A HISTORY OF 
upon the Ouse and Ivel from September on- 
wards until the following February. Mr. J. 
King, who was formerly resident at Southill 
for many years, has no knowledge of their 
having attempted to breed there until 1894, 
when in company together we found them so 
doing. But it is evident from conversations 
I had with the keepers that the birds had first 
frequented the lake one or two years pre- 
viously, and as they remained throughout the 
greater part of the year probably nested. On 
18 May of that year we found a pair had a 
nest and eggs and the old bird was evi- 
dently sitting ; a previous laying of three eggs 
had been destroyed on 23 April, close to 
where the present nest was situated. When 
visiting the pool again in August of that year, 
I found that the second laying had been fully 
successful, the old birds being then accom- 
panied about the pool by their young. On 
17 April 1895 two pairs were upon this sheet 
of water; but, not visiting Southill again in 
that year, I am unable to say with what 
results. Subsequently on 3 April 1899 one 
pair were present, and on 12 May following 
three grebe were observed. On3 May 1901 
three pairs and one odd one were upon the 
pool, of which two pairs at least remained and 
nested there. Her Grace the Duchess of 
Bedford has been kind enough to favour me 
with particulars of this species on the pools at 
Woburn. It was first observed there in 
1894, when a pair nested and reared three 
young. Four of the five left in the autumn, 
one staying until the hard frost set in during 
that winter, and one returned immediately 
when the weather opened. When visiting 
the various pools within Woburn Park on 15 
May 1901 seven of these grebe were upon 
the pools, one pair of which were accompanied 
by their three young, and another had a nest 
containing two recently laid eggs, to which a 
third was eventually added. The numbers 
observed on these pools on this occasion may 
be possibly accounted for by Battlesden Lake 
having been drained and left dry. I visited 
Battlesden Pool on 16 May 1899 and five 
adult birds were then present; two pairs 
were evidently nesting, one nest of which 
could be inspected from the side, and con- 
tained a single egg. In Mr. C. F. Wood's 
experience of Woburn and Battlesden from 
1849-72 he never knew or heard of this 
grebe in either locality. At the larger pool 
in Tingrith Park, Colonel H. Barclay says 
that to his knowledge they nested only in 
1899, the eggs being successfully hatched and 
the young reared; but the year following 
only a single bird returned to the pool, remain- 
ing some little time before departing again ; 
BEDFORDSHIRE 
since then they have not reappeared in that 
particular locality. 
205. Red-necked Grebe. 
(Boddaert) 
A rare winter visitant. In February 1863 
one was shot by a farmer on a pond at Ren- 
hold ; the bird was skinned and eaten, but 
Mr. A. Covington was, fortunately enough, 
enabled to obtain the mutilated remains and 
identify the species. Another, a female, 
is in the possession of the writer; it was 
picked up alive on 11 February 1870, during 
hard weather, in the farmyard of the Hill 
farm at Wilden (see also Zoo/ogist). A third 
which I have also examined is in the posses- 
sion of Mr. J. Lund of Bedford, and was 
killed on the small reservoir above the Clap- 
ham road on 8 November 1885. A red- 
necked grebe recorded in the Field, 1880, 
proves upon examination to be but a specimen 
of the great crested grebe. 
Grebe. 
Podicipes griseigena 
206. Slavonian Podicipes aquritus 
(Linn.) 
Another winter visitant, but seems to occur 
far oftener than the previous species. About 
a dozen have been received by Mr. A. Cov- 
ington in the flesh, nearly always in February 
or March during their return movements north, 
and invariably in the winter plumage. Blun- 
ham, Willington, Pavenham, Milton, Harrold, 
Odell, and by the ash-plantation along the 
river at Clapham are localities where they 
have been obtained. The most recent was 
one found at the edge of a pond along the 
Kimbolton road about 1890, apparently ex- 
hausted and frozen to death. Several have 
been received by Mr. J. S. Wright at various 
times. One which I have seen in the possession 
of Mr. J. Cole of Leagrave was shot at Luton 
Hoo, and others have also been received by him 
from around that neighbourhood. One in the 
possession of Mr. J. King was shot on 27 
March 1865 at Southill Lake. That recorded 
by Mr. C. M. Prior in the Zoodogist, shot near 
Bedford during the last week in February 
1879, is very probably the specimen now in 
my possession, which was shot by Mr. J. 
Bennett on the overflows at Fenlake about 
that year. Another in my collection was 
obtained near the bridge at Felmersham on 
2 February 1895. 
207. Little Grebe. Podicipes fluviatilis (Tun- 
stall) 
Locally, Dabchick, Didchick, Diadobber. 
Still plentiful as a winter visitor on all our 
larger streams, and with the exception of 
within a few miles from Bedford—where its 
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