BIRDS 



on many waters in England, and no doubt 

 many of the captures of ruddy sheld-ducks 

 which are reported are referable to unpinioned 

 escaped birds; but apparently some of the 

 birds of this species shot in England, notably 

 in 1892, were genuine wild birds. We have 

 no trustworthy record of such an occurrence 

 in Buckinghamshire, but Mr. Vyse (Zoologist, 

 1892, p. 360) informs us that 'during the 

 past four years ten were bred at Stoke Park 

 near Slough, of which only a few were caught 

 and pinioned, while the rest flew away, usually 

 when the frost and snow came.' Probably all 

 winter captures deal with escaped birds, while 

 the summer records may possibly refer to 

 genuine wild birds. 



126. Egyptian Goose. Chenalopex <egyptiacus 



(Linn.). 



J. W. Owen (Field, November 19, 1859, 

 p. 425) says : ' A fine specimen was shot on 

 November i at Marlow.' It is supposed to 

 have been driven there during preceding gales, 

 as it presented no appearance of ever having 

 been in confinement. We are inclined to 

 think that it must have escaped from some 

 pond. 



127. Mallard or Wild Duck. Anas boscas, 



Linn. 

 Common in all suitable localities. 



128. Shoveler. Spatula dypeata (Linn.). 



A somewhat scarce winter visitor on larger 

 waters. Near the Tring reservoirs, close to 

 the Buckinghamshire border, two or three 

 pairs have been breeding regularly for at least 

 ten or twelve years. On the Weston Tur- 

 ville (Halton) reservoir it has sometimes been 

 seen in winter. From the old manuscript 

 at Dinton Hall we learn that it was shot 

 there on September 10, 1774, and that four 

 were seen, one of which was shot on August 

 29, 1800, at the place. 



129. Pintail. Dafila acuta (Linn.). 



Will most likely occur occasionally in win- 

 ter, though we have no exact records beyond 

 Clark Kennedy's statement (p. 122) that it 

 was shot on a sheet of ice in Stoke Park by a 

 man named Gregory in the winter of 1863. 

 According to the same author ' the Rev. H. H. 

 Crewe states that this species visits the reser- 

 voirs at Marsworth, Wilstone and Weston 

 Turville every winter in considerable num- 

 bers.' This statement is no doubt erroneous, 

 as we have only two single records of birds 

 shot on Tring reservoirs, in February 1892 

 and December 1893, but the latter had ap- 

 parently escaped from a pond near Tring, 



where several had been kept in a semi-wild 

 state. 



130. Teal. Nettion crecca (Linn.). 



A regular winter visitor to the reservoirs, 

 streams and rivers. It has also nested near 

 Burnham (Kennedy, p. 124), in small num- 

 bers on and near the reservoirs near Tring, 

 and, according to the late Lionel Wigles- 

 worth, not far from Castlethorpe. On the 

 western Turville reservoirs flocks are often 

 seen in winter. 



131. Garganey. Querquedula circia (Linn.). 

 Occurs doubtless occasionally in winter, but 



we have no records. It has not occurred on 

 the reservoirs near Tring within the last few 

 years, though at least one specimen was killed 

 there in 1846 or 1847 and seen by one of us. 



132. Wigeon. Mareca penelope (Linn.). 

 The wigeon is a common winter visitor, 



generally from October onwards, to the rivers 

 and reservoirs of the county. 



133. Red-crested Pochard. Netta rufina 



(Pallas). 



The bird reported by W. Rothschild to 

 Mr. Littleboy as a female of this species (shot 

 at the Tring reservoirs in September 1887) 

 turned out to be an abnormally coloured fe- 

 male of the common scoter, (Edemia nigra. 

 A large flock of some forty individuals visited 

 Wilstone reservoir, of which Walter Roth- 

 schild himself shot four males and two females, 

 of which three males and one female are now 

 in the Tring Museum, the remaining pair 

 having been given to Mr. J. G. Millais. 



134. Pochard. Fuligula ferina (Linn.). 



A frequent winter visitor to all larger 

 waters of the county and breeding in some 

 numbers on the Weston Turville (Halton) 

 and Tring reservoirs. Full clutches of eggs 

 are found about the middle of May. It must 

 have been breeding in the county long ago, as 

 a specimen was shot at Dinton Hall on June 

 16, 1825. 



135. Baer's Pochard. Fuligula baeri, Radde. 

 On November 5, 1901, the Hon. N.Charles 



Rothschild obtained a male specimen of this 

 rare duck a few hundred yards from the border 

 of Buckinghamshire on one of the Tring 

 reservoirs. It was shot by a gentleman stand- 

 ing close to him, and he at once remarked 

 that it was an unusual duck and took it home 

 with him. It is a male in moult, changing 

 to the full winter plumage, which it has 

 nearly acquired. The colours of the soft 

 parts were put down by one of us as fol- 



145 



