NOTES. 377 



" Enlisting the services of the keeper I proceeded to hunt 

 for the nest, which I was confident was somewhere near. 

 The area of thts mill-pond is a wide one, and there is much 

 possible ground encircling it. But bearing in mind my 

 experiences of the Shoveler in the north Kent marshes, where 

 I had studied it very closely, I at once looked upon a stretch 

 of rough grass adjoining the water and lying between the two 

 withy beds as the most likely place for success. Taking the 

 piece in beats the keeper and myself worked the place care- 

 fully. Suddenly the keeper stopped and held up his hand. 

 I knew he had something ; and he had — the Slioveler's nest. 

 It was about thirty paces from the margin of the pond, and 

 placed between three tufts of ordinary grass, and then only 

 held two eggs partially covered with bits of grass. As it 

 happens so often at this stage of laying, there was not a shred 

 of down, though of course the size and colour of the eggs, as 

 well as the size of the nest, betokened the Shoveler." Five 

 days later, however, there was down in the nest, and this with 

 the feathers amongst it set the matter beyond dispute. 

 Thirteen eggs were ultimately laid, but unfortunately they 

 were deserted owing to the heavy snowstorm at the end of 

 April. 



Ferruginous Duck {Fuligula nyroca). — For nearly the 

 whole afternoon of March 20th, 1908, I watched three 

 Ferruginous Ducks on a certain mill-pond in the north of 

 Sussex. Luck is with me over this species, because in 1903, 

 on April 19th, Mr. Gwynne-Vaughan and myself identified 

 three on the Wye at Builth Wells, Breconshire, at really close 

 quarters. 



J. Walpole-Bond. 



RARE BIRDS IN PEMBROKESHIRE. 



Grey Phalarope {Phalaropus julicarius). — I shot a bird 

 of this species that was swimming about a duck-pond within 

 fifty yards of a private house in the neighbourhood of 

 Haverfordwest on December 6th, 1908. The pond is about 

 one and a half miles from the sea, and there are no sand or 

 mud- flats within about ten miles. This is quite an uncommon 

 bird in this county, and I only know of two stuffed specimens. 



Common Bittern {Botaurus stellaris). — Mr. Jeffery, taxider- 

 mist, of Haverfordwest, informs me that he had one to stuff 

 this winter, shot near St. David's. 



On January 23rd I was one of a party of seven guns who 

 had a splendid view of a Bittern standing quite motionless, 

 with head and beak at an angle of about 45°, in some tall 



