THE AMERICA^' WIGEON. 113 



characters denoting an old male bird of its species. On the 

 figures of the American wigeon in the works of Wilson (Jardine^s 

 edit.) and Yarrell being shown to the shooter, he felt confident 

 that his bird was of the same species, the former representing its 

 plumage the better of the two, and the latter its form, as the 

 neck was thicker than that of the common wigeon. Although he 

 thus noted the bird particularly, and, with another fowler who 

 accompanied liim to Straugford, held a kind of inquest on its 

 species, it was unfortunately sold with his other wild-fowl, as, from 

 his having seen singular varieties of birds in the hands of bird- 

 preservers, he thought this might be a remarkable state of plumage 

 of the common wigeon : — of a second species he had not at that 

 time heard. He is certain of having killed birds of the same 

 kind in Belfast Bay, but never any so far advanced towards addJt 

 male plumage. Placing entire reliance on the discrimination and 

 accuracy of Bell, I have not hesitated to notice this bird as a 

 visitant to our coast. To him also we are indebted for the only 

 Tringa platyrhpicha obtained in Ireland ; he at once perceived 

 that the specimen was distinct from the dunlins killed at the same 

 time, and preserved it accordingly. 



The only notice of the American wigeon having been obtained in 

 Great Britain to the date of publication of the second edition of 

 Mr. Yarrell's work in 1S4.5, is, that in the winter of 1837-38 

 two of these birds were seen by Mr. Bartlett at the same time in 

 the London market, but where they were killed was not known. 

 In works on the birds of Europe, published down to 1844, 

 this species is not noticed as having occurred on any of the 

 coasts of continental Europe. It is common to those of North 

 America, where the rice-fields of Carolina are favourite feeding- 

 grounds.^ 



* The Summer or Wood Duck, Dendronessa sponsa, Linu. (sp.), has occasioually 

 been killed in Ireland, but the victims had probably escaped from confinement. Dr. 

 Harvey of Cork informed me of a couple (an adult male and female ?) having been 

 shot by Wm. Crawford, Esq., on the Carrigaline river, within, and not far fi-om the 

 mouth of, Cork harbour, on the TOth of October, 1845. The two only were seen. 

 On mentioning the subject at that time to ]\Ir. R. Ball, he stated that some of these 

 birds had been kept on ponds in and about Cork, and that six or eight individuals 



