ORNITHOLOGICAL NOTES FROM A SOUTH LONDON SUBURB. 
Often as early as February the males begin their fighting 
antics, and, probably in connection with late broods, these are 
renewed in August or September, continuing even into Octo- 
ber. It is a truly comical sight when two birds sit upright— 
almost on their tails, as it were-—on the water, and claw and 
scratch at each other furiously for several minutes. When one 
gives way—a proceeding often hastened by the intervention of 
a female bird —the victor will sometimes chase the defeated 
one relentlessly, both in flight and on foot—over land as well 
as water; yet I have known no more harm come from these 
encounters than the loss of a few feathers. The nesting 
“cluck” usually begins towards the end of March, and the 
earliest date on which I have seen the young out is May 13th. 
‘ 
As an utterer of the queer “ac ac” or “kek kek,” I have 
many times heard its voice at night between the end of March 
and mid-July, the species appearing to wander very much in 
the spring nights. 
TUFTED DUCK. 
Before the advent of boats, this Duck was by far the most 
plentiful of all wild fowl visitors to the lake in Dulwich Park. 
Every spring one or more pairs would arrive — usually about 
the end of March, whilst in 1902 as many as Q birds stayed for 
some days. From 1901 to 1904, inclusive, one pair remained 
to breed—4 young being reared in 1901, 2 in 1902, 3 in 1903, 
and 2 in 1904. The 1901 brood first appeared on the water 
July roth, all of a dull brown plumage and having dark irides. 
The male parent left some time before the female, but the 
young remained on the lake until the first week of September. 
In this year the first arrivals were on 15th March. In 1902 
the first pair appeared 28th March, and several others between 
14th and 30th April; the young of the pair that remained to 
nest left about 28th August. In 1903 the early appearance 
of a pair in January was remarkable, but they made no stay; 
however, they reappeared on February 20th, and remained 
until 28th July, when they left with their young, which had 
been first seen on the water on Oth June. In 1904, between 
10th March and oth May, there were always one or more pairs 
on the water, the one pair that remained to breed brought out 
their young on 21st June and, though the parents disappeared 
in July, the young birds were seen regularly up to the 5th 
November. In 1905 a pair was occasionally seen between 
7th May and 3rd June, but they did not stay to nest, the boats 
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