The Pintail Duck.] OF ORKNEY. . 141 



Species 9. The Pintail Duck. 



Sea Pheasant or Cracker, Wil. Orn. 376. Rail Syn. Av. 147. Anas acuta, 

 Lin. Sys. 202. Brit. Zool. 368. Ore. Caloo, or Coal and Candle Light 

 (from its cry.) 



THIS Duck is to be found very frequently in the sound of 

 Hoy, though only in winter ; it withdraws from us in spring. 

 I never had an opportunity to examine this species very near, 

 therefore must give the description from the British Zoology. 



" The form is slender ; the neck long and small ; weight 

 " twenty-four ounces ; length twenty-eight inches ; breadth 

 " one yard two inches ; the bill black in the middle, blue on 

 " the sides ; the head ferrugineous, tinged behind the ears 

 " with purple ; from beneath the ears commences a white 

 " line, which runs some space down the neck ; this line is 

 " bounded by black ; the hind part of the neck, the back 

 " and sides are elegantly marked with white and dusky waved 

 " lines ; the fore part of the neck and belly white ; the sca- 

 " pulars striped with black and white ; the coverts of the 

 " wings ash-coloured, the lowest tipped with dull orange ; 

 " the middle quill-feathers barred on their outmost webs with 

 " green, black, and white ; the exterior feathers of the tail 

 " are ash-coloured, the two middle black, and three inches 

 " longer than the rest ; the feet of a lead colour." 



I met with a couple of these, but they were plucked and 

 ready for the spit before I saw them, so that I could not exa- 



