NOTES AND QUERIES. 195 



egg on April 10th. This Condor was brought from the Andes of 

 Chili as a nestling sixteen years ago, and has grown up to be a 

 remarkably fine and healthy mature bird. The egg is chalky white, 

 and normal in every way. — E. Leonard Gill (The Museum, New- 

 castle). 



A former Warwickshire Heronry. — A few pairs of Herons were 

 nesting in Trickley Coppice (a large plantation about a mile and a half 

 distant from Middleton) in 1852 — so I learn from the keeper that came 

 into that neighbourhood at that date — and they continued nesting there 

 until about 1875, when evidently one of the pairs first left that cover 

 in favour of a much smaller plantation, some thirty acres in extent, 

 close to Middleton Hall. Here they received the interest and protection 

 of Col. Hanbury Barclay, who resided there at that time, and to whom 

 I am indebted for the following information from notes made at the 

 time : — 



" 1875. Heron's egg picked up broken at the bottom of an oak-tree 

 in the Kitchen Garden Wood. Some time previously I had noticed a 

 pair of Herons about, and thought perhaps they intended nesting. 

 They started building in a fir-tree, but abandoned that in favour of an 

 oak. On 7th May the bird was sitting. 1876. May 5th, took two 

 eggs from a nest. 1878. Four nests on 14th March ; two birds were 

 sitting. The nest from which two eggs were taken two years pre- 

 viously had been greatly increased in size, and again contained eggs. 

 1879. Six nests hatched out about 22nd April. 1880 — the year I left 

 Middleton — there were about twelve pairs in the heronry. I consider 

 the success I had in forming this heronry was partly owing to keeping 

 the plantation perfectly quiet for a fox-covert." 



The keeper mentioned that thirteen nests were the greatest number 

 he counted at any one time. After this date, with another tenant at 

 Middleton Hall, their presence was evidently not so welcome, and 

 their numbers began rapidly to decrease ; added the fact, as I under- 

 stand, one of their nesting-trees was blown over. They ceased to nest 

 there some few years afterwards, and two or three remaining pairs 

 again returned to Trickley Coppice, where, I understand, they reared 

 young ; but eventually they were molested, and eggs robbed. My 

 personal experience is that in March, 1892, there were four old nests 

 still remaining — one, perhaps, that of two years previously, the others 

 probably of a still earlier construction. — J. Steele Elliott (Clent, 

 Worcestershire). 



Wild Duck : Female in Male Plumage.— On the 15th or 16th of 

 January last a very interesting specimen of the Wild Duck {Anas 



