitants. Two wise purposes are answered by their great increase; it preserves the species in the midst of numberless enemies, and serves to furnish the rest with a sustenance adapted to their nature. Fish, like the land animals, are either solitary or gregarious. Some, as the sturgeon, trout, salmon, &c. migrate to deposit their spawn. We shall now notice such as are found in the rivers of this county, arranged according to the Linnæan System, as modified by Dr. Shaw. This arrangement differs, however, from that of Gremlin's, in his edition of the Systema Natura; he divides them into six orders: viz. 1. Apodal; 2. Jugular; 3. Thoracic; 4. Abdominal; 5. Branchiostagous; and 6. Chondropterygious. ORDER 1. APODES. Bony fish without ventral fins. GENUS. Anguilla, EEL.—Head smooth; nostrils tubular; eyes covered by the common skin; gill membrane ten-rayed; body roundish, smooth, mucous ; dorsal, caudal and anal fins united; spiracles behind the head or pectoral fins. These fish, which are viviparous, evidently form a connecting link, in the chain of nature, between the serpents and fish, possessing not only, in a great measure, the serpent form, but also many of their habits. They have been frequently known to quit their element, and to wander in the night over meadows in search of snails and other prey, and to other ponds for change of habitation. Their usual haunts are in mud, among weeds, under roots or stumps of trees, in holes in the banks or bottom of rivers. They are partial to still water, and such as is muddy at the bottom. Eels are best in season from May to July, but may be caught with a line till September. The baits generally used are dew-worms, wasp-grubs, minnows, gudgeons, &c.: the largest and best are caught by night-lines. Anguilla Vulgaris, COMMON EEL.-Olive brown; subargenteous beneath; the head compressed and narrower than the body, with the lower jaw longer than the upper, and the body cylindrical with scales hardly perceptible. They seldom exceed a foot in length. ORDER 2. JUGULARES. Fish with bony gills, and ventral fins before the pectoral ones. Gadus Lota, BURBOT OR EELPOUT.-Yellowish olive, variegated with black; mouth bearded; jaws equal; tail rather oval: body growing to three feet long; slender; head like a toad. These fish are to be caught in the Trent and Derwent, and in the back cuttings, Sinfen moor. ORDER 3. THORACICI. Bony fish with the ventral fins placed directly under the pectoral. GENUS. Cottus, BULLHEAD.-Head broader than the body; spiny eye vertical and furnished with a nictitating membrane six-rayed; body (in most species) without scales; attenuated towards the tail; dorsal fins (in most species) two. |