LIFE HISTORIES OF NORTH AMERICAN WILD FOWL. 221 



tinct breeding plumage, which is much browner than the winter 

 plumage and in which the white face wholly or partially disappears. 

 Food. — The feeding habits of the lesser scaup are much like those 

 of the greater scaup, except that the smaller species is confined almost 

 wholly to fresh water. Mr. Vernon Bailey (1902) writes: 



Like all of the genus, the lesser scaups are great divers and keep much in the open 

 lakes, often in large flocks, where they dive for food, or sleep and rest on the water 

 in comparative safety. They can not resist the temptation of the rice lakes, however, 

 and swarm into them by thousands to fatten on the delicious grain, which they glean 

 from the mud bottoms after it has been threshed out by the wind and the wings of 

 myriads of coots and rails. While they eat, the hunters lie hidden in the tall rice 

 and on the ridges which they must pass in going from lake to lake, and in spite of 

 their bullet-like flight the sadly thinned flocks show the penalty they have paid for 

 leaving the open water. 



Their animal food consists of small fry and fish spawn, tadpoles, 

 pond snails and other small mollusks, worms, crawfish, water insects, 

 and larvae. They also consume a variety of vegetable food among 

 which Dr. F. Henry Yorke (1899) has identified all the plants men- 

 tioned under the preceding species. The stomachs of this species, 

 taken by Dr. J. C. Phillips (1911) in Massachusetts, contained " seeds 

 of burreed, bayberry, and saw grass (Cladium effusum), and snails 

 (Lunatia heros) and ants." 



Behavior. — The lesser scaup like its larger relative, is an expert 

 diver and can remain under water for a long time, grubbing on the 

 bottom for its food. Like many of the best divers, its large and 

 powerful feet enable it to swim rapidly beneath the surface without 

 the use of its wings, which are held tightly closed. It swims away 

 so rapidly under water when wounded that it is useless to pursue it; 

 it is said by gunners to cling to the weeds or rocks on the bottom 

 until dead; it seems more likely that in most cases it swims away to 

 some place where it can hide or that it skulks away with only its bill 

 above water; Mr. W. E. Clyde Todd (1904), however has published 

 the following note from Mr. Samuel E. Bacon: 



I once wounded a duck of this species in shallow water and, wading out to where 

 I saw it last, I found it holding to a strong weed by its bill, 2 or 3 feet below the sur- 

 face, stone dead. 



Audubon (1840) writes: 



The scaup duck seems to float less lightly than it really does, its body being com- 

 paratively flat. It moves fast, frequently sipping the water, as if to ascertain whether 

 its favorite food be in it. Then turning its head and glancing on eitlier side to assure 

 itself of security, down it dives with all the agility of a merganser, and remains a 

 considerable time below. On emerging, it shakes its head, raises tlie hind part of 

 its body, opens its short and ratlier curved wings, after a few flaps replaces them, 

 and again dives in search of food. Should any person appear when it emerges, it 

 swims off a considerable distance, watches every movement of the intruder, and 

 finally either returns to its former place or flies away. 



On the wing, as well as on the water, the lesser scaup duck is a 

 very lively, nervous, and restless bird; its flight is very swift and 



