OBSERVF.P TX nERTFORDsniKK IN 1897. 37 



Lesser Kedi'oll {Li/ioftt ru/escens). — On the 23rd of March 

 ^Ir. llivers saw a bird of this species at Sawbridgeworth. The 

 remarks 1 made above about the occurrence of the siskin upply also 

 to this bird. 



Ckossbill {Loxia curvirostra). — I saw crossbills on several 

 occasions in Uckridge Wood, near Eerkhamsted, from the middle 

 of September till the end of the year. They occur in this wood 

 every year, and it is quite possible that a pair or two may remain 

 there to nest, although up to the present 1 have not been able to 

 prove that such is the case. 



Little Owl {Athene nodua). — I have been informed that 

 this bird nested in Hertfordshire in 1897 and hatched two young 

 ones, one of which was killed by falling out of the nest. My 

 informant, who is a reliable authority, asked me to withhold his 

 name and the locality, lest some enterprising collector should go 

 to the place and disturb the birds, which are still there. Many 

 of these small owls have been turned down at various times and 

 have spread over the country, and are now found nesting in several 

 districts, but I think nevertheless that this bird should be admitted 

 to our county list for the same reason that the red-legged partridge 

 and certain other recognized British birds are admitted, viz., that 

 they are now thoroughly established in this country ; moreover, the 

 species now under discussion has, I believe, occurred over here 

 in the actual wild state. The only other record of this bird in 

 Hertfordshire is of one shot near Ashwell in May, 1877. The 

 late Lord Lilford did much towards establishing the species in 

 Northamptonshire, as he turned down large numbers of them in 

 that county. In his book on the ' Birds of Northamptonshire ' 

 he states that this species is more or less common throughout 

 Europe to the south of the Baltic, and is very numerous in Holland, 

 from which country all his birds were originally obtained. 



Hen-Haeeier {Circus cyaneus). — Mr. E. P. Thompson, of 

 Elstree, informs me that Mrs. Brightwen's bailiff at the reservoir 

 there saw a hawk on November 7th, which he is quite certain was 

 of this species. Mr. Lucas also tells me of a stuffed specimen 

 of the hen-harrier in the jDossession of Mr. Goddard, of Hitchin, 

 who shot it on Oughton Head Common some years ago. In 1883 

 Mr. M. R. Pryor observed one of these birds at Weston Manor, near 

 Stevenage, as was mentioned by the late Mr. Littleboy in his report 

 for that year. This is another bird which, though at one time 

 fairly plentiful in the British Isles, is gradually disappearing on 

 account of the changing aspect of the country, and the immense 

 amount of game-preserving that prevails now. 



CoiiMON Buzzard {Buteo vulgaris). — Mr. Joseph Nunn informs 

 me that a fine common buzzard was shot at Barrington about 

 September or October. Tins is very probably the bird referred 

 to in ' The Globe ' of 9th September, 1897, as having been shot in 

 Hertfordshire and presented to the St. Albans Museum. I have 

 not at present obtained any further particulars about this bird, but 

 hope that some of the members of this Society may be able to assist 



