The Pintail Duch-I 



OF ORKNEY, 



141 



Species 9- — The Pintail Duck. 



Sea Pheasant or Cracker, Wil. Orn. 376. Rail Syn. Av. 147. Anas acuta, 

 JJin. Sys.lQI. Brit. Zool, 368, Ore. Caloo, or Coal and Candle Light 

 (from its cry.) 



This Duck is to be found A^ery frequently in the sound of 

 Hoy, though only in winter ; it withdraws from us in spring. 

 I never had an opportunity to examine this species very near, 

 therefore must give the description from the British Zoology. 

 " The form is slender ; the neck long and small ; weight 

 twenty-four ounces ; length twenty-eight inches ; breadth 

 one yard two inches ; the bill black in the middle, blue on 

 the sides ; the head ferrugineous, tinged behind the ears 

 with purple ; from beneath the ears commences a white 

 line, which runs some space down the neck ; this line is 

 bounded by black ; the hind part of the neck, the back 

 and sides are elegantly marked with white and dusky waved 

 lines ; the fore part of the neck and belly white ; the sca- 

 pulars striped with black and white ; the coverts of the 

 wings ash-coloured, the lowest tipped with dull orange ; 

 the middle quill-feathers barred on their outmost webs with 

 green, black, and white ; the exterior feathers of the tail 

 are ash-coloured, the two middle black, and three inches 

 ' longer than the rest ; the feet of a lead colour." 



I met with a couple of these, but they were plucked and 

 ready for the spit before I saw them, so that I could not exa- 



