THE AMERICAN WIC-EON. 
113 
characters denoting an old male bird of its species. On the 
figures of the American wigeon in the works of Wilson (Jar dine' s 
edit.) and Yarrell being shown to the shooter, he felt confident 
that his bird was of the same species, the former representing its 
plumage the better of the two, and the latter its form, as the 
neck was thicker than that of the common wigeon. Although he 
thus noted the bird particularly, and, with another fowler who 
accompanied him to Strangford, held a kind of inquest on its 
species, it was unfortunately sold with his other wild-fowl, as, from 
his having seen singular varieties of birds in the hands of bird- 
preservers, he thought this might be a remarkable state of plumage 
of the common wigeon : — of a second species he had not at that 
time heard. He is certain of having killed birds of the same 
kind in Belfast Bay, but never any so far advanced towards adult 
male plumage. Placing entire reliance on the discrimination and 
accuracy of Bell, I have not hesitated to notice this bird as a 
visitant to our coast. To him also we are indebted for the only 
Tringa platyrhyncJia obtained in Ireland ; he at once perceived 
that the specimen was distinct from the dunlins killed at the same 
time, and preserved it accordingly. 
The only notice of the American wigeon having been obtained in 
Great Britain to the date of publication of the second edition of 
Mr. Yarrell's work in 1815, is, that in the winter of 1837-38 
two of these birds were seen by Mr. Bartlett at the same time in 
the London market, but where they were killed was not known. 
In works on the birds of Europe, published down to 1844, 
this species is not noticed as having occurred on any of the 
coasts of continental Europe. It is common to those of North 
America, where the rice-fields of Carolina are favourite feeding- 
grounds.* 
* The Summer or Wood Duck, Dendronessa sponsa, Linn, (sp.), has occasionally 
been killed in Ireland, hut the victims had probably escaped from confinement. Dr. 
Harvey of Cork informed me of a couple (an adult male and female P) having been 
shot by Wm. Crawford, Esq., on the Carrigaline river, within, and not far from the 
mouth of, Cork harbour, on the 10th of October, 1845. The two only were seen. 
On mentioning the subject at that time to Mr. R. Ball, he stated that some of these 
birds had been kept on ponds in and about Cork, and that six or eight individuals 
I 
