382 HISTRIONICUS HISTRIONICUS 



The eggs of this duck are regularly taken for food in Iceland along with those of 

 many other species, but intelligent robbing of nests seldom if ever appears to affect 

 the welfare of any duck. 



Hunt. Attempts to shoot these ducks over decoys on the New England coast seem 

 never to have been successful, but since their feeding grounds are frequently close 

 to ledges or islands it is often an easy matter to creep down upon them unobserved 

 and finally make a run to within range while they are under water. Most collectors 

 have been able to get all they wanted in this way. As a rule they are a little too shy 

 in winter to allow close approach by boat on the open sea. 



Behavior in Captivity. Owing to its rarity and the difficulty of obtaining its 

 eggs, very few attempts have been made to rear the Harlequin. In 1910, Mr. W. H. 

 St. Quintin obtained several eggs from Iceland out of which one duckling hatched. 

 This, a male, was successfully reared at Scampston Hall and lived until the summer 

 of 1911. Mr. St. Quintin noticed that it always used its wings half opened when 

 diving (Millais, 1913). In 1908, Mr. C. Barnby Smith went to Iceland to experiment 

 with the eggs of Ptarmigans and Harlequins. He obtained some Harlequin eggs, but 

 had to leave before they hatched. The native whom he left in charge failed to rear 

 the birds beyond four days, as they refused all food. Hugh Wormald made an 

 attempt in 1923 and succeeded in hatching three from eggs gathered in Iceland. 

 The young lived only from one to five days and would not feed. However, Mr. 

 Wormald told me that he learned enough of their requirements to make him feel sure 

 that he would succeed the next time he tried. 



Hybrids. None recorded. 



GEOGRAPHICAL RACES 

 In 1915, W. S. Brooks noticed that the Harlequin Ducks which he collected in the North Pacific were 

 larger and heavier than those from the Atlantic Coast and had a slightly different plumage-color. 

 This race is a valid one although the differences in size and color are only slight. 



ATLANTIC HARLEQUIN DUCK 



HISTRIONICUS HISTRIONICUS HISTRIONICUS (Linn£) 



Anas histrionica Linne, Systema Naturae, ed. 10, vol. 1, p. 127, 1758. 

 Histrionicus histrionicus Boucard, Cat. Avium, p. 60, 1876. 



Characters: Size slightly smaller, especially in the bill, which is a little shorter (mostly under 

 26 mm. in length) and somewhat narrower and less deep. Chestnut stripes on sides of crown 

 darker, white stripes between black of crown and the blue over the eye narrower and not ex- 

 tending much back of the eye. 



Range: North Atlantic Coast, Greenland and Iceland. 



