346 BRITISH BIRDS. 



the wings: the belly, vent, and scapulars are 

 white; the feathers of the latter long, narrow, 

 and sharp-pointed : the two middle or long feathers 

 of the tail, and one on each side of them, are black : 

 the rest white. The legs and toes are pale blue: 

 webs and claws black: the inner toes and the small 

 ones behind are margined by small lateral webs. 

 The above figure and description refers to the 

 male in winter plumage. 



The Long-tailed Ducks, it is said, do not in the 

 winter, like many of the other tribes, entirely quit 

 their native haunts in the northern extremities of 

 the world, but considerable numbers remain there, 

 enduring its gloomy rigours, as well as enjoying 

 the perpetual day, under the influence of the un- 

 setting summer's sun, during the rest of the thus 

 divided year. Numerous flocks, however, spread 

 themselves southward in the winter, from Green- 

 land and Hudson's Bay, as far as New York, in 

 America; and from Iceland and Spitzbergen, over 

 Lapland, the Russian dominions, Sweden, Norway, 

 and the northern parts of the British Isles, in 

 Europe. A similar progress is observed in Asia, 

 where they are met with about Kamtschatka, c. 

 They frequent the lakes in the interior of all those 

 parts, as well as the sea shores. The flocks which 

 visit the Orkney and Zetland Isles appear in Octo- 

 ber, and continue there till April ; and " about 

 sun-set they are seen in vast companies going to 

 and returning from the bays, in which' they fre- 

 quently pass the night, making such a noise, as in 

 frosty weather may be heard some miles." They 

 are rather scarce in England, whither they come 

 only in very hard winters, and even then but in 



