time, it is supposed, on its way to the south. Though not among the
rarest of the tribe, it is now of unusual occurrence, but was formerly
so regular a visitor in the eastern counties, that it acquired the
provincial name of 'Summer Teal'. Young birds are commonly seen on the
Broads of Norfolk in July and August, distinguishable from young Teal
by the lighter colour of their plumage, more slender habit, and
greater length of neck. The nests are built among the thickest reed
beds, and owing now to protection their numbers are increasing. In
Ireland it is the rarest of the well-known ducks.
THE WIGEON
MARÉCA PENÉLOPE
_Male_--head and upper part of the neck chestnut, the cheeks
and crown speckled with black; a broad cream-coloured band
extending from the bill to the crown; throat nearly black; a
narrow collar of white and black wavy lines extending over the
back and flanks; lower part of the neck and sides of the breast
chocolate colour; scapulars velvet-black edged with white;
wing-coverts white; quills ash-brown; speculum glossy green,
with a black band above and below; tail wedge-shaped, two
middle feathers pointed, and the longest, dusky ash; under
tail-coverts black; bill bluish grey, the tip black; irides
hazel; feet dusky grey. _Female_--head and neck reddish brown,
speckled with dusky; back and scapulars dusky brown, the
feathers edged with rusty red; wing-coverts brown, edged with
whitish; speculum without the green gloss; flanks reddish
brown. Length twenty inches. Eggs brownish white.
The name Whew Duck, or Whewer, by which, this bird is known in some
parts of England, was given to it on account of its emitting a shrill
whistle while flying. The name is an old one, for Ray and Willughby
describe it under the name of 'Whewer'. Its French name _Siffleur_,
'Whistler', has reference to the same peculiarity, and by this note
the bird may often be distinguished from others of the same tribe,
when so far off that the eye fails to identify it. The Wigeon ranks
next to the Teal and Wild Duck as an article of food, and, being more
plentiful than either of these birds, it is among the best known of
all the Ducks which frequent our shores. It breeds over most of
Sutherland, and sparingly elsewhere in the north; a few pairs are said
to nest also in various parts of Ireland.
Flocks of Wigeons repair to our shores in autumn, and either betake
themselves to inland lakes and morasses, or keep to the coast,
especially where there are extensive salt marshes. In winter their
numbers are greatly increased, especially in the south; and as they
feed by day as well as by night, they offer themselves a ready prey to
the fowler. Their food consists of marine and fresh-water insects,
small shellfish, sea-weed, and grass. Their nidification differs
little from that of the Teal.
THE COMMON POCHARD
FULÍGULA FERÍNA
Head and neck bright chestnut; breast, upper part of the back,
and rump black; back, scapulars, flanks, and abdomen greyish
white, marked with numerous fine wavy lines; no speculum; bill
black, with a broad lead-coloured transverse band; irides
bright orange; feet lead colour, the membranes black.
_Female_--smaller; head, neck, and breast, reddish brown;
throat white, mottled with reddish; large brown spots on the
flanks; wavy lines on the back less distinct. Length nineteen
inches. Eggs greenish white.
A hardy northern bird of wide geographical range, with considerable
power of flight, a skilful diver, and not particular as to diet, the
Pochard is an abundant species. It breeds in some districts: But it
is principally as a winter visitant that it is known in the south of
Europe. In Norfolk 'Red-Headed' Pochards are perhaps more numerous
than any other kind of Duck which falls to the gun of the sea-side
fowler. Small parties of these birds may frequently be seen by day
flying over the sea, or swimming securely in the offing; and in the
evening great numbers resort to the fens and salt marshes, where they
feed on various kinds of animal matter, and the roots and leaves of
grasses and aquatic plants. As they are considered good eating, and
command a ready sale, they contribute to the support of the sea-side
population, who, when thrown out of work by the severe weather, wander
about the shore by day and lie in wait by night, armed with guns of
various calibre, for the chance of securing in one or two Ducks the
substitute for a day's wages.
They are variously known in different places by the name of Pochards,
Pokers, Dunbirds, and Red-eyed Pochards. On some parts of the coast of
Norfolk I found that they are included with the Wigeon under the
common name of 'Smee-Duck'.
The Pochard builds its nest among reeds, in Russia, Denmark, and the
north of Germany, and lays twelve or thirteen eggs.
The Red-crested is a different species from the 'Red-headed.'
THE TUFTED DUCK
FULÍGULA CRISTÁTA
Feathers on the back of the head elongated; head, neck, breast,
and upper plumage black, with purple, green, and bronze
reflections; speculum and under plumage white, except the
abdomen, which is dusky; bill blue, nail black; irides bright
yellow; feet bluish, with black membranes. _Female_--smaller,
the crest shorter; upper plumage dull black, clouded with
brown; under plumage reddish white, spotted on the breast and
flanks with reddish brown. Length seventeen inches. Eggs
greenish white spotted with light brown.
The points of difference in habit between this and the preceding
species are so few that it is scarcely necessary to say more than that
it is a regular winter visitor to the British Isles, and is
distributed, generally in small flocks, never alone, over our lakes
and marshes, arriving in October and taking its departure in March or
April. Its food is less exclusively of a fishy nature than that of the
Scaup Duck, consequently its flesh is more palatable, being, in the
estimation of French gastronomists, _un rôti parfait_. The Tufted Duck
now breeds in a good many districts here.
THE SCAUP DUCK
FULÍGULA MARÍLA
Head and upper part of the neck black, with green reflections;
breast and rump black; back and scapulars whitish, marked with
numerous fine wavy black lines; belly, flanks, and speculum,
white; bill blue, the nail and edges black; irides bright
yellow; feet ash-grey, with dusky membranes. _Female_--a broad
whitish band round the base of the bill; head and neck dusky
brown; breast and rump dark brown; back marked with fine wavy
lines of black and white; flanks spotted and pencilled with
brown, irides dull yellow. Length twenty inches. Eggs
clay-buff.
The Scaup is so called from its feeding on 'scaup', a northern word
for a bed of shellfish.[37] It is a northern bird, arriving on our
coasts in October and November, and remaining with us till the
following spring. During this time it frequents those parts of the
coast which abound in shellfish, mostly diving for its food after the
manner of the Scoters. On the coast of Norfolk, where Scaups often
appear during winter in large flocks, they are called 'Mussel Ducks',
a name no less appropriate than Scaup; for mussels, and indeed many
other kinds of shellfish, as well as insects and marine plants, seem
equally acceptable to them. Selby records a single instance of the
Scaup having bred so far south as Sutherlandshire, a female having
been seen in the month of June, accompanied by a young one. They have
paired on Loch Leven. It is generally distributed along the shores of
Great Britain, excepting on the south coast [of Ireland]. In August,
1861, I observed two birds swimming sociably on a small fresh-water
loch in the island of Islay, which, upon examination through a
telescope, appeared to me to be, one, a kind of Goose, the other
decidedly a Duck of some kind. On inquiry I found that the former was
a Bernacle Goose, which had been caught in a neighbouring island in
the previous winter, and had been given to the laird's keeper, who
pinioned it and turned it out on the loch to shift for itself. Of the
Duck nothing was known, nor had it been observed before. It eventually
proved to be an adult male Scaup Duck, but what had induced it to
remain there all the summer in the society of a bird of a different
tribe, is a question which I did not attempt to solve.
The Scaup Duck is very abundant in Holland during winter, covering the
inland seas with immense flocks. It is found more sparingly in other
continental countries. It breeds in the extreme north, both in the
eastern and western hemispheres.
[37] 'Avis hæc _the Scaup Duck_ dicta est quoniam _scalpam_,
i. e. pisces testaceos fractos seu contritos,
esitat.'--WILLUGHBY, p. 279.
THE GOLDEN EYE
CLANGÚLA GLAUCION
A white patch under the eye; head and neck black, lustrous with
violet and green; back black; scapulars, great wing-coverts,
speculum, and under parts, white; bill black; irides golden
yellow; feet orange, with black membranes. _Female_--all the
head and neck dark brown; feathers of the back dusky bordered
with dark ash; greater wing-coverts white tipped with black;
speculum and under parts white; tip of the bill yellowish,
irides and feet pale yellow. Length eighteen and a half inches.
Eggs buffy white.
This pretty, active little Duck is a regular winter visitant to the
British shores, from autumn to spring, resorting to most of the
localities frequented by other species, and frequently falling to the
sportsman's gun, though little prized for the table. Females and young
birds, called Mormons, are most numerous in England. They are very
strong of flight, and are remarkable for making with their wings as
they cleave the air a whistling sound, thought to resemble the
tinkling of bells, whence the German name _die Schelle Ente_, Bell
Duck, the Norfolk provincial name Rattle-Wing, and the systematic name
_Clangula_. The young male does not make this noise, and having also
dissimilar plumage from the adult, has been described by some authors
as a distinct species under the name of Morillon.
The food of the Golden Eye varies with its haunts. In estuaries it
feeds on crustaceous and molluscous animals and small fish, which it
obtains by diving. In rivers and lakes it feeds principally on the
larvæ and pupæ of insects, for which also it dives in clear deep
water. The call-note is an unmelodious quack or croak.
The Golden Eye breeds only in high latitudes, and builds its nest in
holes of trees, often at the height of twelve or fifteen feet from the
water, into which it has been seen to convey its young one by one,
holding them under the bill, and supported on its neck. The Lapps, in
order to supply themselves with eggs, are in the habit of placing in
the trees, on the banks of the rivers and lakes frequented by these
birds, boxes with an entrance hole, which, though invariably robbed,
are visited again and again.
The Golden Eye is found in many countries of Europe, in Northern Asia,
and in North America.
THE LONG-TAILED DUCK, OR 'CALLOO'
HARELDA GLACIÁLIS
_Winter plumage_--head, neck, elongated scapulars, under parts,
and lateral tail-feathers white; a large patch of
chestnut-brown on each cheek; flanks ash-grey; rest of the
plumage brownish black; two central tail-feathers very long;
bill black, with a transverse orange band; irides orange; feet
yellow with dark membranes. Length, including the tail,
twenty-two inches. The _female_ wants the white scapulars and
elongated tail; head and neck dark brown and greyish white;
below the ear-coverts a patch of brown; neck in front light
brown, clouded with darker brown; upper plumage generally dark
brown, under white. Length sixteen inches. Eggs greenish white,
tinged with buff.
Though a few specimens of this beautiful bird are obtained from time
to time in various parts of England, especially on the coast of the
eastern counties, it cannot be considered other than a rarity. 'Among
the northern islands of Scotland, and along the coasts of the
mainland', Macgillivray tells us,'these birds make their appearance in
October, in small flocks, which gradually enlarge by the accession of
new families. In the Bay of Cromarty, where they are very common, it
is pleasant to see them in small flocks scattered over the water. They
are most expert swimmers, and live on bivalve shellfish and crustacea,
which they obtain by diving in shallow or moderately deep water. The
male in swimming raises his tail obliquely, in rough water almost
erects it, and is remarkable for the grace and vivacity of his
movements. Their flight is rapid, direct, and generally performed at
the height of a few feet. They rise easily from the water, especially
when facing a breeze, and alight rather abruptly. Sometimes during the
day, but more frequently at night, they emit various loud and rather
plaintive cries, as well as cacklings of shorter guttural notes.' Mr.
Hewitson, who met with many of them in Norway, considers their note to
be strikingly wild and most interesting. Farther north the Long-Tailed
Duck is yet more abundant. Mr. Dunn says, 'This species (Calloo) is
very abundant in both Orkney and Shetland, arriving about the middle
of October, and departing again in the month of March. It is to be met
with in all the inlets or voes, generally in large flocks, never far
from the land, feeding upon small shellfish and star-fish. When on the
wing it utters a musical cry, something like "Calloo", which may be
heard at a great distance. From this cry it derives its provincial
name.' In the Arctic regions of both continents these birds are so
numerous as to be known by the name of 'Arctic Ducks'. They build
their nests among rushes near the shore of fresh-water lakes, and line
them with down from their breasts, like the Eider Duck. Iceland
appears to be the extreme southern limit of their breeding-ground.
The Long-Tailed Duck is described by Willughby under the name of _Anas
caudacuta Islandica_. by the natives called _Havelda_. Selby and
modern ornithologists have preserved the Iceland name in _Harolda_.
[Illustration:
Eider Duck [M] [F] [M]
Long Tailed Duck [M] [F]
Velvet Scoter [F] [M]
Common Scoter [M] [F]
[_p. 198._]]
[Illustration:
Smew [M] [F]
Merganser [M]
Dabchick [M] [F]
Goosander [M]]
THE EIDER DUCK
SOMATERIA MOLLISSIMA
Prolongations of the bill flat; upper part of the head
velvet-black, with a central whitish band, lower greenish
white; neck and back white; breast ringed with red; lower
plumage black; bill and feet greenish grey; irides brown.
_Female_--general plumage reddish brown, with transverse black
bars; wing-coverts black, bordered with dark reddish brown; two
whitish bars across the wing; belly brown barred with black.
Length twenty-five inches. Eggs shining greenish grey.
The Eider Duck differs from all the birds of the same tribe hitherto
described, in being essentially and absolutely a sea-bird. Rarely
found on inland waters, it does not even visit the fresh-water lochs
which, in many places in the north, are only separated from the sea by
a bar of sand and shingle. It spends the greater part of its time on
the water, and feeds on fish, molluscs, and other animal matter which
it can obtain by diving. In the latter art it is very expert, and when
pursued by the fowler generally manages to escape, as it can remain a
long time under water, and on rising to the surface is ready to
descend again almost instantly. Though a northern bird, it is
subjected to no privations by the freezing of lakes and marshes, since
it finds its rest and food on the open sea. Consequently it is not
migratory, and stray specimens only visit the southern shores of
England. Where it was bred, there, probably, or not far off, it
remains all the year round. The Farn Islands, off the coast of
Northumberland, are considered to be the extreme southern limit of
its breeding-ground. In the Hebrides, the Orkneys and Shetland
Islands, it is quite at home, but in none of these places is it found
in sufficient numbers to give it importance. It is rare on the Irish
coast.
In the Arctic regions, in Iceland, and on the rocky coasts of Norway
and Sweden, Eider Ducks are very numerous. In Labrador, Audubon
informs us, they begin to form their nests about the end of May or the
beginning of June. 'For this purpose some resort to islands scantily
furnished with grass; others choose a site beneath the spreading
boughs of stunted firs, and, in such places, five, six, or even eight
are sometimes found beneath a single bush; many are placed on the
sheltered shelvings of rocks a few feet above high-water mark. The
nest, which is sunk as much as possible into the ground, is formed of
sea-weeds, mosses, and dried twigs, so matted and interlaced as to
give an appearance of neatness to the central cavity, which rarely
exceeds seven inches in diameter. In the beginning of June the eggs
are deposited, the male attending upon the female the whole time. The
eggs, which are regularly placed on the moss and weeds of the nest
without any down, are generally from five to seven. When the full
complement of eggs has been laid the female begins to pluck some down
from the lower part of the body; this operation is daily continued for
some time, until the roots of the feathers, as far forward as she can
reach, are quite bare. This down she disposes beneath and around the
eggs. When she leaves the nest to go in search of food, she places it
over her eggs to keep up their warmth.'
Sir W. J. Hooker, in his interesting _Journal of a Tour in Iceland_,
describes the nests as he saw them in the little island of Akaroe,
where, as on other uninhabited islands, the Eider Ducks breed in great
numbers. "On our landing on the rocky island, we found the Eider fowls
sitting upon their nests, which were rudely formed of their own down,
generally among the old and half-decayed sea-weed, that the storms had
cast high up on the beach, but sometimes only among the bare rocks. It
was difficult to make these birds leave their nests, and so little
inclined were many of them to do it, that they even permitted us to
handle them, whilst they were sitting, without their appearing to be
at all alarmed. Under each of them were two or four eggs; the latter
is the number they lay, but from many of them two had been taken for
food by the natives, who prefer those which have young ones in them.
_June 24th._" A few days later (June 27,) he visited the island of
Vidöe, the residence of the ex-governor, where, he says, 'we were
shown the immense number of Eider Ducks which lived on Vidöe, and
which were now sitting on eggs or young ones, exhibiting a most
interesting scene. The ex-governor made us go and coax some of the old
birds, who did not on that account disturb themselves. Almost every
little hollow place between the rocks is occupied with the nests of
these birds, which are so numerous that we were obliged to walk with
the greatest caution, to avoid trampling upon them; but, besides this,
the ex-governor has a number of holes cut in the smooth and sloping
side of a hill in two rows, and in every one of these, also, there is
a nest. No Norfolk housewife is half so solicitous after her poultry
as the ex-governor after his Eider Ducks, which by their down and eggs
afford him a considerable revenue; since the former sells for three
rix-dollars (twelve shillings) a pound. Cats and dogs are, at this
season of the year, all banished from the island, so that nothing may
disturb these birds.' I need scarcely add that the Eider down of
commerce is taken from these nests, not in a pure state but mixed with
fragments of plants. Pennant says that if the nest and eggs be taken
'the Duck lays again, and repeats the plucking of her breast, if she
is robbed after that, she will still lay, but the drakes must supply
the down, as her stock is now exhausted; if her eggs are taken a third
time, she wholly deserts the place. The quantity of down found in one
nest weighs about three-quarters of an ounce, and may be compressed
into a ball two inches in diameter, but on being shaken out will fill
a large hat.
The young brood take to the water immediately on being hatched. To
effect this they are often obliged to travel a considerable distance,
and if difficulties present themselves, insurmountable in any other
way, the parent bird carries the young in her bill. Once clear of the
rocks, they are liable to no further molestation from land robbers.
But the sea is not without its dangers, for the rapacious Black-backed
Gull frequently attacks them, and, but for the self-devotion and
bravery of the mother bird, would commit great havoc among them. At
his appearance the young dive in all directions, while the mother
counterfeits lameness to distract his attention from them to herself,
or springs from the water and attacks the Gull until he is compelled
to retire from the contest.
THE BLACK (OR COMMON) SCOTER
OEDEMIA NIGRA
General plumage deep black; quills dusky brown on the inner
web, glossy grey beneath; disk of the upper mandible
orange-yellow; protuberance at the base black; no speculum on
the wings. _Female_--general plumage brown of several shades;
bill without the protuberance; nostrils, and a spot towards
the tip, yellowish. Length eighteen inches. Eggs pale buff.
This bird is well known along the eastern coast of England under the
name of Black Duck. Although a few scattered specimens have been
observed from time to time during summer, in most parts it must be
considered as a winter visitant only. Being the only entirely black
Duck which frequents our shores, it is distinguished among other
species by its colour alone. Small parties of these birds may
occasionally be seen on different parts of the coast, swimming and
diving at a short distance outside the surf, or flying, three or four
together, at an elevation of a few feet above the surface of the sea.
Large flocks visit the sea between us and Holland at times. They fly
rapidly in a straight line, and when diving remain a long time under
water. Their food consists of mussels and other shellfish, in quest of
which they often ascend the creeks and arms of the sea, but they are
rarely seen in fresh water.
The flesh of the Black Duck is said to be oily and fishy; on this
account it is in some Roman Catholic countries classed with fish, and
allowed to be eaten during Lent. In some parts of the Continent, where
it is consequently in demand, fishermen take advantage of its diving
propensities, and spread their nets over the mussel banks to which
they have observed that these birds resort, and capture them in large
numbers. The nest of the Scoter is described as being like that of the
Eider Duck, and similarly located. The female also covers her eggs
with down from her own breast, but in smaller quantities. A few of
this species remain to breed in the north of Scotland.
THE VELVET SCOTER
OEDEMIA FÚSCA
General plumage velvet black; below the eyes a white crescent;
speculum white; bill orange, protuberance at the base, nostrils
and edge of mandibles, black; irides and feet red, the
membranes of the latter black. _Female_ smaller; upper plumage
sooty brown; under parts light grey, streaked and spotted with
dusky brown; between the bill and eye a whitish spot, and
another over the ear; bill dusky ash; irides brown; feet dull
red. Length twenty-three inches. Eggs buff.
The Velvet Scoter, an inhabitant of the extreme northern regions of
Asia and Europe, appears in the British Isles as a winter visitor
only, being sometimes seen on the eastern coast of Scotland, in large
flocks, but not generally extending its migration to our southern
shores except in the severest weather. It may be distinguished from
the Common Scoter by its larger size, and yet more strikingly by the
conspicuous white bar across the wing.
The habits and food of the Velvet Duck differ in no material respect
from those of the Common Scoter, or Black Duck.
THE SURF SCOTER
OEDEMIA PERSPICILLATA
A bony protuberance on each side of the bill near the base; no
speculum; general plumage black; on the forehead and nape a
patch of white; bill yellow, with a square black spot on each
side near the base; irides white; feet red, the membranes
black. In the _female_ the black is replaced by dark ash-brown,
and the white by light grey; bill dark olive; feet brown, with
black membranes. Length twenty inches. Eggs white.