VOL. XV.] NOTES. 271 



on the waters at Tatton, Rostherne, Redesmere and Marbury, 

 near North wich. The largest number seen at one time was 

 sixteen, on January 28th, 1922, but fourteen were together 

 on February 4th and nth. 



On January 28th the sixteen were accompanied by a 

 single drake Smew {M. albellus) a bird in mature dress ; it 

 remained in the district until after February 22nd, when 

 I found it swimming and flying with three Goldeneyes on 

 Rostherne. A brown -headed Smew frequented Oakmere 

 for about two weeks ; it was seen by Captain Boyd and 

 Mr. G. F. Gee on February nth and later. 



A young drake Red-breasted Merganser {M. serrator) was 

 with the Goosanders on Tatton on February 4th, and four 

 brown-headed birds of the same species on Rostherne on 

 February 12th. Fight of the Goosanders were on the mere 

 at the same time, but as the water was in part ice-coated the 

 birds were restless ; the IVIergansers swam and dived apart 

 from the larger birds, but though we visited the meres on 

 several occasions after that date we did not see them again. 



I am informed that a drake Smew " in almost full plumage " 

 was shot at Pilling, in Lancashire, about the middle of January. 



Goosanders are fairly regular winter visitors to the Cheshire 

 meres, but they seldom remain so long, nor have they 

 previously to our knowledge come in such large numbers. 

 Brown -headed Smews are also not infrequent, but mature 

 drakes are very uncommon. Red-breasted Mergansers are 

 rare visitors to the inland waters, though not infrequent in 

 the estuaries. T. x\. Coward. 



RED-NECKED GREBE IN OXFORDSHIRE. 



A Red-necked Grebe {Podiceps g. griseigena) was picked 

 up in a dying condition in the snow near Watlington, in 

 South Oxfordshire, on February 12th, 1922, and has been set 

 up by Rowland Ward for the Wallingford Literary Institute. 

 Mr. R. R. Hutchinson kindly furnished me with particulars 

 of this occurrence. F. C. R. Jourdain. 



RED-NECKED AND SLAVONIAN GREBES IN 

 DERBYSHIRE. 



Mr. C. B. Chambers informs me that on February 3rd, 1922, 

 he shot a Slavonian Grebe {Podiceps auritiis) on the 

 Williamthorpe Reservoir, in north-east Derbyshire, which 

 had been noticed there for a day or two previously. On 

 February 5th, another Slavonian Grebe appeared on the 

 same reservoir and remained there all day. 



