THE WIGEON AS A SCOTTISH BREEDING SPECIES 41 



loch in 1884 or 1885, and on 14th June 1889 Mr Evans saw several 

 Wigeon on lochs in the Tushielaw district of Ettrick, and one drake 

 on Crooked Loch showed by its anxious behaviour that there was 

 a nest near by {A.S.N.H., 1893, p. 115). The dispersal here seems 

 to have been rapid, as by the next year they were nesting on three 

 lochs close together in Selkirkshire {A.S.N.H., 1895, P' 232), in 

 1895 two pairs nested in Ettrick {A.S.A^.H., 1898, p. 26), while 

 in 1897 it is stated to breed on every suitable loch on Alemuir 

 {loc. cit.). In 1912 Mr Abel Chapman found it nesting on five lochs 

 in this country {^Brit. Birds {mag.) vi., p. 109). 



Roxburghshire. The nesting of the Wigeon in Roxburgh was 

 not established till 19 10, when it bred in the north-west of the 

 county {A.S.N.H., 191 1, p. 117), but as long ago as 1887 it was 

 suspected of breeding at Yetholm {Bird Life of the Borders, p. 91). 

 Wigeon were found breeding on four lochs in Roxburghshire in 19 12 

 by Mr Abel Chapman {Brit. Birds {mag.) vi., p. 109). 



SOLWAY. 



One breeding record ; a common autumn and winter visitor. 



Kirkcudbright. K nest with nine eggs is reported near Dalbeattie 

 Station by " G. A." in the issue of The Coufitryside for 7th July 1906, 

 and is quoted in the Hand-list of British Birds, p. 137. As we 

 were unable to trace this record we wrote to Dr N. F. Ticehurst, 

 and he kindly informs us that it has been investigated by 

 Mr Jourdain, who believes it to be correct. 



These are all the areas in which the Wigeon has been known to 

 breed in Scotland ; we notice below, briefly, the areas in which it has 

 not yet been found nesting 



Outer Hebrides. Very common as a winter visitor ; apparently 

 paired birds have been seen in summer, and young birds have been 

 killed as early as August, but there is, as yet, no breeding record. 



Dee. A common winter visitor ; no breeding record. 



Clyde. " The Wigeon is common from early autumn till late in 

 spring, and occasionally paired birds have been noticed in summer ; 

 but, as yet, there is no authentic instance of its breeding in Clyde " 

 (John Robertson, in litt.). 



The points which we should like chiefly to emphasise with 

 regard to the spread and distribution of the Wigeon in Scot- 

 land are : (i) Its north to south line of advance on a narrow 

 front, close under the eastern watershed, down the centre of 

 99 AND 100 F 



