Family ANATID^. Genus Anas. 



Subfamily Aj^a tinm. 



WIGEON. 



ANAS PENELOPE— ZzV/;?<™^. 



Geographical Distribution. — British -. Common winter 

 visitor to the British Islands, frequenting inland swamps and 

 waters as well as the coast. Many pass our coast lines on passage 

 to still more southern haunts, and return along them in spring, so 

 that the bird is most abundant generally in autumn. Frequents 

 all parts of the United Kingdom suited to its requirements. A 

 few remain behind to breed in Scotland, and frequent for this 

 purpose Ross, Sutherland, Caithness, Cromarty, and the Orkneys 

 and Shetlands. The nest does not yet appear to have been met 

 with in the Hebrides. In Ireland it is said to have nested in 

 Antrim, Armagh, Tyrone, and Mayo Counties, but recent informa- 

 tion is wanting. Although supposed to have bred in Norfolk, there 

 is no actual proof of the fact. Foreign : Palsearctic region, more 

 southerly in winter ; Oriental region, and extreme western and 

 eastern confines of Nearctic region in winter. Breeds throughout 

 Arctic Europe, and Asia south of the Arctic Circle. Under 

 ordinary circumstances its southern breeding range is lat. 60° ; 

 south of which it is only known to nest in exceptional conditions. 

 These conditions appear to exist in France, Germany, Denmark, 

 Bohemia, and the valley of the Danube in Europe, and in the Baikal 

 basin in Asia, in all of which localities it is known to breed. It 

 is said to breed in the Faroes, and certainly does so in Iceland ; 

 and is an accidental visitor to Greenland, and to the Atlantic 

 coasts of North America ; whilst on the eastern limits of its range 

 it occasionally wanders across Behring Strait, where it has from 

 time to time been found on the Pacific coast from Alaska to Cali- 



