TUFTED DUCK.— GOLDEN-EYE. 355 



could not get sight of the young. The note resembles the 

 syllables "kyrra, kyrra," pronounced in a very high key. 

 The nest is placed among the rushes and other coarse 

 herbage, generally near the water, being a mere depression in 

 the ground lined with dry sedge, and the eggs are covered with 

 a profusion of down. The bird feeds on the weeds growing 

 in the water, and a pair which I have had for several years in 

 confinement, on a pond in my grounds, where there is no 

 vegetation growing in the water, have continued in excellent 

 health on maize. 



I once met with one of these Ducks at table, Mr. Whitaker, 

 of Rainworth, on my visit to him to see their breeding- 

 place, having kindly had one served up for the occasion, and 

 I thought it a very good bird, though some authors do not 

 seem to agree with me. 



Mr. Jeffery states that two males and one female were 

 killed on Aldworth Pond, Stansted, in January 1867, and a 

 few seen near Chichester in February 1870 ; and mentions 

 that a crippled female was caught in Ratham Mill Pond, in 

 January 1871, and one bird shot on the same pond, in 

 December 1878. 



GOLDEN-EYE. 



Clangula glaucion. 



The Golden-eye visits our shores in small flocks every 



winter, being more abundant if the weather is very severe. 



It is found at sea, as well as on most of the larger pieces of 



water, inland, in the latter case generally singly. The adult 



male is much more difficult to obtain than the female, or 



immature bird, and, from its great power of diving, one which 



is merely winged or otherwise slightly wounded is exceedingly 



troublesome to capture, should it fall into the water. Its food 



consists of small fish, mollusks, and crustaceans. It does not 



2a2 



