439 
1921 .] Birds of Alderney. 
Querquedula crecca. The Teal. 
A winter visitor in small numbers during hard weather 
and never remaining long. L. tells me lie usually sees a 
few in August and September, so it is also a bird of passage. 
Mareca penelope. The Wigeon. 
As in the case of the last two, this bird is a winter visitor 
in hard weather only, and in quite small numbers. It departs 
as soon as the weather modifies, if not in the meantime 
accounted for by the local sportsman. I cannot find that it 
ever occurs as a bird of passage. 
Dafila acuta. The Pintail. 
Mr. Cecil- Smith says of this bird :—“ Captain Hubbach 
writes me word that he shot one in Alderney in January 
1863d’ 
(Edemia nigra. The Common Scoter. 
Mr. Cecil Smith says :—“The Scoter is a common autumn 
and winter visitant to all the islands, generally making its 
appearance in considerable flocks.” 1 am afraid its numbers 
must have sadly diminished since Mr. Smithes day, as I do 
not remember seeing it when stationed in Guernsey, nor on 
my fairly frequent winter passages between Alderney and 
Guernsey. I shot an immature female of this species in 
Longy Bay on the 9th of August, 1919. It was by itself 
and doubtless a straggler from some flock. I have no other 
record of it for the island, though it no doubt visits Burhou 
and some of the outlying rocks during winter. 
Mergus merganser. The Goosander. 
Mr. Cecil Smith says“ The Goosander is a regular and 
tolerably numerous visitant to all the islands, arriving in 
the autumn and remaining throughout the winter.’ 5 I have 
no other record of it, but birds which keep the sea, such as 
the divers and diving-ducks, are difficult to observe from 
land. Had I the facilities for going afloat during winter, I 
have little doubt but that this list could have been added to, 
in one or two particulars. 
SER. XI.—VOL. III. 
2 G 
