92 
ANATIDtE. 
of a very close approach, and seemed to have no apprehension of 
danger ; but its observer, being in every instance in pursuit of 
large flocks of wild-fowl, was unwilling to lose his chance of a 
shot at them, by firing at a single bird, although that was a gar- 
ganey. His description of the markings on the head, &c., showed 
it to have been an adult male. In Tighe's f Kilkenny/ the fol- 
lowing observation is made : — “ Anas querquedula , a bird which 
goes by various English names, as garganey, easterling, lady-fowl, 
and on the Nore is sometimes very improperly called diver, and 
even wigeon, appears in winter, sometimes in small flocks, some- 
times alone ; the female, which is nearly brown, without any of 
the beautiful plumage of the male, is described by Kay under the 
name of Phascas” p. 156. It is difficult to know what species 
is meant in this extract, which I have thought proper to give, 
lest I be accused of having passed over information on the 
subject of the bird under consideration. Certainly the first two 
names used pertain to it ; but “ easterling” is applied both to 
the smew (Montagu) and wigeon (Yarrell) ; the pintail is often 
called “ lady-fowl " in Dublin and the south of Ireland ; and 
Kay's “ Phascas 33 is the wigeon. 
A. few pair of the garganey have been known to breed in Nor- 
folk, but it is considered a rare bird in England, and is regarded 
by Mr. Selby and Sir William Jardine as visiting that country at 
“ the period of its migratory flight towards its summer or breed- 
ing quarters.”"* These range so far north as Sweden, although 
the species breeds in the countries of southern as well as of central 
Europe. The latter author considers that “ the southern half of 
England is the boundary of its northern range, except in acci- 
dental instances.” One record only of this bird's occurrence in 
Scotland — when six were killed in Stirlingshire, in March 1841 
— appears in his work and that of Macgillivray. It is subse- 
quently stated to have been met with in the Orkney Islands.! 
* Mr. Knox informs us that immature birds are not unusual in the winter on the 
coast of Sussex, but adult specimens, particularly males, are rare (p. 237). 
f ‘ Hist. Nat. Oread. 5 p. 77. 
