PRELIMINARY CLASSIFIED NOTES 249 



p. 288). Gregarious, and sometimes seen in flocks of hundreds : occurs almost 

 exclusively in coastal waters. [A. L. T.] 



4. Nest and Eggs. As a rule the nest is placed in some depression within 

 a few feet of the water, often on an island, and sheltered by vegetation. 

 Riemschneider found exceptionally nests in lava-holes at arm's-depth, but as a rule 

 they are quite in the open. In Iceland these birds may be said to breed in colonies, 

 great numbers of nests being found within a short distance of one another. The 

 nest hollow is lined by the duck with a few grasses and dry stalks, which become 

 mixed with the down, which is sooty brown in colour, with light centres, but no 

 light tips. The rather large white nest feathers, faintly tipped with brownish, 

 and sometimes slightly speckled, especially towards the tip, are illustrated in Mr. 

 Noble's paper, Brit. Birds, ii. p. 38, pi. 1. (See also PI. U.) Professor Newton 

 and Mr. H. Noble describe the down as lighter than that of the tufted-duck, 

 but the reverse is the case in specimens collected by myself in Iceland and 

 England. The eggs vary in number, as a rule, from 8 to 11 in number, but 19 

 and 22 have been exceptionally recorded in single nests, though probably 

 in each case two ducks were laying together. They are rather elongated in 

 shape, and are greenish grey stone colour, olive-grey or brownish grey ; the shell 

 smooth, but with little gloss and not stout. From the eggs of the pochard they are 

 generally distinguishable by their darker and more muddy type of colour, and 

 are not such a broad oval. Average size of 100 eggs, 2*43 x 1-71 in. [61'7 x 43-6 mm.]. 

 (PI. T.) Incubation is performed by the duck alone, and the period is estimated 

 by Hantzsch as four weeks. In Iceland full clutches may be found at the end of 

 May and early in June, but as many eggs are taken for food fresh eggs may occa- 

 sionally be met with as late as the beginning of July. The few nests recorded from 

 Scotland were found in the second week of June. Only a single brood is reared 

 in the season. [F. c. E. j.] 



5. Food. During the winter months, when the scaup is usually to be met 

 with at sea, the food consists chiefly of animal rather than vegetable food. A 

 small amount of vegetable matter is, however, occasionally met with, chiefly Zostera 

 marina. A. C. Chapman notes that the " sea grass " he found in gizzards was cut 

 up into half inch lengths. The animal food consists mainly of mussels, Mytilus 

 edulis, also large numbers of periwinkles, Littorina litorea and L. retusa. Thompson 

 also records Lacuna quadrifasciata, Rissoa ulvce, Cerithium reticulatum, and Nassa 

 maculata ; also the bivalve Nucula margaritacea, as well as seeds of Zostera marina 

 and remains of Crustacea (e.g. Idotece). Newstead records fragments of cockles 



