134 BRITISH BIRDS, WITH THEIR NESTS AND EGGS. 



abundant species on the shores and islands of the Petchora between Ust Zyliiia 

 and Alexievka, judging from the immense numbers of their eggs found or brought 

 to them by their collectors. On the Yenisei, Mr. Seebohrn says, it became very 

 common as soon as the ice broke up ; he took the first nest, with seven eggs, on 

 June i8th. It occurs, with immense numbers of other Ducks, on the great lakes 

 of Central Asia, Baikal, the Ala-kul and Mara-kul, where it was seen by Dr. O. 

 Finsch. Its range extends far to the north-eastern into Kamtchatka, and it is 

 rather common in the Aleutian group and the Alaska peninsula. 



Returning to Europe, Mr. E. Hartert says that in East Prussia the Wigeon 

 is common on passage and in winter, but only breeds in small numbers. In 

 Transylvania common on migration, spring and autumn, and in Turkey common 

 as the Mallard, but only in winter. Great numbers winter in Spain and Portugal, 

 and in countries on both sides of the Mediterranean basin. In Corsica plentiful 

 to the beginning of March. In the Caucasus it is not common, although very 

 abundant on migration at Astrakhan. In Turkestan on passage and in winter. 

 A winter visitor to Kandahar ; at Gilgit only on migration. A common winter 

 visitor to Northern, but uncommon in Central India. Very many winter in 

 Bunuah, China, Hainan and Japan, and it has once been shot in Borneo, in 

 November. 1875. Dr. O. Finsch had a single example obtained on the Marshall 

 Islands, in the South Pacific, on October 26th, 1879, probably a far driven bird 

 as it was a mere skeleton clothed in feathers. 



According to Reinhardt the Wigeon has occurred occasionally in South Green- 

 land, and has been obtained on the Atlantic coast of North America, and on the 

 Pacific coast as far south as San- Francisco. 



Formerly immense numbers of Wigeon were captured in decoys, and Colonel 

 Montagu says more were caught in those of Somersetshire and Devonshire than 

 Duck, Teal, and all other wild-fowl put together. From their suspicious nature 

 they have always been considered a difficult bird to decoy. In the Ashby decoy, 

 in north-east Lincolnshire, the Wigeon was never a common species, for out of 

 93,232 Ducks and Teal taken in thirty-five years, only 2019 are entered as Wigeon, 

 this is more remarkable when we consider how plentiful it is on the Humber in 

 winter. The proportion does not seem to have been much greater in the Norfolk 

 decoys. Mr. Southwell states (Stevenson's "Birds of Norfolk," Vol. Ill, p. 174) 

 that in 1864, at the Ran worth decoy, were taken eight hundred and seventy-seven 

 Ducks, seventy Teal, three Shovelers, one Pintail, one Tufted Duck, one Goosander, 

 and only eight Wigeon. It was, however, in the Essex decoys in old days that 

 the great hauls of Wigeon were made ; from an old decoy book, (that of Canney 

 marsh decoy), which was kindly lent to the writer, I find that between the years 



