DIVING-DUCKS. 



217 



The favourite feeding-grouuds of the Scaup is over rocivs 

 where sea-weed grows luxuriantly, and where they dive 

 among the long, waving tangles in search of the various 

 shell-tish and their spawn and the host of minute forms of 

 marine life which abound in such places. Owing to this 

 preference, their company is often confined all through the 

 winter to certain localities — usually' about the harbour 

 entrance, or a rocky bay adjoining the open sea — hence they 

 are less frequently met with than the Golden-eyes, which 

 are scattered in odd pairs all over the sandy channels of the 

 estuary. Moreover, such places as alluded to are not very 



SCAUP DRAKE. (ADULT.) 



accessible to punts ; the water is too deep, and the long 

 inward roll of the sea, even when smooth, is dangerous for 

 these low-sided craft, to say nothing of the difficulty of 

 using a big gun, when one moment half the fore-deck is 

 buried in a great, oily, sloping swell, and the next the gun 

 points heavenwards, far over the heads of the fowl. I have 

 taken a punt, in broad daylight, within forty yards of nice 

 packs of Scaup in such situations, but never could work a 

 shot to advantage for the above reasons. 



Besides the places where, as above indicated, the main 

 bodies of the resident Scaup- ducks take up their winter 

 quarters, one frequently meets with small buuches of half a 



