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It is found in Japan; for I possess an immature male, obtained at Hakodadi in December 1864 

 by Mr. Whitely ; but it does not appear to have been met with in China. 



On the American continent it is tolerably common in the north during the summer, and 

 migrates south to the coasts of the middle States in the winter. It occurs in the Aleutian 

 Islands ; and Dr. Brewer informs me that Mr. Elliott found it common on the Prybelow Islands 

 throughout the year. Mr. Dall says that it was obtained at Kadiak and Sitka by Bischoff, but 

 is rather rare in the vicinity of the Yukon. It is, he adds, an essentially solitary species, found 

 (alone or in pairs) only in the most retired spots on the small rivers flowing into the Yukon, 

 where it breeds, and not, except accidentally, on the main river. Dr. E. Coues says that it 

 inhabits the northern districts, where it occurs chiefly on the coast. In the winter it ranges 

 south to the middle States and California. It breeds, he adds, in the northern Rocky Mountains 

 of the United States, and in August 1874 he found broods, still unable to fly, swimming in the 

 clear streams which empty into Chief-Mountain Lake. Dr. Brewer informs me that, though 

 once common in winter on the coasts of the United States, it has become very rare ; and he adds 

 that Audubon's claim to have found it breeding on Grand Menan, in the Bay of Fundy, is founded 

 on a mistake ; for he saw the gunner who had charge of the party in 1851 and 1852, and he told 

 him that all the nests said to be those of the Harlequin were really those of the Red-breasted 

 Merganser ; and I may add that, though I found it by no means uncommon in the Bay of Fundy 

 during the winter. I never saw one there at any other season of the year. 



I have had no opportunity of watching the habits of the Harlequin Duck during the 

 breeding-season; but when in New Brunswick in the winter I very frequently saw it, more 

 especially in the spring, when vast numbers of Ducks were passing on their way to their 

 breeding-haunts. Compared with the Long-tailed Ducks and Scoters, the Harlequin was a 

 rather scarce bird ; and, as a rule, I calculated their comparative numbers as about one to twenty. 

 Usually the Harlequins were in twos and threes, or in small flocks, keeping near or consorting 

 with Long-tailed Ducks ; but on several occasions I have seen tolerably large flocks of Harlequins. 

 Being much more shy than most of the other species of Ducks which frequented the Bay of 

 Fundy, I found considerable difficulty in shooting them, and especially in obtaining old males; 

 for, as a rule, I saw only about one fine-plumaged old male to eight or a dozen of the more 

 plainly garbed females or young males; but one season I was tolerably fortunate in getting 

 males, and obtained about a dozen in full plumage. I could only get within range by watching 

 them from the shore as the tide rose, when they were diving in nearer and nearer as the tide 

 flowed ; and by watching my opportunity and taking a run towards the edge of the water as all 

 the birds disappeared under its surface, and lying flat down before they reappeared, I could 

 generally manage to get to the edge and obtain a shot, but usually at somewhat long range, and 

 almost always found it necessary to use a wire cartridge. I had also a sort of hiding-place out 

 on a point of rock jutting into the sea, which was covered at high tide, but where as the tide 

 came up I used to sit and shoot at the small flocks of Ducks as they came flying past ; but I 

 rarely used to get a Harlequin there, as they usually passed too far from the shore, well out of 

 shot-range. On the wing the present species was very swift and active ; it is the only Duck I 

 have known to dive from the air into the water at once on being fired at ; and it is certainly one 

 of the best divers amongst all the sea-Ducks. It is said by several observers to be a noisy bird : 



