HARLEQUIN DUCK. 237 



leg's, feet, and claws, light blue, the latter remarkably larg-e and 

 strong-; inside of the mouth flesh-colour; tongue pointed, beset with 

 barbs, and capable of being protruded an inch and a half ; the nostrils 

 are hid under remarkably thick bushy recumbent hairs or bristles, with 

 certain long- hairs thrown forward and upward : this mass of hair on the 

 nostrils appears to be desig-ned as a protection to the head, when the 

 bird is engaged in digging holes in wood. The female wants the red on 

 the head, in other respects resembles the male. It is a native of North 

 America, where it is said, by Wilson, to haunt the orchards and gar- 

 dens, and to have all the characters of the woodpecker strongly marked. 

 It can only be reckoned a straggler in this country, where several have 

 been killed lately. A pair shot near Halifax, in Yorkshire, and ex- 

 amined by Dr. Latham, only differed from the American bird in having 

 a slight interruption of the red that marks the hind head of the former. 

 Speaking of this bird, Wilson says — " In the month of May he retires 

 with his mate to the woods, and either seeks out a branch already 

 hollow, or cuts an opening for himself. In the former case I have 

 known his nest more than five feet distant from the mouth of the hole, 

 and in the latter he digs first horizontally up in the body of the tree 

 six or eight inches, and then downwards obtusely for twice that dis- 

 tance, carrying all the chips up with his bill, and scraping them out 

 with his feet. They also not unfrequently choose the orchard for breed- 

 in, and even an old stake from the fence, which they excavate for this 

 purpose. The female lays white eggs, and hatches in June. This 

 species is numerous in Pennsylvania, and more domestic than the com- 

 mon woodpecker, frequently approaching farm-houses and skirts of the 

 town." It has been supposed by some naturalists, that the Halifax 

 mentioned above has been mistaken for Halifax in America.* 



HALCYONIDiE (Vigors.) — * Kingfisher; a group of perchers 

 (Insessores, Illiger.)* 



HALFSNIPE. — A name for the Jacksnipe. 



HALLETUS (Savigny.) — *A genus thus characterised. Bill 

 convex above ; nostrils crescent shaped, transverse ; ceroma somewhat 

 hispid ; shanks half feathered ; shins plated with scales ; toes free, the 

 outer versatile ; claws unequal. — Vigors.* 



HARLEQUIN DUCK (Clangula kistrionica, Fleming.) 



Anas histrionica, Gmel. 1. p. 534. sp. 35 Lath. Ind. 2. p. 849. sp. 45. — Wilson, 



Amer. Orn. 8. p. 139. pi. 92. fig. 4.— Temm. 2. p. 878.— Canard Arlequin, Cuv. 

 Reg. Anim. 1. p. 533.— Harlequin Duck, Lath. Syn. 6. 485.— Flem. Br. 

 Anim. p. 120. — Sowerby, Br. Misc. Tab. p. 6. 



FEMALE. 



Anas minuta, Linn. Syst. 1. p. 204. 36. — Gmel. Syst. 1. p. 534. — Anas torquata, 

 Gmel, Syst. 1. p. 514. — Querquedula freti Hudsonis, Briss. 6. p. 469. 41. — lb. 



