218 BIRD-LIFE OF THE BORDERS. 



dozen or so inside harbour, especially about the " scaps," or 

 mussel-beds (whence probably their name), and even on the 

 edge of the ooze, where they occasionally vary their shell- 

 fish diet with a feed of sea-grass. They always, however, 

 keep afloat, or nearly so ; it is very seldom one sees a Scaup 

 or Golden-eye go on to dry land, nor (on the coast) have I 

 ever heard either species utter any note. 



Scaup are the tamest of all the duck-tribe, and exactly 

 the reverse of the Golden-eye they continue throughout 

 the winter as tame and as easily approached as when they 

 first arrive in October. On seeing a pack of them, one can 

 shove the punt close in upon them, and then, if scattered, 

 can wait securely till they arrange themselves nicely to 

 receive the charge. Scaup are also among the toughest of 

 birds and the most tenacious of life. At least half the 

 cripples usually escape, and any that are captured alive it is 

 all but impossible to kill. I have seen, when the bag was 

 emptied on to the kitchen floor, a couple of Scaups, which 

 had appeared as dead as door-nails, return to life and flutter 

 vigorously round the room. Even when killed, however, 

 they are of no value, being the strongest, nastiest, and most 

 utterly uneatable ducks I ever tried. 



The following extract from a note-book is illustrative of 

 the two points just described namely, the tameness and 

 the toughness of these ducks. " January 5th : Early this 

 morning came on four Scaup, feeding, half-afloat, in the 

 dark ; stopped three with a shot from 10-bore only got two, 

 a young drake and an old one. Later in day came on seven, 

 very squandered. After getting within fifty yards, we lay by 

 them for several minutes till they were all ranged in a line, 

 wheu I fired and laid all seven on their backs three appar- 

 ently dead, four winged. Shoved in and commenced playing 

 on latter with small gun, when one by one six of them dis- 

 appeared, and though the sea was like glass, we saw not one 

 of these again ! We thus lost, at the moment, seven out of 

 ten crippled Scaup, though three or four of these were picked 

 up the same day, and nearly all within twenty-four hours." 



Scaup also appear to be some years in attaining the full 

 plumage of maturity. The young drakes, on first arrival in 



