972 Birds. 



Harbour, and at Yarmouth. T have seen a very fine specimen in the 

 possession of Mr. Butler. 



The Shoveller Mr. Butler obtains occasionally : an adult male, in 

 full plumage, formed part of his collection in April, 1844. R. Loe, 

 some years ago, killed two half-grown shovellers in the gravel-pits in 

 Bordwood Forest. 



The Pintail Duck occurs frequently on the northern coast of our 

 island. 



The Wild Duck is frequently obtained in Brading-marshes and 

 Sandham-flats during winter ; and not unfrequently up the river above 

 Newchurch. There is a favorite spot on the edge of Pan-common, 

 to which ducks and other wild-fowl resort, coming in from the sea at 

 " flying time," where they are waited for by shooters ; and many's the 

 night R. Loe has spent in that vicinity. In addition to his seldom- 

 failing gun, R. Loe was wont to employ another mode of capture, 

 namely, setting " gins " in the narrow cuts, an inch or so under water, 

 in the tracks of the waddlers — if that term may justly be applied to 

 the wild duck, which moves along pretty briskly, and in no very awk- 

 ward gait. A pair or two of wild-ducks usually breed somewhere on 

 the banks of the stream which I have frequently mentioned as inter- 

 secting the Newchurch-marshes, as I generally hear of ten or twelve 

 flappers having been shot in the season. R. Loe persists in main- 

 taining that the wild duck is subject to variety in plumage. He once 

 saw shot out of a flock in Brading Harbour, a perfectly white duck ; 

 and he himself once shot a pied duck. He affirms that in figure and 

 size, form of the bill and fineness of leg, both these birds correspond- 

 ed exactly with the ordinary wild duck ; and is half angry with me 

 for questioning their being thorough wild bred. Mr. Butler also wrote 

 me word that he obtained last winter a purely white wild duck. 



The Gar gamy. R. Loe informed me that his brother-in-law, Mr. 

 Rawkins, once killed on a pond at Hardingshoot, near Brading, two 

 birds, of which Loe's description corresponded exactly with that of 

 the garganey. 



Tlie Teal is obtained frequently in September, and occasionally 

 throughout the winter, in Brading Harbour, and in the marshes. I 

 have myself flushed teal on the borders of Pan-common : and in March 

 1843, R. Loe sent me a pair of teal, shot by himself in the gravel-pits 

 in Bordwood Forest. 



The Wigeon is sometimes seen reposing during the day in great 

 numbers in Sandown Bay, whence the flock comes into the marshes 

 to feed at " flying time." 



