153 



THE GOLDEN-EYE DUCK. 



Morillon (female and young males). 



Clangula vulgaris, Leacli. 

 Anas clangula, Linn. 

 Anas glaucion, Linn, (females and young males.) 



Is a regular winter visitant to the coast and inland 



waters. 



Belfast Hay. 

 This bird is late in arrival here after the breeding season, the 

 5th of October being the earliest date known to me. It remains 

 generally the latest of the migratory ducks in spring, occa- 

 sionally until May:"^ — on the 1st of June, 1840, a couple fre- 

 quented a particular part of the bay." This species exhibits its 

 partiality for fresh or brackish water by feeding chiefly in the 

 creeks — or " guUets,'' as they are here called — at extreme ebb, 

 and but rarely at the margin of the flowing tide. It does not, like 

 the wigeon and other ducks, frequent the banks exposed at low 

 water as feeding-ground, nor does it, like them, fly at dusk ; it 

 is a day-feeding bird. 



Golden-eyes come to the bay every season, and their numbers 

 are not considered to be increased by severe winters. They are 

 less numerous than the scaup, are particularly given to diving, 

 and more expert at it than either scaup or pochard. They are 

 wilder than these and the other diving ducks, and difficult to be 

 approached within range even of the swivel-gun. They generally 

 keep by themselves in little parties which rarely come near the 

 shore ; but in very fine weather I have not unfrequently known 

 single immature birds to be killed from the road bordering the bay. 

 Occasionally, however, they associate with other species : of eight 

 ducks killed at a shot on the yOth November, 1838, there were five 



* At BallyJrain lake, three birds, females or youug males, were observed on the 

 SOtli of April, 1S48 : on the second of which month, in the following year, a flock 

 of six adult males was there. 



