216 



ANATID.E. 



centre of gravity ; tarsi short ; feet large, of four toes, three in front, and one 

 behind. Outer toe as long as the middle one, and nuicii longer than tiie 

 tarsus ; hind toe with a large lobated membrane. — Selby. 



The Velvet Duck is only a winter visiter to tlic sea- 

 shore of the British Islands, and is not at all connnon in the 

 southern parts. It has been killed in the vicinity of Diihlin, 

 in Cornwall, and in Devonshire. Specimens were obtained 

 in the London market during the winters of 1832 and 1837 ; 

 Mr. Hoy procured it in Suffolk, and it has also been killed 

 in Norfolk. It occurs in Holland and France, and even as 

 far south as Provence and Italy, being included in the His- 

 tories of the birds of those countries by Messrs. Temminck, 

 Vicillot, Roux, and Savi. From its habits of diving rather 

 than flying when approached, it is sometimes caught in the 

 nets of our sea fishermen, by liccoming entangled in the 

 meshes, and it is occasionally caught also in the stake nets 

 set for salmon, as noticed by Mr. Selby, who mentions " that 

 in those he had dissected, the gizzard, which was large and 

 strong, was filled with the remains of mytilus, mactra, solen, 

 and other shelly mollusca, intermixed with the spawn of fish 

 or crustaceous animals." 



Mr. Robert Dunn, says this species is rare in Shetland, 

 but is very common in Orkney, where it arrives in the begin- 

 ning of winter, and retires again very early in the spring. It 

 frequents the sounds in flocks of ten or twelve, generally 

 feeding in the middle or deep water, and in the stream of the 

 tide. It is remarkably shy, and great caution is required in 

 approaching it. The flesh of this Duck is in no estimation. 



The Velvet Duck is included by JMuUer among the Birds 

 of Denmark ; Mr. Hewitson saw it in the western part of 

 Norway ; and the memorandum of this species in Scandi- 

 navia, supplied me by Richard Dann, Esq., is as follows : — 

 " This Duck is common during the summer months in the 

 interior of the whole of Scandinavia, north of hit. 60^. It 



