270 BIRDS OF DUMFRIESSHIRE 
and spring, among the Edinburgh poulterers."* Robert 
Gray records that several were killed on the Nith in Dum- 
friesshire, in 1850 and 1851, and were preserved by WiUiam 
Hastings, bird-stufEer, of Dumfries.f The foUowing 
appeared in the Dumfries and Galloway Courier of April 
28th, 1857 : "Mr. Hastings has at present a fine specimen 
of the Shoveller Duck, rare in this district, which he is 
stuffing for Mr. Shaw of Drumlanrig." A ''Blue-winged 
Shovel-bill female " is reported as obtained in the Dumfries 
district on January 28th, 1858.J 
A young female Shoveler was shot at the beginning of 
August, 1879, in Kirkmahoe, and brought for preservation 
to WiUiam Hastings, who remarks : " This is a most un- 
usual time for the Shoveller to be met with here, and as it 
was a young bird I beheve it must have been bred in the 
locahty."§ Mr. R. Service tells me that he handled this 
specimen, and quite confirms Wilham Hastings' opinion. 
In the autumn of 1884 another was obtained locally|| ; 
this bird was a female. Mr. J. Harkness writes me : " I 
have one shot by J. Phillips on January 1st, 1885, on 
Blackshaw Bank. There was one shot at Dormont on 
February 26th, 1886, a fine drake ; " and Mr. Hugh Mackay 
records : " On 19th November, 1893, Mr. Hume, gunsmith, 
brought me a fine female specimen of the Shoveller-Duck 
which had been sent him from the parish of Caerlaverock. 
This species is chiefly a winter visitor, although a few remain 
with us all the year round."^ A female Shoveler, shot near 
Kirkmahoe, is recorded in the Transactions of the Dumfries- 
shire and Galloway Natural History and Antiquarian Society 
for 1894.** Mr. J. Davidson writes me that during his 
* Nat. Lib., 1843, Vol. XIV., p. 127. 
t Birds of West Scotland, 1871, p. 364. 
t Naturalist, 1858, Vol. VIII., p. 117. 
§ Trans. D. and G. Nat. Hist. Soc, December 5th, 1879. 
11 Op. cit., November 7th, 1884. 
^ Op. cit.y April 20th, 1894. 
♦* Op. cit., February 16th, 1894. 
