BIRDS 



131. Teal. Nettion crecca (Linn.). 



An autumnal and winter visitor to our 

 streams, sometimes coming in considerable 

 flights ; but it does not generally remain long 

 in one place, and is now unknown in sum- 

 mer, although it is probable that formerly it 

 bred in the county. 



132. Garganey. Querquedula circia (Linn.). 

 A rare spring visitor to the Severn, Avon 



and Teme. Seen only in passage. 



133. Wigeon. Mareca penelope {L\nn.). 



A winter visitor which is found in most of 

 our streams, and appearing either singly or in 

 small companies. 



134. Pochard. FuUgula ferlna (Linn.). 

 This also is a winter visitor, but some- 

 times common. There is no record of its 

 ever having been seen except in winter. 



135. Tufted Duck. Fuligula cristata (Leach). 

 Occurs not unfrequently in the winter- 

 Most of those I have had the opportunity of 

 examining have been immature examples. 



136. Scaup-Duck. Fuligula mania (Linn.). 

 The present species appears inland much 



less frequently than the tufted duck, and in- 

 deed is very rarely seen in the rivers of the 

 county except in very severe weather, and 

 even then it is only a straggler. Immature 

 birds are, however, more frequently seen than 

 adults of either sex. 



137. Goldeneye. Clangula glaucion (Linn.). 

 The goldeneye is not rare in our rivers and 



ponds in the winter, but nearly all the speci- 

 mens met with are immature. Occasionally, 

 but very occasionally, an adult bird occurs in 

 the spring, apparently a passage bird. 



138. Long-tailed Duck. Harelda glacialis 



(Linn.). 

 According to Hastings it has appeared in 

 Worcestershire as a straggler. 



139. Common Eider Duck. Somateria moll- 



Issima (Linn.). 

 On the authority of Mrs. Perrott, quoted 

 by Hastings (p. 70), an eider duck is supposed 

 to have been killed near Evesham. 



140. Common Scoter. CEdemia nigra (Linn.). 

 A coast bird, which but rarely appears on 



our inland waters, and then only as a straggler. 



141. Velvet-Scoter. CEdemia fusca (Linn.). 

 Admitted into the lists of the Worcester- 

 shire birds solely on the authority of Sir Charles 

 Hastings who, however, does not give either 

 time or place of its occurrence. 



[Surf-Scoter. CEdemia perspicillata (Linn.). 



Although I cannot strictly include the rare 

 surf-scoter in the list of Worcestershire birds, 

 I can record the occurrence of one on the 

 Avon, only a little way from the boundary of 

 our county, which I saw and examined in 

 Stratford, where it was brought for preserva- 

 tion.] 



142. Goosander. Mergus merganser, Linn. 

 The present bird is recorded by Hastings 



as of ' frequent occurrence ' in Worcestershire, 

 but no locality is mentioned, and although it 

 cannot now be said to be frequent, it is not 

 very rare in the winter on the principal rivers. 



143. Red-breasted Merganser. Mergus serra- 



tor, Linn. 

 This is another species which is given by 

 Hastings as frequent, but which is certainly 

 rare in Worcestershire, if indeed there is any 

 record of its occurrence. Mr. Willis Bund 

 does not include it, though Lees speaks of it 

 as making an occasional visit to the county. 

 The writer has not met with a Worcestershire 

 specimen, though he has one shot on the Avon 

 a few miles from the boundary. 



144. Smew. Mergus albellus, Linn. 



Two instances only of the appearance of 

 the smew in Worcestershire have come to the 

 knowledge of the writer. Lees mentions one 

 which was killed in the Severn above Wor- 

 cester in the spring of 1855 ; and another 

 which was shot at Ombersley in January, 

 1 89 1, was brought by Mrs. Croft of that 

 place to Mr. Jones, of Worcester, for preser- 

 vation. 



145. Ring-Dove or Wood-Pigeon. Columba 



palumbuSy Linn. 

 Locally, Quice. 

 A common resident and yearly increasing 

 in numbers. Towards the spring, when the 

 usual food of the quice has become scarce, 

 the osier beds of the Avon are frequented by 

 it for the sake of the bulbous roots of the 

 pilewort {ranunculus), which have been laid 

 bare by the winter floods, and on which it 

 feeds. So long however as the more ordin- 

 ary food can be found the quice will not be 

 seen amongst the osiers, nor indeed on the 

 river bank. 



146. Stock-Dove. Columba aenas, Linn. 

 Though a common bird the stock-dove is 



by no means so abundant as the ring-dove. 

 Besides the holes of trees, the head of a pollard 

 ash or withy is sometimes chosen as a nesting- 

 place, and on the Cotteswold range the face 

 of an abandoned quarry affords suitable accom- 

 modation for the nests. 



163 



