BIRDS 



gth, 1884, while another was obtained there 

 in December, 1894. In the latter year one 

 was heard near Hitchin, and a specimen was 

 obtained at Orton near that place in February, 

 1885. This bird is now in the possession of 

 Mr. William Hill. 



123. Glossy Ibis. Plegadis falcinellus (Linn.). 

 This rare visitor has been obtained on two 



occasions, one having been shot on September 

 loth, 1 88 1, at Balls Park, Hertford, by Mr. 

 P. Ralli, while the other was obtained in 

 November, 1887, about 200 yards from the 

 village of Waterford, also near Hertford, by a 

 Mr. J. Roberts. This latter bird was stuffed 

 by Mr. Shrimpton of Hertford, and is now in 

 the possession of the Hon. Walter Rothschild. 



124. Grey Lag-Goose. 4nsercinereus,Meyer. 

 The only record of this species is of a bird 



which was obtained at the Tring reservoirs 

 in September, 1886, and was reported to Mr. 

 Littleboy by the Hon. Walter Rothschild. 



125. White-fronted Goose. Anser albifrtms 



(Scopoli). 



Captain Clarke-Kennedy in his interesting 

 little book on the Birds of Berks and Bucks 

 states, on the authority of the Rev. H. H. 

 Crewe, who was at that time the rector of 

 Drayton Beauchamp, close to the Tring 

 reservoirs, that this species had occurred there, 

 but he gives no further details. This is the 

 only ground I have for including the white- 

 fronted goose in this list. 



126. Bean-Goose. Anser segetum (Gmelin). 

 This bird has only been actually identified 



on two occasions, although it is probable that 

 it has often occurred amongst the many geese 

 which have been seen flying over at various 

 times. The first of the two records is of a 

 specimen shot out of a flock of fifteen near 

 Royston, on January I5th, 1881. The other 

 was obtained by the Hon. A. Holland-Hibbert 

 at Munden, in the winter of 1890 91, and is 

 now in his possession. 



[Canada Goose. Bernicla canadensis, Flem- 

 ing. 



This species, which is really ' introduced,' 

 is gradually spreading all over the country, 

 and will no doubt in time be as much entitled 

 to be called a British bird as Cauabis rufa and 

 several other species. It has only occurred in 

 this county on one occasion, when an example 

 was obtained from a flock of about ten which 

 were observed early in the morning in a field 

 at Cokenach near Royston. It weighed 12 

 lb., and measured 5 feet 6 inches across the 

 wings and 3 feet 3 inches in length.] 



1 209 



127. Whooper. Cygnus musicus, Bechstein. 



Although Captain Clarke-Kennedy stated 

 that this species was formerly an occasional 

 visitor to the reservoirs at Tring, it has cer- 

 tainly not occurred there of recent years. In 

 the winter of 1875-76 a pair of these birds 

 frequented the river Gade at Water End, 

 Great Gaddesden, for some days. About 

 Christmas, 1892, about thirty of these fine 

 birds were seen flying over Hertford, and 

 eventually they stopped at Woodhall, where 

 one was shot by Mr. Noble, jun. This bird 

 was mounted by Mr. Seymour of Hertford, 

 and its windpipe, which was preserved, was 

 sent to the museum of King's College, London. 



128. Mute Swan. Cygnus olor (Gmelin). 



This bird is kept in a semi-domesticated 

 state in many parts of the county, and may 

 sometimes, during very hard weather, be seen 

 on the wing looking for open water. It is 

 doubtful whether it has ever occurred in a 

 wild state in Hertfordshire. The variety of 

 this bird known as C. immutabilis is said to 

 have occurred at Tring on three occasions. 



129. Sheld-Duck. Tadorna cornuta (S. G. 



Gmelin). 



This handsome duck has been identified 

 with us several times, the first being in 1883, 

 when Mr. Wilshin shot one at Elstree reser- 

 voir during Christmas week ; another was 

 seen at the same place in December, 1896. 

 At Tring reservoirs the Hon. Walter Roths- 

 child identified one on January 8th, 1888, 

 and Street observed another on January loth, 

 1897. 



130. 



Mallard 

 Linn. 



or Wild Duck. Anas ioscas, 



This species is to be found sparsely distri- 

 buted in many parts of the county, but it is 

 only at Tring that one can see vast numbers 

 together. Here some hundreds are reared 

 every year, and regular battues are organized 

 during the shooting season. The system of 

 feeding the birds on this water, the arrange- 

 ment of causeways and jetties by which they 

 are approached, and indeed the whole manage- 

 ment throughout the year is most interesting. 

 A hybrid of this duck and either the wigeon 

 or pintail is said to have been obtained at 

 Tring on February gth, 1888. 



131. Gadwall. Anas strepera, Linn. 



The Rev. H. H. Crewe stated that the 

 gadwall occurred occasionally at the Tring 

 reservoirs, but there is certainly no record of 

 it in recent times. 



