﻿148 
  THE 
  VEETEBEATE 
  FAUNA 
  OF 
  " 
  DEE." 
  

  

  gunshot 
  " 
  of 
  them, 
  it 
  does 
  not 
  seem 
  quite 
  clear 
  that 
  the 
  

   identification 
  could 
  have 
  been 
  very 
  accurately 
  made. 
  Under 
  

   these 
  circumstances, 
  it 
  is 
  necessary 
  to 
  take 
  such 
  statements 
  

   with 
  a 
  considerable 
  amount 
  of 
  reserve. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Mutch 
  informed 
  me 
  that 
  seven 
  of 
  this 
  species 
  were 
  

   shot 
  at 
  Pitfour, 
  October 
  22nd, 
  1898. 
  

  

  Querquedula 
  crecca, 
  Linn. 
  Common 
  Teal. 
  

  

  This 
  beautiful 
  little 
  Duck 
  is 
  common 
  and 
  resident 
  with 
  us, 
  

   and 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  found 
  in 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  places 
  frequented 
  by 
  the 
  

   Mallard. 
  It 
  breeds 
  about 
  all 
  our 
  lochs, 
  and 
  in 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  

   peat 
  bogs 
  throughout 
  the 
  district. 
  

  

  Genus 
  SPATULA, 
  Boie. 
  

   Spatula 
  clypeata, 
  Linn. 
  Shoveller. 
  

  

  " 
  In 
  Scotland 
  no 
  authentic 
  instance 
  of 
  its 
  occurrence 
  at 
  

   any 
  season 
  has 
  come 
  to 
  my 
  knowledge." 
  (MacGillivray.) 
  

   Subsequent 
  to 
  MacGillivray' 
  s 
  observations, 
  the 
  Shoveller 
  has 
  

   made 
  its 
  appearance 
  in 
  " 
  Dee." 
  

  

  Not 
  a 
  common 
  species 
  with 
  us, 
  but 
  is 
  increasing. 
  One 
  

   was 
  shot 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Davidson, 
  Seaton 
  House, 
  in 
  the 
  dam 
  near 
  the 
  

   Bridge 
  of 
  Don 
  in 
  1856, 
  and 
  four 
  more 
  are 
  reported 
  in 
  Gray's 
  

   Birds 
  of 
  the 
  West 
  of 
  Scotland 
  as 
  having 
  been 
  seen 
  by 
  Mr. 
  

   Angus 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  place, 
  two 
  of 
  which 
  he 
  shot. 
  One 
  was 
  

   shot 
  in 
  the 
  lake 
  at 
  Haddo 
  House, 
  in 
  1866, 
  by 
  Mr. 
  John 
  Wilson, 
  

   and 
  one 
  was 
  shot 
  at 
  Uppermill 
  by 
  A. 
  Tait, 
  Esq., 
  Inverurie. 
  

  

  This 
  species 
  bred 
  in 
  the 
  Loch 
  of 
  Slains 
  for 
  several 
  seasons, 
  

   at 
  which 
  place 
  they 
  have 
  been 
  seen 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Ramsay, 
  keeper 
  

   there, 
  all 
  the 
  year 
  round. 
  At 
  the 
  same 
  place, 
  an 
  old 
  one 
  and 
  

   two 
  young 
  were 
  shot 
  by 
  the 
  late 
  Mr. 
  P. 
  Chalmers, 
  advocate, 
  

   Aberdeen, 
  who 
  sent 
  them 
  to 
  me. 
  Edward, 
  in 
  his 
  article 
  

   " 
  Birds 
  of 
  Strathbeg," 
  Naturalist, 
  vol. 
  iv., 
  p. 
  242, 
  says 
  it 
  " 
  has 
  

   occurred" 
  there. 
  " 
  One 
  was 
  shot 
  at 
  Gourdas 
  in 
  July, 
  1880," 
  

   and 
  " 
  has 
  been 
  taken 
  at 
  Fraserburgh 
  and 
  Pitsligo." 
  (Serle.) 
  

  

  I 
  saw 
  an 
  immature 
  specimen 
  in 
  the 
  shop 
  of 
  Mr. 
  Brown, 
  

   gamedealer, 
  Aberdeen, 
  which 
  was 
  shot 
  at 
  Strathbeg, 
  Sep- 
  

   tember 
  9th, 
  1896. 
  Two 
  young 
  were 
  shot 
  at 
  Castle 
  Forbes, 
  

   August 
  2nd, 
  1897 
  ; 
  and 
  one, 
  also 
  young, 
  at 
  Uppermill, 
  near 
  

  

  