ANATID.E. 497 



WIGEON, Anas Penelope. The name " Wigeon "' 

 is generally in this county applied indifferently to 

 the present species, the Pochard and the Tufted 

 Duck; in some places these two last are distin- 

 guished as " Cur Wigeon : " in this immediate neigh- 

 bourhood these two species occur more frequently 

 than the Wigeon, but about the coast and in some 

 parts of the marsh the Wigeon much outnumbers 

 the others. Montagu says in his time more Wigeon 

 were caught in the decoys of Somerset and Devon 

 than Duck, Teal and all other wild fowl collectively. 

 It is a winter visitor, making its appearance about 

 the middle of October, and departing about the 

 beginning of April to its northern breeding grounds : 

 a few, however, are known to stop short and breed 

 as far south as the North of Scotland. 



The Wigeon is easily kept in confinement, but 

 has not been known to breed,* which I am rather 

 surprised at, as they certainly pair, and the drake is 

 the most jealous and irritable little fellow, whistling 

 and flying at any male Duck of any species that 



* The female Wigeon in my pond is now (July, 1869) 

 sitting on five of her own eggs. The nest is in a field of 

 mowing grass near the pond : it is a slight hole scratched in 

 the ground, lined with a few long bents of grass and a great 

 deal of down plucked from the bird's own body : it very much 

 resembles the nest of the common Muscovy Duck. The eggs 

 are rather smaller than those of the Wild Duck, and are 

 cream-coloured. 



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