210 BRITISH BIRDS. 



remarkable spread of the breeding area of many of the 

 duck- tribe during recent years. 



The causes which made its aUies, the Tufted Duck* 

 and Shoveler,f common resident species in Scotland, 

 have also affected the Scaup-Duck. There are several 

 early records of its supposed breeding in Scotland. 

 Under the head of " Scaup Pochard " Selby writes { : "a 

 single female was shot by Sir William Jardine in a small 

 loch between Loch Hope and Eriboll in 1834 ; she was 

 attended by a young one, which unfortunately escaped 

 among the reeds. This is the first instance of its breeding 

 in Great Britain that I am aware of." In June, 1868,§ 

 Mr. J. A. Harvie-Brown shot an adult male Scaup in 

 Sutherlandshire, " which had been frequenting the loch for 

 some days ; and from its unwillingness to leave the 

 locality, though repeatedly disturbed and fired at, I am 

 fully persuaded that the female was sitting on her eggs 

 at no great distance. With my friend, Mr. W. Jesse, 

 I also in June, 1867, obtained a laying of duck's eggs, 

 and though failing to identify them, they closely resembled 

 eggs of this species from Lapland." 



In 1880 the late Dr. A. C. Stark recorded a nest and 

 eggs found on Loch Leven which he considered to be those 

 of a Scaup. II Full details have recently (antea, p. 132) 

 been given by Mr. W. Evans, which show that these were 

 no doubt the eggs of a Tufted Duck. 



The records cited above were not accepted by Professor 

 Newtont as authentic. 



The first authentic nest appears to have been discovered 

 by Mr. Heatley Noble, and was recorded in the " Ibis " for 



* J. A. Harvie-Brown, " Ann. S.N.H.," 1896. pp. 3-22; " Proc. Roy. 

 Phys, Soc, Edin.," Vol. XIII., pp. 144-160, 



t Id., "Fauna N.W. Highlands," p. 232; "Ann. S.N.H.," 1902, 

 p. 212. 



X "Edin, New Philosph. Journal," XX„ p. 293, 1836; vide also 

 Yarrell, 4th ed.. Vol, IV.. p. 425. 



§ "Proc. N.H. Soc., Glasgow," 1875, II., pp. 120 et 121. 



II A. C. Stark, " Proc. Roy. Phys. Soc, Ed„" 1881-83, VII., p. 203. 



t "Diet. Birds," p, 815, 



