618 ^ETHYIA 



Is an expert diver and obtains its food to some extent 

 inland, but chiefly under the surface of the water, feeding 

 chiefly on vegetable substance, but also, it is said, on aquatic 

 insects. As a rule it is a somewhat silent bird, and its call-note 

 is a low rerrr-rerrr-a. Its nest is a mere hollow in the ground 

 near water lined with grass-bents and down, and the eggs 7 to 

 10, sometimes 12 in number, are usually deposited early in June, 

 are greenish grey, sometimes with a faint buff tinge, and 

 measure about 2'38 by 1'65. 



858. SCAUP DUCK. 

 JETHYIA MARILA 



jEthyia marila (Linn.), Syst. Nat. i. p. 196 (1766) ; (Naum.), xii. p. 88, 

 Taf. 311 ; (Hewitson), ii. p. 426, pi. cxvii. fig. 3 ; (Gould), B. of E. 

 v. pi. 371 ; (id.) B. of Gt. Brit. v. pi. 24 ; (Dreseer), vi. p. 565, pi. 436 ; 

 (David and Oust.) Ois. Chine, p. 507 ; (Salvadori), Cat. B. Br. Mus. 

 p. 355 ; (Tacz.), F. 0. Sib. O. p. 1164 ; (Blanf.), F. Brit. Ind. Birds, 

 iv. p. 462 ; (Saunders), p. 449 ; (Lilford), vii. p. 112, pi. 46 ; (Ridg- 

 way), p. 103. 



Canard milouinan, French ; Morctta-grigia , Ital. ; JBergente, 

 German ; Toppereend, Dutch ; Bjergand, Dan. and Norweg. ; 

 Bergand, Swed. ; Stuora-fietag, Lapp. ; Iso-sorrti Tunturi-sotka, 

 Finn. ; Sorovoi-Nyrok, Belogldska, Russ. ; Nakihashiro-gamo, Jap. 



$ ad. (N. Russia). Head, neck, forepart of back, breast, rump, upper 

 and under tail-coverts, and tail black ; head and upper neck glossed with 

 bottle-green ; upper parts white vermiculated and barred with black ; 

 speculum white tipped with black ; under parts white, the lower 

 abdomen faintly vermiculated with black ; bill and legs light plumbeous ; 

 webs blackish ; iris yellow. Cnlmen 1*85, wing 8*5, tail 2'8, tarsus 1'4 

 inch. The female has the forepart of the head and chin white ; rest of the 

 head, neck, and breast dark reddish brown ; upper parts dark brown, the 

 back slightly vermiculated with white ; abdomen dull white, the flanks 

 vermiculated with brown ; crissum and under tail-coverts dark brown 

 slightly vermiculated with white ; bill and legs darker than in the male. 

 The male in late summer resembles the female but the head and neck are 

 blacker, the back more barred with dirty white, and the soft parts as 

 above. 



Hob. Europe generally, north to Lapland and Iceland ; rare 

 in Greenland ; Southern Europe and North Africa in winter ; 

 Asia east to Japan, north to Kamchatka, south in winter to 

 Northern India and China. The American form, jE. nearctica 

 (Stejn.) is said to differ in having the six inner quills without 

 distinct white spaces on the inner webs. 



