ANATIDAE—DUCKS.
201
Dale, in 1730, says (2. 404) : " These in wintertime are brought to [Harwich]
Market from the decoys." Mr. Bond met with "one specimen only " at Southend
during the last week in August, 1842 (23. 40). Mr. Clarke, about 1845, speaks
of it (24) as " not infrequent " then round Saffron Walden. According to King
(20) it was formerly " not uncommon " around Sudbury. Mr. Buxton says (47.
97) that in Epping Forest it "may be seen occasionally in winter," and English
includes it (43. i. 24) in his Epping List. Round Harwich, Mr. Kerry calls it com-
mon, and it is said locally to breed there occasionally, but this is almost certainly
an error, though Mr. Hope informs me that he has seen birds of the year near
Harwich early in July, and that they remained in the neighbourhood for two
months. Six young birds were also observed on the Essex coast on August 7th,
1880 (42), while four young birds were taken some years ago in the Marsh
House Decoy, Tillingham, during the month of August.
It is a highly remarkable fact, too (as has already been observed—p. 71) that,
whereas at present the vast majority of the birds taken in our Decoys near the
coast are caught during December, January and February, a century and a half
ago, by far the greatest numbers were taken during September and October, while
even the month of August was then more productive than the months mentioned
above now are. The inference seems to be that a very large number of the birds
formerly taken were home-bred, or, at least, that their chief breeding-grounds then
lay nearer to us than they now do. Now-a-days, the Wigeon is only known
to breed in Britain on the rarest occasions.
[American Wigeon : Mareca americana.
A very rare straggler to Britain from America, only six or seven
specimens having been obtained here. An Essex record by Mr. Samuel
Howell Carter of Marsh Lane, Tottenham (29. Feb. 13, 1864 ; and 23.
8962) is very vague and unsatisfactory, though accepted by Harting (88.
159). He merely writes, " I shot on the Essex coast last Saturday [? Jan.,
1864] a beautiful female specimen of the American Wigeon." The where-
abouts of the specimen is not now known, and the whole record is so
utterly unsubstantiated that no reliance must be placed on it. A young
male Common Widgeon in moult, shot at Maldon in Nov., 1862, was er-
roneously recorded in the Field as an American Wigeon by " C. A, W."
(29. April 4 and II, 1863).]
Pintail : Dafila acuta.
A not-uncommon winter visitor to the Essex coast. Occasionally
individuals occur inland.
In the Parsons Collection
is a fine old male shot on
Shoebury shore at flight in
Jan., 1832. King says (20)
female was shot near Sudbury
in the winter of 1837-3S. It
is marked in the catalogue of
Walden Museum, issued in
1845, as having occurred near
that town. Lindsey, writing
of Harwich in 1851, says (27.
App. 66),
" This handsome Duck is
s winter visitor to our shores,
and one of those species