GADWALL. 155 



sioiially to be met with on our eastern coast, and not un- 

 commonly in the London markets, but some of these latter 

 birds are very probably brought from Holland, where they 

 are known to be rather common, and from whence a con- 

 siderable quantity of wild fowl of different sorts is sent to 

 this country for sale throughout the season for working- 

 decoys. Sir William Jardine mentions, in a note appended 

 to this species in his edition of Wilson's American Ornitho- 

 logy, that in Holland, in September and October this is the 

 most common duck in the markets, and that they were ob- 

 served to be abundant on the lakes. The eastern parts of 

 Europe seem to be the more favourite localities with this 

 species. M. Vieillot says that it is not uncommon on the 

 coast of France in the month of November, if the weather 

 is rough. In Switzerland, according to Professor Schinz, it 

 is more frequently seen in autumn than in winter. At 

 Genoa and in Italy it is observed rather as a bird of passage, 

 in spring and in autumn. The Zoological Society have re- 

 ceived specimens, sent by Sir Thomas Reade, from North 

 Africa. Messrs. Dickson and Ross found this species at 

 Erzerum in March. The Russian naturalists observed it 

 in the countries of the Caucasus ; and Colonel Sykes includes 

 it in his Catalogue of the Birds of the Dukhun, where it is 

 seen in flocks. It is said to be abundant in the vast marshes 

 of the North of Europe, but does not go far to the west of 

 the Baltic, as M. Nilsson says that it is rare in Sweden ; 

 and Mr. Dann tells me that he never met with this species 

 in Norway or Lapland. As might be expected, it is rare 

 in the western parts of the British Islands ; it has but rarely 

 been killed in Ireland ; only occasionally in Cornwall or 

 Devon, but more frequently in Kent, Essex, Suffolk, Cam- 

 bridge, and Norfolk. 



Mr. Proctor, subcurator at the University Museum, Dur- 

 ham, who visited Iceland a few summers since, sent me word 



