THE BIRDS OF DEVONSHIRE. 103 



killed on the Taw close to Barnstaple bridge, about 

 March 20th, 1870; and a third in the following 

 April. The Rev. G. C. Green writes; "About the 

 end of March or beginning of April two Garganeys 

 (a duck and a drake), were shot out of a flock of 

 nine on Strode pond, and brought to me for 

 identification." 



WIGEON. — Mareca penelojm (Linn). 



A COMMON winter visitant, sometimes present in large 

 numbers at Slapton Ley. Bellamy records a local 

 specimen of the rare hybrid between this bird and 

 the Mallard. 



AMERICAN WIGEON.— i)frtrw< mnencana (Gmel). 



A VERY rare visitant. The Rev. M. A. Mathew 

 wrote to the Zoologist in 1870: "I hear from 

 Barnstaple of the occurrence of the American Wigeon 

 on the Taw. A specimen of this species, supposed 

 to be a young male, was shot about the 20th of 

 April " (Zool. 1870, p. 2182). He kindly writes that 

 this bird, " at the time was pronounced to be that 

 species [American Wigeon] by Professor Newton, 

 Mr. Harting, and the Rev. W. S. Hore. I still 

 believe it to be Mareca Americana. It was certainly 

 shot at large on the river Taw, and was seen by 

 my old friend, 'the Rev. W. S. Hore before it was 

 skinned. It is in a very queer state of plumage, 

 but is very different to an ordinary Wigeon. It 

 is still in my collection" (in lit., April 18th, 1890). 



