A HISTORY OF HERTFORDSHIRE 43. Yellow Wagtail. Motacilla ran (Bona- parte). This is a regular summer visitor to all parts of the county where the locality is suitable; it is especially fond of the neighbourhood of water. The date of its arrival is usually about the middle of April. 44. Tree-Pipit. Anthus trivia/is (Linn.). This species is to be found all over the county, arriving early in April. 45. Meadow-Pipit. Anthus pratensis (Linn.). About the distribution in Hertfordshire of this species during the nesting season a great deal has yet to be learnt. At present I can only mention Royston, Ickleford, Oughton Head Common and Berkhamsted Common as localities in which it nests. In winter the meadow-pipit is commonly distributed all over the county, and I have actually seen it in very hard weather in Berkhamsted High Street. 46. Water-Pipit. Anthus spipoletta (Linn.). On the authority of the Hon. W. Roths- child, who reported their occurrence to the late J. E. Littleboy, two of these birds are said to have been obtained at the watercress beds at Berkhamsted in 1886. 47. Golden Oriole. Oriolus galbula, Linn. This county can be included among those in which the golden oriole has nested, as in 1 88 1 a nest with three eggs was found at Charlie Farm, in the parish of Amwell near Ware, by Mr. H. Beningfield and his son in the month of June. It was built, curiously enough, high up in a hawthorn hedge, about ten feet from the ground. The eggs and nest were seen by the late J. E. Littleboy. On June 4th, 1886, a golden oriole was shot on the borders of Sherrards Wood, Digswell near Welwyn, and was mounted by Mr. Lloyd of St. Albans. The last authenticated record I have of this species in Hertfordshire is of a pair which visited the garden of Mr. Thorne of Broxbourne about the 2Oth of July, 1888, one of them nearly getting caught in a straw- berry-net. 48. Great Grey Shrike. Linn. Lanius excubitor, This species has occurred on a good many occasions in Hertfordshire, but unfortunately few of the records specify whether the bird obtained or seen had one or two wing spots, the number of spots being the means of ascertaining whether the bird was L. excubitor or L. major, the latter being the more northern race. The first note I have of this bird was in January, 1881, when two of them were shot on Mr. Ginger's farm at Boxstead near Hemel Hempstead. These specimens were examined by the late J. E. Littleboy, and were then in the possession of Mr. Bowers of Hemel Hempstead. In November, 1882, a bird of this species was obtained near Throck- ing by a Mr. Coleman. It was mounted by the late William Norman of Royston, and eventually passed into the hands of the Rev. C. W. Harvey of Throcking. Another was shot about the same time by Mr. Gibbs's keeper at Elstree. Mr. R. W. Brett men- tioned that a great grey shrike was shot on December i6th, 1883, ' n the neighbourhood of Hertford; while on the 26th of the same month Mr. Marlborough R. Pryor saw one near Weston Manor flying with a shrew mouse in its claws. In 1884 a specimen was obtained on Tyler's Farm near Bushey, on September 23rd, and was mounted by Mr. Bowers. In the following year a specimen was shot in Ware Park by the head keeper on March i6th. In January, 1886, Mr. Sutton shot a male at Hill Farm, Northchurch; this bird, which is now mounted in his possession, when shot was sitting on a tree from which it fell into the snow, where it could not be found for some time. The only time this bird has occurred in the summer in this county was in July, 1887, when Mr. Pryor saw one at least a dozen times in the parish of Willian near Steven- age, occasionally getting as near to it as half a dozen yards. Mr. William Hill, jun., of Hitchin, informed the late Mr. Littleboy that a great grey shrike was captured by a profes- sional birdcatcher to the west of Hitchin at the end of November or early in December, 1887; it attacked the call-bird which was pegged to the ground, and the man pulled his net over it : he then put it into a cage with a hedge-sparrow, which it immediately attacked and killed. After careful identification it was released, apparently none the worse for its experience, although during its short captivity it was most pugnacious. The Hon. Walter Rothschild states that a great grey shrike was seen at Tring in October, 1888. Mr. H. S. Rivers shot a young male on Roderick's Farm near Latton Mill on December 5th, 1890, and saw another near the same place on December 27th, 1898; this latter he watched for some time. Mr. Charles H. Emson, in a letter to the Field, mentioned that he saw a fine male grey shrike on Berkhamsted Com- mon on February i8th, 1900; this bird he watched for some time. On April 7th following I also saw a grey shrike (probably the same as that seen by Mr. Emson) on Berkhamsted Common, and watched it 200
