NATATOEES. 



237 



Kingsbury Eeservoir. One of them is in the collec- 

 tion of Mr. Bond, who recorded its capture in ' The 

 Zoologist' for 1848 ; the other is in the collection of 

 Mr. C. Minasi, and was, I believe, obtained about 

 the same time. 



Tufted Duck, Anas fuligula. A regular winter 

 visitant, but varying much in numbers in different 

 years. As many as thirty have been seen at one 

 time during hard weather upon Kingsbury Eeservoir, 

 but it is seldom that so many can be counted in one 

 " team ; " the more usual number is ten or a dozen. 

 They are expert divers, and in open water difficult 

 to get at, but a little hard work and stratagem will 

 repay the sportsman who bags a couple ; for, besides 

 affording good sport, he will find them excellent 

 eating. 



Mr. Thompson says that in fresh water the Tufted 

 Duck feeds upon the seeds of several species of 

 plants, soft vegetable matter, insects of various 

 kinds ; amongst others, the Notonecta, or boat-fly, 

 and minute bivalve shells, such as Pisidia. In one 

 example were four of the Liinneus perege7\ full- 

 grown shells and animals, both being perfect. 



Some Tufted Ducks, killed on the coast, exhibited 

 numerous small mollusca, Rissoa ulvw, and other 

 Rissoce, together with Littorince, and small shells of 

 Mytilus ecluUs. In addition to this food, all con- 

 tained sand and gravel. 



GoLDENEYE, Aiias clangiila. An uncertain winter 



