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332 



PR.KCOClAr. (il(AI,L.\T()KKS — LIMU'dL.t:. 



:i . 



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ifli 



Tlii.s sjH'cifH, kiiDWii iiiiiiiiiK writers liotli ;i.s llic (jniv iiutl us tli«' Ut'il-ncckcd I'liiila 

 rope — tlic (iiif iiiiiuf liiiviii^,' Im'ch siiKKi'^^tt'il I))' its wiiitta- pliiiiuim', th(! otliiT liy flir 

 l)ri>,'lit coloi's wliicli iiilniii its suiiiiiifr dn-ss — is foiiiiunii tu iMitlicuutimMits, liri-fiiin,' 

 in the liij^li .Victic ir'^idiis nl Asiii, Hiiin|ic. mnl Aiiicricii in ijir cuily siiimmT, iiml 

 from Au^rust to tlic latter pint ul .May wiiiidfriii;,' irrt-Kuliirly ovit h laiKc jtortiori ul 

 the iKirtlifni licinisplit'ii'. 



Mr. It. .Swiiilidi' iiii'iitiinis luiviiii,' prdcnrcd H])fciiiicns of (Ids Itird in Novi'iidior 

 lu'ur Apf's Hill, in Knrninsa. It was sitting' and tloatini,', uashin;4 ilsdl' in a iittlr 

 stream, and its niovenients ai'c s)ioken ol' as lieinj,' Itntli pleasing and ^'raeelul. Ai 

 Tanisay. .March 11. he pmenred three others I'roni a tioek which was teedin;.f on tin' 

 shoals of the livr; niid he afterward met with this species on the island of iiainaii. 

 A,s he was leavin;^ lliini,'-pe, fonr of liiese birds tlew toward tlie .sliip and .sat Hoatin.; 

 on the water close to Iiim'. Ife alterward. .\piil I, on the shore of the liUncliou 

 I'eidnsnla, saw another, which he seeniccl. \ single s)ieeimcn is said (" Ibis." I,S(i7. 

 J). IG!)) to have iieen taken liy Mr. Wallace in one of tiie Arm Islands. The natuml- 

 ists of I'erry's I''..\|)edition to .lapaii prociirc<l specimens ol' this hii'd from the Islinii! 

 of Ni|ihon. 



Althoni,'h a northern hiiil in its Itreedin;,', thi.-' species makes its appe.'tr.mce ni 

 warmer rcji^ions immediately upon the (dose of its season of reproihietion Mr. Sahiii 

 met with fonr of this species at Dnefias, in (inutemala. in Aujj;nst. '..S.'t',). They had 

 apparently hnt just ai'rived. and were swimmin,!^ slowly aliont {)„ the lake. |)ickin',f at 

 the weeds, and showint; the usnal alisence of timidity peculiar to these birds. 



Middendorff speaks of this species as iiein^' abundant iu Siberia, and iiadudes it in 

 liis list of those birds widcii penetrate to the exti'cnu' north. \'on lleuj,din found it 

 at the bei,dnidnj; of September on Nova Zendda, already dressed in its autumnal plu- 

 mage ; also on Wayj^atz Island, w here it w as leathered iu family parties of six or moic 

 on shallow fresh-water poids. Mr. ('. \V. Shepherd found it breeding in great inunbcrs 

 on the small islands in the Lake (d My-vatu, in the north (d' lc(daud. The young 

 birds — "tiny little pieces of aninuited wool" — were very beautiful ; and the old 

 birds were so tame that they were caught in the landing-net like butterflies, as tlicy 

 tiew anmnd, while the hens .sat still, l)rooding their litth' ones within a few feet 

 of him. 



I'rofessor Ts'ewton also mentions finding this bii'd very common all over Iccdand. 

 on all the ponds and lakes, arriving Lite in May, and at once iteginning the duties (d 

 niditication. On one occasion, in the nnnith of dune, he saw a Hock of at least a 

 hnndred sitting on the surf, between the breaking waves and the shore. 



Although ^Ir. Wheelwright found this species far more common in Seandinavia 

 than the fii/!riir!iis, he does not think that they breed anywhere excepting in the 

 Lapland fell-valleys. They breed commonly at (^)ui(dviok. The egg.s. four in mindier. 

 he describes as being of a i)ale (dive-green ecdor, and covered with large and small 

 blaci ''"own sjiots. He found imt little difference between the eggs of this specio 

 and tiiosc of t\n' fidirariiin, except that the latter are slightly larger. 



Yarrell states that this bird is nuudi less rare in England than the lied (d' the 

 same species; but the latter is in(n'e ecnnmon in the northern islands of Se(jtlaiid. 

 Mr. Salmon, who visited the Orkm^ys in tlie snmmer of 1831, says of this bird, as 

 quoted by Yarr(dl : "This beautiful little bird a|)i>eared to be very tame ; although 

 we shot two pair, those that were .swimming aliout did not take the least notice el 

 the report of the gun ; and they seemed to be much attached to each other, for when 

 one of them flew to a short distance, the other directly fcdlowed ; and while 1 held a 

 female that was wounded, in my hand, its mate came and fluttered before ray face, 



