214 BIRDS OF THE ESTUARY 



BIRDS OF THE ESTUARY. 



THE DUCKS IN WINTER WIGEON TEAL THE 

 BITTERN RARER BIRDS. 



DURING a really hard winter, such as we 

 have not had for the past dozen years, 

 the estuary and flats are alive with many 

 kinds of duck; they being of course driven 

 to the coast, or the brackish water, owing to 

 the freezing of their inland meres and marshes. 



Dr. C. Butler, of Syon House, East Budleigh, 

 has shot Pintail duck and grey goose, in 

 addition to the regular winter visitants such as 

 wigeon, teal, and mallard. I have myself seen 

 shelduck and Pochard. A pair of Tufted Duck 

 Were also shot a few years back : while Mr. 

 C. Crier obtained a fine pair of Hooded 

 Merganser perhaps one of the rarest birds to 

 be seen on the estuary. 



The mallard, or wild duck, is of course 

 distributed all over the country; remaining here 

 to breed, although the nest is by no means 

 confined either to river banks or to the 



