AND NEIGHBOURHOOD. 207 



doubt was a Gadwall. The next record that I find 

 is of a pair that frequented the river near Lilford for 

 a few days between February 18 and 25, 1870 ; and, 

 lastly, an adult female was shot by my son not far 

 from Barnwell Mills on January 3, 1890. Although, 

 as I have already stated, these are the only records 

 that 1 can find, I have several times seen immature 

 or female Smews on the Nen on other occasions 

 without, as it seems, recording the fact. One case 

 is, however, very clearly impressed upon my memory 

 of identifying a young Smew diving in the river near 

 Aldwincle, and as it could not be approached from 

 the side upon which my brother and I were, I told 

 the gamekeeper who was upon the other side to "make 

 in " for the nearest spot on his bank ; this he did, 

 and the bird rose within ten yards of him, and fled 

 intact, as he had left his gun loaded for several days, 

 as was too commonly the fashion of his class in 

 old times, and both caps missed fire. Out of our own 

 Islands the only locality in which I have met with 

 this species is the eastern shore of the Ionian Sea, 

 where it was not uncommon, although never very 

 abundant, during the two winter-seasons that I 

 spent in that part of the world : these birds prin- 

 cipally frequented the salt creeks and bays of the 

 coast, and were by no means specially wary or 

 difficult of approach ; we met Avith very few males 

 in adult plumage. 



The Smew is a wonderfully active and vigorous 

 diver, and is also very swift on wing. The few of 

 these birds that I have kept pinioned on the pond 

 at Lilford soon became reconciled to captivity, and 

 those now in my possession are as tame as any 

 " fowl " on our waters. 



