208 TADORNA TADORNA 



it occurs sporadically east of the Russian frontier and frequently on Varanger Fjord. Schaanning 

 (1913) records it for eastern Finmark, as does also Passler (Journ. f. Ornith., vol. 

 1, p. 243, 1853). while von Nordmann (1864) says it is occasionally found in Lap- 

 land. A valuable record is Pearson's (1899), who found it in northwest Lapland. In 1903 a speci- 

 men was taken in Finnish Lapland, near Muonio (latitude 68° north, longitude 24° east), according 

 to Montell (1917). 



In Sweden, however, the species is not recorded as breeding north of 60°. Nilsson (1858) gives 

 its range as the entire coast from Skane to Nordland, but especially the south. It breeds commonly 

 _ in Gothland and in Schonen, Bohus, Kalmar and Sodermanland (Wallengren, 1854). 



SVPCQCQ 



It has, however, been found on the Aland Islands (Palmgren, 1913) and on the extreme 



southwest coast of Finland, ordinarily not east of Hango, though there are a few records for Helsing- 



fors (Palmgren, 1913; Palmen, 1876). 



In Denmark the Sheldrake breeds abundantly everywhere, but particularly on the islands off the 



west coast (Kjaerbolling, 1850; Winge, passim). The same holds true of Schleswig-Holstein ; on the 



islands off the coast, that is on the North Friesian Islands of Sylt, Norderoog, etc., as well as in the 



_. , East Friesian Islands of Juist and others, the birds are so common and tame that they 



Denmark ... . . . 



are kept in a semi-domesticated state by the natives who make a business of robbing the 



birds of their eggs (Mobius, Zool. Garten, vol. 11, p. 133, 1870; Schuster, ibid., vol. 45, p. 288, 1904; 



Hagendefeldt, Zeitschr. f. Ornith., 1906, p. 121; Leege, Ornith. Monatsschr., vol. 34, p. 119, 1909; 



Dietrich, ibid., vol. 35, p. 51, 1910; Bau, Journ. f. Ornith., vol. 25, p. 336, 1877). On the mainland the 



_ birds breed along the coasts and to a considerable extent in the interior, where they have 



Germany . . . 



been recorded from Oldenburg and East Friesland (Negelein, 1853; Lons, Ornith. 



Monatsber., 1907, p. 5), Hannover (Leverkiihn, Journ. f. Ornith., vol. 35, p. 212, 1887), Kiel (Floer- 

 icke, Journ. f. Ornith., vol. 40, p. 251, 1892), Lubeck (Hagen, Ornith. Monatsber., vol. 17, p. 109, 

 1909), Mecklenburg (Wustnei, 1898), Brunswick (R. Blasius, 1896), Brandenburg (Schalow, 1915; 

 Grote, Ornith. Monatsber., 1905, p. 6), Pomerania (Lons, Ornith. Monatsber., 1908, p. 99; Quistorp, 

 Naumannia, 1858, p. 51; Holland, 1857), East Prussia (Henrici, Ornith. Monatsber., 1902, p. 101; 

 Floericke, ibid., 1895, p. 160), Posen (Hammling, 1917; Lons, Ornith. Monatsber., 1908, p. 99), 

 possibly in Silesia (Floericke, 1891), Saxony (Helm, Hennicke, fide Naumann, 1896-1905) and on 

 the Rhine (W. and T. Heussler, 1896; Brahts, 1855), and very rarely in Bavaria (Jackel, fide Nau- 

 mann. 1896-1905). 



As far as I am able to determine, the species is a rare breeder in the Netherlands, nesting chiefly on 



the islands off the coast (Dresser, 1871-81; Schlegel, 1859; van Oort, 1908), and also in Belgium 



... (Ternier and Masse, 1907; Raspail, 1913). Its status as a breeding bird in France is much 



the same. Ternier and Masse (1907) state that it breeds on the coasts of Normandy, 

 Picardy, and at Havre. Degland (1849) and Berthelot (1875) also reported its nesting in this region, 



remarking that it is never common. In the south of France it has been questionably 



reported as nesting about the mouth of the Rhone in Carmague (Miiller, Journ. f. 

 Ornith., vol. 4, p. 252, 1856; l'Hermitte, 1916) and in Aude and Herault (La Croix, 1875), though 

 these localities cannot be regarded as within the regular range. A. Chapman and Buck (1910) state 



that the species is said to nest in the marismas of Spain, but I find no other reliable 



information of its status as a breeder in the peninsula. 



It breeds commonly in Sardinia, however (Picchi, 1904; Brooke, 1873), and there are two records 



Sardinia of its breeding on the mainland of Italy, namely, at Ostia and at Massaciuccoli 



Italy (Whitaker, 1905). According to d'Aubusson (1911) it breeds rarely on Malta. It 



Malta has been occasionally seen in summer around Venice (Arrigoni degli Oddi, 1898) and 



may breed there. 



It has been met with and young specimens have been taken at Salona, Dalmatia 

 (Kolombatovic, 1903). The only other record of its occurrence in summer in the former Austro- 



