328 BRITISH BIRDS. 



neck, and shoulders, and inclining to brown on the 

 sides, belly, and vent : the outer sides of the legs 

 and toes are of a fine crimson colour; the inner 

 sides deep yellow; the webs and nails black; and 

 the joints of both legs and toes look as if they were 

 stained or bespattered with ink : the tail, consisting 

 of fourteen feathers, is short and pointed. The 

 female is without the protuberance on the base of 

 the bill, and has a whitish spot before the eyes, 

 and another still whiter on the tips of the auricu- 

 lars; the under parts are spotted from the breast 

 nearly to the vent, with white and brown : a white 

 stripe is formed on the wing, like that of the male, 

 and her plumage is dull brown. 



These birds are natives of the northern parts 

 of the world, where they rear their young, and 

 continue during the summer months, but retire 

 southward in winter, at which season they are met 

 with in greater or less numbers, and according to 

 the severity of the weather, approach towards the 

 temperate climates of Europe, Asia, and America. 

 In the latter quarter they are frequently seen as far 

 south as New York, and spread themselves in small 

 numbers along the shores of western Europe, as 

 far as France, where they sometimes appear in 

 company with the large flocks of Scoters, and are 

 often caught in the fishermen's nets with those 

 birds ; but they are seldom met with on the British 

 shores. 



