74 
ANATIDA5. 
This bird is occasionally shot in Westmeath, and visits Wex- 
ford harbour (whence at least half-a-dozen are brought to market 
every winter), where it bears the name of maiden-ducJc .* At Water- 
ford, it is called whinyard — a name applied to a knife and a sword 
of a peculiar shape, resembling the shoveller’s bill in form.t 
One of these birds was shot in the harbour of Cork, in January, 
and another (adult) in April, 1846. One or two, at most, are seen 
in Cork market every winter, adults as frequently as young. J 
Two were shot in the winter of 1886-37, near Tralee, where a 
few occasionally appear, § and the species is sometimes seen on 
the river Shannon. The term “whinyard” reminds me of the 
“ whinnard'' noticed in Mason's f Statistical Account of Ireland' 
(vol. iii. p. 400), by the Eev. William Eastwood, in his obser- 
vations on the wild-fowl of Wexford harbour. “The average 
prices,'' he remarks, “may be thus : — barnacle [brent geese], 6s. ; 
whinnard, 3s. ; wigeon, 2s. 6d. ; teal. Is. 8d. ; and duck (least 
liked), 2s. a pair.'' The whinnard I presume to be the shoveller, 
and it is not rated comparatively too high. A friend, who has 
eaten of birds killed in Belfast Bay, considered them fhe best 
wild-fowl of which he ever partook ; and much better than teal. 
They were thickly covered with fat, of a delicate flavour. Authors 
on both sides of the Atlantic bear testimony to the superior quality 
of the shoveller as an article of food. Wilson speaks of “ the ex- 
cellence of its flesh, which is uniformly juicy, tender, and well- 
tasted” (vol. iii. p. 87, Jardine's edit.). Audubon even prefers 
it to the canvas-back duck, so celebrated for its gastronomic vir- 
tues. The latter author gives, from personal observation, some 
very interesting particulars of the species, vol. iv. p. 241. 
The shoveller is perhaps about equally common in England and 
Ireland; but much less so in Scotland than in the latter island. 
To Mr. Macgillivray ' it was even unknown there when his 
Manual was written (vol. ii. p. 172), and it does not appear in 
Mr. St. John's copious list of the birds of Sutherland. || Sir 
* Mr. J. Poole. f Mr. R. Ball. | Dr. J. R. Harvey, 1850. 
§ Mr. T. F. Neligan. || ‘Tour in Sutherland, 5 vol. i. p. 140. 
