THE MOSS 



39 



SCLAVONIAN 

 GREBE. 



A very rare winter visitor. Mr. C. S. Gregson 

 records a young bird having been shot in February, 

 1864, near the mouth of the Alt. 



EARED GREBE. An immature specimen in our collection. 



LITTLE GREBE. Commonly known as "dowker," the Lancashire name 

 for " diver." I have seen and shot him several times 

 in the " New Cut." 



HERON. 



Common all over the Moss, owing to the proximity 

 of the ancient heronry at Scarisbrick Hall, the seat 

 of the Marquis of Casteja. 1 never see the use 

 of shooting these handsome birds myself; they do 

 as much good as harm here, and we have no trout 

 stream for them to devastate. The taxidermist took 

 three mice from a specimen which I sent to him, 

 found dead in a frozen ditch during the hard frost 

 of 1890. 



BITTERN. A specimen of this very rare bird was killed on 

 s stdiaris.) Sawder Heyes* on Thursday, January 2ist, 1892, by 

 Mr. Richard Sutton, of Mosside Farm. Mr. John 

 Formby, of Formby Hall, has another specimen at 

 his home, which was killed many years ago on 

 Formby Moss.f 



* SA'WDER HEYES. A corruption of Southern Heyes, meaning the South Moss. 



* BITTRRN. Mr. Formby's specimen was killed early in the present century, and it reflects great credit 

 on the man who stuffed it, that it should have lasted so long. 



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