J. E. LITTLEBOY — THE BLRDS OF OrE DISTRICT. 29 



The habits of the cuckoo ■were so fully discussed at a recent 

 meeting of the Society, that I shall not again refer to them. The 

 woodpigeon or ringdove "visits us by thousands whenever there is 

 a good supply of beech-nuts, and we may confidently anticipate a 

 large influx of these birds during the coming winter. Nests of the 

 stock-dove have been found near Bcrkhampstead, at Gaddcsdcn 

 Hoo, and at King's Langley. The one at Bcrkhampstead was 

 built about a yard down in the hollow trunk of a walnut tree. 

 The turtle-dove is pretty abundant in the neighbourhood ; we 

 succeeded in capturing a young one in our own garden. Pheasants, 

 as at present reared, may almost be considered as domestic fowls. 

 It is quite different with the partridge, and I should like to relate 

 a short anecdote respecting it. I am informed by a gentleman, on 

 whom I can thoroughly depend, that the partridge will occasionally, 

 on the appearance of danger, remove all her eggs from a threatened 

 locality to a place of safety. He related to mc the following 

 interesting incident. ^Tien engaged in ploughing a fallow, he 

 observed the nest of a partridge, not far from the course of the 

 plough ; as each furrow was completed and as the plough ap- 

 proached nearer and nearer to the nest, it was found that the 

 eggs gradually decreased, and before the plough reached the spot 

 all had disappeared. 



Only once have I been fortunate in identifying a quail. We 

 were driving along the turnpike road a little to the north of King's 

 Langley, and noticed a strange bird crouching in the grass by the 

 hedge-side. "We stopped and carefully examined it. It proved to 

 be a quail. It did not attempt to move, and my daughter had 

 approached almost within reach of it before it took wing and flew 

 rapidly away. It had probably but just arrived from abroad, and 

 was weary with its long flight. The harsh and monotonous note 

 of the corn-crake is of frequent occurrence during the summer 

 months. The peewit is abiindant on every side ; the heron has 

 occasionally been seen in the low meadows ; and those winter 

 visitors — the woodcock and the snipe — have frequently been shot 

 within our district. Of moorhens and dabchicks we have a plenti- 

 ful supply. A pair of the former hatched a young brood during 

 the summer, and it was most amusing to watch the little balls of 

 black down paddling about in the stream. 'The coot is said to 

 frequent the Tring Reservoirs, and one was taken some years ago 

 at King's Langley. Lastly, and I am sure you will be glad to 

 hear that welcome word, flocks of wild ducks may often be seen 

 during the winter, flying with outstretched necks, far, far above us, 

 to a more secluded and sheltered resting-place. 



It will be observed that among the birds reported to have been 

 shot at Great Munden are some that are exceedingly rare ; several 

 of them being essentially sea-birds. It is probable that they may 

 have been driven inland by stress of weather, and I think that 

 they can hardly be regarded as birds of the district. The kite, 

 the two buzzards, and the raven have but very rarely of late 

 years been taken in the home counties, and in this instance, it must 



