ANATID&. 437 
THE WIGEON. 
Maréca PENELOPE (Linnzus). 
Small parties of Wigeon begin to make their appearance on our 
coasts about the end of August, but the bulk of the immigrants 
arrive from the middle of October onwards, and immense numbers 
are often to be found in sheltered bays and tidal waters until the end 
of February, while in March and April the return migration from the 
south sets in. In Scotland the Wigeon has long been known as a 
partially resident species, breeding in some numbers over the greater 
part of Sutherland, and sparingly in Caithness, Ross and Cromarty, 
while eggs have been taken in the Orkneys and Shetlands, and of late 
Perthshire and Selkirkshire have been added to its nesting-area. In 
1897 a nest was found near Scarborough, and there is presumptive 
evidence that the bird has bred exceptionally in the very south of 
England. In Ireland it is common during the colder part of the 
year, and it seems possible that a few pairs may nest in cos. Fer- 
managh and Tyrone (Ussher). 
This Duck is a summer-visitor to the Feroes and Iceland, occa- 
sionally wandering to Greenland. It is very abundant in Scan- 
dinavia and Finland, but Kolguev and Waigats (70° N.) are about 
its limits; while it breeds in Russia as far south as Ekaterinburg ; 
and sparingly in Denmark, Holland, and Northern Germany. On 
