ANATIDyE. 



425 



THE WIGEON. 



Mareca PENELOPE (Linnaeus). 



The Wigeon usually arrives on our coasts from the end of Sep- 

 tember onwards, and immense numbers are often to be found in 

 sheltered bays and tidal waters during the winter ; while in March 

 and April the return migration from the south sets in. During the 

 summer males have occasionally been observed in Norfolk, though the 

 nest has never been found there, or in any other part of England ; 

 but in Scotland the species is partially resident, and is known to 

 breed in some numbers over the greater part of Sutherland, and 

 sparingly in Ross, Caithness, and Cromarty ; eggs are also said to 

 have been taken in the Orkneys and Shetlands, though not as yet 

 in the Outer Hebrides. In Ireland it is common during the colder 

 part of the year, and Mr. A. G. More states that a few pairs nest in 

 cos. Antrim, Armagh, Tyrone, Mayo, and probably on the lakes of 

 the Shannon. 



This Duck is a summer-visitor to the Eaeroes and Iceland, occa- 

 sionally wandering to Greenland ; it is very abundant in Scan- 

 dinavia, Einland, and Russia as far south as Ekaterinburg ; and 

 breeds sparingly in Denmark, Holland, and Northern (Germany. 

 On passage it visits the rest of Europe, going as far west as the 

 Azores; and in Africa it is found down to Abyssinia. In Asia its 



