464 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. 



place [Zool. 1854, p. 4441). This species has also nested at 

 Cold Hiendly Reservoir, near Wakefield, where, in June 1861, 

 a male bird was procured and four eggs were taken, two of 

 which were sent to Mr. J. E. Harting ; it was stated by 

 A. G. More {Ibis. 1865), to have been found " quite recently " 

 breeding in the Craven district, and it now nests there annually ; 

 also near Shipley, where eggs were found in 1893 ; in 1898 

 it nested at Ackworth, while at Scampston and Thirkleby 

 it breeds in a semi-feral state. 



In addition to being a resident, the Pochard occurs as a 

 winter visitant, being met with both on the coast and on 

 inland waters. It used to be not uncommon in the Tees 

 in the first half of the past century, and in the Humber it 

 was formerly observed in hard weather ; several flocks were 

 noticed there in the early weeks of 1895, and it is reported 

 from time to time at the various coast towns. 



We are told in Hatfield's " Historical Notices of Doncaster " 

 (1866), that this duck was a difficult bird to take in the decoy 

 on account of its facility in diving, which enabled it to get 

 back under water in the pipe, but still many were caught 

 every season. Mr. Roger Gough, who rented the decoy 

 from 1707 to 1727, made use of a clever arrangement by 

 means of which many were captured in nets at dusk ; twenty 

 dozen are said to have been taken at one catch. It 

 also figures in the list of ducks "captured at Hornby 

 Decoy, and is enumerated amongst the birds in Fothergill's 

 Wensleydale list (1823), repeated in Barker's " Three Days 

 of Wensleydale " (1854). It has occurred on most of the 

 reservoirs and sheets of fresh water in the West and North 

 Ridings, and occasionally in Teesdale, Swaledale, Wensleydale, 

 and Ryedale ; near Masham it has been seen several times 

 in spring {Nat. 1886, p. 233) ; and in May 1878 one was 

 obtained at Glasshome Reservoir, near Pateley Bridge. It 

 is also noted from the valleys of the Nidd, Wharfe, Ribble, 

 Calder, and Hodder ; on Malham Tarn and Semerwater, 

 besides other localities which it would be tedious to 

 recapitulate. 



In the neighbourhood of Cottingwith and Thicket Priory 



