THE SHOVFXER AS A SCOTTISH BREEDING SPECIES 163 



Inner Hebrides. 



Breeds. 



In 1887 young Shoveler were shot in Tiree {A Fauna of Argyll 

 and the Liner Hebrides, p. 128); in 1898 it is noted as breeding 

 regularly in that island {A.S.N.H., i8g8, p. 156), while in 1908 it 

 is stated to be increasing yearly there {A.S.N.H., 1908, p. 252), 

 and in 1913 {Scot. Nat., 1913, p. 197) a great many now nesting 

 there. So far, it has not been recorded as breeding in any of the 

 other islands belonging to this group. 



Outer Hebrides. 



Breeds, and is also seen in winter. 



When Dr Harvie-Brown wrote his volume on the Fauna of the 

 Outer Hebrides in 1888, there was no authenticated occurrence of 

 the species in these islands; but in the winter of 1894-95 several 

 were seen in South Uist {A.S.N.H., 1903, p. 76), and in 1903 Mr 

 Donald Guthrie sent him a Shoveler's egg taken by him from a 

 nest there in May of that year. He believed the species to have 

 nested there previously, although this was the first time the nest 

 had been discovered (A.S.JV.H, 1903, p. 245). In 1906 it was 

 still on the increase in these islands. Mr N. B. Kinnear found a 

 nest and saw several pairs of birds to the south of the Sound of 

 Harris (A.S.JV.H, 1907, p. 82), while Mr P. H. Bahr in the 

 following year found two nests in the Outer Hebrides and reports 

 that it is still on the increase (^..S.TV^ZT., 1907, p. 213). 



Writing in 19 19 Mr F. S. Beveridge records the Shoveler as 

 nesting in North Uist. He says : " Mr M'Elfrish has found nests 

 there in recent years," but he seems to consider the species rare 

 in North Uist (Scot. Nat., 1919, p. 17). 



Orkney. 



Breeds, and is also seen during the winter. 



The first record of the Shoveler breeding in Orkney is that of 

 Mr William Harvey, who, in 1891, observed four pairs of these 

 duck frequenting his farm in Sanday. He watched to see whether 

 they were going to nest and in June flushed a female from a nest 

 with six eggs. Later he saw several broods on the loch, altogether 

 about thirty young ones being seen {A.S.N.H, 1892, p. 138). 

 The next year Mr Allan Briggs found two pairs of Shoveler 

 breeding on the Mill Loch, North Ronaldshay, and on making 

 inquiries among the natives the general opinion was that they had 



