The Wigeon 41 
been slow but most marked, and the species may now be considered to be an 
established resident from Caithness to Selkirkshire. 
W. MacGillivray, writing in 1852 (' British Birds,' vol, v. p. 87) says that 
|;he Wigeon had never occurred in the Outer Hebrides. This is a somewhat 
perplexing statement for so well informed a naturalist to have made, as Gray, 
writing in 1871, says that the species was abundant over the whole of the 
Long Island in winter. And at the present day nowhere in Britain does such 
excellent Wigeon flighting occur as in one of the lakes at Newton, North Uist. 
For two years I rented a small shooting on the west coast of North Uist. I 
found the Wigeon arriving as early as August in small flocks. After this their 
numbers increased rapidly. By the middle of winter they are most abundant 
throughout the whole of the Long Island, South Uist, and Benbecula. Yet 
Mr. Harvie Brown, who has carefully studied the birds of these islands, has 
obtained no trustworthy information of its having bred there. In the Inner 
Hebrides it is likewise abundant in winter, being especially numerous in that 
fine duck resort, the Island of Tiree. 
In the Orkneys Wigeon visit the islands in fair numbers every winter, 
being most numerous on Lochs Harray and Stennis, where I have seen packs 
of from ICQ to 200 birds; but there are no good feeding-grounds, and it was 
always somewhat surprising to me that the birds were there in some numbers. 
There is a small pool situated in the little island of Damsey, where I often used 
to go to stalk seals, and here in rough weather Wigeon come in considerable 
numbers on winter evenings. The boatman, who accompanied me on these 
expeditions, told me that he used to visit this pool regularly in years gone by 
with Dr. Rae, of Arctic fame, and that that gentleman had on one occasion 
shot thirty-four Wigeon at ' flight.' The Wigeon now breeds regularly in Hoy. 
In the Shetlands only a few Wigeon stay throughout the winter, although 
they are numerous both in spring and autumn when on migration, and Saxby 
stated that he had received eggs from Unst, Yell, and Hascosay, and there is 
little doubt that a few pairs nest annually in the islands. 
In Ireland Wigeon are abundant on the estuaries of the east coast, notably 
