CHAP. xni. THE WINTER BIRDS. 259 



day preceding the great snow-storm of January 

 1854, and never returned. Mr. Boyd was afterwards 

 enabled to ascertain the correctness of Edward's in- 

 formation. He was in Liverpool, and while visiting a 

 poulterer's yard, he observed a bird exactly like the 

 one that had taken shelter in his mill-pond. On 

 inquiring its name, he was informed that it was an 

 Egyptian Goose. 



The Mallard, the Widgeon, the Teal, the Gar- 

 ganey, the Pintail, the Eerruginous, the Harlequin, 

 the Shoveler, the Shieldrake, and the Eider Duck, 

 visit the loch occasionally in winter. The ducks 

 were teii times more numerous than the geese. There 

 were the Scaup (Fuligula marila), the Tufted (F. 

 cristata), the Red-headed Pochard or Dunbird (F. 

 ferina), and the Golden-eyed Garrot (Clangula gar- 

 rotta). The Red-necked Grebe and the Black- 

 chinned Grebe also bred in the loch. Herons, 

 Bitterns, Spoon-bills, Glossy Ibises, Snipes, Wood- 

 cocks, Green Sandpipers, Ruffs, Dotterels, Gray 

 Phalaropes, were also to be seen. These were the 

 birds that mostly frequented the loch in winter. 

 There were numerous flocks of Gulls of various 

 species, and other shore-birds, which only made 

 visits to the loch for shelter during storms. 



When spring approached the birds became rest- 

 less. The flocks began to break up, and flights of 

 birds disappeared daily. At length the greater part 

 of the winter birds left, except a few stragglers. An 



