  The study of the Milky Way stellar discs in the context of galaxy formation
is discussed. In particular we explore the properties of the Milky Way disc
using a new sample of about 550 dwarf stars for which we have recently obtained
elemental abundances and ages based on high resolution spectroscopy. For all
the stars we also have full kinematic information as well as information about
their stellar orbits. We confirm results from previous studies that the thin
and the thick disc have distinct abundance patterns. But we also explore a
larger range of orbital parameters than what has been possible in our previous
studies. Several new results are presented. We find that stars that reaches
high above the galactic plane and have eccentric orbits show remarkably tight
abundance trends. This implies that these stars formed out of well mixed gas
that had been homogenized over large volumes. We find some evidence that point
to that the event that most likely caused the heating of this stellar
population happened a few billion years ago. Through a simple, kinematic
exploration of stars with super-solar [Fe/H] we show that the solar
neighbourhood contains metal-rich, high velocity stars that very likely are
associated with the thick disc. Additionally, the HR1614 moving group and the
Hercules and Arcturus stellar streams are discussed and it is concluded that,
probably, a large fraction of the so far identified groups and streams in the
disc are the result of evolution and interactions within the stellar disc
rather than being dissolved stellar clusters or engulfed dwarf galaxies.
