SEA FOWL IN NOVA SCOTIA—GILPIN. 141 
in Buffon’s time, the royal waters of Versailles, as the “ A Cana- 
densis.” There are people still alive who recollect that the 
Brants bred in abundance in St. Mary’s Bay when they were 
children. I scarcely need say that none are found breeding there 
now, or scarcely alighting, except in some years. This power in 
the individual bird of prolonging its existence by altering its 
breeding grounds must perpetuate its race, whilst other races 
having attachments stronger to one place have died out, and are 
still, during our own time, diminishing. 
Of the next family of true duck or fresh water fowl, with the 
exception of the black or blue wing duck, and wood duck, which, 
curiously enough, are resident, consisting of the mallard, pintail, 
widgeon, the teals and shovellers, they may be said to be rare ; 
never to abound in market, to appear during fall and win- 
ter, and chiefly to be found in private collections or in note 
books. of naturalists. Thus I note, “Mallard, young male, no 
white collar, shot Sept., 1875, Cole Harbor, near Halifax—J. M. 
Jones.” Pintails rather more numerous. Halifax Museum, 
Young collections,——Mr. Downs and Mr. Egan, males full plu- 
mage. Of the teals, blue winged, male full plumage, shot Jan’y, 
1880, Halifax ; green winged teal, Halifax market, 12 Dec., 1871; 
male, full plumage, myself; English teal (Q. netion), very rare, 
mounted by Mr. Downs, with American, to show the difference 
of species; widgeon, female, full plumage, Jan., 1880, Halifax, 
Mr. Egan ; and a shoveller, exceedingly rare, shot at Digby by 
my son; and, shot April, 1879, Halifax, male in full plumage. 
Mr. Egan. From these extracts we find this family rare in 
individuals, and occurring during winter sometimes, and then in 
full plumage. Whilst those birds thus make our Province a 
casual visiting place, it is singular that the blue-winged duck, a 
true type of the fresh water duck, with its long and low bill, 
slender neck, legs brought forward, a poor diver but good walker, 
so closely allied to these genera in all these respects, should be a 
resident, in company with the wood duck, nearly as closely allied 
also, yet it is so. Down in the salt marshes bordering the river 
mouths, just above tide way, we find him nesting in May. In 
August, the mower with his seythe cuts the young brood scarce- 
