92 ANATIDiE. 



of a very close approach^ aud seemed to have no apprehension of 

 danger ; but its observer, being in every instance in pursuit of 

 large flocks of wild-fowl, was unwilling to lose his chance of a 

 shot at them, by firing at a single bird, although that was a gar- 

 ganey. His description of the markings on the head, &c., showed 

 it to have been an adult male. In Tighe^s 'Kilkenny,^ the fol- 

 lowing observation is made : — " Anas querquedula, a bird which 

 goes by various English names, as garganey, easterling, lady-fowl, 

 and on the Nore is sometimes very improperly called diver, and 

 even wigeon, appears in winter, sometimes in small flocks, some- 

 times alone ; the female, which is nearly brown, without any of 

 the beautiful plumage of the male, is described by Ray under the 

 name of Phascas," p. 156. It is difficult to know what species 

 is meant in this extract, which I have thought proper to give, 

 lest I be accused of having passed over information on the 

 subject of the bird under consideration. Certainly the first two 

 names used pertain to it; but ^^ easterling" is applied both to 

 the smew (Montagu) and wigeon (Yarrell) ; the pintail is often 

 called " lady-fowl " in Dublin and the south of Ireland ; and 

 Ra/s " Phascas" is the wigeon. 



A few pair of the garganey have been known to breed in Nor- 

 folk, but it is considered a rare bird in England, and is regarded 

 by Mr. Selby and Sir William Jardine as visiting that country at 

 " the period of its migratory flight towards its summer or breed- 

 ing quarters.""^ These range so far north as Sweden, although 

 the species breeds in the countries of southern as well as of central 

 Europe, The latter author considers that " the southern half of 

 England is the boundary of its nortliern range, except in acci- 

 dental instances." One record only of this bird's occurrence in 

 Scotland — when six were kiUed in Stirlingshire, in March 1841 

 — appears in his work and that of Macgillivray. It is subse- 

 quently stated to have been met with in the Orkney Islands. t 



* IMr. Kuox informs us that immature birds are not unusual in the winter on the 

 coast of Sussex, but adult specimens, particularly males, are rare (p. 237). 



t ' Hist. Nat. Oread.' p. 77. 



