THE BIRDS OF HELIGOLAND 535 



as follows : Seeing a small company of birds diving about among 

 the rocks near the shore some two hundred paces off', the shooter 

 must watch for the moment when all have dived beneath the 

 surface, then take a run of some twenty or thirty paces towards the 

 game, and before they reappear above the surface throw himself 

 Hat on the ground and wait, without stirring, until they have dived 

 once more. This manoeuvre is repeated until one gets sufficiently 

 near, so that the last run will take one straight to the water's edge. 

 Stones or seaweed are of great advantage in the way of cover, especi- 

 ally as one gets near to the birds. The gunner should be perfectly 

 ready for shooting at the instant he gets to the water's edge, for 

 the birds will rise on the wing as soon as their heads appear above 

 the surface, and not a moment is to be lost if each barrel is to 

 bring down its bird. It is highly amusing to watch the astonished 

 faces of the Ducks, the feathers of their head all on end, when they 

 thus suddenly see a man standing right in front of them in a 

 quarter where they had considered themselves perfectly safe from 

 all intrusion. However, it is often the sportsman who has to go off 

 with a long face ; for if the suspicion of the birds has been in any 

 manner aroused, they will indeed at once dive, but forthwith 

 reappear on the surface, by which time, however, the shooter has as a 

 rule already leapt to his feet, and so comes off with the joke against 

 himself. But even in a case like this, the amusement which the 

 cleverness of these birds must provide for any one who is a natural- 

 ist and observer will amply compensate him for the failure of his 

 sport. 



The fine old males are very frequently shot on the wing from 

 boats. These birds do not come so near to the island during the 

 day, though they evidently do so at night, when they are 

 frequently caught in the nets. 



Their breeding range extends throughout the north of the 

 Old and New Worlds, from about 58 to 71 N. latitude. Solitary 

 examples have also been found nesting farther south, as, for 

 instance, repeatedly in the Mark of Brandenburg. 



338. Long-tailed Duck [EISENTE]. 

 ANAS GLACIALIS. 1 



Heligolandish : Grau-linsk. A name which is perhaps formed after the call-note. 

 Anas glacialis. Naumann, xii. 210. 



Long-tailed Duck. Dresser, vi 617. 



Canard de Miclon. Temminck, Manud, ii. 860, iv. 553. 



The gay-plumaged males and inconspicuous females of this 

 species are the first of the Diving Ducks to make their appearance 



1 Harelda glacialis (Linn.). 



