294 IJllITISII HIKDS. vol. x. 



many years ago close to the same field, but in forty years 

 have only seen four falcons within the borough boundaries. 



H. M. Walus. 



SHOVELER AND UNUSUAL NUMBERS OF POCHARD 

 IN BERKSHIRE. 



On March 4th, 1917, near Reading on Whiteknights T.ake 

 (merely an artificial pond of no great extent, and entirely 

 commanded by a high road) there Avere eighty-six Pochard 

 {Nyroca f. ferina) twenty Tufted Dnck (N. fuligula) and a 

 pair of Shoveler {Sj)atula chiyeaia). We usually have one or 

 two ]tair of the two first species on this water each winter, 

 but such an incursion is without precedent in my experience. 

 I have no record of the ajipearance of Shoveler for nearly 

 thirty-five years. On March 12th the Pochards and Tufted 

 were present in reduced forces, the ShoAclers still there, and 

 on March 28th there were two Shoveler drakes disputing for 

 a single duck. H. M. Wallts. 



RARE TYPE OF REDSHANKS EGGS. 



It may be of interest to record in connection ^\i\\\ ]Mr. D. H. 

 Meares's note {antea p. 274) that I have two clutches of the 

 green variety of the Redshank. A clutch of four from Oland, 

 taken June 1, 1908, are from Mr. Meares's description like 

 those taken by his brother. The second clutch of three 

 I took myself in Kent on May 20th, 1916. These are boldly 

 blotched, and the shell-markings are conspicuous, and before 

 blowing they were very much like those of the Spotted 

 Redshank {T. erythropns). 



The variety must, however, be considered rare, and remark- 

 able owing to the presence of oocyan, i.e., blue or blueish- 

 green pigment,* in the innermost or fundamental lime-layer. 

 This colour is usually quite absent in the type eggs of the 

 Redshank, but normally present in the eggs of the Spotted 

 Redshank, and in one type of the Greenshank, and also in 

 the eggs of other members of the genus. 



The green varietj' occurs in the Golden Plover, Ringed 

 Plover, Kentish Plover. Dotterel and Lapwing, etc. In these 

 cases, however, the presence of oocyan is normal in the 

 innermost lime-layer, consequently here the green variety 

 cannot be considered so remarkable. 



The following is a quotation from Oologia Neerlandica, by 

 A. A. van Pelt L^chner : - 



'■ The egg depicted in Nozeman {XederJ. Vogel. III., p. 259) 

 has an ohve greyish green ground colour, which frequently 



* Oo'ogia Neerlandica, A. A. Pelt Lcchner 



