THE PINTAIL. 



Dafila acuta (Linnaeus). 

 Plate 47. 



The Pintail is a regular autumn and winter visitor to the British coasts, some- 

 times arriving in large numbers, and of late years some have remained to breed in 

 Scotland, notably in the Orkneys, Shetlands, the Hebrides, and on Loch Leven, 

 the first record of its nesting on this loch dating from 1898. On the Continent of 

 Europe it is found breeding from as far north as Lapland to Spain, and in the cold 

 season it visits North Africa. It has a wide range over a great part of Asia, as well 

 as in America. 



The nest, built of grass and sedge, and well supplied with down, is usually 

 situated at some little distance from the water. The eggs vary in number from 

 seven to twelve, and are usually buffish-green in colour. 



The food consists mostly of water-plants, insects, and molluscs. 



In the breeding season the male Pintail utters a double whistling note with a 

 peculiar ** click " in it, very similar to that of a drake Teal. 



In disposition and habits this species is a very wide-awake bird, frequenting open 

 and wide stretches of fresh water or the estuaries of the sea, and feeds by day as 

 well as by night. 



in. 



33 



B 



