374 BIRDS OF THE WEST OF SCOTLAND. 



preserved, informs me that he happened to be at Drumlanrig, and 

 called to see Mr Shaw shortly before his death, when he was told 

 by him that he had shot the duck and sent it to Mr Hastings, 

 bird staffer, Dumfries. " On returning home," writes Sir William, 

 " I went to Mr Hastings and got the bird from him, and it is now 

 before me." I believe this to be the first occurrence of the species 

 in any part of Europe. 



Wilson, in his account of this Teal, states that it is met with 

 along the shores of the Deleware sitting in crowds on the mud 

 close to the edge of the water, where the gunners often kill great 

 numbers at a single discharge. The birds fly rapidly, and in 

 alighting drop down suddenly, like the snipe or wood-cock, among 

 the reeds, or on the mud. Being vegetable feeders, their flesh is 

 excellent, and they rarely visit the sea-shore. Audubon likewise 

 dwells with enthusiasm on their appearance during flight, and 

 compares the blue on their wings to the glistening of polished 

 steel, or " the dancing light of a piece of glass suddenly reflected 

 on a distant object." He then tells his readers of the soft lisping 

 note which they emit during their flight and also on the ground, 

 when under apprehension of danger, and finishes his paragraph by 

 saying that he saw a friend of his kill eighty-four by pulling 

 together the triggers of his double-barrelled gun ! 



As this bird may occur again, I here give Wilson's description 

 of both sexes, which is as follows : "Length, about fourteen inches ; 

 extent, twenty-two inches ; the bill is long in proportion, and of a 

 dark dusky slate ; the front and upper part of the head are black, 

 from the eye to the chin is a large crescent of white, the rest of 

 the head and half the neck are of a dark slate richly glossed with 

 green and violet, remainder of the neck and breast is black or 

 dusky, thickly marked with semi-circles of brownish white 

 elegantly intersecting each other; belly, pale brown barred with 

 dusky in narrow lines ; sides and vent the same tint, spotted with 

 oval marks of dusky; flanks elegantly waved with large semi-circles 

 of pale brown; sides of the vent pure white; under tail coverts 

 black; back, deep brownish black, each feather waved with large 

 semiovals of brownish white; lesser wing coverts a bright light 

 blue; primaries dusky brown; secondaries black; speculum or 

 beauty spot rich green ; tertials, edged with black or light blue, 

 and streaked down their middle with white; the tail, which is 

 pointed, extends two inches beyond the wings; legs and feet 



