variously 

 stributidii, 

 n suiuiiur 

 ird, and is 

 ■d. 

 atehewan, 



Hudson's 

 1 far uortli 

 resli-watcr 

 [H'ars to lie 

 ut it dives 

 so ditHcult 

 r. 



n IMexicii, 

 pecinion is 

 ) record of 



Southern 



me 18. It 

 it an arm's 

 0, where it 

 is eoninion 

 , Its e.t,'i;s 

 lek, whicli. 

 lent in tlie 



land. Vr. 



t Sound ti) 

 e interiiir, 



ada. It is 



as it rises 



perfectly 



3ed by tlu' 

 ity in div- 

 kly at tlie 

 lock. Its 



inse(]neiu'i,' 



t a winter 



)orhood 111' 

 low trees, 

 f of these 

 irge Hocks 

 1-dani anil 

 bstnieted 

 )ly return 

 d)le when 



pstioii. I'r. 

 the fcmiili's 



ANATIN.E — THE DUCKS — CLAXGULA. 



47 



J 



disturbed, but generally appear as much at home in this land-loeked basin as if in 

 tlu'ir wild retreats, swimming up to within a few rods of the dwellings in l)ea(H)n 

 Street, or diving under the nuich-frequented bridges. 



On Long Island, as Mr. Giraud states, the Golden-eye is better known among the 

 hunters as the '' Whistler," from the peculiar noise produced by its wings when fly- 

 ing. By others it is also called the " Great-Head," from its beautifully rich and 

 thii^kly crested head. On that island it is said to be a not very abundant species, 

 arriving there in company with other migratory Ducks. He met with it in the fall 

 ami spring on the Delaware and in Chesapeake IJay. as well as at Egg Harbor and on 

 Long Island. In the interior it is said to bo much more common. Its food seemed 

 to consist of small shell and other fish, which it procures by diving. In the fall its 

 flesh is said to be about eipial or even superior to that of the Scaui» Duck. It is very 

 shy, and is decoyed with great difficulty. In stormy weather it often takes shelter in 

 the coves with the Scaup Duck, and there it may be more readily killed. It usually 

 flies very high, and the whistling sound produced by the action of its wings is the 

 only noise that it makes as it proceeds. 



Audubon found tlie Golden-eye abundant in South Carolina during tlu^ winter, 

 where at times it frequented the preserves of the rice-planters. He also met with it 

 at that season on the watercourses of Florida. In the Ohio Uiver he found it i)re- 

 ferring the eddies and rapids, and there it was in the habit of diving for its food. 

 Katurully the Golden-eye is chiefly seen in company with the UuHle-lu'ad, the JFer- 

 ganser, and other species that are expert divers like itself. When wounded, unless 

 badly hurt, its power of diving and of remaining under water is so remarkable that 

 it cannot be taken. In 1842 Mr. Jonathan Johnson, of Nahant, shot a mah' of this 

 species, wounding it in the head and stunning it. The back jiart of the skull had 

 been shot away, and the bird was snjiposed to be mortally wounded. It, however, 

 ajipeared to recover, fed readily on corn, and became quite tame. It was i)urchast>il 

 by the late Thomas Lee, Es(i., and kept by him in an enclosure. lUit the cover of 

 its enclosure being one day incautiously opened, the bird, which had seemed reconciled 

 to conlinement, suddenly bounded upward through the o])en space, and disappeared. 



The flight of the Whistler is powerful, rapid, and protracted. On rising from the 

 Urater it proceeds at first very low, and does not ascend to its usual heiglit until it 

 has gone a considerable distance. Although generally a very silent bird, yet just 

 before it leaves for its breeding-places in the spring, the male has a rough eroaiiing 

 note ; and this noti; may also be heard if, having fallen wounded to the ground, it is 

 taken alive. 



Audubon pronounces the flesh of this Duck flshy and unfit for food. This may be 

 true where it has been rendered rank and strong by some peculiar kind of food, but 

 birds of this siiccies taken near Boston that I have eaten were far from lu-iiig unpala- 

 table. It feeds on shellfish, mollusca, marine vegetables, and seeds, and m conline- 

 llient will readily eat corn and grain. 



In Southern Wisconsin, according to the observations of Professor Kumlien, Ducks 

 of this species are found sparingly in the spring, but are more abundant in the fall, 

 a few being knt)wu to pass the winter in that locality, wherever they can find deep 

 and open water. They do not, however, remain there during the summer. 



Eggs of this s])ecies closely resemble those of the iKfum/lrit, l)eing uniformly of a 

 pale grayish pea-green color. Two from Moose IJiver, Southern '[vuhon Bay (Smith- 

 sonian Institution, No. 4;«8), mer-sure 2.55 by L70 inches, and 2..'0 liy L7(). Tlirce 

 from Fort Rae (No. 5032), Great Slave Lake, are vi a deeper green, and measure, 

 two, 2.35 by 1.70 inches, and one 2.30 by 1.70. 



