Mr Gray on the Pintail Buck in the Outer Hebrides. 361 



tion at my command, its exact range throughout Scotland, 

 many of the records of its occurrence in the Northern Counties 

 especially being referable to the longtailed duck {Harelda 

 glacialis), which bird had evidently been mistaken for the 

 species in question. I came to the conclusion, however, that 

 the pintail duck was a very much commoner bird in ISTortli 

 Britain than previous records would have led us to believe, 

 as I had reliable evidence to show that it had occurred in 

 almost every county north of the Tweed. But in the Outer 

 Hebrides I could only trace one instance of the species 

 having been obtained, namely a specimen that was shot in 

 the island of South Uist in the winter of 1869-70.* It is 

 therefore with some satisfaction that I now exhibit a male 

 bird which was obtained in January last from the island of 

 North Uist. It was shot by Mr John Macdonald, factor for 

 Sir John Orde of Kilmory, out of a flock of fourteen which 

 rose from a marsh in the vicinity of his residence. I have no 

 doubt that on closer attention being given to the ducks that 

 fall to the gun of the sportsman in the Outer Hebrides, this 

 bird will be found to be a somewhat regular winter visitant. 

 Much depends, of course, upon the season, the direction of the 

 wind, and other elements which are known to regulate the 

 movements of migratory water-fowl ; but, seeing that the 

 species is very abundant over the whole of North America, 

 and that it makes Iceland and the Faroe Islands a resting place 

 for a short time in its flight southwards from Greenland, it 

 does not seem inconsistent with what we know of its regular 

 migrations to suppose that occasional flocks may be driven 

 out of their direct line of flight, and forced to seek shelter on 

 the north-western shores of Britain, or those of its outlying 

 islands. 



The pintail duck is a bird of very wide distribution. Its 

 geographical range indeed is greater than that of any other 

 duck that occurs in tliis country. It is abundant, as has been 

 said, in North America, from west to east, and also in Canada 

 and Newfoundland. It is likewise common in Central 

 America. In Greenland it is weU known, and in Iceland and 

 the Faroes it is seen yearly during its migrations. It is 



* Birds of the West of Scotland, p. 368. 

 VOL. V. 2 A 



