NYROCA MARILA 288 



diving ; but even here shell-fish, frogs, insects, and small fish, form 

 the greater part of its diet. AVhen in its natural element, on the 

 sea, in creeks, estuaries, or along the coast, it is almost entirely an 

 animal-feeder, subsisting on shell-fish, fish, and other marine life. 



Its name is derived from its habit of feeding on mussels, the beds 

 on which the masses of shell-fish lie being known as mussel-scaups, 

 or mussel-scalps (Blanford and Newton), and in Norfolk I have heard 

 both fresh and salt-water mussels called sculps, though the term is 

 usually applied more to the latter than to the former. Hume, 

 quoting Montague, says that : — 



" Both the male and the female have a peculiar habit of tossing 

 up their heads and opening their bills, which in spring is continued 

 for a considerable time, while they are swimming and sporting on 

 the water, and they emit a grunting sort of cry." 



The voice of the Scaup is thus described by Beebohm : — 



Of all the cries of the ducks that have come under my notice, 

 I think that of the Scaup is the most discordant. None of them 

 are very musical, perliaps ; but if you imagine a man with an ex- 

 ceptionally harsh, hoarse voice screaming out the word scan}) at 

 the top of his voice, some idea of the note of this duck may be 

 formed. It is said that when this harsh note is uttered the opening 

 of the bill is accompanied with a peculiar toss of the head. The 

 ordinary alarm-note during flight is a grating sound like that made 

 by the Tufted Duck." 



Its flesh, as might be expected, is quite unfit, as a rule, for the 

 table, and the most flattering terms I have known applied to it 

 are Macgillivray's to the effect that " it is not tlrought much of 

 for the table, its flesh being rather rank." 



