IV. Report on Birds in Danmark, 1886. 411 



130. Tadorna cornuta, S. G. Gm. — Gravand. 

 Amager, September i2th a party of nine swimming 

 outside southern part of west coast. (K.) 



131. Anas boschas, L. — Stokand, Graaand. 



Amager. In the moats June 24th a brood of ten very 

 small ducklings, without any oldduck; not seen later. As 

 usual not very many seen on aast coast. During winter 

 the flocks generally keep rather far from shore. — Sergeant 

 Ehlers, living in a house on east coast, about one hundred 

 paces from shore, teils me that in fall often one or tvvo wild 

 ducks associate during night with his tarne ones which 

 spend most of their time at the shore-line; in early fore- 

 noon the wild birds fly away. This year, in the beginning 

 of September, a wild female continued to stay with the 

 tarne flock, speedily becoming familiär and after a very few 

 days allowing a close approach when in Company with the 

 others. It remained six months, to the beginning of March 

 1887. It was not caught and pinioned but was allowed to 

 have quite its own way, to see how it would behave. I 

 saw it twice or thrice a month, each time making it fly, 

 to convince myself that its powers of flight were normal. 

 Already on October lyth I saw it feeding with the tame 

 ducks just outside the house. When the flock was driven 

 into the stable, the wild bird rose on the door being rea- 

 ched; In December it once entered but never did so again, 

 having seen two of the tame ones being taken for the table. 

 It often flew away, yet generally only for a day ; twice it 

 did not come back for two days and nights. At the begin- 

 ning of February 1887 a wild drake associated with the 

 duck, soon becoming nearly as familiär. By and by the 

 two wild birds kept more apart from the others, and they 

 were seen to copulate. On March 6th I saw both make off 

 at the report of a gun fired in the neigbourhood, and they 

 never appeared again. They had however often heard shots 

 in their proximity, without showing much fear. (K.) 



In Thy, where it breeds numerously, I saw it during. 

 August in several places. But it was much scarcer than 



