l62 THE SCOTTISH NATURALIST 



the loch, tells us that as far as he knows the Shoveler has never 

 bred. Mr Evans, however, informs us that Mr R. H. Meldrum, 

 Perth, showed him a Shoveler's egg from a nest " near a small pond 

 not the loch at Dupplin," taken on 13th May 1906, 



Dee. 



One recorded breeding place, and a winter visitor. 



Aberdeen. In the Vertebrate Fmina of Dee, p. 148, published 

 in 1903, the Shoveler is stated to have bred for several seasons on 

 the Loch of Slains, and Mr Sim describes it as "not a common 

 species with us but increasing." 



Moray. 



Breeds. Seems to be chiefly a summer visitor. Dr Harvie- 

 Brown records the Shoveler as breeding regularly and not uncom- 

 monly in many parts of the Moray Area in 1895 (// Fauna of the 

 Moray Basin, vol. ii., p. 108). 



Morayshire. As long ago as 185 1, Shoveler bred on Loch 

 Spynie, a nest being found there by St John on 19th May of that 

 year (iVaA Hist, and Sport in Moray, p. 126). Since this time 

 they seem to have bred steadily and still continue to do so, and 

 Loch Spynie is, no doubt, the source whence other lochs in Moray 

 were colonised. In 1878 two pairs bred at the Loch of Cotts 

 {Fauna of Moray, ed. 1889, p. 33). 



Inverness-shire. Before 1902, Mr Millais records the Shoveler 

 as breeding annually in this county {Nat. Hist. Brit. Surface Feed- 

 ing Ducks, p. 59). 



East Ross-shire. In the Fauna of the Moray Basin, vol. ii., 

 p. 108, we find : " Mr Jennings informs us that he has known a few 

 instances of this species breeding on small swampy lochs in the 

 neighbourhood of Tain, but he has never met with it in the winter." 



North-West Highlands and Skye. 



One breeding record; otherwise rare visitor. The bird seems 

 to be very uncommon in this area, the first record of the occurrence 

 of the species in Skye not being till 1892. 



West Sutherland. In 1895 Colonel Duthie records : " I found a 

 nest of the Shoveler this summer on Loch Cama, Assynt, in the 

 heather, and saw three, if not four, birds flying about" {A Fauna 

 of the North- West Hi^:;hlands and Skye, p. 232). Curiously enough 

 this is the first record of the Shoveler in West Sutherland. 



