THE SCAUP DUCK. 139 



of feeding, in ■which both species participate, is mentioned. On 

 looking to the stomachs of a number of these birds killed in 

 the north of Ireland, cliiefly in the locality now treated of, from 

 November until March in various years, and in all kinds of wea- 

 ther, I have found that minute univalve shell-fish almost exclu- 

 sively constitute their food. These are Littorina littorea and L. 

 retusa, Lacuna quadrifasciata, Rissoa tilvce, CeritJuum reticulatum, 

 ^iW^Nassa macula. One was filled with fragments of the bivalve Nu- 

 cula margaritacea, and another contained a number of the seeds 

 of Zostera marina, in addition to Rissoa tilva, this being the only 

 instance in which any vegetable matter was found. Minute Crus- 

 tacea, as Idotece, &c., I have likewise met witli ; — large pebbles, 

 even half an inch in diameter, are sometimes in them. Wil- 

 1 ugh by remarks that this bird "is called the scaup-duck hec2iVi?,e 

 she feeds upon scaup, i. e., broken shell-fish^^ (p. 365). 



Wounded scaups (as has been remarked by Montagu) soon 

 become familiar. An acquaintance, endeavouring to ])et winged 

 birds at different times, could not induce them to eat until a large 

 vessel with water was introduced, into which their food was 

 thrown, and then, on every occasion, they at once partook of it. 

 He believed tliey would have died rather than take any food in a 

 dry state. I have seen them a few days after capture foUow per- 

 sons round a pond for bread, &c. ; and have been amused at 

 their preference to diving for food, rather than taking it on the 

 surface. When oats, for example, were tlu'own on the water, 

 they dived, after the odd grains that fell towards the bottom, in- 

 stead of taking them oft' the top, where they floated in quantity. 



Mr. E. Ball has supplied the following note : — " A scaup duck 

 had a nest and about seven eggs, in the spring of 1 843, at the 

 Gardens of the Royal Zoological Society, Phoenix Park, Dublin ; 

 but I could not discover what male she was paired with ; she sat 

 for some weeks, until the eggs disappeared, probably having been 

 stolen : I have seen her since occasionally. As tliis duck was 

 able to fly, and there was no record of her being placed on the 



