FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC. 183 



Nyroca ferina (The Pochard). 



Jan. 3. Winter company of 25 on Poole Park Lake. Later 

 increased to 50, and on 14 February, to 100. 



Nov. 14. 25 to 50 were again occupying the Poole Park 

 lake. (E.H.C.). 

 Nyroca fuligula. (The Tufted Duck). 



Male shot near Dorchester in the beginning of December. 

 (R.D.G.). 

 Clangula hyemalis Linn. (Longtailed Duck). 



29 November, 1915. Geo. Brown, of Poole, shot and brought 

 up to me four specimens of this bird. They were shot in 

 Poole Harbour and are now in my skin collection. No. 370, 

 371, and 372 are immature males in first winter plumage, 

 whilst No. 373 is an immature female in the same state of 

 plumage. They had been feeding on shrimps. (E.H.C.). 

 Gallingo gallingo (The Common Snipe). 



llth April. Three nests with 4 eggs each found at Bere- 

 wood. W.P.C. and E.H.C. tried to photograph two of 

 these nests on the 18th April. Oddly enough the two nests 

 selected to work at were ultimately both hatched off, but the 

 one nest which we left severely alone was deserted. The 

 day was warm, but the wind was rather high and very un- 

 certain. W.P.C. 's bird came to the neighbourhood of the 

 nest several times, but did not go on. E.H.C. had trouble 

 with his camera owing to the boggy nature of the ground 

 where he was at work, but ultimately got started at 2 o'clock. 

 2.15 the bird returned and fed in the rushes close to the nest ; 

 she left several times for no apparent reason, but always 

 returned saying " tchick tchick tchick " in a whistling note, 

 repeating it many times without pause. About 3 o'clock 

 she came and sat down in the grass close to the nest, but did 

 not go on. At 3.30 she was disturbed by people passing over 

 the hill, at 3.45 she was back, fed down through the swampy 

 ground, and ran straight onto the nest. E.H.C. gave her ten 

 minutes, exposed a plate, and after 5 minutes tried to change, 

 but the noise entailed in plate -changing frightened her off. 

 She returned very quickly. " A snipe is a bird that can stand 



