NATATOEES. 239 



only with Ducks, but also with Grebes and 

 Divers. 



In the winter of 1863-64, out of a small flock of 

 Goldene^^es which visited Kingsbury Reservoir, 

 three were shot by Mr. W. H. Power. On the 25th 

 March, 1865, I saw two male Goldeneyes at this 

 sheet of water. They were very sh}^ and kept out 

 a long way from the shore. I tried to approach 

 them, both by land and in a boat, but could never 

 get within gunshot of them. On the 2nd April 

 following, two male Goldenej^es, probably the same 

 two, were on this reservoir, and I again tried, un- 

 successfulty, to get a shot at them. 



Smew, Mergus alhellus. A rare winter visitant, 

 seldom coming so far inland, except in severe 

 weather. 



Mr. Bond has recorded, in ' The Zoologist ' for 

 1843, the occurrence of a single bird of this species, 

 which was shot on Kingsbury Reservoir. Mr. 

 Spencer informed me that his brother killed three 

 of these birds at the same sheet of water in January, 

 1849 : two of these were immature males, the third 

 an adult female. The last Smew which came under 

 my notice as having been killed in the county was 

 a fine old male bird, shot at the above-named reser- 

 voir during the winter of 1860-61. The adult male 

 Smews are rarely met with, the majority of the birds 

 which visit us being females and immature males. 

 But little is known respecting the habits of this 



