ANATIN.E - THE UUCKS — MEUGELLUS. 



125 



Eiif,'l'i»<l> fiii'l •" the pomls of New England and of New York. IJut ho was niisin- 

 tnniit'd; and probably mistook tho. common UutHe-head for this KixTies. Its ocenr- 

 ivuco on any portion of the Atlantic coast, even in Greenland, has not the snpport 

 of any well-attested evidence. 



This species is exclnsively migratory to Great Britain, and is there one of the most 

 common species of its genns, frequenting tlie rivers and the larger sheets of fresh 

 Wiitcr, as well as most parts of the coast. The appearance of the adult male is said to 

 1)1! very striking ; but it is the contrast rather than the variety of the colors of its jdum- 

 ai,'c which makes it .so. The immature birds — known as Red-headed Smews — are 

 more common than the adults. The birds of this species are shy and vigilant, feed- 

 ing on small tish, Crustacea, and aquatic insects. These they obtain withoiit difficulty, 

 as they are excellent divers. They move on land awkwardly, owing to the backward 

 j)OHitif)n of their legs. They are not known to breed in Great Britain, but leave early 

 ill sjiring for localities farther to the northeast. 



According to Mr. Dann, this bird is very common on the Elbe in winter, and is 

 picseiit in the Stockholm Fiord in November. It is not found on the west coast of 

 Norway, in the Faroe Islands, in Iceland, or in Greenland, and it has not l)een observed 

 by Arctic explorers in any part of the North American continent. During the winter 

 months it is of occasional and irregular occurrence in Holland, Germany, France, and 

 Switzerland, and has been met with even as far south as the Grecian Archipelago. It 

 has also been obtained in Northwestern India and in Japan. The Zoological Society 

 of London has received specimens of this bird from Trebizond. 



i\Ir. John WoUey (" Ibis," 18.50, p. G9) mentions procuring the eggs of this species 

 in Lapland in 1853. It is there; known by the name of Ungilo. It was said by the 

 natives to breed in the cavities of trees, and also in nest-boxes prepared for its use. 

 Although smaller than the Golden-eyed Duck, it is said to be able to turn that bird 

 out of its hole, if desirous of taking possession. A nest of this bird was found by a 

 native in an old hollow beech-tree, Avliieh, though greatly decayed, was still standing. 

 It contained seven eggs in all. Tb<> female Smew was taken on the nest. The eggs 

 wore hardly distinguishable froni those of the common European Widgeon (Mareca 

 peuelopc), and were about the same size as the eggs of that bird, though rather below 

 the average ; but were a little more flattened at the smaller end, and had a little less 

 of a yellowish tinge. There is said also to be a decided difference of texture. These 

 oggs varied in length from 2.05 to 2.04 inches, and in breadth from 1.42 to 1.52. Mr. 

 Wolley was informed by Hoffmansegg, a German naturalist, that the Smew occurs 

 in his neighborhood, which is more southerly than the district where the former was 

 staying; and as Mr. Wolley did not hear of it on the north or northeast coast of 

 Norway, and as it is not known to breed in Sweden, he infers that it is an eastern 

 as well as a northern bird. 



The Smew is given by Middendorff as occurring in the wooded regions of Siberia. 



Mr. Wheelwright says of this species: "It is never seen on the southwestern 

 or eastern coast of Scandinavia, except in winter. It breeds sparingly in the far 

 north, but the egg is more difficidt to obtain than that of any other Scandinavian bird." 

 Tlie egg in his collection Avas taken out of a hole in a tree between Joakmock and 

 Junakiok, in Lnlea, Lapland. The year before, a Golden-eye had bred in the same 

 hole. The egg is so like that of Mareca penelope in shape, size, and coloring, that it 

 is difficul*: to distinguish one from the other. 



^Ir. T. L. Powys found the Smew common in Epims in February and !March, 

 chiefly in immature plumage. It was also found in Southern Spain during the winter 

 by Mr. II. Saunders ; and it was especially common at the Albufera. 



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