BIRDS 



HO. Osprey. Pandion haliaetus (Linn.). 



A number of single specimens have been 

 obtained and seen at various times. In Feb- 

 ruary 1845 an osprey was killed at Chequers. 

 In 1868 it was in the collection of Lady 

 Frankland Russell (Kennedy, p. 158). In 

 1854 one was shot on the canal at Halton, 

 and was sold to Sir Anthony de Rothschild 

 in Aston Clinton. One was seen in Fawley 

 Woods in the winter of 1858. On Septem- 

 ber 26, 1863, the lodge-keeper shot a speci- 

 men in Ditton Park (Kennedy, p. 159). 

 During the greater part of September 1864 

 a pair of ospreys frequented the large reser- 

 voirs and canals near Weston Xurville, Wil- 

 stone and Marsworth. They were tame and 

 fearless and not molested even by the game- 

 keepers ; but on September 30 a country lad 

 killed the female and the specimen was ob- 

 tained by the Rev. H. Harpur Crewe at 

 Drayton Beauchamp. According to Willis 

 (Field, 1862, xx. 319) another specimen was 

 killed at Ditton Park on September 9, 1862. 

 In August 1867 a female was shot by 

 Captain Robson near Maidenhead. On Oc- 

 tober n, 1901, Mr. Pope, jun., shot a fine 

 specimen on Aston Hill above Halton, and 

 from some reports of two different people it 

 would seem that a second specimen had been 

 seen there shortly afterwards. 



111. Cormorant. Phalacrocorax carbo (Linn.). 

 In 1857 Mr. John Wig shot one near 



Marlow railway bridge; in 1858 one was 

 killed on the reservoir at Weston Turville by 

 Mr. T. Billington (Kennedy, Birds of Berks 

 and Bucks, p. 214). Mr. A. H. Cocks in- 

 forms us that a specimen of Phalacrocorax 

 passed him flying on the Thames between 

 Bisham and Marlow, in a thick fog, too dense 

 to allow of identifying whether it was a cor- 

 morant or a shag. 



112. Gannet. Sula bassana (Linn.). 



This exclusively marine bird was caught 

 by the Rev. J. Rogers at Sherington near 

 Newport Pagnell in November 1847 (Birds 

 of Berks and Bucks, p. 2 1 6). One was killed 

 on the canal near Wendover in 1886, and 

 passed into the Tring Museum. 



1 1 3. White Stork. Ciconia alba, Bechstein. 



C. ciconia (Linnaeus). 



Said to have been shot near Buckingham 

 in September 1846 (F. O. Morris, on the 

 authority of Mr. James Dalton). 



114. Common Heron. Ardea cinerea, Linn. 

 Herons are frequently seen on canals, rivers 



and ponds, especially on the river Ouse, Wes- 



ton Turville reservoirs and Thames. We are 

 aware of only two heronries in the county, 

 both on the Thames. There is an old 

 heronry at Harleyford, which was formerly 

 large. Mr. Grossman made investigations 

 about this heronry, and wrote as follows : 

 'On the 26th of August I visited Harleyford 

 Manor on the Thames above Marlow, and 

 found that the heronry which formerly had a 

 good many nests had now dwindled down to 

 very few. Sir William Clapton's bailiff in- 

 formed me that he did not think that more 

 than two or three pairs now nested there. It 

 is very difficult to say at this time of the 

 year how many inhabited nests there were 

 this season, as nearly all the nests were in 

 two or three tall fir-trees.' Mr. Heatley 

 Noble tells us that there is a small heronry of 

 some thirteen nests in a wood called Oaken 

 Grove at Fawley Court. They came there 

 about eighteen years ago, possibly from 

 Harleyford. Before this heronry established 

 itself at Fawley Court a single pair bred there 

 once, but the nest was robbed. 



115. Night-Heron. Nycticorax griseus (Linn.). 

 ' Many years ago a specimen in the imma- 

 ture plumage was shot near Thame ' (Mat- 

 thews, Zoologist, 1849, P- 2600). It is also 

 said to have been killed near Cliefden in 

 1797 (cf. Kennedy, p. 189). 



116. Little Bittern. Ardetta minuta (Linn.). 

 Single specimens have been shot at various 



times in the south of the county. In the 

 Field, 1865, p. 254, Mr. J. Marshall records 

 having shot a specimen just below Monkey 

 Island on the Thames near Maidenhead. 

 Another was shot at the same place about 

 ten years before, and many years ago 

 others were taken near Maidenhead. Those 

 who know how little these birds are no- 

 ticed in the daytime in most parts of 

 Germany Hartert considers them much more 

 frequent than they are supposed to be can 

 hardly doubt that some must have bred near 

 the Thames when these specimens were shot. 

 The Rev. L. Jenyns also mentions its ap- 

 pearance on the river near Windsor, and ' it 

 has once occurred in Buckinghamshire, near 

 Uxbridge, on the borders of the county ' 

 (Birds of Berks and Bucks, p. 186). 



117. Bittern. Botaurus stellaris (Linn.). 

 This bird is sometimes noticed in autumn 



or winter, but we have only a few exact 

 records and dates from Buckinghamshire. 

 Clark Kennedy wrote : ' I am informed by 

 Mr. Dalziel Mackenzie that a fine specimen 

 of the bittern was shot at Fawley Court 



