MARBLED DUCK. 15T 



say tlie least of it, a very equivocal title to distinction; 

 and I am therefore glad to retain the name given 

 by Temminck, and which most expressively gives the 

 general appearance of the bird. 



The Marbled Duck inhabits the south of Europe, 

 the north of Asia, and Africa. In Europe, it has been 

 captured in Sardinia, according to M. Cantraine, which, 

 however, is the only Mediterranean locality in which 

 he found it, and there it was very rare. This does 

 not agree with the account given by Lord Lilford, who 

 says, in his paper on the Ornithology of the Ionian 

 Islands, ("Ibis," vol. ii, p. 353,) — I saw a boy at 

 Butrinto with a mutilated specimen of this rare Duck 

 in his hand, which he had just killed on the lake; 

 he said it was alone when he shot it. I once flushed 

 three Ducks at Phanari which puzzled me very much 

 at the time, but which I have now no doubt belonged 

 to this species; and an officer of the garrison of Corfu 

 described to me a small Duck he had killed near 

 Arta, which I think can have been no other but this. 

 The Marbled Duck is not uncommon in the Island 

 of Sardinia, and very common at Tunis in January 

 and February." Captain Loche mentions its occurrence 

 in the great lakes of Algeria, where we find the word 

 Marmora pedantically enlarged into " Marmaronetta 

 angustirostris ," according to a paper of Prince C. 

 Bonaparte, in the "Comptes Rendus." Lake Halloula 

 is given as its locality, but Mr. Tristram looked for it 

 in vain during his visit to that most interesting and 

 productive j^iece of water. 



According to M. Cantraine it feeds on insects and 

 worms ; and Degland says that it breeds in Algeria, 

 that its eggs are white, very lightly tinged with russet, 

 and that the ends are nearly of the same size. Great 



