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: Clangula glaucion. Locally, "White-faced Dun-
bird" (E.A.F.) and "Bastard Diver."
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
near the same time.
Both agreed in col-
ours, but one weighed
26 oz. the other only
19 oz." Mr. Clarke
mentions (24) four
killed at Shortgrove
in Jan., 1830, one at
Wenden on Apr.
23rd, 1836, and a
female at Wenden
in Feb. of the fol-
lowing year. King
says (20), " Several
of these Ducks were
seen in our neighbourhood [Sudbury] last season [1837]. I have a fine male in
my possession [now at Birmingham], shot with another at Cornard." Mr. Grubb
says (39), " I believe almost, or quite, the last bird I shot was a female on our
river." Mr. W. H. Hill, of Southminster, records (12. viii. 574) that it was
rare in his time (1835) round that place, where it was known as the " Bastard