202 British Birds, with their Nests and Eggs. 



small end and less of a yellow tinge about tliem. A full account of this most 

 interesting discovery will be found in " Yarrell's British Birds," (Ed. IV., Vol. 

 IV., pp. 501-6), extracted from WoUey's notes in the " Ibis " for 1859. 



The Smew is a very expert diver, it flies with great rapidity, and is a very 

 shy bird and difl&cult to approach in the open. ■ I have, however, in very severe 

 winters, flushed it inland in narrow marsh drains, where it could by no 

 possible means have avoided the approach of an enemy. It feeds on various 

 Crustacea, small fish, water insects, and vegetable matter. I once found in the 

 gizzard of an old female Smew a mass of fine vegetable fibre, quartz stones, and 

 a feather. In the stomach of one which Mr. Boulton, of Beverley, had, were five 

 small roach, from three to five inches long. 



The occurrence of a handsome adult Smew is always an interesting circumstance 

 with ornithologists ; its beautifully contrasted plumage of black and white seen 

 on the wing on. pur coast, against the dark back-ground of a lowering storm- 

 cloud, is one of those incidents that are . remembered long afterwards. In the 

 " Zoologist," 1864, p. 8962, Mr. Boulton has recorded three adults obtained near 

 the city of York early in that year; and in the winter of 1871, six adult males 

 were obtained in January, in Norfolk. 



The Smew is not known to occur on the American Continent. 



The adult male has the head white, with a full crest, and on the fore-part of 

 each cheek a greenish-black patch ; a band of the same colour on each side of the 

 occiput ; the back black in front and grey behind, a transverse black line in front 

 before the wing ; primaries and coverts brownish-black ; secondary quills and 

 coverts black, tipped with white; some of the scapulars margined with black; the 

 rump, tail, and markings on flanks, grey; all the rest of the plumage white. 

 Bill, tarsi, and feet, bluish-grey, webs darker; irides red. Length 17A inches; 

 weight about ij lbs. The trachea in the male differs very materially from those 

 of the two preceding species. 



Adult females are less than the male ; the head, crest, which is much smaller, 

 and back of neck, chestnut ; there is a black patch on the fore part of the cheek 

 as in the male, the throat white. The head and neck in the female are very 

 slender, and with the colour suggest the local name " weasel head." The hybrids 

 between this and the Goldeneye have already been mentioned under the head of 

 the latter species. 



