VIII. 

 NOTES OX BIRDS OBSERVED IN HERTFORDSHIRE DURING 



THE YEAR 1893. 



By Heney Lewis. 



Read at Watford, llth April, 1894. 



WnEif I last had the honour of presenting my annual report on 

 the birds observed in Hertfordshii'e, I was enabled to increase our 

 register by the adtlition of three species. On the present occasion 

 I have two species to add, raising the number recorded for 

 the county to 207. Several rare birds already on our register 

 have also been observed during the year. I will at once proceed to 

 refer to the two additional species. 



1. The Black Redstart {Ruticilla titys). — This welcome ad- 

 dition to my report I recently received in a letter from Mr. A. 

 Sainsbury Verey, of Heronsgate, Herts, enclosing a cutting from 

 the 'Watford Observer' of 1st April, 189;3, which runs thus: — 

 "Sir, — Watching for the wheatears in my field at an early hour 

 this morning, the note of a redstart attracted my attention, and 

 looking about I was immediately struck with the dark back of the 

 bird as it sat perched on a wire fence not veiy far away. It per- 

 mitted a near approach, and then, with obliging courtesy facing 

 round, the very dark colour of the throat and body at once con- 

 finned my first impression, it being undoubtedly a specimen of the 

 black redstart {Ruticilla titys). I copy a brief account of the dis- 

 tribution of the bii'd from the ' List of British Birds,' compiled by 

 the British Ornithologists' Union (p. 9): *A winter visitant to 

 the south-west of Great Britain; occasional elsewhere, and in 

 Ireland ; has been known to breed in Notts. Breeds all over 

 Central and Southern Europe. Winters in Korth Africa.' — Yours, 

 etc., A. Sainsbmy Verey, Heronsgate, Herts." 



In his letter to me Mr. Verey states : " The bird was observed 

 on the 28th of March. It stayed with me two days, and was very 

 tame, enabling me to detenuine clearly that it was really the black 

 redstart, as I had many opportunities of seeing the grey throat and 

 the dark sooty appearance of the whole of the front of the body." 



2. The Canada Goose {Bernicla canadensis). — When on a recent 

 visit to Iloyston, Mr. W. Norman, naturalist, of that town, showed 

 me a well-mounted and fine specimen of this rare bird, which 

 was shot on the 6th of June, 1893, from a flock of about ten 

 obsei'vcd in a field on the estate of Mr. W. B. Green, Cockenack, 

 near Barkway, eai'ly in the morning. The bird was found to 

 weigh twelve pounds, and measured across the wings 5ft. 6ins., 

 and from tip of tail to bill, 3ft. 3ins. 



This bii'd is the common wild goose of the United States. I 

 quote the following from Gray's ' Birds of the West of Scotland ' 

 (p. 354). " In writing of the vernal flight of this species, Wilson, 

 the American ornithologist, says : — ' It is higlily probable that 

 they extend their migration under the very pole itself, amid the 



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