166 BIRDS OF CHESHIRE. 
until 1894) but Mr. R. Newstead tells us that in the 
spring of 1895, owing to increased drainage, the birds 
did not remain to nest. 
Mr. S. Radcliffe informs us that he has seen eggs 
taken at Newton in the north-east of the county; and 
in July some years ago a pair were seen on a pond at 
Rainow, and one of the birds was shot. 
There is no recent record of the Teal nesting in 
Wirral, but Brockholes obtained eggs from three nests 
near Leasowe in 1857. ‘The first clutch of nine eggs 
was taken in the second week of May from a nest on 
the margin of a ‘fender’ or moss ditch; it was com- 
posed of a great quantity of material and lined with 
feathers. A second nest with four eggs, found in a 
neighbouring field on May 26th, was also robbed, and on 
June 4th four fresh eggs were taken from a third nest 
in the same locality. As the last two nests appeared 
to have been hastily constructed, and lacked the lining 
of feathers, and as only two birds were seen, Brockholes 
considered that all the eggs were the produce of a 
single pair, which he believed eventually succeeded in 
rearing a brood.? In his Wirral list he states that the 
Teal nests occasionally, but gives no particulars. 
GARGANEY. 
QUERQUEDULA cIRcIA (Linneus). 
There is a specimen of this rare Duck in the collec- 
tion of Mr. Kemp at Burton, which he shot in that 
district. This is possibly the bird mentioned by Brock- 
holes as having been shot in the Dee Estuary.® 
1 Newstead, Proceedings of the Chester Society of Natural Science 
and Literature, part iv. p. 235. 
2 Zoologist, ser, 1. vol. xv. p. 53865. 1857. % Dobie, op. cit. p. 324. 
