202 Proceedings of the Royal Physical Society. 



Ill conclusion, T would only express a hope, that this note 

 on a little known, but possibly not very rare, species, may be 

 the means of calling the attention of others to it, and thereby 

 of adding to our knowledge of its habits and distribution in 

 Scotland. 



XIV. Exhibition of Nests and Fygs of Shoveller Buch (Spatula 

 clypeata) and Scaup Dueh (Fuligula marila) from Fife- 

 shire, and Nest and Eggs of the Goosander (Mergus 

 merganser) from Sutherlandshire. By Arthur C. 

 Stare, Esq. 



(Eead 15tli February 1882.) 



The nest (with nine eggs) of tlie shoveller {Sj)atv2a chjiieata), 

 exhibited, was taken by myself on the 16th of May 1880. It 

 was built in a marshy spot by the side of a retired loch. 

 I found it accidentally, the female starting up just in 

 front of me as I was walking round the loch. Tlie bird 

 looked so small that at first I thought it was a teal, but as 

 she fluttered about feigning lameness within a few^ yards of 

 me, and finally stood still about 20 yards off, I had ample 

 opportunity of correcting my first impression, and of seeing 

 that the bird was a female shoveller. On examininc{ the 

 spot from whence the duck had risen, I found a nest, 

 containing eight eggs, placed in a hollow in the centre of a 

 large tuft of dry grass which almost completely concealed it. 

 Before taking the nest I twice allowed the old bird to return 

 that I might have an opportunity of closely observing her 

 through my binoculars. After making quite sure that I could 

 not be mistaken I took the nest and eggs. On lifting the 

 nest out of the hollow that contained it, I found another eo-o' 

 lying on the ground below. The nest measured, in siill, 

 7 inches across by 6 inches deep, and was built of dry grass 

 and straws profusely lined with the down of tlie bird. The 

 eggs were within a few days of hatching, and from one of 

 them I succeeded in extracting the embryo in a state of 

 entirety. I may mention that I repeatedly saw both male 

 and female shoveller about the same spot up to tlic 6th of 



