THE TUFTED DUCK. 105 



locality. I have fired at Scaup from concealment, and 

 found that they will, like Pochard, paddle round a 

 dead comrade as if curious to learn how the deed was 

 done. On my standing up they would at once leave 

 in alarm. Mr. R. L. Patterson writes me word that 

 he has seen Scaup on Clandeboy Lake, about three 

 miles from the sea. This water is about halfway 

 between the two marine loughs of Belfast and 

 Strangford, so that Scaup flying from one to the 

 other are intercepted by and rest on Clandeboy ; 

 but this is hardly the same as finding them far 

 inland. 



THE TUFTED DUCK (Fuligula cristatd] might be 

 mistaken at a distance for an immature bird of 

 some other species, such as the Scaup, Pochard, or 

 Goldeneye, for a very small proportion of those met 

 with possess the long curved crest that characterizes 

 the adult male. They are now and then shot on 

 the south coast of Ireland, but especially frequent 

 the inland lakes, where they are more common, and 

 known as " small black divers." In the bays and 

 estuaries they are also found in large numbers, 

 particularly in the north, but in the south and west 

 of Ireland they are seldom shot on the coast. 

 They are not nearly so shy as other diving ducks, 

 nor so hard to get near. A wounded Tufted Duck 

 which I brought home fed from the hand in a few 

 days, whilst Wigeon, Pintail, and Pochard, after a 

 month in captivity, were still wild and untamed. 



This Duck nests in several parts of Ireland. I 

 have more than once seen young broods, but never 

 found the eggs or nest. It may be said to breed 

 yearly on the great lakes through which the 



