60 BULLETIN 130, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



Mr. D. E. Brown has sent me the following note : 



On May 7, 1924, a fisherman flushed a female western harlequin duck from 

 a set of seven eggs. This nest was near Port Angeles, Clallam County, Wash- 

 ington, and was on a rocky point of a swift running mountain stream. 



Eggs. — Eggs of the Pacific harlequin duck are scarce in collections, 

 and I have no measurements available for comparison, but they prob- 

 ably do not differ essentially in color, shape, or size from those of 

 the Atlantic bird. 



Plumages. — The sequence of molts and plumages of this western 

 subspecies are apparently the same as those of its eastern relative. 



Behavior. — Aretas A. Saunders writes me from Montana that : 



While fishing they sit in midstream, facing the current, often where it is 

 swiftest, paddling just enough to keep themselves stationary. Whenever they 

 see a fish, they dive' for it, and usually appear again, a considerable distance 

 downstream with the fish. They dive down into the middle of swift rapids, in 

 places where one would expect them to be dashed in pieces against the rocks, 

 yet they always emerge again, unharmed. Whenever the birds go downstream 

 they usually swim down, and from what I have observed, do this largely under 

 water. As soon as they come to the surface they generally turn and face the 

 current. I have never seen them swim upstream, even where the water is 

 not swift, and believe that when they wish to go upstream they nearly al- 

 ways rise and fly. One afternoon I watched a male bird fishing at the edge 

 of a large pool where the water was not swift. He took up a position to watch 

 at the edge of the pool, standing with his feet and under parts in the water 

 but his head and breast out. From this position he dove after fish whenever 

 he saw them, but I could not make out that he was always successful in catch- 

 ing the fish. 



Mr. Michael (1922) says: 



Harlequins are expert smmmers and divers. They dive and swim under 

 water with all the ease of a grebe, besides possessing the ability of the water 

 ouzel to walk about on the river bed against the swift currents. When feeding, 

 so far as we were able to observe, they show no preference as to depth of water. 

 W^hen working upstream along the shore they wade in the shallow water, pry- 

 ing among the stones. Where the water is deeper they tip up in the manner of 

 mallard ducks, and where the water is still deeper they dive. They dive in 

 water a foot deep and they dive in water 6 feet deep, always going down where 

 there is a gravelly bottom. Most often they stay under water not more than 15 

 seconds. Often they stay down 20 seconds, and occasionally they remain under 

 the water as long as 25 seconds. To leave the surface of the water they use 

 their wiry tails as a spring to make the plunge and as they go down both 

 wings and feet are used as a medium of propulsion. When once on the gravelly 

 bottom the wings are closed, the head is held low, and the progress is made 

 against the current, as they walk along poking amongst the stones. When 

 coming to the surface they float up like bubbles, without movement of wings 

 or feet. Their bills break the water and their bodies pop suddenly onto the 

 surface where they rest a moment. While poising on the surface between 

 plunges their bodies float high. When earnestly feeding, seldom more than 10 

 seconds elapse between plunges. The birds seldom dive simultaneously. The 

 female usually acts first. 



