SCANSORES. 



451 



This species is about the size of a wig-eon, length twenty-two inches, 

 including the long feathers of the tail ; the bill is black ; down the mid- 

 dle and across the tip orange ; irides red ; the fore part and sides of the 

 head are reddish grey ; on each side of the neck, just below the head, 

 is an oval black spot ; the hind part of the head, the throat, and remain- 

 ing part of the neck and breast, white ; back and rump black ; sides of 

 the upper tail coverts white, the middle black ; the lower belly and 

 vent white; the scapulars white, long, and pointed; the wings chiefly 

 black, with a mixture of chestnut ; the four middle tail feathers are 

 black, the others white ; the two middle ones are narrow, and exceed 

 the others three inches and a half ; legs of a dull red ; claws black. 



Such is the description of the male; but in some the black parts are 

 more or less of a chocolate colour, and the spot on the neck occupies 

 half of it ; the length of the tail also varies. 



The female has been described by some authors for a different species. 

 The bill, however, which is the same in this sex, seems to be an uner- 

 ring guide. The sides of the head are white, behind cinereous ; the 

 rest of the head, the neck, breast, and back, dusky black ; the lower 

 part of the breast and scapulars chestnut; belly white; upper tail coverts 

 and wings like the male ; legs dusky reddish-brown. This sex is also 

 subject to some variation ; most commonly the middle tail-feathers are 

 not much longer than the rest. It is rarely met with in England, but 

 is frequent in the north of Scotland and the Orkneys in winter, where 

 they assemble in large flocks ; it is common in Sweden, Lapland, and 

 Russia, and is said to breed in Greenland and at Hudson's Bay, where 

 it makes a nest of grass near the sea, and lays ten or more bluish-white 

 eggs. The down of this bird is said to be as valuable as that of the 

 eider duck. 



* The trachea of this species is of a very singular structure; it rather 

 increases in size at each extremity ; at the lower end close to the laby- 

 rinthic part, one side is flattened, and instead of the bony rings conti- 

 nuing round of their full breadth, this part is crossed with four distant 

 linear bones as fine as a thread, which support a delicate transparent 

 membrane three quarters of an inch in length, and almost three-eighths 

 of an inch broad at the base : below this ribbed membrane projects the 

 bony part of the labyrinth, with a tympanum of a kidney shape, placed 

 transverse to the trachea, the middle of which is flat and membrana- 

 ceous, but more opaque than is usual ; the opposite side of the labyrinth 

 is depressed ; from the bottom of this part the two hvonchce originate.* 



SCALE DRAKE.— A name for the Sheldrake. 



SCANSORES (Auctores). — A family of climbing birds, 



g g 2 



