Scaup Duck 73 
occasion allowed my punt to drift right into the very middle of small flocks of Scaup that 
were diving for food in the Eden estuary, and have had the birds come up alongside 
the boat within two or three yards before they seemed to realise that there was anything 
to fear. 
The actual powers of swimming of the Scaup are very considerable. They will swim 
for a long time in a rough sea which would cause other species to rise at once, and wounded 
birds will face heavy water with far greater courage and success than any of the Pochards. 
The fast stroke is very powerful, and I have noticed that tame Scaup in a pond can swim 
from one end to the other at greater speed than any other duck, except the Long-tailed 
Duck. Possibly the Velvet Scoter is faster than any duck in the water when moving at 
full speed, but I have had no opportunities of testing these birds in confinement. Sports- 
men, too, have many opportunities of observing the skill and endurance of the Scaup, for 
slightly winged birds are always far more difficult to kill, that is to say, if they are not 
snapped immediately after or before their first dive, than Pochards or Tufted Ducks. I 
found by experience that if a flock of Scaup are fired at with the big gun, and there are 
three or four winged birds, it is essential to pole to seaward of them at once and force 
them to dive towards the shallows, when they only make short dives and are usually 
bagged, whereas if they once get up wind into the open sea or lake they are very difficult 
to recover, as they make long dives and only show just the top of the head and bill in 
rough water. 
In flight they proceed at a rapid pace in a somewhat compact formation. The birds fly 
very close together, and the sound produced by their wings is somewhat loud and rustling. 
On rising to fly the neck is straightened out, and the bird runs along the surface of the water 
with considerable splashing for a few yards, but the distance travelled on the surface of the 
water is coincidental with the amount of head wind. In calm weather, if not much dis- 
turbed, they are always liable to take to wing, and if the boat does not press them they will 
swim away for a long time before turning round and facing up wind. When sitting on the 
sea Scaup often keep in one long unbroken line parallel to the coast, and when rising the 
first bird at one end takes wing and is followed in order right across the flock. When flying 
they keep at a moderate elevation, but if the wind is off shore and they are desirous of coming 
in to some estuary, they nearly always strike the sands or part of the coast line which 
they desire to cross at exactly the same spot every day and at a considerable height. 
As they approach the waters of the estuary and feeding grounds, the leading 
birds then often make a dive downwards, their movements being followed in line by 
the rest of the flock, so that if the line of birds is a long one it often has a curious 
waving appearance. Doubtless this rising high as they approach the coast line is 
dictated by common sense, for it is on the sands and rocky shore that they are most often 
shot at, and they learn caution from bitter experience. When on migration by day I have 
seen Scaup circling at a great height, but when leaving the sea or open water for the feed- 
ing grounds at night Scaup as a rule do not fly much above thirty feet above the land or 
water. I have, when waiting for duck on the mussel beds at dawn and sunset, occasionally 
obtained shots at flight at Scaup, and the sound of their rushing wings has often foretold 
their approach, when, if they could be seen in time, I have occasionally made successful 
shots. When in small parties Scaup may sometimes be seen flying in oblique formation 
VOL. I. ^ 
