A HISTORY OF SUFFOLK Wood) has kindly furnished details of the number of fowl taken from 1878-9 to I go 1-2, the total for the twenty-four seasons amounting to 43,318, which includes fowl shot on the estate and adjoining tidal waters. Of the total 20,382 were wild ducks, 17,169 teal, and 5,464 wigeon, the balance being made up of ' various.' The number of fowl in the season of 1902-3 was 3177, which beat the previous record of 2,964 in 1899- 1900 (A. H. E. W. in litt.). The third decoy is on the Orwell Park estate near Ipswich, and yields an average of about 2,000 fowl in a season. 159. Gadwall. Anas strepera, h'mn. This game-duck breeds regularly in Norfolk but the nest has not yet been found in Suffolk, though in May, 1901, a clutch of ten eggs was taken near Diss within a mile of the boundary river and put under a hen. In Suffolk it is a rather uncommon winter migrant. During a short period of hard weather in February, 1902, a female was shot at Bardwell and preserved by Mr. Travis of Bury. The gadwall can be recognized by its yellowish legs and white wing-spot. 160. Shoveler. Spatula clypeata (Linn.) For beauty and variety of colouring the shoveler drake is excelled by no British water- fowl. This bird is a resident and ' about ten or twelve couple breed annually in one district in east Suffolk where I have seen four or five nests. Sometimes they are to be found among dead reeds : at other times high up on commons among gorse and bracken and right away from water. One nest contained eleven shoveler and three pheasant eggs ' (Rev. F. C. R. Jourdain). The broad bill is a distinguishing mark of this bird in any plumage. 161. Pintail. Dafila acuta (Linn.) Locally, Sea-Pheasant. A winter migrant sometimes arriving in September and occasionally remaining as late as 13 May [Zoologist, 1875, p. 4536), but never breeding in England. 162. Teal. Nettion crecca (Linn.) A resident which ' breeds in fair numbers in east Suffolk. I have seen the nest in woods as well as on the commons ' (Rev. F. C. R. Jourdain). 1879—80 was a great teal year, and 1,661 were captured or shot at Iken out of a total of 2,846 fowl (A. H. E. Wood). 163. Garganey. ^erquedula circia (Linn.) This summer migrant is now so rare that the local name of ' summer-teal ' is practically obsolete. In the ' seventies ' Mr. Hele found it breeding in the marshes near Aldeburgh, and Mr. G. T. Rope in the reedland at Leiston [Zoologist, 1874, p. 4036, for details of the latter), but there are no more recent records. In 1872 several young birds were shot near Aldeburgh during August, and there are one or two local eggs in the Ipswich Museum. The duck in hand can be dis- tinguished from the teal by the absence of the bright green wing-spot. 164. Wigeon. Mareca penelope (Linn.) A common winter migrant of which many are taken in the decoys and also shot. The record of wigeon in the Iken decoy was 771 in 1 900-1 (A. H. E. Wood). They have been seen paired in the Aldeburgh meres in May, and Mr. Hele thought they occasionally bred, having once had a duckling brought to him still partly in the down, but it is perhaps possible that this may have been a gadwall. 165. Red-crested Pochard. iJetta rufina (Pallas) A very rare visitant from the south of which Dr. Babington records one perfectly satisfactory specimen shot at Easton Broad by Mr. Spalding 'some years before 1864.' It was a drake in full plumage, and at Mr. Spalding's sale was secured by the late Mr. H. Greenwood [Catalogue, p. 245). ' 166. Pochard. Fuligula ferina (Linn.) A winter migrant sometimes plentiful enough and believed to have nested once at least near Aldeburgh (Hele). Some eggs were taken and from them were hatched ducklings with very large feet, but they died and were not preserved. ' I have seen a few in the spring with other duck and believe them to breed, though I have not found the nest ' (Rev. F. C. R. Jourdain). 167. Ferruginous Duck. Fuligula nyroca (Guldenstadt) A rare visitant which has only been obtained a few times in SufiFolk and not very recently. 168. Tufted Duck. Fuligula cristata [Ltach) This is a bird whose nest, like that of the pochard, could probably be found if searched for, as it breeds abundantly in Norfolk and its range as a resident species is extending throughout the country. As a winter migrant it is very well known on the coast and in the rivers. 200
