THE BIRDS OF DEVONSHIRE. 109 



the sale who would know anything about it, I put 

 too low a price and unfortunately missed it, I 

 believe it was taken either to Bristol or London. 

 I did all I could to find out its destination, but 

 failed to do so. I am quite sure the bird in 

 question is an immature Surf Scoter ( Oedemia 

 'perspidllata). Mr. Burt told me he had not sent 

 any notice of its capture to any paper. It is the 

 only specimen I have heard of in Devonshire '' (in 

 lit. May 30th, 1890). The remainder of the letter 

 refers to specimens of the Surf Scoter shot at 

 Stromness by Mr. Pershouse's friends, the Rev. A. 

 Walker and Mr. T. M. Pike. 



GOOSANDER. — Mergus merganser (liinn.) 



A WINTER visitant, chiefly in immature or female 

 plumage. Baron A. von Hiigel records a female 

 shot in Torbay, in January, 1870; Mr. R. P. 

 Nicholls vouches for a female shot out of a flock of 

 seven on the Avon, and also for two immature 

 birds killed at Slapton Ley, in December, 1875. 

 Mr. D' Urban recorded an adult drake, shot on the 

 Exe near Countess Weir, January, 1880, with the 

 comment, that the Goosander is "' an extremely rare 

 bird in the Western Counties in adult plumage,'' 

 adding that though immature birds occurred at 

 long intervals, he had not seen an adult male killed 

 in the neighbourhood since 1840. Immature 

 Goosanders occasionally came under Gatcombe's 

 notice at Plymouth. 



