l6o Guide to Belfast. 



several breeding-places in Antrim and Down: e.g., Portmore, 

 Clandeboye, and Downpatrick. It is locally called " Spoon- 

 bill," and is fairly common in winter. The Pintail is rarely- 

 shot, though we have notes of its occurrence in both counties. 

 It may possibly prefer fresh to salt water in this district. To- 

 Thompson we owe the only record of the Garganey, he 

 stating one was seen on Strangford Lough in March 1847. 

 Large flocks of *VVigeon visit us i-n winter, and many may 

 be seen on Lough Neagh, where a regular "fishery" for 

 all kinds of ducks is carried on. In the summer of 1901 

 John Cottney had the pleasure of discovering several nests 

 of Wigeon near a small lake in County Antrim, being the 

 first time the eggs had been taken in Ireland. The Pochard 

 occurs commonly in winter (notably on Lough Neagh), and 

 is believed to breed in Antrim. We have seen it at its sup- 

 posed breeding-haunts in May and June in different years, 

 but its eggs have not yet been taken. The Ferruginous 

 Duck is supposed to have been taken off the Antrim coast 

 once, in March 187 1 (Blake Knox). The *Tufted Duck 

 is common in winter, and its eggs have been taken in two 

 different places in Antrim. As it is increasing as a breeding 

 species, it will probably soon be found in Down. Enormous 

 flocks of Scaup-Duck are often to be seen in Belfast Lough 

 in winter, and even Lough Neagh is visited regularly. Not 

 much sought after by gunners, they become comparatively 

 easy to approach. The Golden-eye is common in favourite 

 localities, such as Lough Neagh, in winter, and also occurs 

 in some numbers on our marine loughs. Old males are 

 rare, most of the birds shot being females and young males. 

 The Long-tailed Duck is rare in adult plumage, but young 

 birds have been more frequently seen or shot. We have notes 

 of thirty in Belfast Lough alone, from 1S23 to 1901, and 

 it would seem to be almost an annual winter visitor to the 

 north of Ireland : e.g., in 1895, 1896, 1897, 1898, 1899, 1901. 

 Immature birds are not uncommon off Rathlin in winter ; 

 while R. Lloyd Patterson saw three mature birds in Belfast 

 Lough in May 1898. A flock of five was seen in Lough 

 Beg, and specimens secured, as recorded by the same 

 gentleman. The Eider Duck is very rare in Belfast Lough, 

 where we only know of three occurrences ; but off Rathlin 



