Page:VCH Essex 1.djvu/291

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BIRDS 281. Wilson's Petrel. Oceanitet oceanicus (KM). A petrel, bought at Doubleday's sale, which Mr. Hope has (see Birds of Essex, p. 271), is of this species : not Leach's. There is nothing to prove that it is the example, found dead in a field near Epping after a storm, about the middle of November 1840, which Doubleday seems to speak of as a Leach's petrel ; but this is probable, as the bird is believed to be an Essex specimen. 282. Great Shearwater. Puffinm gravii (O'Reilly). An occasional autumn and winter visitor. 283. Manx Shearwater. Puffinus anglorum (Temminck). As the foregoing. Sometimes driven by storms far inland. 284. Fulmar. Fulmarut glacia/ls (Linn.). An occasional winter visitor, seldom seen except when driven ashore by severe storms. ADDENDA 285 (470). Grey-headed Yellow Wagtail. Motacilla barea/is t Sundevall. A very rare straggler to Britain. An example was taken by some bird catchers in a nightingale trap, set in the fields between Southend and Shoeburyness, early in May, some six or eight years ago (Keulemans). 286 (ilia). Lesser Golden Plover. Char- adrius dominicus^ P. L. S.' Muller. A very rare straggler to Britain, which has occurred once only in Essex. An example, believed to be an adult male, was shot on August 6, 1896, at Shellhaven Point, in the Fobbing marshes, by Mr. H. Nunn (Zoo/. 1897, p. 330). 287 (2430). Gull-billed Tern. Sterna ang/ica, Montagu. A rare straggler to Britain. An example, one of five which flew over Ashdon on May 21, 1901, was shot by Mr. Howe, a gamekeeper, who still has it. I have not yet been able to examine it. It has been sub- mitted to Mr. G. N. Maynard, curator of the museum at Saffron Walden, who believes that its identification is correct. SUMMARY The 287 species of birds admitted into the foregoing list as belong- ing to the county of Essex may be classified roughly as follows : Residents 67 Summer visitors 35 Winter visitors 89 Passing migrants 18 Occasional stragglers 7^ Total 287 253