BIRDS 



Newbury, on March 16, 1810, and kept 

 alive some days (' Ornith. Bercheria '). Mr. 

 Wallis saw another in a bird-stuffer's shop in 

 the same town which had been knocked 

 down by a whip as it rose from a ditch ; this 

 was on December 21, 1877 (Zool. 1888, p. 

 135). One from our county was recorded in 

 the Standard on December 17, 1892, by the 

 Rev. W. O. Waste of Wantage. A young 

 bird was found near Faringdon on October 

 25, 1893, and given to Mr. Cornish. 



206. Great Northern Diver. Colymbus 

 cialtSy Linn. 



It is somewhat curious that this bird, which 

 breeds in Iceland, should so often be taken on 

 our river, whereas the red-throated diver sel- 

 dom visits us, and I have no record of the 

 black-throated species, although both these 

 birds breed no further north than Scotland. 

 Dr. Lamb mentions having met with three 

 specimens of the great northern diver one 

 at Pangbourne and one at Maidenhead, 

 January, 1 794, and one at Newbury, January, 

 1810 (' Ornith. Bercheria ') ; and again, under 

 the name of C. immtr (the young of the 

 above), one shot at Maidenhead, January, 

 1794. An exceedingly fine specimen was 

 killed on Virginia Water, February 4, 1851, 

 exhibited at the Exhibition of that year, and 

 presented by the Prince Consort to the Eton 

 College Museum, where I have seen it. 

 Another, killed on the Thames near Temple 

 Island in 1865, is in the possession of Mr. 

 Mackenzie at Fawley Court. Dr. Palmer 

 mentions one shot at Ilsley in 187 5, and adds, 

 ' Mr. Allder has had three or four to stuff, 

 killed in the neighbourhood during the last 

 ten years ' (' Birds of Newbury and District '). 



207. Red-throated Diver. Colymbus septen- 



trianalis, Linn. 



A casual and rare visitor to the Thames. 

 It is not mentioned by Dr. Lamb, but Clark 

 Kennedy (Birds of Berks and Buck, p. 1 34) 

 says ' some are killed on the river nearly every 

 winter,' and even gives the local name of 

 ' silver grebe.' He mentions birds taken on 

 the river at Windsor, Reading, Hungerford, 

 Maidenhead, etc., but without particulars, 

 and the only recent capture that has come 

 under my notice was one killed on the lake 

 at Maiden Earley by the late Mr. John 

 Hargreaves about 1880, and now in the 

 possession of his son, Mr. R. Hargreaves. 



208. Great Crested Grebe. Podicipes cristatus 



(Linn.). 



The increase of this bird as a breeding 

 species, not only in this county but throughout 



Great Britain, is worthy of note. It is a 

 lake-loving species, and breeds on Virginia 

 Water, Great Meadow Pond, and on other 

 large sheets of water in this and the neigh- 

 bouring counties. It is seldom seen on the 

 river except in winter. One was shot at 

 Hungerford in February, 1808 ('Ornith. Ber- 

 cheria)', and it has been taken on the 

 Thames at Windsor. A pair, male and female, 

 were shot on the Sonning meadows about 

 February 16 and 22, 1901 (Bradshaw in 

 lit.); in 1883 one was shot at Bulmershe ; 

 and two were taken in winter on the Thames 

 near Wallingford (W. Newton in lit.) ; but 

 by far the most interesting fact to note is that 

 a pair this year (1901) nested at a certain 

 spot near Earley. 



209. Red-necked Grebe. Podicipes griseigena 



(Boddaert). 



One was shot at Burghfield, May, 1792 

 ('Ornith. Bercheria'). 



210. Slavonian Grebe. Podicipes auritus 



(Linn.). 



An occasional visitor, generally noticed in 

 winter or early spring. During the winter 

 of 1858 one was shot near Windsor, another 

 on January 17, 1861, and a third in 1865, 

 close to Cookham (Birds of Berks and Bucks, 

 p. 133). A pair were shot at Newbury, 

 February 20, 1870 (W. H. Herbert, Newbury 

 and District Field Club, p. 98). In the Fauna 

 and Flora of Radley and Neighbourhood mention 

 is made of another shot at Sandford in No- 

 vember, 1891. 



211. Eared Grebe. Podicipes nigricollis 



(Brehm). 



In June, 1847, one was captured on the 

 Thames near Sandford in full summer plumage 

 (Messrs. Matthews, Zool. 1849, p. 2623). 



212. Little Grebe. Podicipes fluviatilis (Tun- 



stall). 



Resident and very common. The increase 

 of this little diver during the past twenty 

 years is remarkable. It must be very pro- 

 ductive, as I have seen the eggs from the 

 second week in April to July 26. Four is the 

 usual complement, but I have seen one nest 

 containing seven eggs. 



213. Manx Shearwater. Puffinus anglorum 



(Temminck). 



This bird and the next two species are 

 sometimes taken in our county after severe 

 weather, generally found dead or in an 

 exhausted condition. Dr. Palmer (' Birds 

 of Newbury and District') mentions a 

 Manx shearwater picked up in a field, 



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