ANATID^. 239 



Long-tailed Duck. Harelda gladalis (Linn.). 



A winter visitor, of occasional occurrence in the autumn and winter 

 months, chiefly on the south coast of the county. j^Fontagu, however, 

 met with only one specimen, a female, on the South Coast of England, 

 and Dr. E. Moore does not seem to have seen any at all in Devon. In 

 his day the Lird was, very likely, undetected as an occasional straggler in 

 winter. 



The Long-tailed Duck is a species frequenting high latitudes, which 

 comes south in the autumn, and, although well known as a saltwater 

 Duck during the winter months off the coasts of Scotland, only in severe 

 winters strays as far southwards as to be met with on the shores of the 

 S.W. of England. Still, a sufficient number of examples have occurred 

 in South Devon, on the bays and estuaries, in all stages of plumage, to 

 remove it from the list of our rarest wild-fowl. In North Devon it is 

 not so often met with, and we know of only three esamiDles having been 

 procured on the Taw, all young birds in immature plumage, obtained in 

 hard weather ; one of them is in our collection. 



The drakes of this species, with their long tails, and their pied ])lumage 

 of chestnut and white, are extremely handsome birds. This Duck goes 

 by many names in the North, being called the Calico Duck, the Ice Duck, 

 the Northern Hareld, &c. The first of the three names we have 

 mentioned is taken from the very musical note of the bird ; " the united 

 cry of a large flock sounds very like bagpipes at a distance," we are told. 

 Flocks of Long-tailed Ducks are said to be very playful, the birds chasing 

 one another, and indidging in various gambols, especially in rough and 

 boisterous weather. During a tremendous storm off the Isle of lona, a 

 correspondent of Mr. Gray's informed him that in the midst of the intense 

 gloom occasioned by the mist and driving sleet, " there arose a triumphant 

 song of these wild creatures above the uproar of the elements ; and, when 

 the mist lilted, I beheld the whole flock careering about the bay as if mad 

 with delight " (Gray, ' Birds of the W. of Scotland,' p. 300). 



Bellamy eays that "several specimens liave been captured on the Tama r" (Nat. 

 Hist. 8. Devon, p. 217). An immature bird was bought in the Deronport Market by 

 Mr. J. Gatcombe, November IDth, 1851. 



Many have occurred at diti'erent times on the Kingsbridge estuary. A male, in 

 almost full plumage, together witii a female, were obtained tlierc, October l!St]i, 

 ]8(J.T; a female, October 14tii, 1875; and aiiotlier female in 187(> (II. V. N, Zool. 

 1875, p. 40')7; II. N., Zo.,1. 18(J(*., p. .52(5; 187(), p. 5180). .Several immature 

 birds were shot tiiere in Ndvember 1S81), and five in December LSIKJ, wlien it \v;is 

 quite numerous (Vj. A. S. E., MS. Notes). Tiie Long-tailed Duck lias also occurred 

 at Slaplon Ley (R. 1'. N.). A flot^k, recorded as Harlequin Ducks, was seen in the 

 winter of 184H-47 on Torbay (Dr. 15aftersl)y, Zool. 1S47, p. ]()'.I7). A young male 

 wan shot on Torbay, December 2<lth, 18(il) (Zool. 1H7IJ, p. 2<J.")',i), and an immatiiro 

 bird, November 24th, 1H7;3 ('Jrans. Devon. Ass-oc. viii. p. 21)4). 



Mr. Rots records a yoimg male on the )']xe in December 1S41 (MS. .Tourn. iii. ]). 35), 

 and lliere i.s u fine adult niah; in niiiinnir plumage killed on the Mxe in 1847, and 

 another adult in winter ])lumage, from that river, in his C(jllci-ti(ni now pi-cscrved in 

 the A. M. M. A young male occurred on the \]\v in October 1^51 (K. \V. L. K.) ; 

 and another was seen on tlio E.\e, by .Mr. Kudd, in March 1852 (W. T., ' Nulurulist, 



