280 BRITISH BIRDS. 



and several times rose easily, and with rapid, graceful flight 

 circled over the water, uttering short, sharp, yelping calls. 

 The wild weather kept it on Radnor till the morning of the 

 19th, when, though there was the length of the mere between 

 us, and I kept as much out of sight as possible, the bird rose 

 and flew away less than a minute after my appearance, and 

 did not again return. The Barnacle-Goose has not hitherto 

 been observed inland in Cheshire, and the presence of a wild 

 bird on a water twenty miles distant from the nearest coast, 

 can only be ascribed to the very severe climatic conditions 

 obtaining at the time of its first appearance on the mere in 

 question. M. V. Wenner. 



GADWALL IN PERTHSHIRE. 



With reference to Mr. Heatley Noble's record of a Gadwall 

 in Perthshire, which he says is the first record he possesses 

 of the species within the district (supra, p. 247), I may state 

 that I have known the Gadwall (Anas strepera) as a regular 

 autumn and winter visitor to Perthshire for the past fifteen 

 years. Gadwall visit the Earn at Duncrub nearly every autumn 

 and winter (see Nat. Hist, of British Surface- feeding Duclcs, 

 p. 30), and I have seen them on the Isla at Stobhall. They 

 now breed every year at Loch Leven, which is probably the 

 place of nesting, within thirty miles, to which Mr. Noble refers. 



J. G. MiLLAIS. 



FERRUGINOUS DUCK IN SOUTH DEVON. 



On January 27th, 1912, a duck was noticed at high-water, 

 swimming off Tacket Wood, on the Kingsbridge Estuary, 

 close to the town. A neighbouring sportsman took his gun 

 and shot the bird from the quay-side and gave it to a bargee, 

 who retrieved it in his boat, for his Sunday dinner. Fortu- 

 nately I heard of a strange " Wigeon " being killed, and 

 following up the clue given, was able to save the bird from 

 an ignominious fate. It proved to be a female Ferruginous 

 Duck {FuUgula nyroca) with typical pale primrose irides. 

 This is the second uncommon visitor of late years I have 

 saved from the cooking-pot on a Sunday morning, the one 

 before being a Pink-footed Goose. E. A. S. Elliot. 



A FLOCK OF ADULT GOLDEN-EYE DRAKES 

 IN SPRING. 



The adult Golden-ej^e Drake (Clangula glaucion) is most 

 usually seen singly in this countrj^ but I have several times 

 noticed small packs of from ten to twenty adult drakes and 

 ducks or young drakes on Lochs Stenness and Harray during 



