LETM5 



THE ORKNEY BREEDTNG-RECORD OF THE 

 LONG-TAILED DUCK. 



To the Editors of British Birds. 



Sirs, — Referring to my letter on this subject published in British 

 Birds, November, 1912 (Vol. VI., p. 199), I feel that in fairness to 

 Mr. O. V. Aplin, who originally recorded the breeding of the Long- 

 tailed Duck in Orkney in the Zoologist, I should now write the 

 following letter. 



Mr. T. P. Aldworth and I have again just returned from Orloiey 

 and we made most exhaustive inquiries concerning this duck and 

 its nesting on Pomona. The following are, we believe, the facts 

 of the case. The eggs and down of some duck, both first and second 

 layings, were taken by a lad, not a competent observer, on the 

 shore of Loch Harray. We saw the place where they were taken 

 and interviewed the lad, whom we both know very well. The 

 position and place of the nests are as far as we know quite correct 

 for the species ; anyhow there is no reason from the position of the 

 nests on the loch side to doubt that a Long-tailed Duck might nest 

 there. The eggs were taken from these two sites by this lad and 

 sold to a dealer in Orkney — ^he does not live in Kirkwall — ^who in 

 his turn sold them to a collector in the south. It is difficult to write 

 without mentioning names ! I presume Mr. O. V. Aplin then saw 

 them and recorded the occurrence of the nesting of this species in 

 Orkney. 



The evidence is as follows as regards the birds. They were 

 undoubtedly on the Loch, seen on the Loch by Mr. John Omand, 

 of Stenness, a first-class field-naturalist, and also on the Loch by 

 two or three others. There is no doubt the birds were there that 

 year. 



If the eggs and down can be identified for certain, the Long-tailed 

 Duck has bred in Orkney. These eggs were taken on Pomona and 

 the birds seen in close proximity to the nest. It seems it only 

 depends on the certain identification of them by down and eggs. 



vSeebohm says it can be done. If this is not possible then the 

 record is worth nothing, because no competent naturalist saw the 

 eggs in situ or the bird leave the nest, and the local name for Pintail 

 is Long tailed Duck, and the Pintail breeds in Orkney. 



