246 THE BIKDS OF DEVON. 



course of a single week, all having been shot on the frozen " rhines " 

 which intersect the adjoiuinfr levels. Goosanders are sometimes met with 

 on freshwater ponds some distance inland, occasionally presenting them- 

 selves in curious places, and one of the two adults obtained at Earnstaple 

 suffered itself to be caught by the hand. It was in a narrow stream, and 

 when it was approached attemi»tcd to conceal itself in a scanty patch of 

 rushes by the bank, where its beautiful plumage led to its easy detection. 

 A few Goosanders nest in Scotland ; and in the nesting-season the 

 bird is widely distributed throughout the whole of the northern parts of 

 the world, coming south in the autumn with the other migratory fowl. 



An adult male occurred on the Tamar on February 5tb, and another on February 

 9th, IH:')()(T. J., Braj's ' Tamur and Tavy,' p. ',i55, with figure of trachea). One on the 

 Exe, January 8th, 1838 (F. W. L. R., MS. Journ. i. p. 57). One near Exeter about 1840 

 (R. C). One at Countess Weir, on the Exe, December 10th, 1879 ; this bird we 

 purchased in the flesli from the man who shot it (Zool. 1880, p. 68). These last two 

 specimens are now in the A. il. M. 



Some in the severe weather of February 1855 occurred at Plymouth, and there 

 was an adult female in Plymouth Market, January fith, 1875. Several in immature 

 jilumage were noted there. December H>tli, 1875 (J. G., Zool. 1855, p. 4705 ; 1875, 

 p. 4372; 187fi, p. 4785). Some at Slapton Ley in January 185() ; and some young 

 males there, December 3rd and 23rd, 1875 ; and a female was shot on December 7th, 

 lS75, out of a flock of seven on the Avon, and three males were seen soon after 

 (R. P. N., Zool. 187(5, p. 4S(i3). A female was shot on the Avon, Janiuiry 15th, 1889 

 (E. A. S. E.). Mr. R. P. Js'icholls ha.s never had a full-plumaged male from the 

 Kingsbridge estuary. An adult female was shot on Torbay, January 11th, 1870 (A. 

 von H., Zool. 1870, p. 2059). On the Exe a young male was shot on February 

 loth, 1855, and others were seen during the severe weather of that month. A 

 young male was shot at Brampford 8peke, near Exeter, February 9th, 1881, which is 

 now in the A. M. M., with several other immature birdn, killed on the Exe at various 

 dates. Several were killed in December 1890 and January 1891. One occurred 

 on the Taw, in February 1870 (J. G., Zool. 1870, p. 20G9). 



Eed-breasted Merganser. Mergus serrator, Linn. 



[Spike-billed Wigeon (on the Taw), Saw-bill (on the Exe).] 



A winter visitor, of rather frequent occurrence on the coast and in the 

 estuaries of our larger rivers, a])pearing sometimes in October, and has been 

 seen by us as late as the end of ^May in Xorth Devon. Immature birds are 

 most frequently met with, but adults are occasionally obtained, especially 

 in early sjiring, when they are usually in pairs. Montagu considered it a 

 rare species in the South of Engla'nd (Orn. Diet., Suppl.), and Mr. J. 

 Gatcombe says it is very seldom met with in the West of England (Zool. 

 1881, p. 1!J8). Mr. Bolitho had only three sent to him to preserve in 

 twenty years. We have, however, seen and handled more examples of 

 this species than of the Goosander, and do not consider it an uncommon, 

 but an irregular visitor, and both Mr. 11. P. Nicholls and Mr. E. A. S. 

 Elliot find it more frequent on the Kingsbridge estuary than the 

 Goosander. 



On February 3rd, ISoo, wc took fourteen small flounders, of the size 



