272 VERTEBRATE FAUNA OF LAKELAND 



shot upon the Lyne near Heathersgill on the 3d of January 

 1885. The foregoing are the only examples known to have 

 visited the interior of Lakeland. A drake in change was killed 

 on the Eden, October 21, 1884. A male and female Gadwall 

 frequented a marsh near Silloth in March 1886, and I am sorry 

 to say that the female bird was shot. 



On the 8th of January 1892 W. Nicol was shooting on the 

 Solway Firth, when he fell in with a nice lot of Wigeon, and 

 fired at the bunch. On paddling up to the birds, which the 

 discharge of the cannon left floating on the water, he found a 

 fine Gadwall drake among the slain. It was in full nuptial 

 livery, indeed I never saw a bird in which the chestnut wing 

 coverts were better developed. I have no doubt that this indi- 

 vidual, like all the other Gadwall that have been killed in 

 Lakeland, was a passing migrant. The collection of Mr. J. 

 Whitaker includes a Gadwall from the neighbourhood of More- 

 cambe Bay. I do not at present know of any other specimens 

 that can be accredited to the score of those shot in Lakeland. 



SHOVELLER 



Spatula clypeata (L.). 



The Shoveller is an extremely local bird in the Lake district, 

 especially in the southern portion of this province. Dr. Gough 

 included the Shoveller in 1861 as an occasional visitant in 

 winter to Brigster moss. I have not heard of any Shovellers 

 being killed either there or elsewhere in the neighbourhood of 

 Morecambe Bay at that season. The species is not reported 

 by Mr. Threfall, nor is it in Mr. Sharpe's list of the fowl that 

 he has shot on Morecambe Bay ; nor yet in that of Mr. Hindson. 

 But it is quite possible that the Shoveller may occasionally 

 breed in the neighbourhood of this great estuary, since the con- 

 ditions offered by extensive mosses are highly favourable. As 

 a matter of fact, the only Shoveller that I have heard of as 

 obtained there was shot on the 30th of May 1889, at Ayside, 

 near Grange, and mounted by F. E. Kirby of Ulverston, at 

 whose house Mr. W. Duckworth saw it, a male bird. Dr. 

 Heysham did not include either the Shoveller or the Pintail in 



