456 LONG-TAILED DUCK. 
Russia, Siberia, and throughout Arctic America, as well as in Green- 
land ; in fact its summer range is circumpolar. In cold weather it 
migrates southward to about 40°N., visiting the Swiss and Italian 
lakes as well as the Adriatic; in Asia it reaches Japan and North 
China; while in America it is found to lat. 37° N., and is widely 
known as the ‘“South-southerly” and “Old Squaw,” from its 
gabbling cry. In this connection it may be mentioned that in 
many parts of Scotland the call-note is rendered by “Coal an’ 
can’le licht.” 
The nest, generally placed among herbage, low bushes by the 
side of fresh-water, is composed of a few stems of grass, with a thick 
lining of down, which is little inferior to that of the Eider. The 
eggs, of a somewhat elongated oval form, are: pale greyish-green, and 
measure about 2°1 by 1°45 in. On a small flat island in My-vatn, 
Iceland, Messrs. Shepherd and Upcher counted more than twenty 
nests, and observed a Long-tailed Duck and a Scaup sitting together 
on one which contained several eggs of the two species. The food 
consists of animalculz which swim at various depths, and of small 
molluscs, crustaceans &c., chiefly picked off sea-weed ; in summer 
aquatic plants and insects are eaten. 
The adult male in early spring has the cheeks brownish-grey ; 
below, on each side of the neck, an oval patch of dark brown ; 
forehead, crown and rest of the neck pure white; back and 
rump blackish ; elongated scapulars, inner secondaries, and short 
exterior tail-feathers white; central tail-feathers black, and some- 
times 5 in. longer than the rest; breast, wing-coverts and primaries 
brownish-black ; belly and flanks white ; bill pale rose-colour in the 
middle (when fresh) ; nail and the basal-half black ; irides varying 
from yellow to hazel and red; legs and toes pale lead-colour, webs 
blackish. Length (inclusive of the central tail-feathers) 22-26 in. ; 
wing 8°8 in. In the summer-plumage, assumed by the end of May, 
the space round the eye is pale buff mixed with a little white, the 
rest of the head, neck, back and breast being dark brown, while the 
feathers of the scapulars and the secondaries have broad rufous 
margins with black centres. In the depth of winter there is more 
white about the head than in spring; and every intermediate stage 
between these plumages is to be found. The female has the crown 
and upper parts dark brown; a dull white stripe behind the eye; 
cheeks, throat and upper breast ash-brown ; under parts white ; no 
long tail-feathers. The young male resembles her, but soon becomes 
darker on the back. <A thoroughly mature female has the neck 
white. 
