84. BRITISH BIRDS 



Av. size, 2*42x1 "72 in. Laying begins usually April- May. 

 One brood. 



168. Tufted-duck \Nyroca fuligula (Linnaeus) ; Fuligula 

 cristata (Leach)]. Winter visitor and bird of passage to our 

 canals and inland waters ; less often on salt water. Breeds 

 Scotland, England, Ireland, and Anglesey. 



Bird. Length 17 in. .Recognised by the crest, which is 

 smaller in the female, and by the black 

 (male) or dusky brown (female) head, neck, 

 upper-parts, and upper breast ; these 

 colours contrasting, in the male, with the 

 white on the lower breast, belly, and flanks 

 which, in the female, are brown to greyish 

 Fig. 98. or whitish-brown. The drake has a purple 



gloss on the head. Both sexes have the 



beak greyish with a black tip, and the wing speculum white. 

 The male, in " eclipse " (July- October), has the flanks more or 

 less pencilled finely with black ; he is otherwise like the female. 

 Young birds lack the crest and have more or less white on the 

 face. 



Nest. Usually near water, among rushes, grass, heather, 

 under bushes. Material : as preceding. 



Eggs. Usually 8- 12. Olive-brown, greenish-olive, or brownish- 

 yellow, " while the shape is somewhat characteristic, many eggs 

 being elongated" (Jourdain). Av. size, 2'32x 1-61 in. Laying 

 begins in May- June. One brood. 



169. Scaup-duck, scaup [Nyroca marila marila (Linnaeus) ; 

 Fuligula marila (Linnaeus)]. Winter visitor and bird of passage 

 to our estuaries and low shores. Breeds exceptionally in 

 Scotland. 



Bird. Length 19 in. The drake has the head, neck, upper 

 back, and forebreast black with green or purple gloss. The 

 rest of the back, the scapulars, and upper wing-coverts pencilled 

 white and grey. The flanks and the under-parts from the fore- 

 breast to the under tail-coverts are white. Upper and lower 

 tail-coverts black. Speculum or wing patch white with a 

 greenish-black border. The drake, in " eclipse " (July- October), 

 is like the duck, but has the head and upper breast much 

 darker. The duck has a conspicuous band of white round the 

 base of the bill. Head, neck, and forebreast rufous-brown, 

 with more or less white on the side of the head. Mantle 

 pencilled grey on a brownish ground. Same for flanks. Belly 

 white. Speculum as male. The young much like the duck. 



170. G-oldeneye [Clangula clangula (Linnaeus); Glangula 

 glaucion (Linnaeus)]. Winter visitor and bird of passage to 

 our coasts and inland waters. 



