. The birds of Essex: a contribution to the natural history of the country. Birds. ANA TIDM—DUCKS. Dale, in 1730, says (2. 404) : " These in wintertime are brought to [Harwich] Market from the ; 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
. The birds of Essex: a contribution to the natural history of the country. Birds. ANA TIDM—DUCKS. Dale, in 1730, says (2. 404) : " These in wintertime are brought to [Harwich] Market from the ; 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 jemained in the neighbourhood for two months. Six young birds were also observed on the Essex coast on August 7th, 18S0 (42), while four young birds were taken some years ago in the Marsh House Deco}', 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 Deco3's 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-da3's, the Wigeon is only known t3 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 Ca
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectbirds, bookyear1890
