BIRD-LIFE ON THE MOORS IN OCTOBER. 99 



several miles. Even after being shot at, the Golden- eyes 

 will often continue to circle round, and sometimes return to 

 pitch among their defunct companions ; so that it is worth 

 while, after a shot, to remain cache for ten minutes or a 

 quarter of an hour. 



All the Golden-eyes I have shot or seen shot on the moors 

 have been in what is considered the female or immature 

 plumage,* though many are unquestionably drakes, as is 

 shown by their weights thus : 



Young females average . . . lib. 4oz. or lib. 5oz. 



Adult females average . . . lib. 12oz. 



Young drakes average . . . 21b. 2oz. to 21b. 4oz. 



The irides of both the latter are golden, those of the 

 smaller birds (the "Morillons" of Colquhoun) being brown. 

 The adult duck is much lighter coloured on her wings, the 

 coverts and scapulars being spotted irregularly with white, 

 and her neck is also much whiter. I have always found 

 them excellent eating, the flavour resembling Wigeon, but 

 they are less oily ; however, I am no judge on epicurean 

 matters. 



In 1884 I found five Golden-eyes on October 16 the 

 earliest arrival of these winter ducks I ever noted. The keeper 

 drove them to me, four ducks and a drake. I killed a duck 

 and the drake, right and left, as they came overhead, stone 

 dead, and a highly satisfactory " souse " they came down 

 with ! Weights, duck lib. 4Joz., drake 21b. IJoz. 



The peat loughs do not appear congenial to the tastes of 

 the Tufted Duck, and it is rarely found thereon much more 

 so than one would expect from the circumstance of its breed- 

 ing in the district. I have observed these ducks late in spring 

 on several occasions, but not in autumn : the Pochard I have 

 never come across inland then, and the Wigeon but seldom. 



During October, Teal are more numerous than in any other 

 month of the year no doubt on passage (I have observed 



* I shot an adult drake Golden-eye on the Tweed, Oct. 19, 1888 ; at 

 which date, the full plumage had not been completely acquired the 

 white cheek-patch and neck being still slightly obscured with dusky 

 feathers a phase of plumage rarely met with here. 



