Family AN ATI D^. Genus Tadorna. 



Subfamily Ajva tin^. 



RUDDY SHELDRAKE. 



TADORNA CASARCA— (Z2«^«Kj). 



Geographical Distribution. — British .• Very rare straggler 

 on autumn migration and in winter ; but many of the records of 

 the occurrence of this species in the United Kingdom unques- 

 tionably relate to birds escaped from the semi-captivity in which 

 the Ruddy Sheldrake is commonly found in our islands. As 

 such I should feel disposed to class all the occurrences in summer. 

 Among the most trustworthy instances may be mentioned the 

 following. England: Dorset (i example), winter, 1776; 

 Suffolk (i example), January, 1834 ; Kent (i example, shot from 

 a party of four), September, r884. Scotland : Orkneys (i 

 example), October, 1831. Ireland : Co. Kerry (i example), 

 August, 1869; Shannon River (2 examples), summer, 1886. 

 Others are reported to have been either seen or taken in Suffolk, 

 Yorkshire, the " south of England," Caithness, Forfarshire, 

 Waterford, and Wicklow. Foreign : Southern Palsearctic region ; 

 Oriental region in winter. Resident in the basins of the 

 Mediterranean and Black Seas, but not known to breed in 

 Europe north of the Spanish peninsula, the valley of the Danube, 

 and South Russia ; whilst to the lakes and waters of North 

 Africa it is principally a winter visitor. To Sweden, the Baltic, 

 West Russia, Germany, Denmark, and France, it is, as to our 

 islands, only an accidental visitor. In Europe the Ruddy 

 Sheldrake is mostly a resident species, but in Asia it is migratory, 

 and there can be little doubt that the accidental wanderers to the 

 extreme west of Europe are from this district. In Asia it breeds 

 throughout Persia, Turkestan, and South Siberia, as far north as 



