174 BIRDS. 



At times these birds are very abundant, so much so that 

 Dr. Rae, of Arctic fame, once shot thirty-four with a small 

 breech-loading 14-bore gun in one night at "flight." We 

 saw a Widgeon drake in full plumage on the loch of Skaill on 

 llth of June 1889. 



Fuligula ferina (L.). Pochard. 



A common and regular winter visitor, some years appearing in 

 vast numbers on the lochs of Skaill and Stenness. Besides the 

 Mainland, we have notes of its occurrence in Sanday and 

 Rousay, and doubtless it appears in winter in all suitable locali- 

 ties. Pochards appeared on the loch of Kirbister, Orphir, 

 at the beginning of, if not before, September 1883, and one 

 apparently haunted that loch all that summer. 



In 1883 Buckley saw four drakes on Loch Wasbister. 

 Rousay, during June and July, but only one remained until 

 August, when it was shot, and appeared to be a " pricked " bird, 

 unable to fly ; there were no ducks with the drakes. A few 

 birds appeared again in the autumn. 



Mr. Watt writes us from Skaill : " Several large flocks (of 

 Pochards) are to be seen during the winter on Stenness and 

 Skaill. In the summer of 1884 I noticed about a dozen on the 

 loch ; three or four could fly, the rest could not. In August I 

 took my boat, and went after them along with a friend. He 

 succeeded in shooting a few. At the time I thought they were 

 moulters, but since think they may have been flappers, the 

 young of some weak or wounded birds that were unable to 

 migrate with their flocks. I never heard of the Pochard breed- 

 ing here ; if so, I think it is from force of circumstances, not 

 from choice." 



With all due deference to Mr. Watt, we think that the 

 Pochard might well breed on Loch Skaill, which is kept as 

 quiet as possible, and is well adapted to the requirements of the 

 bird; and from what we are told it is very probable the 

 Pochard breeds in other lochs in the neighbourhood as well. 



On the 12th of June 1888 we saw a male Pochard in 

 fine plumage on the loch of Skaill ; the day was so windy, it 



