A HISTORY OF HERTFORDSHIRE 



telegraph wires, was obtained at Reed near 

 Royston ; and in the next year one was picked 

 upatMunden. In the winter of 1890 91 an 

 example was procured at or near Totteridge, 

 and one was shot at Roxford Farm, Bayford- 

 bury, at the end of 1 893 ; while on November 

 1 5th, 1894, a bird of this species was picked 

 up alive near St. Albans. 



205. Great Northern Diver. Colymbus 



g/acia/is, Linn. 



In December, 1841, an immature great 

 northern diver was obtained at the Tring 

 reservoirs, where also one was shot on 

 January ist, 1887 ; others being seen there 

 on February I5th following, and on January 

 1 2th, 1897. At Elstree, a specimen was ob- 

 tained on December a6th, 1876, and another, 

 an immature bird, in 1884. 



206. Great Crested Grebe. Podicipes cristatus 



(Linn.). 



Few places in the British Isles have this 

 magnificent bird resident in such numbers as 

 are to be found at the Tring reservoirs. It 

 arrives there early in March, leaving again 

 usually in November ; and, thanks to the pro- 

 tection afforded to it there, thirty or forty 

 pairs, and often more, may be seen during the 

 nesting season. I am not aware of any other 

 place in the county where it breeds. 



207. Red-necked Grebe. Podicipes griseigena 



(Boddaert). 



The Rev. H. H. Crewe stated in The Birds 

 of Berks and Bucks by Clarke-Kennedy, that 



he had identified this bird at Tring on two 

 occasions, but unfortunately he gave no further 

 particulars. 



208. Slavonian Grebe. Podicipes auritus 



(Linn.). 



In 1884 a Slavonian grebe was killed at 

 Radwell, near Hitchin, in the month of 

 January. In 1881 one was caught by some 

 boys in Gadebridge Park, Hemel Hempstead. 

 Two also were shot at Tring in October, 

 1884, where I believe the bird had in 1878 

 been identified by Mr. T. Harris of Leighton 

 Buzzard. 



209. Little Grebe or Dabchick. Podicipes 



fluviatilh (Tunstall). 



This bird is a common species throughout 

 Hertfordshire, wherever suitable localities are 

 to be found, and nests in some numbers on 

 many of the little rivers in the county. 

 Although the nest is usually a floating struc- 

 ture, I on one occasion, at Water End, Great 

 Gaddesden, found one built on the bank of 

 the Gade. 



210. Storm-Petrel. Procellaria pelagica, Linn. 



This species has been obtained in most 

 inland counties, and Hertfordshire is no excep- 

 tion in this respect, since in 1881 a male and 

 female were picked up dead in a field near 

 East Lodge, Hemel Hempstead, on December 

 1 5th, while one was captured alive on Decem- 

 ber nth, 1886, on the Midland Railway line 

 near St. Albans. 



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