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 A HISTORY OF LEICESTERSHIRE on Cropston Reservoir, are preserved at the Reservoir Hotel, but he did not know the date and I cannot obtain any further information. Mr. Davenport informed me that on 2 March, 1889, 'as the wife of a man named William King, living at Burton Overy, went out at the back door to feed her ducks and chickens she found amongst them a strange bird, which she succeeded in capturing by throwing her apron over it. It was kept for a few days, fed fairly well on such food as could be procured for it, did not appear to be at all shy, and although helpless on the ground, when put into a tub of water its motions were very graceful, and it swam and dived with freedom.' Before it died, however, Mr. Daven- port rode over to see it and kindly notified me of the occurrence, thus putting me into communication with the possessor, and enabling me to acquire for the museum a fine male specimen of the red-throated diver in winter plumage. A fine specimen an immature male was shot on Swithland Reservoir on 10 Jan., 1907, by Mr. O. Murray-Dixon, who kindly presented it to the writer. 206. Great Crested Grebe. Podicipes cristatus (Linn.). Locally, Tufted Grebe, often called Eared Grebe by error. A spring visitant, sometimes remaining until winter. The late Dr. Macaulay was the first to record its breeding in the county at SaJdington Reservoir whence he received, in 1874, a ma ' e an d female and one young in the down. On 7 May, 1883, he showed me a pair nesting at Saddington Reservoir, which brought oft" their young. In the spring of 1884 a pair nested there and brought off four young, which remained until late in the summer, but finally left owing to the dry weather. In 1885 the same or another pair nested again and laid five eggs, but three of thorn being taken on 23 May the birds deserted the nest and left the water entirely. In 1886 several pairs nested at Saddington, and on i June a nest of four eggs and a male bird were procured for the museum. Mr. H. A. Payne informs me that he has taken several nests on the Bradgate Reservoir, the last being in 1 8 79. Mr. G. Frisby writes in 1906 : ' I have seen eight pairs at one time on our reservoir, and one day watched one land. No sooner was it out of the water than it squatted down, being apparently unable to walk, and stayed there until ready to take to the water again. Young ones were successfully reared this year. Always with us except in hardest frosts. Two families of young grebes seen this year. On 2 May, 1 906, eight pairs were seen at Swithland.' Mr. W. J. Horn writes in 1907 : 'Breeding on all the lakes and reservoirs in the neighbourhood. It appears to be greatly increasing in numbers. In one week in May, 1905, I saw twenty-six of these birds. 13 May, 1895, one seen on Thornton Reservoir; 2 1 March, 1 900, five seen on Saddington Reservoir ; 7 June, 1902, two seen on Saddington Reservoir; and I April, 1905, two were seen on Saddington Reservoir.' 207. Red-necked Grebe. Podicipes griseigena (Bod- daert). According to the late Dr. Macaulay {Mid. Nat. 1882, p. 79), one was shot on Saddington Reservoir in 1874, and it appeared from his MS. notes that it was shot by Mr. F. Kemp in March. Thinking I 5 6 there was probably some mistake and that the bird might have been the little grebe in spring plumage, I wrote to Mr. Kemp to ask if he were certain about the bird, and was confirmed in my supposition by the fact that he was unable to answer my query, merely saying that he thought the date was 1876. After some trouble Mr. Kemp having removed to Great Yar- mouth he fortunately visited the museum in January, 1888. On looking around at the specimens, he could not see one like his own, and said it certainly was not the red-necked grebe, but seemed to think it might be the Slavonian. Nevertheless, Mr. W. J. Horn writes : ' I saw a red-necked grebe so recently as Saturday, 18 March, 1899, floating upon the waters of Saddington Reservoir. This is, I think, the first record for the county.' 208. Slavonian or Horned Grebe. Podlclpes auritus (Linn.). A rare winter visitant. Harley recorded that it visited us ' in the severe winter months of 18445, when a fine example was shot by Chaplin on the waters of Groby Pool. The species has also been met with by gunners and sportsmen on the waters of the Soar, Trent, and Wreake.' The late Mr. Widdow- son reported the occurrence of one, in immature plumage, at Melton, but the claim of this species to have a place in the county fauna rests upon an imma- ture female specimen shot by Mr. W. A. Evans in December, 1896, at Saddington Reservoir, and pre- sented by him to the museum. 209. Black-necked or Eared Grebe. Podicipes nigri- collis (Brehm). A rare visitant, usually in spring, and probably Harley was mistaken when he wrote of this species : ' Formerly more abundant and pretty well distributed over the county. Occurs on the Soar and Trent ; ' he most likely having been told of the ' eared grebe,' which in gamekeepers' language means the great crested grebe. Later, however, he recorded : ' 1 844, December. This species of grebe has occurred this winter on Groby Pool, since Chaplin has carried me an example for private examination.' 210. Little Grebe or Dabchick. Podicipes fuviatilis (Tunstall). Locally, Didopper. Resident, but sparingly distributed. Mr. Babing- ton (Potter, op. cit. App. 70) said : ' Rothley, Groby, &c. ; but not abundant.' Harley, however, appears to have considered it common in his day, on the Soar, Trent, Wreak, and other streams, as well as on most large waters, as Saddington, Groby, and Bos- worth Pools ; and remarked, under date 14 July, 1842, that 'young grebes have a shrill call-note, which they almost incessantly keep up when they first come abroad on the surface of the water.' I saw one on Bosworth Pool, on 6 Dec., 1884, and shot one a male at Belgrave, by the sewage weir, on 10 Feb., 1886. Mr. G. H. Storer informs me that he saw a pair on the fish-pond at Ulverscroft Priory on 28 June, 1888. The late Mr. Ingram wrote that it ' breeds in Frog Hollow Pond, near Belvoir,' and Mr. W. A. Evans presented to the museum a nest and three eggs, taken by him at Thornton Reservoir on 9 June, 1 88 1, when he found as many as five nests in one day that were all placed on the roots or