OBSERVED IN HERTFORDSHIRE IN 1906. 217 



The greatest and most extraordinary visitation, however, took 

 place during the last few days of the year at Watford. When 

 the snow of Christinas week melted, it caused considerable 

 bodies of flood-water to inundate the low-lying water-meadows 

 of the Colne Valley, and these floods seemed in some way or 

 other to have proved a powerful attraction to the gulls, especially 

 in the area just above the London and North- Western Railway. 

 I was unable to make any careful observation of them until 

 the 6th of January, 1907, and I then counted 63 birds, and this 

 after one contingent had disappeared from sight. I should 

 think, therefore, that there were at least 70 or 80 birds in all. 

 There were two species at least- — the larger herring-gull [Larus 

 argentahis) and the smaller black-headed gull (L. ridibundus). 

 The former made up two-thirds of the flock and the latter one- 

 third, roughly speaking. There is no record in our ' Trans- 

 actions ' of any such large visitation of g-ulls to Hertfordshire, 

 though 36 herring- gulls are reported to have been seen near 

 Hertford in 1897. 



Great Crested Gi*ebe (Podicipes cristatus). — I am informed 

 that for the first time for many years this handsome bird has 

 nested at the Elstree Reservoir, but that, sad to relate, the nest 

 was despoiled of its eggs by some person lodging in the village. 

 It is a pity this ruthless " collector " — he cannot sui-ely be a 

 naturalist — was not prosecuted for his vandalism. It is just the 

 way with the callous collector — if there is only one clutch of 

 eggs of any particular bird in a county he will "bag" them, even 

 at the risk of exterminating the species. 



Little Grebe (Podicipes fluviatilis). — Though this active httle 

 diver is very common in the main stream of the Colne, I have 

 never until last autumn seen a specimen on the Gade. It is 

 therefore worth recording that on December 9th I saw three 

 birds of the species on that stretch of the river which winds 

 through Cassiobury Park. 



The eggs of the cuckoo have been recorded as found in the 

 nests of the following birds : — Hedge-sparrow, robin, pied wagtail, 

 tree-pipit, redstart, and reed- warbler. 



The following birds are reported as having been more plentiful 

 dm-ing 1906 :— Heron, greenfinch, fieldfare, golden plover, par- 

 tridge, blackbird, thrushes, chaffinch, linnet, redwing, lesser 

 whitethroat, hawfinch, goldfinch, starling, bullfinch, snipe ; while 

 the subjoined are said to be scarcer : — Corncrake, owls, hawks, 

 kingfisher, coot, redwing, fieldfare, brambling, yellow-hammer, 

 woodcock, snipe, blackcap, green plover, golden plover. 



The following, in addition to the case of the tomtit quoted 

 above, have been reported as curious nesting-places : — (1) Green- 

 finch's nest under the eaves of a straw-rick about seven feet 

 from the ground. The young ones were reared successfully. 

 (2) Hedge-sparrow's nest in a roll of wire standing near hedge. 

 The nest was about ten or twelve inches from top. One or two 



