64 THE BIRDS OF THE BRITISH ISLES. 



in pela.2;ic eggs and larvae of fish and crustaceans. " Sea- 

 Pheasant " is a name that it shares with the Pintail, and indeed 

 in some parts of Scotland this bird is the " Pintail," but a 

 commoner and better Scottish name is " Calloo." The Long- 

 tail is a noisy bird, especially in winter and early spring, and it 

 is from its oft-repeated musical cry that it has earned this name, 

 though at times the Scots go further and affirm that it says — 

 " coal-an-can-le-licht." The lively conversational calls may be 

 heard at any time, and often through the night ; when it calls 

 it throws the head upward and opens wide its b'll. 



The bird is a lively and neat diver, and swims under water 

 with the feet alone, though the wings may be opened in turning, 

 at least that is my experience when I have seen it in shallow 

 water. One bird I watched swam so superficially that I could 

 trace its course by the occasional splashes, and now and 

 then a foot protruded. Nearer inshore, where the water was 

 only a few inches deep, it swam with the back exposed and 

 its head beneath the surface. If suddenly alarmed on reaching 

 the surface the bird rises more cleanly than other diving 

 ducks, and on dropping to the water it will sometimes go 

 under at once. The duration of dives has been estimated at 

 over forty seconds, but birds I have watched hardly remained 

 so long, though when busily feeding they were much oftener 

 below than on the surface. The courtship attitudes of the 

 drakes have been described, and the display is frequently 

 interrupted by squabbles, though these slight differences of 

 opinion are not confined to the breeding season. In display the 

 long tail is carried almost at right angles to the back, and, it is 

 said, vibrated. The duck has a low note which is drowned by 

 the clamour of the drakes. The eggs are elongated, greyish 

 green to buff, and average 2*i by 15 inches. 



The difficulty of describing the plumage is, as already stated, 

 complicated by the varying phases due to season and progress 

 towards maturity. The adult drake in winter has the head. 



