THE BIRDS OF CUMBERLAND. 107 



wingfs, or cranes his neck to re-arranofe his wins: 

 coverts. 



Quietly, I sHp back, and, making a long detour 

 over the fields, reach the north side of the lough 

 unnoticed. And now we get a better view of the 

 Tufted ones — five drakes, and two are ducks. How 

 lightly they ride upon the tiny waves which the east 

 wind creates ; their breasts glisten like silver on the 

 water. A drake begfins to dive, darting: forward 

 with more grace than the clumsy Goldeneye. Now 

 they are all diving, though they are never all down 

 together, nor do they stay as long below as do the 

 Goldeneyes. The Gulls scream : four Goldeneyes 

 arrive to join their brethren, and now four more. 

 A Dabchick is playing among the weeds ; a pair of 

 Shovellers rise out of yon quiet corner, and I re- 

 trace my steps, to find that six pairs of Shovellers 

 are on the feed near the ' runner.' The rich chesnut 

 body-colour of the drakes contrasts beautifully with 

 their white necks as they swim through the thin 

 weeds, slobbering, as they go, with their clumsy but 

 serviceable ' spoonbills.' " 



F. Marila. Scaup. 



The Scaup is a winter visitor to our estuaries, 

 arriving at the beginning of November, and depart- 

 ing at the end of March. It may often be observed 

 in small parties among the sandbanks of the Solway, 

 though it rarely ascends the Eden as high as 

 Carlisle. 



About six miles west of Carlisle, there are two 

 small loughs, Thurstanfield and Monkhill, each fed 



