A HISTORY OF BERKSHIRE 



fact that a second bird in the same state of 

 plumage was seen about the spot for some days 

 at that time (Yarrel, iv. 202, ed. 4). In the 

 Field of September 29, 1865, mention is made 

 of a little bittern shot at Maidenhead in August 

 of that year. On May 4, 1 869, a female was 

 killed on the banks of a pond belonging to 

 Mr. Holmes near Wargrave (Zool. July, 1867, 

 p. 829). Another was obtained on the Thames 

 one and a half miles from Wallingford in winter, 

 and is in the collection of Mr. Newton. 



1 2O. Bittern. Botaurus stellaris (Linn.). 

 The bittern at no very distant date was 



probably resident in the marshes of Berks, and 

 even now so often is it shot in the early spring 

 that it seems likely it would breed if only pro- 

 tection were afforded. The most recent cap- 

 tures that have come under my notice are a 

 male and female shot at Hennerton on January 

 2 and 9, 1892. In January, 1895, Mr. T. 

 Dewe killed one at Duxford near Farringdon 

 whilst shooting duck by moonlight, which is 

 now in the museum at Oxford (in lit.). Another 

 was obtained at Kintbury in November, 1883, 

 under rather curious circumstances : it flew in 

 the face of one of the beaters, who knocked 

 it down with his stick (Zool. 1884, p. 469). 

 In 1885 one was killed at Rapley Lake, Bag- 

 shot (Long in lit. to Bucknill). 



121. Glossy Ibis. Pbgadis falcirutltu (Linn.). 



Dr. Lamb writes ('Ornith. Bercheria') : ' A 

 male of this very rare bird was shot a few 

 miles from Reading in September, 1793, 

 whilst flying over the Thames in company 

 with another.' 



122. Grey Lag Goose. Anser cinereus y Meyer. 

 A rare winter visitor. Clark Kennedy states 



on the authority of Dr. Bowder Sharpe that 

 this bird has been taken near Cookham, and 

 seven were seen, one of which was killed, near 

 Boveney Lock (Birds of Berks and Bucks, p. 1 99). 

 Mr. Barnett has found a record of two of these 

 geese killed near Remenham in February,! 854, 

 by relations of his. 



123. White-fronted Goose. Anser albifrons 



(Scopoli). 



A rare winter visitor ; one, a mature male, 

 is recorded in the Zoologist for 1884 (p. 469) 

 as having been shot by Sir R. F. Sutton on 

 December 24, 1879, near Kintbury. 



[Lesser White-fronted Goose. Anser ery- 

 thropus (Linn.). 



Under the name of Anser erythropus Dr. 

 Lamb (' Ornith. Bercheria ') mentions a bird 

 shot near Reading, January 24, 1795, which 

 must refer to the previous species, as the lesser 



white-fronted goose was not described at the 

 time in which he wrote.] 



124. Bean-Goose. Anser segetum (J. F. 



Gmelin). 



One was shot on the Thames by Mr. G. 

 Jackson, January 24, 1850, when living at 

 Greenlands (Birds of Oxon, p. 1 90). 



125. Pink-footed Goose. A nser brae hyrhync bus 



(Baillon). 



Very rare wanderer. Mr. Cornish tells 

 me that one was shot about 1890 at Cat- 

 more, and is preserved at the ' Fox and Cubs ' 

 at Lilly. 



[Bernacle-Goose. Bernicla leucopsis (Bech- 

 stein). 



Writing about 1814 Dr. Lamb says, ' fre- 

 quently seen about Newbury in severe wea- 

 ther.' Times have changed since then, and 

 I can find no recent record of its capture, 

 though Captain C. E. Ruck-Keen of Swyn- 

 combe House has a specimen which was shot 

 at Henley, probably on the river (Birds of 

 Oxon, p. 191).] 



126. Brent Goose. Bernicla brenta (Pallas). 

 Three of these birds were killed on the 



Thames near Henley at one shot by Mr. 

 George Jackson, who has one preserved (Birds 

 of Oxan, p. 191). There is one in the Oxford 

 Museum labelled ' Kennington, 1830,' and 

 another, in the collection of Mr. Newton, 

 was obtained on the Thames one mile from 

 Wallingford. Mr. C. Barnett of Mill End 

 tells me he killed one on the Thames at 

 Aston Ferry in the winter of 1880. The 

 following note from the manuscript of the 

 late C. E. Stubbs, written in or about 1867, 

 is of interest : ' Of wild geese, grey lags have 

 been shot a few times, so have bean-geese 

 much more often, and also white-fronted ; in 

 fact scarcely a winter passes without one or 

 other of the geese visiting us in greater or 

 lesser numbers. Brent geese have been ob- 

 tained a few times ; I saw a pair that were 

 shot down below Greenlands some years ago, 

 and have often heard the country people call 

 them black geese.' 



[Canada Goose. Branta canadensis (Linn.). 



Egyptian Goose. Chenalopex <sgyptiacus 

 (Linn.). 



Spur-winged Goose. Plectropterus gam- 

 bensis y Linn. 



Black Swan. Chenopsis atratus (Lath.). 



Polish Swan. Cygnus immutabilis, Yarrell. 

 All these species have been killed in our 



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