1698 Birds. 



Swans on Lake Pepin. — About a quarter past twelve we suddenly came upon Lake 

 Pepin, and the weather having improved into a fine sunny morning, the spectacle 

 which presented itself was as rare and beautiful as any I had seen the whole sum- 

 mer. Upon the smooth and glassy surface of the lake hundreds upon hundreds 

 of noble swans were floating with their cygnets, looking at a distance like boats under 

 sail. The cygnets were still of a dull yellow colour, and all the birds were very shy. 

 It made a beautiful picture, and after contemplating it awhile, we again plied our pad- 

 dles, and half an hour before sunset stopped on the left bank of the lake, about eight 

 miles from its mouth, and encamped for the night on the beach. — Feathers tonhaugh's 

 Canoe Voyage. 



Occurrence of the Bimaculated Duck. — On the 9th of last December I obtained a 

 female of the bimaculated duck from Leadenhall Market, where it had been sent from 

 Yarmouth. Mr. Yarrell, to whom I showed it when freshly skinned, expressed an 

 opinion that it was a hybrid, but very kindly gave me access to the specimens in the 

 Zoological Society's Museum, and on a comparison with the female specimen of the 

 bimaculated duck which formed a part of Mr. Vigors' collection, it proved to be iden- 

 tical with that species, differing only in having a somewhat darker mark through the 

 eye, the top of the head having the markings darker, and the plumage generally not 

 quite so much tinged with rufous. The buff of the chin and throat is also purer and 

 rather more extensive, as well as being better defined. The speculum, too, does not 

 reflect quite so purple a tint, being a very bright green. However, these are very slight 

 differences, and such as I find, by examination, to exist between female individuals of 

 the common wild duck, which very nearly resembles the female of the bimaculated 

 duck, except in size. This specimen measured, when fresh, 17^ inches from the point 

 of the bill to the end of the tail, and in stretch of wings 27 inches. The irides red- 

 dish-brown. The stomach was half-filled with fine sand. It had evidently been de- 

 coyed, as the neck was dislocated. This specimen makes the fifth recorded to have 

 been taken in England. The first is the one mentioned by Pennant ; the second and 

 third, the specimens in the Zoological Society's Museum ; and a fourth, obtained by 

 Mr. Bartlett in 1843. All, except Pennant's, have been obtained from Leadenhall 

 Market. Several continental naturalists have mentioned the bimaculated duck, but I 

 cannot learn where they have obtained their specimens. Pallas, I believe, figured it, 

 so has Meyer, and Temminck speaks of its being subject to variety, yet no foreign spe- 

 cimens have ever found their way to our museums or private collections ; at least not 

 any that I can gain any intelligence of. Perhaps some of your numerous correspon- 

 dents can give some information on this subject. An opinion has lately been ex- 

 pressed, that this species is nothing more than a cross between the pintail and widgeon, 

 but to me there appeals very slight evidence of this ; the buff colour of the bar across 

 the secondaries, in the male bimaculated duck, immediately above the speculum, being 

 the only respect in which it in any degree resembles the male pintail. To the male 

 widgeon there are no points of resemblance. Mr. Bartlett, has, however, suggested to 

 me a far more probable cross, which is, between the wild duck and teal, and on subse- 

 quent examination, I have found considerable evidence in favour of this, but at the 

 same time several peculiarities which remain unexplained. I will endeavour briefly 

 to state the result of these investigations. The back of the male bimaculated duck 

 very greatly resembles that of the mallard, but has the long yellow mark on the elon- 

 gated scapulars, which is so conspicuous in the male teal. The tertials, immediately 

 above, and as it were, parallel with the speculum, exactly resemble those of the mal- 



