45^ LONG-TAILED DUCK. 



Russia, Siberia, and throughout Arctic America, as well as in Green- 

 land ; in fact its summer range is circumpolar. In cold weather it 

 migrates southward to about 40° N., visiting the Swiss and Italian 

 lakes as well as the Adriatic ; in Asia it reaches Japan and North 

 China; while in America it is found to lat. 37" N., and is widely 

 known as the "South-southerly" and "Old Squaw," from its 

 gabbling cry. In this connection it may be mentioned that in 

 many parts of Scotland the call-note is rendered by "Coal an' 

 can'le licht." 



The nest, generally placed among herbage, low bushes by the 

 side of fresh-water, is composed of a few stems of grass, with a thick 

 lining of down, which is little inferior to that of the Eider. The 

 eggs, of a somewhat elongated oval form, are pale greyish-green, and 

 measure about 2'i by i'45 in. On a small flat island in My-vatn, 

 Iceland, Messrs. Shepherd and Upcher counted more than twenty 

 nests, and observed a Long-tailed Duck and a Scaup sitting together 

 on one which contained several eggs of the two species. The food 

 consists of animalculee which swim at various depths, and of small 

 molluscs, crustaceans &c., chiefly picked off sea-weed ; in summer 

 aquatic plants and insects are eaten. 



The adult male in early spring has the cheeks brownish-grey ; 

 below, on each side of the neck, an oval patch of dark brown ; 

 forehead, crown and rest of the neck pure white ; back and 

 rump blackish ; elongated scapulars, inner secondaries, and short 

 exterior tail-feathers white ; central tail-feathers black, and some- 

 times 5 in. longer than the rest ; breast, wing-coverts and primaries 

 brownish-black ; belly and flanks white ; bill pale rose-colour in the 

 middle (when fresh) ; nail and the basal-half black ; irides varying 

 from yellow to hazel and red ; legs and toes pale lead-colour, webs 

 blackish. Length (inclusive of the central tail-feathers) 22-26 in. ; 

 wing 8*8 in. In the summer-plumage, assumed by the end of May, 

 the space round the eye is pale buff mixed with a little white, the 

 rest of the head, neck, back and breast being dark brown, while the 

 feathers of the scapulars and the secondaries have broad rufous 

 margins with black centres. In the depth of winter there is more 

 white about the head than in spring ; and every intermediate stage 

 between these plumages is to be found. The female has the crown 

 and upper parts dark brown ; a dull white stripe behind the eye ; 

 cheeks, throat and upper breast ash-brown ; under parts white ; no 

 long tail-feathers. The young male resembles her, but soon becomes 

 darker on the back. A thoroughly mature female has the neck 

 white. 



