PRELIMINARY CLASSIFIED NOTES 209 



to our islands, breeding in some parts of Scotland (see preceding paragraph), but 

 the species is much more abundant as a bird of passage and a winter visitor from 

 Northern Europe. As a winter visitor the wigeon may arrive as early as 5th August, 

 but more usually does so between 9th September and 16th November, while the period 

 of the autumn passage is given as from 30th August to 23rd November, but princi- 

 pally October : the spring passage is from 25th March to llth May and 12th June (cf. 

 Clarke, Studies in Bird Migration, 1912, vol. i. pp. 136, 160). On the Yorkshire coast 

 it is generally young birds that are noted in August and September, both old and 

 young arriving in October and November ; but adult females are said to be very 

 scarce in winter in the Tees and Humber estuaries (cf. Nelson, B. of Yorks., 1907, 

 p. 459). The young birds are also noted first, towards the end of September, in 

 Kent (cf. Ticehurst, B. of Kent, 1909, p. 359). A few reach Ireland by the end 

 of August, but the main influx takes place between 10th October and the middle 

 or end of November, the numbers varying with the season : the period of the return 

 movement is from mid-March to mid- April, sometimes lasting till May (cf. Ussher 

 and Warren, B. of Ireland, 1900, p. 200). As a winter visitor the wigeon is gre- 

 garious, and is found on both coastal and inland waters. A passage movement 

 has been described as follows : " Off the Cleveland coast, the wigeon is very frequently 

 observed passing alongshore, to the north-west, on migration, and at times comes 

 within range of the fowlers stationed on the ' scars ' or sand-hills, who take toll 

 of their numbers. In some seasons, when favourable winds from the east or 

 north-east prevail at the time of the full moon, immense nights are seen ; I have 

 noticed them incessantly from early morn till noon, hi flocks numbering several 

 hundred birds; such was the case in the first week of November 1878, on 1st 

 October 1887, the 13th and 14th October 1894, and the 29th and 30th October 

 1901 " (Nelson, loc. tit.). Two records of marked birds throw valuable light on the 

 movements of our Scottish native wigeon : out of a brood of five wigeon ducklings 

 marked on 19th June 1909 on Loch Brora, Eastern Sutherland, one was caught 

 in a duck decoy at Westpolder, Ulrum, Groningen, North-eastern Holland, on 3rd 

 September 1909, and another was shot in England, on the river Trent, four miles 

 above Gainsborough, early in January 1911 (cf. Thomson, British Birds, vol. v. 

 p. 98). [A. L. T.] 



4. Nest and Eggs. The nest is usually placed on the ground, rarely 

 more than 20 yards from the water, amongst heather ; sometimes in rushes, grass 

 or coarse herbage, and is composed of grasses, moss, etc., mixed with down, and 

 is the work of the duck. (PI. Lxvn.) The down is dark sooty brown with light 



