(EDEMIA NIGRA. 581 
Major Trevelyan, the first to find this species breeding in Ireland, with my 
wish to possess an Irish specimen of its eggs. That gentleman published in 
‘The Field’ newspaper of 15 July, 1905 (vol. 106, page 146), the interesting 
particulars of his discovery. In June 1904 he saw a pair of Ducks that were - 
new to him on one of the larger loughs in that country, and after observation 
came to the conclusion that they were Scoters. In May 1905, and several 
times afterwards, he saw a pair of the same species in the same locality, and 
on the 13th of June found the female on her nest, on an island under a small 
bush, but with no other apparent attempt at concealment, and she allowed 
him to have a good view of her from about three yards’ distance before she 
flew off. There were eight eggs partly incubated. She was last seen on the 
nest 28 June, and two days after it was empty, except for a few bits of 
ege-shell. The next day he found her on the lough with five young, one 
of which he obtained 3 July, and, taking it, together with an egg and some of 
the down, to the British Museum, all were pronounced by Dr. Sharpe to belong 
to Gidemia nigra. These facts were reprinted by Mr. Ussher in ‘The Irish 
Naturalist’ for September, 1905 (p. 199); but in addition to them Major 
Trevelyan stated that “on the same island there were twenty nests of the 
Tufted Duck, the number of eges varying from three to (in one case) 
twenty-one,” while other nests had as many as sixteen and eighteen. 
When sending me the present egg Major Trevelyan wrote :—“ I found the 
nest on the 18th of May. It was under a birch sapling, and contained three 
Scoter eves and one of the Tufted Duck. On visiting the nest on the 22nd, the 
Scoter rose off it, and there were then six Scoter’s eggs and two Tufted Duck’s. 
On the 24th of June she was still sitting and rose off the nest. There was 
certainly one egg partially broken, with a live Duckling in it, and perhaps 
another in a similar condition. On visiting the nest to-day (26 June), she was 
away, and the eggs though covered with dry grass were cold. There were in 
it four Scoter’s eggs, one of which was rotten, one broken, one with a dead 
Duckling ready to emerge, the shell being broken, and one unbroken apparently 
with a Duckling in it, (besides) one Tufted Duck’s egg broken and with a dead 
Duckling ready to emerge. and another unbroken and partly incubated. My 
inference is that she had hatched out one of the young between the 24th and 
to-day, and left the nest with it. She was sitting for at any rate 52 days.” 
Major Trevelyan subsequently wrote to me that the island was about 
150 yards long by 75 broad, flat and stony, its vegetation consisting of coarse 
erass and weeds, with a few birch saplings, alders, and “ sallagh ” bushes— 
the last being Salix cuprea. The water round its shores is shallow, but what 
seems to be its chief attraction for birds, of which several species frequent and 
breed upon it, is that it is not used for pastoral or agricultural purposes, and 
is almost under the eye of a watcher. It is also interesting to know that it is 
not marked on the Ordnance Map, having come into existence through the 
partial drainage, since that was published, of the lake in which it stands. | 
