128 THE BIRDS OF BERKS AND BUCKS. 



visitor to the reservoirs near Drayton Beauchamp, 

 but it is rare on our rivers, although a few have at 

 various times been obtained during severe winters. 

 In a letter bearing date the 6th February, 1868, 

 my friend Mr. R. B. Sharpe observed that he had a 

 fine male of this species in his collection, which was 

 killed some years ago at Cookham. The Rev. 

 Bryant Burgess informed me of another Pochard, also 

 a male, in his possession, which was shot at Ivinghoe 

 Aston in February, 1847. Several birds of this 

 species were obtained near Windsor in the inclement 

 winter of 1858, and others have been met with in that 

 neighbourhood more recently. The last Pochard 

 which came under my notice was a male bird, now in 

 the collection of Mr. Sharpe, which was shot on the 

 river at Cookham on the I3th of January, 1868. The 

 Rev. H. H. Crewe states that the Pochard has, on two 

 occasions, been known to breed on the water near 

 Drayton Beauchamp. A nest containing eggs was 

 taken in June, 1850, at the Marsworth reservoir by 

 a gamekeeper of the Rev. James Williams, of Tring 

 Park : and a few years later, a pair of Pochards 

 nested on the banks of the same piece of water. For- 

 tunately, these birds were allowed to hatch out their 

 eggs in security. The Rev. J. Williams, to whom I 

 have just referred, has taken Pochard's eggs at the 

 Wilstone reservoir, where he believes that this species, 

 in common with the Teal, breeds in limited numbers 

 every year. 



