166 THE BIRDS OF NORTHAMPTONSHIRE 



migration, and had spent the summer in the neigh- 

 bourhood of the spot in which I found him. On 

 the northward migration some flights of Wigeon 

 generally visit us early in March, a few birds occa- 

 sionally remaining till late in April; but with the 

 solitary exception to which I have alluded, I never 

 met with one of this species between the end of that 

 month and the beginning of September in the neigh- 

 bourhood of Lilford. The Wigeon breeds in con- 

 siderable numbers in certain districts of Scotland and 

 in Ireland, and very rarely in England ; I never had the 

 good fortune to see a nest of this bird, and none of my 

 pinioned birds at Lilford have ever laid to my know- 

 ledge ; the eggs are said to average from seven to ten 

 in number, and are of a rich buff-colour. The favourite 

 food of the Wigeon on fresh water is decidedly the 

 common willow-weed, but many other aquatic plants 

 and land-grasses are eagerly devoured by this species 

 when haunting inland waters, and I have seen a 

 group of Wigeon more than once engaged in grazing 

 like Geese on a drained meadow. When haunting 

 the coast, as they frequently do in thousands during 

 the winter and early spring, the W^igeons feed prin- 

 cipally on the various marine grasses that are exposed 

 by the ebb of the tide ; these birds do not habitually 

 procure their food by diving, although they are very 

 expert in that art, and they seem to feed as much by 

 day as by night. The W^igeon is a lively, active bird, 

 both on the water and on land, and the bright 

 plumage of the males with their shrill whistle, the 

 constant chuckle of the females, and the rapid flight 

 and wheelings of the flocks, which, except in the 

 finest sunny weather, are constantly on the move, 

 very much enliven our coasts. This bird is much 



