NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. 61 



passing slowly along to the westward, as far as Broughty Ferry, 

 and were shot by another party a few hours later in the day. One 

 has been plaeed in the Museum ; the Naturalists' Society, Dundee, 

 has the other. 1 am obliged to Mr. P. Henderson, Naturalist, 

 Dundee, for notice of these Swans. 



Mr. Garrioch, Prospect House, Lerwick, sends me notice of hve 

 Hoopers seen passing over Gulbernich, near Lerwick, flying S., low 

 and apparently tired and flagging, on 12th Jan., 1881, a late mi- 

 gration. Wild Swans reported " in flocks " from Lochs Leven, 

 Shiel, Sunart, &c, by Rev. Alex. Stewart. One flock of from 50 

 to 60 seen on 22nd Jan., 81. 



Wild Duck. — Anas boschas, Lin. — Up to Sept. 1st, Wild Duck, 

 which were mostly bred in our marsh, were unusually abundant. 

 I counted between 35 and 40 Mallard, and four or five Teal. 

 After this the great bulk of the birds disappeared, and only a few 

 remained. With the first keen frost no great accessions to their 

 numbers took place, though the increase in Teal was at once re- 

 markable. Between 14th and 24th Nov. only from 2 to 4 Duck 

 appeared to be haunting the 2-mile stretch of river at Dunipace. 



Wild-fowl in the Outer Hebrides have been in about the usual 

 numbers during this winter. They are reported scarcer than usual 

 on the Berwickshire coast, along with Curlews, up to 25. xii. 80. 



During the second frost and storm, which began about the 20th 

 Dec. and continued till the New Year, lame numbers of Duck 



, xtix^v 



came 



in to the river Carron. On the 1st Jan., 1881, I counted close 

 upon 30 along our stretch of river. Amongst these were 2 Golden- 

 eyes, and our keeper reported seeing one "pure white Duck with a dark 

 neck," which same bird he had seen about a mile further north in 

 Aug. From this time onwards between 20 and 30 Duck frequented 

 our stretch of river, haunting the streams after the still reaches 

 were hard frozen. 



The keen frost of Jan., 1881, freezing up even our running 

 streams, did not, however, banish theni altogether. A few open 

 holes remained, and I got a few each day I went after them until 

 the more determined thaw of the week, commencing with the 

 month of Feb., flooded the river and carried away the ice. They 

 then disappeared for a time. 



About the middle of Jan. some Duck began to lose condition, 

 and were quite poor and thin by end of the month at Lake of 

 Menteith, but in better condition here. 



