THE BTTFFEL-HEADED DUCK. 335 



Nest. — In natural hole of tree or old Black Woodpecker's hole : will 

 take readily to nesting -boxes. No nest -material except pale 

 greyish down smaller than that of Goosander and Sheld-Duck (feather 

 from nest, see Br. Birds, n, PL 2). Eggs. — 7 to 15 : green with tinge 

 of blue but never so blue as those of Barrow's Goldeneye. Average 

 of 100 eggs, 61.7x44.8. Max. : 68x43.7 and 61x47. Min. : 57-6 

 X44 and 62x41.1 mm. Breeding -season. — From mid- April in 

 Germany to May and early June according to latitude in Scan- 

 dinavia. Incubation. — By female alone. Period (in confinement) 

 20 days. Single brooded. 



Food. — Almost entirely animal : mollusca, both fresh and salt 

 water {Limnaza peregra, L. stagnalis, Littorina littorea, Neritina 

 fluviatilis, Rissoa labiosa, Lacuna quadrifasciata, Physa, Montacuta, 

 etc.) ; small fish (including small trout and young eels) ; Crustacea 

 (Idotece, Cypris, sandhoppers, shrimps, small crabs, etc.) ; earth- 

 worms ; insects, especially water-beetles (Helophorus, Dytiscus. 

 etc.) and neuroptera larvae (Phryganeidoe) and larvae of Odonata. 

 Small quantities of algae also recorded, and Thompson found seeds 

 and remains of aquatic plants in birds from fresh water. Stomach 

 of one from coast was full of corn. 



Distribution. — British Isles. — Passage -migrant and winter -visitor 

 (mid-Sept.-mid-Nov. to end March-early June). Generally distri- 

 buted round coasts, in estuaries, and less frequently in lakes and 

 rivers. Frequently seen in summer in Scotland, but no proof of 

 breeding. 



Distribution. — Abroad. — Northern Palaearctic region, breeding in 

 arctic and subarctic portions, on migration and in winter south to 

 Mediterranean and Caspian region, Mesopotamia, north India, 

 China and Japan. Hare Iceland, casual Azores. Replaced by very 

 closely-allied race in North America. 



[Note. — An immature male Goldeneye shot on the Aide, Suffolk, Feb. 1, 

 1908, and thought to be a specimen of Barrow's Goldeneye, Bucephala 

 islandica (Gm.) (F. M. Ogilvie, Bull. B.O.G., xxin, p. 63), was afterwards 

 shown to be B. c. clangula (W. R. Ogilvie -Grant, op. c, xxxi, p. 18, cf. Brit. 

 B. , vi, p. 272 ). Two adult males were also said to have been shot in Shetland, 

 March 18, 1913 {Brit. B., vn, p. 21).] 



BUCEPHALA ALBEOLA 



316. Bucephala albeola (L.)— THE BUFFEL-HEADED DUCK. 



Anas Albeola Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., ed. x, i, p. 124 (1758 — America.. 

 Typical locality ; Newfoundland). 



Clangula albeola (Linnaeus), Yarrell, iv, p. 442 : Saunders, p. 453. 

 Nyroca albeola (L.) Hand-List (1912), p. 142. 



Description. — Adult male. Winter and summer. — Fore-part of 

 crown, lores, part of cheeks and chin metallic -green, in some lights 

 blue -green, tinged violet or reddish -purple ; hinder-crown, rest of 

 neck, throat and fore-neck amethyst, in some lights violet or bronze- 

 purple ; broad white band from back of eye encircling occiput ; 



