NOTES AND QUERIES, 157 
community by the name of Red-headed Ker, or ‘ Polka Duck,” but 
for a considerable time it almost failed to visit this neighbourhood, 
some winters not one occurring, so I am glad to record its reappear- 
ance in some numbers. I cannot, however, do the same with regard 
to the Goosander or Red-breasted Merganser, which seem to have left 
us entirely—the latter was always the rarest—but last season there 
were at least two male Smews in fully adult plumage seen upon the 
water, one of which was shot, and no doubt they were accompanied 
by females and immature specimens. I also knew of three or four 
Gadwall, all immature except one—an old male in fine feather, but so 
badly mutilated as to be unfit for preservation. A few Shovelers and 
one or two Golden-eyes, all young birds, were also met with, and I 
heard of one Pintail, but did not see it. Several ‘‘skeins”’ of Wild 
Geese were seen, numbering from five to fifteen, but they were very 
wary, and did not frequent the vicinity of the river where most of the 
shooting took place, and I knew of only two being killed, although 
they were about the neighbourhood for several weeks. I saw the 
head and feet of one of the slaughtered, and it was of the Pink- 
footed species; whether all were of the same kind I know not. On 
previous occasions when any of the Anseres visited us it was gener- 
ally the White-fronted (A. albzfrons), although A. brachyrhynchus has 
been met with previously more than once. Two or three Bitterns 
frequented the reed-beds near the river, and one was killed at the end 
of February, but I am glad to say a more humane feeling seems to 
have sprung up towards this handsome bird, and if seen during a 
fusillade it is allowed to wing its lazy flight to some place of safety. 
Some time after the shooting had ceased (on March Ist) a man who 
often attends the Salmon fishers, and to whom a Bittern is not a 
stranger, brought me word that he had seen a bird or two on three 
occasions in the reed-beds, appearing “‘ very tame,”’ standing quietly 
amongst the ‘dead spear,’ with its neck straight and beak pointing 
upwards; and, he added, “I should have thought it was a Bittern, 
but it was not half the size of one—in fact, no larger, if as large, as a 
Peewit.” Could this have been Ardetia minuta ? The man’s descrip- 
tion was given in good faith; he had nothing to gain by it, and I 
think he was ignorant of such a bird as the Little Bittern, but the 
time of year seems a little out of place, as the few recorded specimens 
of this species in Hampshire were, I believe, in the summer or 
autumn months. Still, I could believe in its occurrence here in the 
second or third week of March much better than the reported notes 
of the Cuckoo in February, or even earlier in the year. 
