THE BIRDS OF BRECONSHIRE. 117 
develope into a full-grown, fully fledged 
Wild Duck, in excellent condition; so I 
and my old retriever, who evidently 
considered something unusual was up, 
beat the bog carefully, and before we 
left he brought me five more full-grown 
young ducks, which with the one I had 
_ caught myself, made no slight weight to 
walk down to the shooting-box with— 
two miles off and more. To this day I 
cannot make out why they did not fly, 
as it was the first week in August. The 
Wild Duck is on the increase here, and 
I account for it from the fact that so 
many young birds are too strong on the 
wing to approach on the 1st August (the 
“close time” for wildfowl in the county 
being from the 1st March to that date). 
Perhaps it would be better to make it 
the 1st of February, for if the weather is 
mild the ducks are generally paired 
during this month. Welsh, Awyad 
wyllt. 
GADWALL, Axas strepera. 
Six were seen on a little pool at Llan- 
dilo Graban, Radnorshire, close to the 
borders of this county, by Mr. H. N. 
