242 
AXATID.E. 
rising for about a yard from the surface, and flying steadily 
for a short distance, suddenly rose about ten feet, quacked 
loudly two or three times, and made a wide sweep back to 
the spot from which she had been disturbed. 
The nest is seldom difficidt to find, if you don’t mind wet 
feet, and even if the eggs are covered, as they often are when 
the bird is absent, the pieces of flags and plants used to cover 
them will betray the spot as surely as the eggs themselves. 
I have observed that the Duck does not always lay bare the 
eggs before resuming her seat upon them. She is a brave 
defender of her home, and more than once by her loud cries 
has called me to inflict summary punishment upon a maraud- 
ing Hoodie Crow. I have also seen her — though not in 
Shetland— keep at bay a Coot until her brood was safe, though 
I could not ascertain the cause of the attack made upon them. 
The eggs are sometimes taken home and placed under a 
domestic hen, but two precautions require to be observed, — 
first, to leave no chinks or holes in the walls unstopped, the 
young of this species being more prone than others to squeeze 
themselves into awkward places from which they cannot be 
easily extricated ; and secondly, after they are fully grown, 
to pinion them, in order that they may not fly off with others 
of their kind at the usual times of migration. 
The Wild Duck is among the birds occasionally found by 
the lighthouse keepers on Flugga, lying dead at the foot of the 
lantern. 
THE GAEGAHEY. 
Anas querqueclula. 
Thomas Edmondston is so obviously mistaken in asserting 
this species to be resident, breeding near lakes,” that the 
statement barely requires comment. It is only fair, however, 
to suppose that he mistook the Wigeon for it, as he does not 
mention the well-known Wigeon as breeding in the islands. 
The Garganey is a rare bird in Slietland. In September I 
