144 
W. BICKERTON-BIRDS OBSERVED IN' 1901. 
me, for his talons were firmly fixed in my woollen gloves. 
The stationmaster and several regular passengers were present 
when I rode in with my capture to Rickmansworth Station, and 
assisted my awkward efforts to brace him, during which, with 
tooth and nail, he took toll of several fingers. I fear that he is 
too old to learn manners .—Henry J. Ford” 
Heron (Ardea cinerea ).—It is pleasant to he able to record that 
this bird has during the past year nested upon one of the large 
estates in the immediate vicinity of Watford, and within about 
two miles of the town. This is the bird’s first appearance for the 
purposes of nidification in this particular locality, and it is very 
gratifying to record that the birds were carefully protected and 
succeeded in hatching their brood. 
Shoveller (Spatula clypeata ).—A female specimen of this bird in 
splendid condition was shot near Hemel Hempstead on the 2nd of 
December. The recorder of this fact reported it to the ‘ Zoologist ’ 
as the first occasion on which this species had been found in Hert¬ 
fordshire. This, I may state, is not so, for Mr. Crossman reports 
as follows in his “List of the Birds of Hertfordshire” (‘Trans. 
Herts Hat. Hist. Soc.,’ vol. x, part 3):—“One or two pairs of 
this duck nest regularly at or near the Tring Reservoirs, and it 
has been shot on a few occasions in other parts of the county.” 
