D4. ANAS BOSCAS. 
§ 5595. sid | 
Loch Assynt, 22 May, 1849. 
§°5596. ‘One. j 
In a bed of celery, on the island in Loch. Assynt where the 
Common Gulls breed [§ 1558], were two Wild Ducks’ nests, from 
each of which I took two or three eggs, but the bird was seen from 
only one of them. The eggs of one of the nests were quite concealed 
by moss placed over them. Here, too, grew daffodils. Round the 
corner of the loch, near the far end, in the steep heathery island, 
where were Otter-holes and where I found a Merganser’s eggs 
[§ 5894], was another Wild Duck’s nest hard sat upon. 
The next day, in another islet, I found a Duck’s nest with young 
in it, just hatching. Some ran out a few inches: others were still 
in the shells. On another loch in the hills towards Quenaig, I 
found a young Duck nearly dead. Generally, Ducks were plentiful 
in Sutherland. 
§ 5597. Thirteen —Loch Awe, Argyll, 21 April, 1851. 
Found by Mr. James Edge on the island with an isthmus, next to 
the one on which is the castle. The old Drake was seen first 
shuffling along the ground, and soon after the Duck got up within 
ten yards. He was sure it was a common Wild Duck. Close to 
where he saw this Drake he found the last year’s nest of a Goosander 
or Merganser, with nine eggs, most of them unbroken. We saw 
this day on the loch what appeared through my glass to be a pair 
of Goosanders, also some Golden-eyes. I saw near the island a 
pair of Mergansers, beside Common Ducks, and another day we saw 
some, Teal. 
§ 5598. Zhree.—Assynt, 1851. 
Out of five. From John Sutherland. ; 
[The other two were sold at Mr. Stevens’s, 31 May, 1860, to Mr. es 
ridge, and are now in the possession of Mr. T. Parkin. ] 
[§ 5599. Mve.—Barnham, Suffolk, 1846. 
Hewitson, ‘Eggs of British Birds,’ ed. 3, pl. exiil. fig. 3. 
Mr. Hewitson’s figure, as above, is from one of these specimens. ] 
