LONG-TAILED DUCK 361 



In Europe the mollusks ordinarily taken in winter include Mytilus edulis, Cardium 

 edule and Tellina cornea (Naumann, 1896-1905). W. Thompson (1851) found differ- 

 ent species of Rissoa, small specimens of Cerithium reticulatum, and Nucula marga- 

 ritacea. Small crustaceans (Gammaridce) and shrimps (Crangon vulgaris) are also 

 taken. Mackay (1892) reports finding a little shell-fish {Venus mercenaria) , short 

 razor-shells, fresh-water clams, small white perch, small cat-fish, penny shells 

 (Astarte castanea), red whale-bait (brit), shrimps, mussels, small blue-claw crabs and 

 pond-grass in Massachusetts. The summer food in Iceland consists of water plants 

 (Faber, 1822: Millais, 1913), besides the usual fresh-water shellfish, larvae of aquatic 

 insects and fish spawn (Slater, 1901; Hantzsch, 1905, 1914; Vanhbffen, 1897; et al.). 



Stomachs collected on the Pribilov Islands contained mostly amphipods, which 

 constituted 74.1% of the food. Hermit crabs were eaten in the proportion of 11.2%; 

 caddis larvae (the only fresh-water animals in the lot) 6.4%; mollusks 3%; vegetable 

 matter, 1.6%; and numerous other items of less importance. There were identified 

 nine different species of amphipods (Preble, 1923). 



Unusual stomach contents included 140 fresh-water minnows and fragments 

 (Notropis ailierinoides) found in a dead specimen near Chicago on April 1 (E. D. 

 Hull, 1914), large quantities of wheat in early March in one shot in the Bay of Kirk- 

 wall, England, where grain ships were unloading (Harrison, 1919), angleworms and 

 cutworms in specimens taken in Ohio in spring (Haynes, 1900), and little razor-fish 

 (Siliqua costata) in Massachusetts in October (Mackay, 1892). 



During the very severe winter of 1888-89, flocks of half -starved Long-tails 

 came to the uplands of Nantucket Island, Massachusetts, to feed on the fine dry 

 grass which grew there (Mackay, 1892). 



Courtship and Nesting. Although, like other sea ducks, the Long-tails pair late 

 in winter, it is sometimes possible to see their display activities while they are still 

 on our coasts. The performance is very animated and charming to watch. C. St. 

 John (1878) first called attention to it in the forties of the last century, Nelson 

 (1887) observed it in Alaska, and Riemschneider (1896) and Millais (1913) have re- 

 counted their observations in Iceland. Besides much diving, chasing and playing, 

 the males, with tails elevated and vibrating from side to side, continually sound their 

 loud calls and throw back their heads till they almost touch the back while they 

 hold the bill in a vertical position. On the breeding grounds the pursuit nights are 

 very commonly seen. The hard-pressed female sometimes dives and is chased by 

 the males, who continue to follow her over or under the water until she disappears 

 with her chosen mate (Nelson, 1887). 



These ducks reach some of their nesting grounds in the Far North long before the 

 sea ice is broken up, feeding in the little fresh-water pools that are shallow enough 

 to feel the effect of the spring sun. They are among the first to search out the open 



