MR. W. G. CLARKE ON BIRD-LIFE OF THE MERES. 749 
however, the Gadvvall still seems to be the most common duck, 
and during the past six years whenever I have seen ducks — 
and only on three visits have I not— Gadwall have been 
among them. On June 9th, 1907, there was a female Gadwall 
with a brood of eight on Ringmere while I found two dead 
nestlings by the edge of the water. On the higher ground to 
the northwest was a nest with ten eggs. It was made of frag- 
iiK nts ot dead bracken lined with down, and was well protected 
by the dead bracken-stalks among which it was placed. On 
Langmere on the same date there was a pair of Gadwall with 
a brood oi five, and on Fowlmere a single Gadwall was followed 
by no less than twenty-two ducklings, probably two or three 
broods intermixed. There were several broods of Gadwall on 
the mere. At the eastern end of Langmere on March 22nd, 
1908, there were many Gadwall, Tufted Duck and Coot, and 
eight of the first-named flew on to the long pool from the round 
pond, and ducks and C oot formed one big company facing the 
wind. On October nth of the same year, at the end of the 
eastern spit of land dividing the two pools, two Gadwall were 
preening their feathers, erecting their wings high over their 
heads and smoothing the light under-parts. 
Tufted Ducks have also considerably increased in numbers 
on the meres of late years. On our visit on May 23rd. 1908, 
there were two Tufted Ducks and three ducklings on Ringmere. 
They swam to the further side of the mere and were quickly 
lost to view in the rushes. A pair also rose from the pool 
between Ringmere and Langmere, and about fifty yards away, 
on the level ground near a high hawthorn hedge we disturbed 
a Tufted Duck — ducks will usually return after being flushed, 
though Pheasants oftentimes will not — from her nest of 
eleven eggs, packed beautifully in the down. The nest was 
cup-shaped, made of reeds, sedge and bracken, placed in a 
small isolated clump of rushes (J uncus effusus). On Langmere 
there were at least twenty Tufted Duck, all in pairs. It was 
a pretty sight to see them diving, or standing in pairs, about 
three feet apart, on the edge of the water, preening their 
feathers most carefully. At a distance they appear black and 
white, but through glasses the male is seen to be more brilliant 
