. The birds of Essex: a contribution to the natural history of the country. Birds. 208 THE BIRDS OF ESSEX. nest himself. Mr. J. F. T. Wiseman, of Paglesham, informs me that he does not know of its breeding on the marshes in that district. Along our coast, however, it seems to be increasing rapidly in numbers as a breeding bird, though I am not aware that it has been before recorded as nesting with us—at least of late years. Mr. Fitch records a nest hatched off on Northey Island in 1887, and another, containing eleven eggs, which was mown over in a field of red clover on the island in the follo
. The birds of Essex: a contribution to the natural history of the country. Birds. 208 THE BIRDS OF ESSEX. nest himself. Mr. J. F. T. Wiseman, of Paglesham, informs me that he does not know of its breeding on the marshes in that district. Along our coast, however, it seems to be increasing rapidly in numbers as a breeding bird, though I am not aware that it has been before recorded as nesting with us—at least of late years. Mr. Fitch records a nest hatched off on Northey Island in 1887, and another, containing eleven eggs, which was mown over in a field of red clover on the island in the following year (50. ii. 195). On June 12th, 1888, that gentleman and myself had the pleasure of seeing quite a number of these birds, and several of their recently-used nests, on the Old Hall Marshes, Tollesbury, where we were informed by Mr. G. May, the head-keeper, that they first bred (so far as he is aware) in the year 1886, when a single pair (one of which the keepers thought had probably been wounded, and thus prevented migrating with its fellows), reared their young. However this may have been, in 1887, five or six pairs—no doubt the offspring of the original pair—bred on the same marshes ; while in 1888, the number increased to seventeen or eighteen pairs, at least. Mr. May kindly showed us several nests, built among the reeds on the edges of the larger pools and fleets, from which broods had been hatched out only a day or two before. Some of the females seen, too, had evidently young broods among the reeds. Golden-eye: Clangidaglaitcio7i. Locally, "White-faced Dun- bird" () and "Bastard ; A winter visitor, chiefly to the coast, but sometimes met with inland. Pennant says (ii. 498) Mr. Cockfield, of Stratford, in " Es- sex favoured me with an account of two birds of this species, shot neir the same time. Both agreed in col- ours, but one weighed 26 oz. the other only 19 ; Mr. Clarke mentions (24) four killed at Shortgrove m
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectbirds, bookyear1890
