3 It IS A RESTLESS BIED. 



labouring through the thick mass to the bottom in search 

 of food." Nilsson tells us, moreover, that " even though 

 the sea he for the greater part frozen over, and the cold 

 intense, many pass the whole of the winter off the coast 

 of Scania, in natural openings in the ice." 



The plumage of this beautiful bird, which has a tail 

 like a cock pheasant, varies very greatly according to age, 

 sex, and season of the year ; and it is remarkable that out 

 of fifty specimens hardly two resemble each other. Witli 

 its winter dress we in England are well acquainted, but 

 as that which it puts on in the summer is not so generally 

 known, it may be proper for me to describe it. The head, 

 neck, wings, and upper part of the tail of the adult male 

 are then blaok-brown ; breast lighter brown ; belly and 

 under part of the tail white ; sides beautifully greyish- 

 white ; sides of the head, in front of the eyes, red-grey ; 

 around the eyes a white ring, which is enlarged behind, 

 and tapers in a point towards the nape of the neck ; the 

 long-pointed shoulder feathers black, with broad chestnut- 

 brown edges J bill, feet, and irides the same as in the 

 winter. The dress of the female does not vary so greatly 

 in the summer as that of the male. Its head and neck 

 are then quite black, most commonly interspersed with 

 greyish-white feathers ; throat white-grey ; upper part of 

 the breast greyish-brown ; lower part somewhat ligliter ; 

 back black-grey ; shoulder feathers same coloui% but with 

 lighter, and most generally with reddish edges ; belly 

 and under part of the tail dirty white; upper j)art of 

 the tail-feathers greyish-brown, with whitish-grey edges, 

 the two in the middle a little longer tlian the rest. 



The Hareld is a most restless bird, and perpetually 

 in motion. It rarely happens that one sees it in a state 

 of repose during the daytime. The flock — for sevei'al 

 are almost always iu company — swim pretty fast against 

 the wind, and the individuals comprising it keep up a 



