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frequently seen them as late in other years. In spring before 

 leaving us the head of the drake gets much lighter in colour, 

 particularly the front. Though young drake Wigeon are so late 

 in leaving as the end of April, and not having acquired the white 

 wing coverts, I think they must breed that year, or why should 

 they all leave us if the young birds do not ; there must be a great 

 number of them during summer somewhere. It seems difficult 

 to offer a conjecture on the subject. 



TEAL. Used to come in large flocks in March when the drakes 

 were very quarrelsome, chasing each other and splashing the 

 water about. By April those remaining had paired, but most 

 of them had passed on their migration. In May the drakes were 

 in flocks of five or six together, the ducks probably sitting. 

 There were frequently also Teal in flocks of young birds in Sep- 

 tember, especially in showery weather, but rarely in mid-winter, 

 if the weather was at all severe. These are invariably young birds 

 of the year. I never met with an old drake with its black beak 

 in autumn, and therefore presume they have migrated southwards 

 early. 



PIGTAILS in immature plumage used often to cast up in autumn. 

 I have met with them September 17th, October 20th and 29th, 

 and at various other times unrecorded during autumn and early 

 winter only, often with Wigeon. I never saw a Pintail between 

 the middle of April and the middle of September : they used to 

 come on their spring migration occasionally, and also to Gosforth 

 Lake : they seem to rejoice in water they can reach the bottom of 

 by turning up and putting their heads on to the ground, their 

 long necks being apparently adapted for this special purpose. I 

 remember once winging a drake at the Car in the beginning of 

 April, but losing him by not being able to get through a hedge 

 quickly enough and he beat me, getting into deep water. About 

 a month afterwards I found a clean picked dead bird, but with 

 the feathers partly left on him, and which had probably belonged 

 to the bird I lost. 



