Harlequin Duck, one a male in all the perfection of its spring plumage,
the bird having attained complete maturity, another male two years
old, and an adult female shot in the pairing season. No figures of the
adult male or of the female have, I believe, hitherto been published.
To the south of the Bay of Boston the “Lord and Lady Duck” is rarely
seen on our coast; but from that neighbourhood it becomes more
plentiful as you proceed eastward; and, on reaching Maine and the
entrance of the Bay of Fundy, you may see it at any period of the
year among the rocky islands there. It breeds on the Seal, White
Head, and Grand Manan Islands, and along the coast of Nova Scotia,
Cape Breton, Newfoundland, and Labrador. Many, however, proceed much
farther north, for specimens were obtained by Captain JAMES CLARK ROSS
in the highest latitudes visited by him. It is extremely attached
to certain localities, from which it rarely wanders unless greatly
molested, and it thus remains about the islands, or the parts of
the coast on which it breeds, unless it be forced off by very severe
weather in winter. Few persons shoot it for its flesh; not that it
is inferior as food to other deep-diving ducks, but because it is
comparatively small, and difficult to be obtained. Not only is it at
all seasons remarkably shy and vigilant, but even if approached when
on rocks, it plunges into the water the moment its keen eye catches
a glance of you, dives with all the agility of the Black Guillemot,
and seldom rises within shot. If you shoot at it when passing on
wing, even should it be beyond reach, it plunges into the water the
moment it perceives the flash,—a habit which is also occasionally
observed in the Black Guillemot. It being usually found in flocks of
one or two families, or of from twelve to fifteen individuals, some
one always acts as a watchful sentinel, whose single note of alarm
is sufficient to induce the whole to move off without hesitation.
Notwithstanding all this vigilance, however, my party procured a
good number of them at different times, by lying in wait for them
under cover of some rocks, in the neighbourhood of which they were
known to alight at certain hours of the day, to bask in the sun and
dress their plumage. On these occasions a shot seldom failed to kill
several, for they fly compactly and alight close together.
On the 31st of May 1833, I found them breeding on White Head Island,
and other much smaller places of a similar nature, in the same part
of the Bay of Fundy. There they place their nests under the bushes
or amid the grass, at the distance of twenty or thirty yards from
the water. Farther north, in Newfoundland and Labrador, for example,
they remove from the sea, and betake themselves to small lakes a mile
or so in the interior, on the margins of which they form their nests
beneath the bushes next to the water.
The nest is composed of dry plants of various kinds, arranged in a
circular manner to the height of two or three inches, and lined with
finer grasses. The eggs are five or six, rarely more, measure two
inches and one-sixteenth by one inch and four-and-a-half eighths,
and are of a plain greenish-yellow colour. These measurements differ
a little from those of an egg sent to me by my friend Mr HEWITSON
of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and which had been found in Ireland by Mr
ATKINSON. After the eggs are laid, the female plucks the down from
the lower parts of her body, and places it beneath and around them,
in the same manner as the Eider Duck and other species of this tribe.
The male leaves her to perform the arduous, but no doubt to her
pleasant, task of hatching and rearing the brood, and, joining his
idle companions, returns to the sea-shore, where he moults in July and
August. The little ones leave the nest a few hours after they burst
the shell, and follow their mother to the water, where she leads them
about with the greatest care and anxiety. When about a week old she
walks with them to the sea, where they continue, in the same manner
as the Eiders. When discovered in one of these small inland lakes,
the mother emits a lisping note of admonition, on which she and the
young dive at once, and the latter make for the shores, where they
conceal themselves, while the former rises at a good distance, and
immediately taking to wing, leaves the place for a while. On searching
along the shores for the young, we observed that, on being approached,
they ran to the water and dived towards the opposite side, continuing
their endeavours thus to escape, until so fatigued that we caught
four out of six, When at sea, they are as difficult to be caught as
the young Eiders.
The flight of the Harlequin Duck is rapid and generally straight. At
sea it flies at a small height, but when flying over the land, or even
when approaching it, should there be any suspicion of danger, it rises
to a considerable height. Its food consists of shrimps, small fishes,
roe, aquatic insects, and mollusca, which it procures by diving. The
flesh is dark, and generally tastes of fish, but that of the female
is good during the period of her sojourn on the fresh-water ponds.
The male takes three years to acquire his full plumage, although many
individuals breed in the second year. The female is perfect in the
second spring. Dr RICHARDSON, in the Fauna Boreali-Americana, describes
a male killed on the eastern declivity of the Rocky Mountains, whence
it appears that at times it goes far inland; and it is very probable
that its habits differ greatly in different localities.
ANAS HISTRIONICA, _Linn._ Syst. Nat. vol. i. p. 204.—_Lath._
Ind. Ornith. vol. ii. p. 849.
HARLEQUIN DUCK, ANAS HISTRIONICA, _Wils._ Amer. Ornith.
vol. viii. p. 139. pi. 72, fig. 4.
FULIGULA HISTRIONICA, _Ch. Bonaparte_, Synops. of Birds of
the United States, p. 394.
CLANGULA HISTRIONICA, HARLEQUIN DUCK, _Swains. and Richards._
Fauna Bor. Amer. part ii. p. 459.
HARLEQUIN DUCK, _Nuttall_, Manual, vol. ii. p. 448.
Adult Male in summer. Plate CCXCVII. Fig. 1.
Bill much shorter than the head, comparatively narrow, deeper than
broad at the base, slightly depressed towards the end, which is
rounded. Upper mandible with the dorsal line straight and sloping to
the middle, then nearly straight, towards the tip decurved, the ridge
broad and flat at the base, convex towards the end, the sides convex,
the edges soft, with about thirty-five oblique internal lamellæ,
the unguis large and elliptical. Nostrils subbasal, elliptical, very
large, pervious, nearer the ridge than the edge. Lower mandible flat,
with the angle long, rather narrow, rounded, the dorsal line slightly
convex, the edges with about forty lamellæ, the unguis elliptical.
Head rather large, compressed. Eyes of moderate size. Neck of ordinary
length, thick. Body large, depressed. Wings rather small. Feet very
short, placed rather far behind; tarsus very short, compressed, having
anteriorly in its whole length a series of small scutella, and above
the outer toe a few broad scales, the rest covered with reticular
angular scales. Hind toe very small, with a free membrane beneath;
anterior toes longer than the tarsus, connected by reticulated
membranes, having a sinus on their free margins, the inner with a
narrow lobed marginal membrane, the outer with a thickened edge,
the third and fourth about equal and longest, all covered above with
narrow scutella. Claws small, arched, obtuse, that of first toe very
small, of third largest, and with an inner thin edge.
Plumage dense, soft, blended. Feathers on the fore part of the
head very small and rounded, on the upper part of the head slightly
elongated, on the neck narrow, on the other parts broad and rounded.
Wings rather short, narrow, pointed; primary quills curved, strong,
tapering, and pointed, the first and second about equal, and longest,
the rest rapidly graduated; secondary short, broad and rounded. Tail
very short, cuneate, of sixteen strong tapering feathers.
Bill light yellowish-olive, the tips of the unguis lighter. Iris
reddish-brown. Feet light blue, the webs greyish-black, the claws
whitish. A broad band from the base of the bill to the occiput
bluish-black, margined behind with light yellowish-red, before
with white, that colour forming a broad triangular spot on the
cheek anterior to the eye. Sides of the head, and neck all round,
purplish-blue; a spot of white behind the ear, a curved line on the
side of the neck, a complete ring of white below the middle of the
neck, with a curved band of the same colour anterior to the wing. All
these white markings broadly edged with deep black. The fore part
of the back light purplish-blue, the hind part gradually deepening
in tint, so as to become almost black, of which colour is the rump
all round. Scapulars chiefly white; wing-coverts purplish-blue, as
are the alula and primary coverts, the quills dark greyish-brown,
the tail greyish-black, a small white spot near the flexure of the
wing; a band of white across the wing, formed by the tips of the
secondaries, of which the inner have their outer webs principally
of the same colour. Fore part of the breast purplish-blue, hind part
and abdomen greyish-brown, sides light red; a lateral spot of white
near the root of the tail.
Length to end of tail 17-1/4 inches, to end of wings 14-1/2, to end of
claws 16-1/2; extent of wings 26-1/2; wing from flexure 7-3/4; tail
3-1/2; bill along the back 1-1/12 along the edge of lower mandible
1-1/2; tarsus 1-4/12; middle toe 2, its claw 4/12. Weight 1-1/2 lb.
Male in the second year.
The young male, after the first moult, is greyish-brown on the back
and wings, light brownish-grey beneath. The head and neck are of a
dull leaden blue, the upper part of the head darker. The white spot
before the eye is mottled with grey, the line extending over the eye
obscure, and the edging of the occiput faint reddish-brown. The two
white marks exist on the sides of the neck, but are merely edged with
darker blue; there are slight indications of the white collar, and the
band before the wing is marked, but much smaller than in the adult.
The quills are dark brown, but the secondaries are not tipped with
white, of which there are but slight indications on the scapulars.
The upper tail-coverts are blackish, the tail bluish-grey, lighter
at the end. The bill is dusky, the feet of a leaden tint.
Male in the third year. Plate CCXCVII. Fig. 2.
After the second moult, the male has greatly improved in colouring,
although the tints are not nearly so pure as in the old bird. The
hind part of the back is still brown, as are the wing-coverts; the
sides are dark brownish-grey, with undulated yellowish-red bars. The
white collar is not yet complete, but all the white markings on the
neck are edged with black; the fore part of the breast is dull grey,
the middle yellowish-grey, spotted with bluish-grey. The white bar
on the wing is still wanting; the rump is glossy bluish-black, the
tail nearly of the same tint.
Adult Female. Plate CCXCVII. Fig. 3.
The principal colour of the female is greyish-brown, deeper on the
head and rump, lighter on the fore neck, and mottled with greyish-white
on the breast. The quills are dark brown edged with lighter, the tail
blackish-grey. There is a large whitish spot mottled with grey before
the eye, and another of a purer white behind the ear. Bill and feet
dull bluish-grey. Iris brown.
Length to end of tail 16 inches, to end of wings 13-1/2, to end of claws
15-1/2; extent of wings 24-1/4; wing from flexure 8-1/4; tail 3-1/2;
bill along the back 1-10/12, along the edge of lower mandible 1-1/2;
tarsus 1-1/4; middle toe 2, its claw 4/12 Weight 1-1/4 lb.
THE RED-NECKED GREBE.
_PODICEPS RUBRICOLLIS_, LATH.
PLATE CCXCVIII. MALE AND YOUNG.
I have found this species along the coast from New York to Maine, in
the winter season, when old and young were generally in about equal
number. At Boston I procured several specimens. On the Bay of Fundy,
and among the islands at its entrance, I saw these Grebes already
in their spring plumage, it being then the beginning of May. On one
occasion our boat was rowed over an eddy in which a pair had dived
in search of food. On emerging they were only a few yards distant;
but, although several guns were fired at them, they escaped unhurt,
for they instantly dived again, passed under the boat at the depth of
about a yard, and did not rise until at a safe distance. None of us
could conceive how they had managed to elude us, for as they were so
near, the shot threw up the water in its course, and I had expected
to find them completely mangled.
Although I have seen this species far up our salt-water bays, I never
observed it on any of the southern fresh-water ponds or rivers. Dr
RICHARDSON states, in the Fauna Boreali-Americana, that it “is very
common in the fur countries, frequenting every lake with grassy
borders.” M. TEMMINCK says “that they inhabit rivers, lakes, and
the borders of the sea, but in greater number on fresh-waters; are
tolerably common in different parts of Europe; feed on small fish,
fry, amphibious reptiles, insects, and vegetables; form their nests
of the same materials, and place it in the same situations as the
Crested Grebe, and lay three or four eggs.” An egg lent me by my
esteemed friend Mr YARRELL, measured two inches in length by one inch
and a quarter in breadth, and was of a uniform pale greenish-white.
PODICEPS RUBRICOLLIS, _Lath._ Ind. Ornith. vol. ii. p.
783.—_Ch. Bonaparte_, Synopsis of Birds of the United States,
p. 417.—_Swains. and Richards._ Fauna Bor. Amer. part ii.
p. 411.
RED-NECKED GREBE, _Nuttall_, Manual, vol. ii. p. 253.
Adult Male. Plate CCXCVIII. Fig. 1.
Bill about the length of the head, straight, rather slender,
compressed, acute. Upper mandible with the dorsal line straight and
slightly sloping to the middle, then slightly convex, the ridge
convex, the sides sloping, towards the end erect and convex, the
edges acute and inflected. Nasal groove extending to the middle of
the mandible; nostrils subbasal, linear-elliptical, pervious. Lower
mandible with the angle long and extremely narrow, the dorsal line
ascending and straight, the sides erect, slightly convex, the edges
sharp, inflected, the tip narrow, very acute.
Head of moderate size, oblong, compressed. Neck long and slender.
Body depressed. Feet large, placed very far behind; tibia feathered
almost to the joint; tarsus short, extremely compressed, anteriorly
with a narrow scutellate ridge, laterally with very broad scutella,
posteriorly with a narrow ridge having a double row of small prominent
scales. Hind toe very small, with an inferior small membrane; fore
toes long, the outer longest, scutellate above, united at the base
by short webs, externally margined with narrowish, internally with
broad, lobe-shaped expansions, which are marked with parallel oblique
lines, and crenate on the edges. Claws flattened, that of the middle
toe broadest, with an extremely thin broad terminal edge.
Plumage of the head and neck very soft and downy, of the breast and
sides silky and highly glossed, of the abdomen and rump downy, of the
upper parts imbricated, but with loose edges. Wings small; primaries
much curved, the first longest, the second almost equal, the inner
secondaries extending beyond the first primary when the wing is
closed. Tail a small tuft of loose feathers. On the head is a tuft
of elongated feathers on each side behind the eye, and those of the
posterior part of the cheek are also elongated.
Bill brownish-black, bright yellow at the base. Iris carmine. Tarsi
and toes greenish-black externally, yellow on the inner side, the
edges of the lobes dusky. Upper part of the head greyish-black, lower
part ash-grey, with a white line from the base of the lower mandible
to beyond the eye. Hind part of the neck, and upper parts generally,
greyish-black; the feathers edged with pale brown; the edge of the
wing and the outer secondaries white. The fore part and sides of the
neck rich brownish-red; the breast and sides are of a silvery white,
faintly marked with grey.
Length to end of rump-feathers 18-3/4 inches, to end of wings 16-1/2, to
end of claws 24; extent of wings 32; wing from flexure 7-1/4; bill along
the back 1-8/12, along the edge of lower mandible 2-3/8; tarsus 2; outer
toe 2-1/2, its claw 1/4. Weight 23 oz.
Young after first moult. Plate CCXCVIII. Fig. 2.
Bill bright yellow, the ridge of the upper mandible dusky. Iris pale
yellow. Feet as in the adult. The upper part of the head blackish-grey,
the hind neck, and the upper parts generally, of the same colour,
but darker towards the rump; the edge of the wing and the outer
secondaries greyish-white, the latter grey towards the end. The lower
parts greyish-white.
THE DUSKY PETREL.
_PUFFINUS OBSCURUS_, CUV.
PLATE CCXCIX. MALE.
On the 26th of June 1826, while becalmed on the Gulf of Mexico, off
the western shores of Florida, I observed that the birds of this
species, of which some had been seen daily since we left the mouth
of the Mississippi, had become very numerous. The mate of the vessel
killed four at one shot, and, at my request, brought them on board.
From one of them I drew the figure which has been engraved. The
notes made at the time are now before me, and afford me the means of
presenting you with a short account of the habits of this bird.
They skim very low over the sea in search of the floating bunches
of marine plants, usually called the Gulf Weed, so abundant here as
sometimes to occupy a space of half an acre or more. In proceeding,
they flap their wings six or seven times in succession, and then sail
for three or four seconds with great ease, having their tail much
spread, and their long wings extended at right angles with the body.
On approaching a mass of weeds, they raise their wings obliquely,
drop their legs and feet, run as it were on the water, and at length
alight on the sea, where they swim with as much ease as ducks, and dive
freely, at times passing several feet under the surface in pursuit
of the fishes, which, on perceiving their enemy, swim off, but are
frequently seized with great agility. Four or five, sometimes fifteen
or twenty of these birds, will thus alight, and, during their stay
about the weeds, dive, flutter, and swim, with all the gaiety of a
flock of ducks newly alighted on a pond. Many gulls of different kinds
hover over the spot, vociferating their anger and disappointment at
not being so well qualified for supplying themselves with the same
delicate fare. No sooner have all the fishes disappeared than the
Petrels rise, disperse, and extend their flight in search of more,
returning perhaps in a while to the same spot. I heard no sound or
note from any of them, although many came within twenty yards of the
ship and alighted there. Whenever an individual settled in a spot,
many others flew up directly and joined it. At times, as if by way
of resting themselves, they alighted, swam lightly, and dipped their
bills frequently in the water, in the manner of Mergansers.
I preserved the skins of the four specimens procured. One of them I
sent to the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, by Captain
JOHN R. BUTLER, of the ship Thalia, then bound from Havannah to
Minorca. Two others were presented to my excellent friend Dr TRAILL,
on my first becoming acquainted with him at Liverpool.
I found the wings of this species strong and muscular for its size,
this structure being essentially requisite for birds that traverse
such large expanses of water, and are liable to be overtaken by heavy
squalls. The stomach resembles a leather purse, four inches in length,
and was much distended with fishes of various kinds, partially digested
or entire. The œsophagus is capable of being greatly expanded. Some
of the fishes were two and a half inches in length, and one in depth.
The flesh of this Petrel was fat, but tough, with a strong smell, and
unfit for food; for, on tasting it, as is my practice, I found it to
resemble that of the porpoises. No difference is perceptible in the
sexes.
While on board the United States’ Revenue Cutter the Marion, and in
the waters of the Gulf Stream opposite Cape Florida, I saw a flock
of these birds, which, on our sailing among them, would scarcely swim
off from our bows, they being apparently gorged with food. As we were
running at the rate of about ten knots, we procured none of them. I
have also seen this species off Sandy Hook.
PROCELLARIA OBSCURA, _Lath._ Ind. Ornith. vol. ii. p. 828.
PUFFINUS OBSCURUS, _Ch. Bonaparte_, Synops. of Birds of
the United States, p. 371.
DUSKY PETREL, _Lath._ Synops. vol. iv. p. 416.—_Nuttall_,
Manual, vol. ii. p. 337.
Adult Male. Plate CCXCIX.
Bill about the length of the head, straight, somewhat cylindrical,
the tips curved. Nostrils tubular, separate, inclosed in a horny
sheath, and dorsal, the outline straight, curved on the unguis, the
sides nearly erect, convex, the edges sharp, hard, and inflected, the
tip decurved, strong. Lower mandible straight, the angle very narrow
and extending nearly to the tip, the dorsal line beyond it decurved,
the sides convex and inclining inwards, the edges sharp and inflected.
Head of moderate size. Neck of ordinary length; body ovate. Feet stout;
tibia bare a short way above the joint; tarsus of moderate length,
rather stout, reticulate; hind toe a very slight knob, with a small
conical claw; fore toes long, slender, connected by reticulated webs
with concave margins, the outer toe slightly longer than the third.
Claws small, slightly arched, compressed obtuse.
Plumage soft, full; the feathers rounded, those of the back and wings
rather compact. Wings long; primaries tapering, rounded, the first
longest, the rest rapidly graduated; secondaries of moderate length,
rounded. Tail rather short, much rounded, of twelve feathers.
Bill light blue, the tips black, mouth light blue. Edges of eyelids
light blue, iris bluish-black. Outside of tarsus and toes indigo-black,
inside and webs pale yellowish-flesh-colour; claws bluish-black. The
upper parts are sooty black, the lower pure white.
Length to end of tail 11 inches, to end of wings 10-1/2, to end of
claws 11-1/4; extent of wings 26-1/2; bill along the back 1-4/12,
along the edge of lower mandible 1-3/4; tarsus 1-1/2; outer toe 2,
its claw (2-1/2)/12.
THE GOLDEN PLOVER.
_CHARADRIUS PLUVIALIS_, LINN.
PLATE CCC. ADULT IN SPRING AND IN WINTER, AND VARIETY.
The Golden Plover spends the autumn, winter, and part of the spring,
in various portions of the United States, appearing in considerable
numbers both along the coast and in the interior, and not unfrequently
on our highest grounds. A much greater number, however, proceed in
severe winters beyond the limits of our Southern States, and the
partial migrations of this species are much influenced by the state
of the weather. They are more abundant along the sea shores of
the Middle and Eastern Districts, from the middle of April to the
beginning of May, whereas in autumn they range over the interior, and
more especially the western prairies. In the early part of May they
congregate in immense flocks, and commence their journey toward more
northern regions, where they are said to breed.
The account which WILSON gave of this species refers in part to the
“Bull-headed Plover,” _Charadrius helveticus_, although his figure
cannot be mistaken for that of the latter, even in its first autumnal
dress. But the Editor of the second edition of WILSON’s work has
rejected the Golden Plover as an American Bird, although he might have
frequently seen it in the very markets of Philadelphia. The Prince of
Musignano corrected this error, in his valuable “Observations on the
Nomenclature of WILSON’s Ornithology.” Mr SELBY, in speaking of the
Golden Plover, gives it as his opinion, that the bird so called in
America, differs from that of Europe. This opinion, however, I cannot
consider as correct, as I have seen and examined the Golden Plovers
of both countries, and have found their manners, tone of voice, and
appearance, precisely similar.