THE GOLDEN-EYE. 



Clangula glaucion (Linnaeus). 

 Plate 49. 



The Golden-Eye, another of our autumn and winter visitants, is at that time 

 fairly common on the salt-water estuaries, the brackish water of tidal rivers, and on 

 many inland lakes and streams. 



The summer home of the Golden-Eye is in Northern Europe, North Asia, and 

 North America, but in the last-mentioned country a larger race represents our 

 bird. 



When the breeding season is over the birds move southwards to more tem- 

 perate regions, and then visit other parts of Europe, North Africa, China, Japan, 

 and India, whilst the American form winters in the southern regions of the New 

 World. 



The Golden-Eye usually occupies for its nesting site a hollow tree, and in 

 Lapland logs are purposely hollowed out by the natives as breeding boxes. The 

 eggs, varying in number from ten to a dozen, are of a bright, clear green 

 colour. 



The food is chiefly composed of the larvae of water-insects, secured by the bird 

 from under the stones when diving, also of mussels, tadpoles, and fishes. 



Millais, in his British Diving Ducks, vol. i. pp. 90-91, has given us an interesting 

 account of the Golden-Eye's methods when obtaining food. " In clear water it is 

 easy to note the powerful strokes of the legs of these ducks, which seem to beat 

 with great rapidity under water and much power. The stroke is more or less 

 parallel to the wings, the head is held out straight in front. I have watched for 

 hours the male Golden-Eye that lived for three years on the island below Perth 

 bridge, and used to find his food at the bottom of the river in some 8 to 10 feet 

 of water. In summer this water was as clear as crystal, and from the bridge above 

 the observer could note every movement on the part of the bird. It always 

 proceeded to a depth of 8 to 10 feet of water, and began to dive. On reaching 

 the bottom it at once commenced to turn the stones over with the bill, and from 

 under these, various water-insects were found or caught as they attempted to 

 escape. Sometimes it would find a small batch of young fresh-water mussels, and 

 these it would devour very quickly one after the other, like a duck taking grain out 



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