62 Bolam: The Natural History of Hornsea Mere. 
- 21st April, when Taylor said they were just beginning to 
arrive ; quite: fifty birds on 22nd April, and there were even 
more by the 25th. Some have always bred here during 
Taylor’s time—thirty-two years—and the numbers are pro- 
bably increasing. On 30th April I counted ninety-two at 
the upper end of the Mere, in addition to which there were 
certainly many more in other parts. On Ist May some of the 
ducks were beginning to lay, and there was a marked falling 
off in numbers from about this date, but something like fifty 
pairs stayed on the Mere throughout the remainder of summer, 
a large proportion of which no doubt bred, or attempted to 
do so. On the morning of zoth May I counted fifty-seven 
males on the water in various places, and this probably did 
not include all. Numbers of ducks were with them, and 
others were doubtless on their nests. The first of the ducks 
began to sit about the middle of May, but some were still 
laying by the 2oth, on which date I saw a pair treading. Many 
nests were undoubtedly drowned by the floods on the 23rd 
and 24th May. The first young appeared on 18th June, at 
the bottom of Heronry Wood. On Ist July four young were 
brought off from a nest at the boat-house channel, and Coots 
were chasing them! On the same day two nests in Round 
House reed-bed produced only two young each. During the 
next three weeks several other females were seen followed by 
only two or three young each, in one case by only a single 
chick, and five was the largest brood seen. This was the 
produce of nests averaging about nine or ten eggs each! The 
Tufted Ducks which escaped drowning hatched better. By 
Ist July drakes were beginning to cast their quills, and a 
week later most of them ‘ flappered’ to the shelter of reeds 
etc., instead of flying as heretofore, on being disturbed. 
Turtep Ducx.—Taylor reports that very few of these have 
hitherto bred here. There was one nest last year, however, 
the first since the Yorkshire Naturalists’ Union visited the 
Mere a few years ago, he thinks ; and in that year he did not 
consider there were more than two nests. Large flocks of 
these ducks appear every spring, a few staying, but the majority 
going elsewhere by May. On 2oth April there were certainly 
two hundred on the Mere. They appeared to become still 
more numerous during the next week or two, but about the 
beginning of May they decreased daily and rapidly. Only 
about six pairs were visible on the 7th May, and on several 
subsequent days when I tried to count them. A week later 
they increased again to about twenty pairs, and approximately 
that number remained to nest, or to attempt it, for many of 
the nests were destroyed by the floods from the 23rd May 
onwards. At the end of June a further considerable increase 
in numbers took place, apparently of birds drowned out some- 
Naturalist, 
