450 SCAUP-DUCK. 
elevated table-land of Central Asia diverting its line of migration to 
the east of the meridian of Lake Baikal, whence it can be traced 
southward to Japan, China and Formosa. Across North America, 
from the Pacific to the Atlantic, it is distributed north of lat. 50° in 
summer, and-down to Mexico and the West Indies in winter; but 
in Greenland it is of rare occurrence. There is also a smaller form 
—of doubtful specific distinctness—known as the American or 
Lesser Scaup, & affinis of Eyton (F: mariloides of Vigors) ; but the 
example figured as the above in the earlier editions of ‘ Yarrell,’ and 
once in the collection of the late Mr. F. Bond, appears to be a 
hybrid between the Scaup and the Pochard, and is certainly not the 
American bird. 
The nest is placed in rough herbage, or among stones in the 
vicinity of water; the pale greenish-grey eggs are usually 6-11 
in number, though as many as 22 have been found together, the 
joint produce of more than one female: measurements 2°6 by 
1°75 in. The note is remarkably hoarse and discordant, resembling 
the word sap, and its utterance is accompanied by a peculiar toss 
of the bird’s head. The food during winter consists chiefly of 
molluscs, small crustaceans, and sea-plants, obtained by diving 
over beds of oysters and mussels (known as “‘scalp”), or from reefs 
on which tangle grows; the bird is therefore unpalatable to most 
people, and, not being an object of pursuit, is, as a rule, rather 
tame. 
The adult male has the head, neck and upper breast glossy 
greenish-black ; mantle with fine wavy cross-lines of black and 
white; on the secondaries a white patch with a greenish-black 
border ; quills, rump and tail-feathers dull brown ; belly white ; bill 
pale greyish-blue; nail black; irides light yellow; legs and toes 
lead-blue. Length 19 in.; wing 8°5 in. The female has a broad 
white band round the base of the lead-coloured bill; head and 
neck sooty-black; breast and back brown, with greyish vermicu- 
lations; belly dull white; flanks and under tail-coverts mottled 
with brown. The young drake at first resembles the female, and 
does not attain the full glossy black head until he is more than 
three years old. 
