NOTES AND QUERIES. 269 
he could be stopped had exercised his zeal on the home of the Stone- 
chats without knowing what it contained. The persistence and ill- 
luck of the pair deserve, I think, a record in ‘ The Zoologist.’—W. 
Warve Fowrer (Kingham, Chipping Norton). 
Little Auk (Mergulus alle) in Bedfordshire.—During the spell of 
severe weather at the end of January and beginning of February last 
no fewer than five Little Auks were taken in Bedfordshire. One I 
saw on Feb. 3rd whilst being preserved by Mr. A. Covington; it had 
been picked up at Haynes a few days previously. Two others found 
subsequently at Great Barford and Ickwell were mounted by the 
same taxidermist. Mr. Young, another local birdstuffer, had two 
brought in to him from Ravensden and Wootton. Some twelve 
previous occurrences of Little Auks in this county are on record.— 
J. STEELE Eviorr (Dowles Manor, Salop). 
Red-throated Diver (Colymbus septentrionalis) in Worcestershire. 
—An adult Red-throated Diver, which from the length of the bill and 
wings is probably a female, was shot on Feb. 9th last on one of the 
pools at Spring Grove, Wribbenhall, Worcestershire. It was kindly 
sent to me by Mr. T. W. Binyon, and it is now in the Worcester 
Museum.—J. Steene Exuiorr (Dowles Manor, Salop). 
Great Crested Grebes nesting in the County of London.—A pair of 
Great Crested Grebes (Podicipes cristatus) are nesting (if they have 
not already hatched out) on the easternmost New River Reservoir off 
Lordship Road, Stoke Newington, in the County of London, and 
within three miles of St. Paul’s. The nest is within sixty or seventy 
yards of the highway passing over the New River bridge and easily 
seen, being built up about a foot above the surface of the water, with 
no reeds or cover to screen it. Yarrell mentions this bird as breeding 
on the Welsh tarns, the meres of Cheshire, and the Broads of 
Norfolk, but no record of it appears in Hudson’s book on the ‘ Birds 
of London.’* A noticeable feature of the occurrence is the apparent 
absence of shyness in so shy a bird. The nest is only about fifteen 
yards from the nearest bank, built on an exposed sheet of water 
surrounded by gardens, and quite devoid of cover. Yesterday, with 
a large tripod camera, my photographer took three photos, but the 
male bird, then sitting on the nest, never left it, while the female 
swam unconcernedly in the vicinity. If the photos are successful I 
will send one for your inspection.—Wm. F'. Dewey (Metropolitan 
Borough of Islington, Town Hall, Upper Street, N., July 8th, 1912). 
* Probably breeds on the Penn Ponds, Richmond Park (cf. Dalgliesh 
* Zoologist,’ 1904, p. 193.—Ep.). 
