248 Scientific Proceedings, Royal Dublin Society. 



this to be due solely to gun-shot wounds, as suggested by several 

 friends, but rather to be a disease to which this species is peculiarly 

 liable. Their mode of feeding is very interesting; stretching out 

 the neck to its full length they swim slowly along, alternately 

 sucking in the water at the surface, and ejecting it through the 

 lateral lamellae, which holds as in a net the small insects taken in 

 with the water. 



QUERQUEDULA DiscoRS (Linn.) Blue-wingecl Teal. — This fine 

 teal is a winter visitor to our district, arriving about the middle of 

 September and continuing to be very plentiful during the next 

 six weeks, when they become much scarcer. They frequent the 

 river banks, creeks and ponds in the timber, and seldom alight on 

 any water unless in the immediate neighbourhood of trees. They 

 are always found in considerable flocks and when approached 

 crowd together as if for safety, a fatal mistake for them as it is 

 not uncommon to obtain several, even as many as a dozen, at one 

 discharge. 



Nettion carolinensis (Gmel.) Green-winged Teal— A regu- 

 lar winter visitor but in much smaller numbers than the preceding 

 species, from which it materially differs in many habits; though 

 frequently found in similar localities the green-wing is very fond 

 of narrow muddy ditches and creeks, nor does it go in large flocks, 

 but generally singly or in pairs, or in small companies of less than 

 a dozen. They are also very wild, and even when approached do 

 not crowd together, but rather both swim and fly wide apart 

 I shot several during March while migrating and was surprised to 

 find that all either obtained or seen then were adult males. 



Aix SPONSA (Linn.) Wood Duck. — A male and female of these 

 beautiful birds seen on the 12th March, 1880, were the only exam- 

 ples which came under my notice during my stay in Texas. 



Clangula albeola (Linn.) Bufle-head. — A winter visitor to 

 the woodland ponds of our district, but very scarce and difficult to 

 obtain, so much so that I obtained but one specimen though I saw 

 several others between the months of December and March. 



Erismatura rubida, (Wils.) Ruddy Duck. — A winter visitor 

 in considerable numbers to the woodland ponds and tanks, arriving 

 about the middle of October ; they are always found in pairs, and 

 each pond generally holds but one pair, though if these be shot 

 another takes their place within a short time. They are adepts 



