GARGANEY. 181 



filament of the down having a white centre. On the 1st 

 June, 1886, Mr. Gurney saw the skins of some nestlings, 

 which had been hatched in a nest situated in the stump 

 of a willow tree by the side of a road, and across which 

 they were being marshalled by the old bird towards a 

 ditch when they were discovered. Subsequent experi- 

 ence has proved to me that I was wrong in assuming 

 (Lubbock's " Fauna of Norfolk," 2nd ed., note 139, p. 

 155) that the nest was never far from a reed-bed; this 

 was my belief at the time, but such a situation is 

 certainly exceptional. Mr. Booth is quite correct in 

 stating that " now and then the birds were known to 

 have bred among the long coarse grass and tufts of 

 rushes on the dryer portion of the hills* surrounding 

 the broads ; but, as a rule, they go further from their 

 usual haunts." (" Eough Notes.") 



The garganey was occasionally captured in the Ban- 

 worth decoy; on the 30th March, 1864, four of these 

 birds are entered in the decoy book, the return for the 

 month being twenty-nine ducks, two teal, fifteen wigeon, 

 one pintail, four garganey, and one pheasant; the 1st 

 and 2nd April produced ten wigeon, which ended the 

 season. In April, 1865, three shovelers and four mal- 

 lard experienced an abrupt termination to their honey- 

 moon in this decoy. 



I have no certain information as to the date of de- 

 parture of the garganey, but the " flappers" are strong 

 011 the wing in July, and they, probably, leave us in 

 August. The young of this species are very liable to 

 be mistaken for those of the teal, but may be readily 

 distinguished by the absence of a speculum on the wing. 

 The neck and bill are also rather larger than in the 

 commoner species. 



Mr. Gurney possesses a pair of these ducks, killed at 

 one shot at Strumpshaw, in July, 1858, one of which is 

 a pure white ; when fresh killed its bill was pink, and the 

 legs pinkish brown. 



* A marshman's " hill " is of the very slightest, generally a 

 spot rather less wet than its surroundings, 



