Food. 
General 
descrip- 
tion. 
Male bird. 
134 GRALLATORES. MACHETES. Rurr. 
feed greedily immediately after being taken. In the wild 
state, their food consists of worms, aquatic insects, and their 
larvee; but in confinement they soon eat bread and milk, 
boiled wheat, and other farinaceous diet, with avidity, and 
upon which they shortly become very fat. In England, this 
species, from its habits, is very locally distributed; the fens 
of Lincolnshire and Cambridge being the chief resort; they 
are, however, found, though in inconsiderable numbers, in 
other places. A small flock annually frequents the marsh of 
Prestwick Car, near Newcastle-upon-Tyne; and this, as far 
as I have been able to trace, is the northern limit of resi- 
dence in this country. In autumn I have indeed frequently 
met with small flocks on the coast, or in the marshes farther 
inland, but consisting of birds (viz. young males, with some- 
times a few females intermixed) on their migration from the 
north of Europe towards their winter-quarters, and whose 
stay seldom exceeded a week or ten days. The geographical 
distribution of this species is confined to the old Continent, 
and its polar migration extends as far as Iceland, and the 
northern parts of Russia; but the limit of its equatorial 
movement has not been well ascertained. 
Pirate 25. Fig. 1. represents a male in the summer plu- 
mage. 
Bill and legs pale ochre-yellow. Face naked, and covered 
with small yellow fleshy tubercles. From the hind part 
of the head, or auricles, arise two thick tufts of feathers, 
having tips curled backwards, of a yellowish-brown co- 
lour, barred with black, and glossed with purple. Ruff 
composed of elongated feathers, with strong shafts, 
springing from the throat, and under side of the neck, 
of a pale sienna-yellow colour, with zigzag black bars. 
Upper parts of the body a mixture of hair-brown, yel- 
lowish-brown, and black. Sides of the breast and flanks 
yellowish-brown, barred with black. Middle of the 
belly, abdomen, and under tail-coverts, white. Wings 
