MTHYIA FERINA. 585 
eggs of the Pochard in the month of May, at which time they breed 
in great plenty in Hornsea Mere, as I can always get leave from 
Mr. Constable to purloin as much as I wish. Where shall I send 
them to?” In another letter he informed me that the eggs were 
procured, but as the keeper was somewhat slow in his movements, 
they might be some time in reaching me, and, in fact, it was not 
until I had written again, in 1850, that I received them through 
Mr. Milner’s kindness. They were probably eggs of 1850, and they 
came packed in moss, some rather putrid, about fourteen in number. 
I gave one to Dr. Frere. I value them highly. 
[§ 5724. Onxe.—Hornsea Mere, May, 1848. From Mr. Graham, 
boots 
Bought at York of Mr. Graham, who, I had been told by Sir William 
Milner, could be trusted in regard to eggs of this bird. } 
[§ 5725. One—Bird Island, Hornsea Mere, 1850. From Sir 
William Milner, 1854. 
Sent to me direct by Sir William. | 
[$ 5726. Fourteen—Hornsea Mere, 23 May, 1873. From 
Mr. F. Boyes. 
These kindly sent to me by the hands of Mr. Buckley from Mr. Boyes as a 
“complete nest,” taken as above, and “identified by seeing the female shuffle 
out of the reeds close by the nest,” according to a paper in the handwriting of 
the latter gentleman, which accompanied them. He subsequently wrote to 
me that it was to the former that he owed his knowledge of the locality, and 
that though he had the sanction of the owner to look for nests, it was some 
time before he found one. He added that “the habit of the Pochard of 
nesting among the reeds in a damp muddy situation scarcely higher than the 
watermark is sometimes fraught with disaster, as a sudden flood submerges 
the nests and destroys the vitality of the eggs. On one occasion I found over 
a hundred eggs so wasted. Rats, too, are great egg-stealers, and possibly foxes 
also take toll of birds and eggs too.” But it would seem that the principal 
mischief is caused by visitors from a distance, for boating on the mere is 
permitted, and they abuse the privilege, as they “row to the island and take 
all the eggs they can find.” The County Council has declared the mere a 
protected area, “but as there is no one to enforce the Act this helps the 
Pochards but little.” ] 
