NOTES ON THE BIRDS OF LINLITHGOW LOCH. 103 



Golden-eye that seemed to be assuming full male plumage, 

 though unfortunately I could never get very close to it : 



" October 29th, 1913. I saw at least four Golden-eyes in 

 female plumage, and one that appeared to be a male developing 

 its full, plumage. It showed a lot of white on the sides and 

 back, and I thought, though I could not be certain, that I saw 

 traces of the eye-spot. 



" November 11th. I had a couple of Golden-eyes in view 

 with the glass for some time at a considerable distance. They 

 were both certainly drakes, but the eye-spot in one did not show 

 as distinctly as in the other. Could this former be the bird that 

 I saw on October 29th ? " 



October 27th is the earliest date that I have for this species. 

 They always seem to arrive at the very end of that month. 

 Curiously enough, I cannot remember having seen a drake at 

 nearly so close a range as I constantly saw the females. They 

 kept more to the middle of the lake. I am certain that I never 

 saw one within gunshot. 



Mallard. — Some scores of these ducks are to be seen in 

 winter, and a very few breed on the lake. This is the only duck 

 that I have seen here with young. I have seen two or three 

 with a certain amount of white on their plumage. Doubtless 

 these birds occasionally interbreed with tame ducks. 



Wigeon. — A very few come, probably every winter. For a 

 few weeks from October 22nd, 1913, I had a male and four or 

 five females under regular observation. It is strange that so 

 few of these birds, and so few Tufted Ducks, come to the lake. 

 The latter is the commonest duck on Loch Leven, and the 

 Wigeon breeds there in some numbers. 



Teal. — About twenty Teal stay during the winter. They 

 seem to assume full winter plumage earlier than most 

 species. 



" October 22nd, 1913. I saw several Teal, including half a 

 dozen males in quite good plumage. The head had the chestnut 

 and green markings, and the cream-coloured streak between. 

 I saw about forty Shovellers, one or two of the males showing 

 some signs of getting their winter plumage." The Teal were 

 certainly very much in advance of the Shovellers in this respect. 

 I should not have been surprised if Teal had not been found at 



