SHOVELLERS came in March to breed, and generally those which 

 got away left early, as they were rarely seen during early autumn 

 or in winter. I have a drake and duck, both shot by Mr. Bar- 

 ret, the latter on July 26th, 1852, the former was amongst the 

 spoils of a day's shooting, October 2nd, the same year, during a 

 very high flood ; it rose from a wet place amongst the heather, 

 and I well remember picking it up, for I have good reason to re- 

 member the day, as on it I got a thorn into my shin in getting 

 over a dead hedge, which laid me up for several months. Numbers 

 of Geese and Ducks were then there. This is an old bird regain- 

 ing its fine plumage from the Duck-like plumage of summer, 

 the wing feathers renewed except the tertials, the beak black. 

 I have seen no other like it in the neighbourhood. I find a note 

 of Mr. Lambert having killed a young drake one evening in De- 

 cember, but I have not the exact year, which was then only 

 commencing to get its drake plumage, having a few of the dark 

 coloured feathers on the head and a few freckled feathers in other 

 parts and with the blue wing. The Gadwall I have before al- 

 luded to, as also the Gargeny. 



All these, what I call surface feeding Ducks, rejoice in water 

 in which they can reach the bottom with their beaks by turning 

 up when swimming once do away with that style of country 

 and they forsake it. The same may be said of waders, whose 

 delight is to walk in the shallow water and pick off the insects 

 and other things on which they feed from the plants growing in 

 it, their long legs are for the express purpose, 



I remember Mr. Lambert shooting a Smew out of the Pont in 

 its immature dress, and I also remember once having a good view 

 of a small flock of Goosanders, amongst which were mature birds, 

 resting on the edge of the ice after a long frost, which had a 

 pretty effect as the sun shone on them. As a rule, this latter 

 bird keeps to the rapid fresh-water streams and seems to feed 

 much on trout its near ally the Red-breasted Merganser when 

 with us as invariably seems to keep the sea and its estuaries, 

 very rarely, so far as I have noticed, having ever been found in 

 fresh-water. It is often common about Holy Island from au- 



