274 ANATID^. 



note, in the following words, appended to liis notice of the 

 Golden Eye: — "Mr. Miller has a specimen, which he con- 

 siders proves that the Morillon is different from the Golden 

 Eye. It was an old male, but is full one-third less than 

 the males of the Golden Eye, and the bill is considerably 

 shorter ; besides which, the plumage is rather different.*" 

 From a recent conversation with the Rev. Richard Lubbock, 

 who is well acquainted with the extensive waters near Yar- 

 mouth visited by numerous birds, I have reason to believe 

 that other examples of the Buffcl-headed Duck have been 

 seen in winter in that country, but the bird is very shy, and 

 from its power of diving very difficult to get at. The boat- 

 shooters there, or some of them at least, call this bird the 

 true Morillon ; they are well acquainted with the Golden 

 Eye, or Rattle-wings, as they call it, in every state of its 

 plumage, and therefore, very properly, consider their Morillon 

 (this Buffel-headcd Duck) as distinct from the Golden Eye. 



In the autumn of 1841 Mr. Mummery, the curator of 

 the Museum of Natural History at Margate, sent me word 

 that during a visit to Orkney, from which he had then but 

 recently returned, he had obtained a Buffcl-headed Duck 

 there, which was intended for the Margate Museum. 



This species is well known to the naturalists of North 

 America, and to their histories we must refer for an account 

 of its habits. Mr. Audubon says " that during autumn and 

 winter it is to be seen in almost every part of the Union, 

 frequenting the sea-shore, rivers, and lakes. It feeds on shell- 

 fish, shrimps, and marine plants, particularly the species of 

 laver called Ulva lactuca^ and the bird being generally very 

 fat, one of its common names is Butter-box ; it is also called 

 Spirit Duck, and Conjuror, from the facility with which it 

 escapes by diving suddenly at the flash of a gun, or the 

 twang of a bowstring. The Buffcl-headed Duck is a very 

 hardy bird, for it remains during extremely cold weather on 



