438 ANATID^. 



lake near Quickiock, where Groldeu-eyes breed in great 

 numbers, he saw a Grolden-eye drop into the water, and at 

 the same instant a young one appeared ; after watching 

 some time, and seeing the bird fly backwards and forwards 

 from the nest five times, he was enabled to make out that 

 the young bird was held under the bill, but supported by 

 the neck of the parent." 



The Golden-eye is said to nest irregularly in Holstein, 

 Mark Brandenberg, and some j)arts of north-eastern Ger- 

 many ; becoming more plentiful in the Baltic Provinces, and 

 a regular and numerous breeding species in Russia down 

 to about 58" N. lat. Over temperate Europe it occurs on 

 migration, both on the inland waters and along the coast; 

 but it is comparatively rare in the western portion of the 

 Mediterranean, except in severe winters, and very uncommon 

 on the coast of North Africa. In the Ionian Islands, the 

 Black Sea, and on the northern shores of Asia Minor, it is not 

 unfrequent during the cold season ; and eastward it is found 

 on the Caspian ; in Afghanistan ; on the elevated lakes of 

 the Pamir, Kashgaria, and Mongolia (up to 10,000 feet) ; 

 and across Northern Siberia to the Pacific. It remains in 

 the north as long as it can find open water, visiting on 

 migration Japan, and China as far south as Amoy ; in 

 India it has been obtained in Sind, and once near Lucknow. 



Throughout North America — breeding from the State of 

 Maine northwards, and migrating as far south as Cuba in 

 winter — is found a race which, according to the American 

 naturalists, is constantly and considerably larger than our 

 bird, and which they distinguish by the name of Clangula 

 glaucion americana. They are unable to detect any differ- 

 ence in coloration. 



As already stated, the Golden-eye makes its nest in a 

 hollow of a tree, or in the boxes provided by the natives, 

 called ' holkar ' by the Swedes and ' pontto ' by the Finns. 

 Messrs. Hewitson and Hancock, when in Norway, examined 

 a nest in a tree, in a hole lately occupied by a Wood- 

 pecker, at the height of ten or twelve feet from the 

 ground ; but though the aperture inside was about a foot in 



