A HISTORY OF BERKSHIRE 



138. Scaup Duck. Fuligula marila (Linn.). 

 Dr. Lamb records one shot on January 24, 



1795, near Reading ('Ornith. Bercheria'). 

 Mr. A. H. Cocks possesses a drake shot on 

 the Thames between Henley and Marlow 

 (Birds of Oxon, p. 203). A female was shot 

 by Capt. Rhodes at Hennerton near Wargrave 

 on November 13, 1888, and it is still in his 

 possession. 



139. Goldeneye. Clangula glaucion (Linn.). 

 This is a somewhat rare winter visitor, 



naturally more frequently seen in severe wea- 

 ther, and many specimens have been taken on 

 the Thames. These, as might be expected, 

 are generally young birds; the most recent 

 that have come under my notice were an 

 immature male killed at Hennerton on January 

 23, 1892, and another near Reading, February 

 22, 1901. 



140. Long-tailed Duck. Harelda glacia/is 



(Linn.). 



The Revs. A. and H. Matthews mention 

 one killed near Kennington in January, 1846 

 (ZaoL 1849, p. 2539). 



141. Common Eider Duck. Somateria mol- 



lissima (Linn.). 



Dr. Lamb records an example ' shot at 

 Sonning near Reading in a severe winter ' 

 ('Ornith. Bercheria'), and adds, ' most delicious 

 eating ' ! ! 



142. Common Scoter. (Edemia nigra (Linn.). 



A rare winter visitor ; one, a mature male, 

 was procured near Cookham in 1865, another 

 was shot on Mr. Palmer's estate near Reading 

 in July, 1867 (Birds of Berks and Bucks, p. 

 127), and a pair at Aldermaston in 1860 

 (Palmer). Dr. Lamb mentions a pair shot 

 on the Thames near Reading in October, 

 1792 ('Ornith. Bercheria'). An adult male 

 was shot at Weirs Mill between Iffley and 

 Folly Bridge, December 12, 1890 (Fauna and 

 Flora of Radley and the Neighbourhood, p. 12); 

 on March 22, 1879, an adult male was killed 

 at Clewer Point near Windsor (Zoologist, 1879, 

 p. 220). 



143. Velvet-Scoter. (Edemia fusca (Linn.). 



Dr. Lamb mentions two captured near 

 Wargrave in January, 1795 ('Ornith. Ber- 

 cheria '). Gould says, ' During the severe 

 winter of 1866-7 a splendid old male was 

 killed at Cookham (Birds of Great Britain, 

 vol. v.). A fine male was killed near New- 

 bury, January 2, 1871 (Zee/. 1871, p. 2527). 

 In 1855 no less than six were killed in this 

 district in one week (C. E. Stubbs). 



144. Goosander. Mergus merganser, Linn. 

 In winter the goosander is an occasional 



visitor to the Thames, and there are several 

 records of its capture, usually irl immature 

 plumage. Dr. Lamb says many were shot 

 near Reading in the winter of 1791, and a 

 solitary specimen at Thatcham, December, 

 1808; he adds, as food 'most unpleasantly 

 fishy in taste' ('Ornith. Bercheria'). Two 

 others are mentioned by C. E. Stubbs as 

 killed in the district. One was shot at 

 Sonning on January 19, 1896 (Topp in lit.). 



145. Merganser. Mergus serrator, Linn. 



A winter visitor of less frequent occur- 

 rence than the goosander. A pair were 

 killed near Reading in 1795 ('Ornith. Ber- 

 cheria '). Mr. G. Jackson shot a female on 

 the river near Henley on January 23, 1848 

 (A. H. Cocks in lit. to O. V. Aplin), and I 

 remember one shot by a boatman near Cul- 

 ham Court in 1879. An adult female in 

 the collection of Mr. Newton was obtained 

 near Wallingford in early spring (in lit.}. Mr. 

 Topp tells me that a male and two females 

 were killed at Bulmershe in 1883. 



146. Smew. Mergus albellus, Linn. 



This is another winter straggler which has 

 been recorded a few times from our county. 

 Dr. Bowdler Sharpe mentions a fine male 

 killed near Reading in the 'sixties'; Mr. Rhodes 

 has an immature male taken on the river 

 below Hennerton, but he cannot remember 

 the date. An adult and young male were 

 shot at Sonning by Mr. J. L. Hill and 

 identified by Mr. A. H. Cocks; four were 

 seen in company at the time and one of the 

 survivors was subsequently killed but lost; 

 the fourth was seen again and shot at unsuc- 

 cessfully (Zeal. April, 1891, p. 153). Dr. 

 Lamb records a male shot near Newbury, 

 January 31, 1814 ('Ornith. Bercheria'). On 

 January n, 1901, a female was shot on the 

 Loddon, and on the I7th a young male was 

 killed near Reading (G. W. Bradshaw in lit.} ; 

 it weighed 1 3 oz. Mr. Newton has an adult 

 male in full plumage, obtained in March near 

 Wallingford, and he tells me he observed 

 another in similar plumage last March, 1901 

 (in lit.). Mr. Aplin tells me a female was 

 killed at Kintbury in the winter of 1890-1. 



[The mandarin (/Ex galericulata} and har- 

 lequin duck (Cosmonetta histrionica} are both 

 recorded by Clark Kennedy (Birds of Berks 

 and Bucks, pp. 206, 208) ; the former is an 

 Eastern Palaearctic species, and had obviously 

 escaped from confinement, while the latter 

 was probably a long-tailed duck.] 



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