90 OUR MIGRANT BIRDS 



Plumage. — Head and neck bronze-brown ; nape 

 black ; conspicuous white stripe down each side of neck. 

 Back and flanks pencilled with grey in undulations ; 

 greater wing-coverts buff ; speculum green, bordered 

 with black and white. Tail black ; two central feathers 

 much elongated ; under tail-coverts black. Breast and 

 belly white. Bill, legs, and feet slaty grey. Length 

 28 in. Female mottled with brown above, and greyish 

 white below ; speculum green. Young, like female. 



Language. — Silent in the daytime ; by night it utters 

 a low quack, and in the love season a pleasing double 

 whistle. 



Habits. — It feeds with its head below water, and is 

 usually seen in flocks often in company with Wigeon. 

 Flight rapid. It walks with greater ease than most 

 Ducks. 



Food. — Insects and their larvae, water-weeds, Crus- 

 tacea, mollusca, &c. 



Nest. — May or June. One brood. 



Site. — On the ground amongst herbage near water. 



Materials. — Dead grass, lined with brown down tipped 

 with white. 



Eggs. — Seven to ten. Pale huffish green. 



WIGEON (Mareca penelope). 



Common in winter. Remaining to breed in small 

 numbers in Scotland and the Orkneys and Shetlands. 

 In England it probably breeds only in a semi- 

 domesticated state. 



Haunts. — Usually near the sea, but also inland waters. 



Plumage. — Forehead creamy white. Neck and throat 

 chestnut. Mantle vermiculated with grey. Shoulder 



