That the Pintail does not hahitually breed in this country is certain; but Mr. John Hancock informed 
Mr. More tliat he has known it to breed spontaneously in a swamp in Northumberland, which is now drained, 
and he believes the bird still breeds occasionally on the Northumbrian moors. 
The evidence adduced by Mr. Henry Milner and Mr. Wolley in the following extract from the last edition 
of Mr. Hewitson’s ‘ Illustrations of the Eggs of British Birds,’ tends to prove that the eggs of the Pintail are 
unusually small for the size of the bird, and, moreover, are very like those of the Long-tailed Duck {Harelda 
glacialts) ; hence it will be read with interest. 
“ A few years ago,” says Mr. Wolley, “ I was very much surprised at the appearance of an egg given me 
by a gentleman (Mr. Henry Milner), who had brought it from Iceland in 1846, and who assured me it was 
out of a nest from which he himself had shot a female Pintail as it rose. It seemed so small for the bird, 
was so different from eggs previously supposed to be genuine, and looked like what I had been accustomed 
to consider Long-tailed Duck’s. This single egg from Iceland, I accordingly valued very highly, and looked 
upon it as a veritable Pintail’s, though this discovery of Mr. Milner’s, like all others founded upon single 
nests, perhaps still wanted confirmation. 
“ In common with some other ornithologists, I had long been almost in a state of despair about most of 
those Ducks which do not occasionally, at least, breed in Great Britain. It was this which, more than 
anything else, determined me to take a journey to the far north ; and, for many reasons, the fenny regions 
beyond the gulf of Bothnia seemed the most promising. On the 7th of June, 1853, I was some hundred 
miles up the river which forms the boundary between the territories of the King of Sweden and the Czar. 
Stopping at a house by the water-side, I could get nothing to eat but a few eggs, among which were nine of 
some kind of Duck, the appearance of which was exactly like the one I have mentioned as being brought from 
Iceland ; but, having no means of identifying them, I dropped them into the kettle without the least remorse. 
On the 14th of June, some hundred miles further north, in fact within half an English mile of where I am 
now writing (Muonloniska), after a long and fruitless search for eggs, a Duck fluttered up a few yards off. There 
was a rush to the spot, greatly to the peril of the nest, sunk as it Avas in the moss. It was lined with down, and 
contained four eggs. The place was marshy, a few yards from the forest, on the rise of the hill. At midnight I 
went again to try and obtain tbe bird ; it was just taking a circle over the nest, audit bent its long neck down to 
see that all was safe. 1 had a good look at it, as the sun was still shining. Twelve hours afterwards I had a shot 
at it as it rose rather wildly ; but it did not seem to be hurt, and, as I had to continue my journey, I now reluc- 
tantly took the eggs ; but I hoped that the down would serve to identify them, for amongst it were several breast- 
feathers. In the meantime, if I could trust my eyes, the bird was a hen Pintail ; the eggs were, pei'haps, a 
week sat upon, and just like some others I had attributed to the same bird. On the 18th of June, I and my 
line of beaters put up the old ones from three nests at different times in the course of twenty-four hours in a 
large marsh. I saw tAvo very AA’ell, one of Avhich I examined Avith my glass as it stood with its neck up in an 
open place some sixty or seventy yards off. It was a Pintail. All the eggs Avere nearly hatching, and the 
young, of Avhich I preserved one or tAvo, were all of the same species. I also kept the down and scattered 
feathers from each nest ; and noAv I considered I had genuine Pintail’s eggs of my oavii taking. But the most 
permanent proof was still wanting — the skin of a bird I myself should obtain from the nest. It was not till 
last season that I got this proof. On the 20th of May, 1854, 1 visited the same marsh ; and in a little wooded 
island of a feAv yards in circuit, a Duck rose almost under my feet, and I shot it, feeling sure it was a Pintail, 
as it proved to be. There were six eggs, a day or tAvo sat upon. The nest was made of a few twigs, mixed 
and lined with down from the mother’s breast. It is usually made of long bleached grass, or anything that 
comes to hand. This bird breeds generally in marshes, and not very near large pieces of Avater, The eggs 
seem to be usually six or seven in number. The Pintail is one of the earliest breeders among the Ducks. 
They appear as soon as the Avater begins to open, and may be seen standing in pairs at the edge of the ice. 
As soon as the Ducks are hard sitting, the Drakes go about in flocks, having apparently deserted their 
mates.” The eggs are of a clay-colour, slightly tinged Avith olive, and measure about two inebes in length 
by one inch and a half in breadth. 
In Lapland Mr. Wheelright always found the nest of the Pintail in the small Avillow plantations that skirt 
the foot of the fells. He obtained bis first nest on tbe 4th of June. 
Different as is the garb of the tAvo sexes in Avinter, as shoAvn on the accompanying Plate, soon after the 
female has incubated her eggs, the male throws olf his finery, and assumes a dress so like that of his mate, 
that, except in size, the two sexes are very similar in appearance ; the summer dress, hoAvev'er, is carried 
but a short time ; for early in autumn the fine Avinter costume of the male is again assumed. Selby believed 
that these changes Avere produced by a change in the colour of the feathers, rather than by a rencAval of 
them ; hut I think that this is not the case, and that the feathers are shed upon each occasion. 
The Plate represents an old male, of the size of life, Avith a reduced figure of a female in the distance. 
