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AN ORNITHOLOGICAL RARITY IN THE NORTH. 



n 



BY MR. THOS. EDWARD. 



As was to have been expected, from the extraordinary severity of the 

 season, we have been visited by many of the rarer wild-fowl ; amongst 

 which may be mentioned, as perhaps the rarest of all, the Spur-Winged 

 Goose, {Plectropterus Oamhensis,) a specimen of which was shot in this 

 neighbourhood, about the middle of last month. 



If I were allowed to j udge from its remarkably lanh, lean appearance when 

 skinned, which was wretched in the extreme, I should say that it had suf- 

 fered very severely for want of food. Poor thing ! it had perhaps come from 

 a certain place where British soldiers are encamped, and where British 

 knowledge and forethought have been so conspicuously exhibited to the eyes 

 — the wondering eyes — of an ignorant world ; a world far behind us Britons 

 in the march of intellect. It, that is, the goose, appeared to me also, — from 

 the fact that its upper parts were generally of a dark brownish green, and 

 not black ; and the under parts, though of a snowy whiteness, were never- 

 theless broken into here and there by feathers of a brownish tinge mixed 

 with dull gray, — to have been rather a young bird, that is, one not quite 

 matured. The back, however, though not altogether black, was most beau- 

 tifully bronzed, and, as it were, burnished with a dark green; and reflected a 

 most resplendent gloss, when viewed in the rays of the sun. The bill 

 appeared to be, — or at least, to have been, for it was somewhat faded, — of 

 dull, reddish orange. The legs and webs seemed to have been of a deep 

 flesh-colour, the toes lighter. The spurs with wliich the wings were armed 

 were pretty large and very conspicuous. 



Dun-Birds {Fuligula ferina) and Widgeons [Mareca Penelope) have been 

 rather plentiful along our sea-coast, for the last two months, or so ; and 

 many of them have fallen victims to the gunning part of the inhabitants. 

 Many an old and rusty piece has been raked out of its hiding-place for that 

 purpose, and to let its possessor have a rap at the rare dukes, Ducks. Guns 

 which perhaps have not seen the light for fifty years, have this season been 

 held in something like high estimation ; though in many cases the hare hand 

 was quite sufiicient, and, in numerous instances, a short stick was all that 

 was needed, to knock down the poor half— half, did I say ? nay — all but 

 starved animals. 



If proof were wanting, of the length and severity of the frost and storm 

 with which we have this winter been visited, the bare mention of the Ducks 

 already named is of itself quite enough ; for in ordinary seasons we never 

 have them, except it may be at rare intervals, when a straggler may appear ; 

 and these are few, very fcAV indeed, and very far between. 



It), High-Street, Banff, March 1st, 1855, 



