392 ANATIDyE. 



winged Teal (Anas discors) was shot uear here a few weeks 

 ago." Mr. R. Gray makes no allusion to this record in his 

 * Birds of the West of Scotland,' but he states (p. 373) that 

 a specimen of this North American Teal was shot by the late 

 Mr. Sha^v of Drumlanrig, in January 1863, on the Nith, Dum- 

 friesshire, and afterwards passed into the collection of the 

 late Sir William Jardine, who briefly mentioned the circum- 

 stance to Mr. Gray, in a letter dated the 15tli March, 1867, 

 but does not appear to have published any account or descrip- 

 tion of this acquisition.* In 'The Zoologist' for 1882, p. 92, 

 Mr. T. H. Nelson mentions, amongst other birds shot near 

 Redcar, on the 3rd September, 1881, "a Blue-winged Teal, 

 Q. discors.^' This specimen he kindly forwarded for the 

 inspection of the Editor, who has no hesitation in pronounc- 

 ing it to be an immature examj)le of our Blue-winged Teal, 

 i.e., the Garganey; but certainly not Q. discors. Where 

 specimens of the American bird are available for comparison 

 with the Old World species, the vivid lapis-lazuli blue of the 

 wing-coverts in the former will always serve to distinguish 

 immature birds, and there need be'tio doubt respecting adults. 

 If the identification can be trusted, an example of the 

 American species w^as obtained, according to Degland and 

 Gerbe, on the authority of M. Canivet, ' many years ago,' 

 by a M. Valier, in the market of Carentan, Departement de 

 la Manche ! 



The North American Summer Duck, Aix sponsa, fre- 

 quently kept and a free breeder on ornamental waters, some- 

 times escapes, and is duly shot and recorded. Two killed 

 in CO. Waterford had B B stamped on their webs. 



The Musky Duck, Calrina moschata — better known by the 

 absurdly perverted name of ' Muscovy ' Duck — a native of 

 tropical America, has for three centuries been domesticated 

 in Europe. It breeds freely with the Common Duck and 

 other species ; and both pure and liybrid birds wander and 

 get shot. 



* From information received from Mr. R. Service, the Editor has no doubt 

 tiiat the year was 1858. 



