XXIV. 



NOTES ON BIRDS OBSERVED IN HERTFORDSHIRE DURING 



THE YEAR 1899. 



By Alan F. Grossman, F.L.S., F.Z.S., M.B.O.U. 



Read at Watford, lOth April, 1900. 



I REGRET that I must complain about the scarcity of notes sent 

 to me for my paper this last year : whether it is that my 

 correspondents are becoming fewer in number, or whether they 

 think that I only care for the records of the rarer species, I do not 

 know, but I hope that the latter reason is the true one, as that is 

 more easily remedied. Let me at once say that all notes on the 

 birds of this county are most acceptable to me, whether on common 

 or rare species. It is not possible for me to know the distribution 

 of the various birds unless 1 have information from residents in all 

 parts, for one cannot by occasional visits to a district learn very 

 much about the actual scarcity or otherwise of a species ; that can 

 only be learned by long acquaintance with the locality. 



Turning now to the actual list of birds, what I have said above 

 must be my apology for its brevity. The majority of my recoids 

 come from the Tring district; this, no doubt, is due to the 

 reservoirs, which have a great attraction for waders and birds of 

 a water-loving nature. 



I will first mention two birds which have been seen in the 

 county, but the records of which are not authenticated as to the 

 actual species. One of these was a yellow and black bird which 

 was seen for some time in the neighbourhood of St. Albans in the 

 summer : from its description it is, I think, referable to the golden 

 oriole ( Oriolus galhula), but it was not observed by an ornithologist 

 or any person who was acquainted with the species, and it may have 

 been an escaped bird of some other kind. The other bird was seen 

 at Watford on March 26th in Cassiobury Park. It was described 

 to me as being like a robin, with the exception that the breast was 

 blue instead of being red, in addition to which there was a spot in 

 the middle of the blue. This description points very vividly to the 

 bluethroat (^Cyanerula suecica), but here again the bird, although 

 seen at close quarters, was not positively identified. I have, 

 therefore, not added either of these birds to my list, but have 

 contented mj-self with mentioning them only in this introduction 

 in the hope that it may be the means of bringing forward more 

 information about them. 



I will now proceed to my list of birds, giving such facts as 

 I have obtained about the various species since my last report. 



White Wagtail {Motacilla alha). — Early in May I was shown 

 in the garden at Cokenach, near Koyston, a wagtail's nest containing 

 one egg, and having an opportunity of seeing one of the birds. 



