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 A HISTORY OF BEDFORDSHIRE jstssssasrsss > = "--' ™ •*"■ femi,e sho,ai duck that have been known to nest with us. At Luton Hoo a pair were said to have nested in the park in 1893. I have visited these pools almost every year since, but have never been able to find this species there again. At the sewage farm at Newnham, one if not two pairs of shovelers nested in 1898. The first nest found was on 5 May, and contained ^j* '— ' ^ T ~^ w '^ and ' p00 l s four eggs, which were taken ; the nest was in ^ fa former ar the middle of a large tuft of rushes growing out in the water of the 'sewage-lake' that existed at that time. On 21 May a nest containing six eggs, which were also taken, was found among the thick grass in a small osier bed within the same field, and in addition to these, I understand, two other eggs were also eventually procured. During the previous year, shovelers were said to have frequented the same locality during the nest- 2, and an adult female shot at the Newnham 'farm 18 September 1894. In the winter 1 899-1 900 several were secured : a female at Roxton, two females at Renhold, and a beautiful adult drake shot from the Ouse at Goldington. 129. Teal. Nettion crecca (Linn.) A winter visitor, and is frequently met with «" •»" «*•• — 1>— j seems evident that in former years and in certain favoured localities it once bred regu- larly. Mr. J. King can recall at least three nests with eggs being found in the vicinity of the lake at Southill, several eggs from which he has kindly presented to me. In one in- stance, whilst the keepers and others were gathering pheasants' eggs in the park, those of the teal were also picked up, and remained unrecognized until hatched in an incubator, frequented the same locality during he nest- ^ ^6 ^^ j haye neyer met with ing season, and it seems probable that they ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ {he sprjng than 9 April, may also have nested, especially as _s™^eggs ^ ^ head keeper asgures me that a nest and eggs were again found in 1893. At Luton Hoo a pair were seen by the water keeper nesting as recently as 1895 ; they bred in the vicinity of several water-holes in one of the woods of the park some distance away from the larger pools. 130. Garganey. guerquedula circia (Linn.) One of the rarer of the numerous species of ducks that visit us; formerly more frequent. A fine old male, which is now in the posses- sion of Mr. J. Smith, was killed at Fenlake about 1872 ; another, also a male, was shot at Ravensden in November 1890, and a female was obtained near the ford at Clapham in the spring of 1 89 1. The most recent occurrence was one killed at Milton about 1892. One was observed on the pool at Luton Hoo by Mr. W. C. Thompson, and several local speci- mens have been reported to me, but without any additional particulars. 131. Wigeon. Mareca penelope (Linn.) Throughout the winter, and more particu- larly during the early months of the year, the wigeon^is frequently met with in numer- ous localities along the Ouse, and on many of our larger sheets of water. It occurs generally in small parties, but occasionally in flights from fifteen to twenty and upwards ; adult males are few in number compared with fe- males or birds of the year. 132. Fochard. Fuligula ferina (Linn.) Still fairly abundant as a winter and spring of 'a duck were said to have been found They have not infrequently been killed on the river in the vicinity of Wyboston ; several instances of the 'spoonbill' duck being shot in past years have been brought under my notice. One was obtained in 1889 from the moat around Chawston Manor; Dr. C. Sprigge shot this species at Great Barford about 1890, when a pair together were observed by him upon the floods. In November 1889 a female was shot from the Ouse at Golding- ton. Two adult males were also killed 3 January 1891 at Kempston, and a pair had been killed from the same water many years previously. Another, also a male, was shot in the same parish shortly after the two drakes were obtained. A solitary female was killed by myself on the Ouse at Goldington 7 Janu- ary 1892, and on 27 July of the same year one was seen down the river below Bedford. A female was shot 25 September 1897 on the Newnham farm, and another by Colonel H. Barclay at the pools in Tingrith Park in 1899. 1 28. Pintail. Dafila acuta (Linn.) A winter visitor, resorting to our rivers and pools most years, but in very limited numbers ; formerly more numerous. Females and im- mature males are far more plentiful than adult males. At the lake in Southill Park one was killed about i860, and came under the obser- vation of Mr. J. King. Dr. C. Sprigge once saw three or four together on the flooded meadows at Great Barford. One was shot near 124