77?^ Ducks. 



149 



THE 



LONG-TAILED 



DUCK. 



{Harelda glacialis.) 



This is a very handsome species of Duck, which visits us in 

 winter, occurring most plentifully on the Scottish coasts and the 

 Hebrides, being of less frequent occurrence in England and 

 Ireland. It breeds throughout the arctic regions of Europe and 

 Northern Asia, as well as in North America, coming south in 

 winter. It is often very late in returning to its summer quarters, as I have seen a 

 flock of birds in the Sundal Fjord, in Northern Norway, on the 13th of June. It is 

 an extremely good diver, and the male has a remarkably musical note, which gains 

 for it the name of the ' Organ Duck ' in Alaska. The nest is a depression of 

 the ground, and is made of grass, plentifully lined with the bird's down. The 

 eggs are six or seven in number, of a clay brown or dull green colour, and measure 

 from two to tvvo-and-a-quarter inches. 



The long-tailed Duck needs 

 no detailed description, as 

 its pied appearance, long 

 tail and drooping white 

 scapulars easily distinguish 

 it from all the other British 

 species ; the bill is orange, 

 with a black base and black 

 nail at the tip. 



This Duck 

 is well-named 

 the' Harlequin,' 

 for it possesses 

 a ver}' varied 

 combination of 

 colour, the back being slaty- 

 blue and the sides of the 

 body bright chestnut, with bands of black and white on the fore-neck and breast ; 

 there is a white patch on the face, also visible in the female, and the sides 

 of the crown are chestnut. The female is a plain brown bird, and has a spot ot 

 white behind the ear-coverts, in addition to the white face. 



The Harlequin Duck is an extremely rare visitor to our shores, and only 

 three instances of its occurrence are considered to be genuine. It breeds in the 

 high north of Europe, Asia, and North America, as well as in Greenland and 

 Iceland. The nest is placed close to the water, and the bird frequents the 

 vicinity of rushing streams. The nest is a depression in the ground, lined with 

 the bird's down, which is large and dense. The eggs are from seven to ten in 

 number, of a cream-colour, and rather glossy. They measure about two-and-a- 

 quarter inches. 



THE 



HARLEQUIN 



DUCK. 



{Cosmonetta 

 histrionica.) 



The Long-tailed Duck. 

 The Harlequin Duck. 



