﻿BIEDS. 
  

  

  149 
  

  

  Inverurie, 
  about 
  the 
  same 
  date. 
  A 
  male 
  was 
  shot 
  by 
  Mr. 
  

   Hills 
  at 
  the 
  Loch 
  of 
  Strathbeg, 
  March 
  2nd, 
  1898. 
  The 
  two 
  

   last 
  were 
  seen 
  by 
  me. 
  

  

  Genus 
  FULIGULA, 
  Stephens. 
  

   Fuligula 
  cristata, 
  Leach. 
  Tufted 
  Duck. 
  

  

  " 
  When 
  the 
  fresh 
  waters 
  are 
  frozen, 
  it 
  betakes 
  itself 
  to 
  the 
  

   sea, 
  like 
  all 
  the 
  other 
  species, 
  and 
  subsists 
  chiefly 
  on 
  bivalve 
  

   mollusca. 
  Even 
  during 
  open 
  weather 
  it 
  is 
  often 
  seen 
  in 
  the 
  

   shallow 
  bays, 
  and 
  especially 
  in 
  estuaries. 
  Montagu 
  states 
  

   that 
  it 
  is 
  often 
  shot 
  on 
  Slapton 
  Ley, 
  in 
  South 
  Devon, 
  a 
  large 
  

   piece 
  of 
  water 
  close 
  to 
  the 
  sea. 
  From 
  thence 
  northwards, 
  on 
  

   both 
  sides 
  of 
  the 
  island, 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  uncommon 
  until 
  beyond 
  the 
  

   Firths 
  of 
  Clyde 
  and 
  Tay, 
  when 
  it 
  becomes 
  of 
  less 
  frequent 
  

   occurrence." 
  (MacGillivray.) 
  

  

  " 
  The 
  Scaup, 
  the 
  Tufted, 
  Eed-headed 
  Pochard, 
  as 
  also 
  the 
  

   Golden-eyed 
  Garrot, 
  are 
  all 
  met 
  with." 
  (Edward, 
  Naturalist, 
  

   vol. 
  iv., 
  p. 
  242.) 
  This 
  statement 
  would 
  seem 
  to 
  indicate 
  that 
  

   all 
  the 
  above-mentioned 
  Ducks 
  were 
  not 
  uncommon 
  ; 
  but 
  

   coming 
  down 
  to 
  1876, 
  referring 
  to 
  Smiles's 
  Life 
  of 
  Edivard, 
  at 
  

   p. 
  414, 
  we 
  are 
  informed 
  that 
  the 
  Tufted 
  Duck 
  is 
  " 
  very 
  rare." 
  

   " 
  Occasionally 
  seen 
  on 
  the 
  Ythan 
  and 
  Fyvie 
  Loch 
  ; 
  one 
  was 
  

   shot 
  at 
  the 
  Eeservoir, 
  Peterhead, 
  last 
  January." 
  (Serle.) 
  

  

  Within 
  the 
  past 
  twenty 
  years 
  the 
  Tufted 
  Duck 
  has 
  in- 
  

   creased 
  very 
  much 
  in 
  " 
  Dee," 
  and 
  is 
  now 
  a 
  resident. 
  It 
  was 
  

   first 
  observed 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  breeding 
  species 
  within 
  our 
  area 
  by 
  

   William 
  Evans, 
  Esq., 
  who 
  found 
  its 
  nest 
  at 
  the 
  Loch 
  of 
  Drum 
  

   in 
  1887. 
  Since 
  then 
  it 
  has 
  become 
  quite 
  a 
  common 
  breeding 
  

   species, 
  and 
  may 
  be 
  seen 
  in 
  numbers 
  in 
  the 
  Lochs 
  of 
  Drum 
  

   and 
  Skene. 
  On 
  the 
  latter 
  it 
  has 
  bred 
  since 
  1884. 
  By 
  the 
  

   kind 
  invitation 
  of 
  the 
  late 
  Mr. 
  Hamilton 
  of 
  Skene, 
  I 
  spent 
  

   a 
  day 
  or 
  two 
  at 
  his 
  hospitable 
  mansion, 
  in 
  August, 
  1890. 
  On 
  

   this 
  occasion, 
  we 
  sailed 
  over 
  and 
  over 
  the 
  Loch 
  of 
  Skene, 
  and 
  

   saw 
  numbers 
  of 
  Tufted 
  Ducks, 
  with 
  their 
  tiny 
  black 
  young, 
  

   floating 
  buoyantly 
  upon 
  the 
  water. 
  Each 
  female 
  had 
  a 
  brood 
  

   of 
  from 
  three 
  to 
  six, 
  and 
  all 
  seemed 
  quite 
  at 
  ease, 
  allowing 
  us 
  

   to 
  approach 
  within 
  a 
  few 
  yards 
  of 
  them 
  before 
  the 
  young 
  

   dived, 
  to 
  reappear 
  some 
  yards 
  distant, 
  where 
  they 
  again 
  

   came 
  together 
  to 
  skim 
  over 
  the 
  water, 
  picking 
  up 
  organisms 
  

  

  