270 ANIBIALS IN MENAGERIES. 



afloat ; and the introduction of the detonating lock has 

 alone given the water-fowl shooter any chance against 

 it_, as it constantly dived at the flash of the pan, and was 

 fairly beneath the surface before the shot reached it. 

 Upon the land it proceeds in a shuffling ungainly man- 

 ner, from the backward position of the legs, and the 

 great size of the feet. In summer it returns to the 

 northern regions to breed. Dr. Richardson found the 

 golden-eye in great numbers, throughout the fur coun- 

 tries, frequenting the rivers and freshwater lakes, where 

 it is by no means shy ; yet diving instantaneously at the 

 flash of the gun, or the twanging of a bowstring. 



The male, in adult plumage, has the head, and about 

 two inches of the neck, of a brilliant duck green, broken 

 only by a large round patch beneath the lores : the bill 

 is black j and the irides are brilliant yellow, from which it 

 has obtained the name of Golden- eye : all the under parts, 

 from the neck downwards, are pure white : the greater 

 wing covers, and part of the scapulars, are also of the 

 same colour : the back, rump, the longest of the scapulars, 

 the primary quills, the four outer secondaries, and the 

 tertials are of a deep pitchy black ; the flank feathers 

 have deep black edges ; and the tail and thighs are 

 brown : the legs and toes are rich orange. 



The female has all the head, and the upper part of 

 the neck, deep brown ; while the lower part, as also the 

 belly and vent, are white : the breast and sides of the 

 body are deep brown, edged with whitish : the feathers 

 of the back and scapulars are blackish in the middle, 

 edged and tipt with deep ash ; the wing covers varied 

 with white and black : the tip of the bill and the irides 

 are yellowish, and the feet bright yellow. The young 

 males of the year, as in all other birds, resemble the old 

 females ; but the irides are greenish, and the toes light 

 or yellowish brown. At the age of one year, the con- 

 spicuous white spot at the side of the gape becomes ap- 

 parent, and the feathers of the head and neck are black, 

 but without any green gloss. 



