596 BRITISH BIRDS. 



unable to fly at the end of August. The Harlequin Duck has been erro- 

 neously stated to breed in holes in trees on the banks of the swift-flowing 

 streams it frequents ; but there is no evidence of any kind in support of 

 this statement. Kriiper* was informed that in Iceland it makes its nest on 

 the ground, close to the water's edge, but always so carefully concealed as 

 to be discovered with difficulty. Shepherd describes it as nesting in holes 

 on the banks of the river Laxe, which connects lake My vatn with the sea ; 

 but in none of these cases does the information respecting the nest of this 

 bird appear to have been obtained from personal observation. The eggs 

 of the Harlequin are from eight to ten in number, creamy white, smooth 

 in texture, and glossy. They vary in length from 2'4 to 2'1 inch, and in 

 breadth from 1'75 to 1-6 inch. The down of the Harlequin Duck taken 

 from the nest appears to be undescribed, but, to judge from that on the 

 body of the bird, it is darkish grey, much paler than that of the Gadwall. 

 The eggs cannot readily be confused with those of any other British bird, 

 as they are always larger and heavier than those of the Wigeon and Smew. 



In winter the Harlequin Duck frequently retires to salt water, haunting 

 the quiet bays and rock-bound coasts, where it can obtain a supply of 

 suitable food. It then becomes rather more sociable and gregarious, often 

 mingling with Long-tailed Ducks, or uniting into small parties, the broods 

 and their parents keeping together in some cases during the winter. 

 Elliott found this Duck common on the shores or in the adjoining sea 

 of the Pribylov Islands. He saw them in flocks floating amongst the 

 surf, or standing preening their feathers on the beach and outlying rocks. 

 He never heard them utter a note at any time of the year. They were 

 not very wild or shy, and the natives killed numbers of them in spring 

 and autumn. The flesh of this bird is said not to be very palatable, 

 although Wilson seemed to be of a different opinion. 



The male Harlequin Duck, as its name implies, is conspicuous by the 

 eccentricity of the colours of its plumage, and by the startling contrasts 

 they present, rather than for their beauty. Assuming this to be an instance 

 of sexual selection, it must be admitted that the taste of the female is 

 very loud. The Harlequin is slightly larger than the Wigeon. The 

 adult male, in nuptial dress, has the general colour of the plumage 

 slate-grey, shading into black on the rump and upper and under tail- 

 coverts, and into brown on the centre of the belly; a large patch of 

 white at the base of the bill recalls a similar feature in the plumage 

 of the Golden-eye, but in the Harlequin it is prolonged into a narrow 

 streak on each side of the crown, which is emphasized by chestnut 

 streaks beneath, which meet on the nape, whilst above and between them 



* Kriiper's remarks on the nest and down of Barrow's Golden-eye have been inadver- 

 tently transferred to this species by Saunders, in the fourth edition of Yarrell'a 'British 

 Birds.' 



