British Diving Ducks 
Golden-Eye, and it has often puzzled me to know how accurately they have diagnosed 
the distance when other species were frankly unconscious of approaching danger. Those 
little golden eyes are very sharp ones. Even when lying hidden in banks the gunner 
is lucky if that small party of Golden-Eyes does not observe him, and shoot heavenward 
before he can rise to his feet. 
When frequenting freshwater lakes they like deep open places, and do not seem to 
mind if they have muddy or sandy bottoms, but unless the sheet of water is very large and 
the supply of shell-fish abundant, I have not known Golden-Eyes remain for any length of 
time on fresh water. They will sometimes stay for months on flowing rivers, and I have 
known them frequent the Tay and the Isla and other rivers for a whole winter if these do 
not become blocked with ice. This is also the case in the Eden in Cumberland, the Aln 
in Northumberland, and other rivers too numerous to mention. 
The bright black and white colours of the adult male render the species easy to dis- 
tinguish at a great distance, whilst immatures and females are also easily recognised on the 
water by the curious equilateral-triangle shape of the head, the depth they swim in the 
water, and the broad trail they leave behind in swimming. Easy, too, are they to recognise 
as soon as they rise, by the " singing" noise produced by their quickly beating wings. The 
large amount of black and white on the wings, and the gleaming white breast and collar are 
also distinguishing features in flight, but even at very close range these parts are not 
noticeable when the birds are swimming. During the period of their stay with us a Golden- 
Eye rarely if ever goes ashore, and even in their summer homes I have never seen one on 
land, although it is possible they may come ashore occasionally. Females walk on to their 
nests. Even in confinement they rarely come off the water, and there sit with the head 
very much drawn up, and walk in the usual heavy rolling fashion. When swimming they 
usually sit very low on the water, with head well sunk between the shoulders and tail 
trailing in the water. If observant of danger at a distance and about to rise, the neck is 
straightened and the head held up high, with the crest somewhat raised. But if anxious 
to escape observation without resorting to flight, they swim away rapidly with the head 
held forward, almost on a level with the water, and the body " sunk " so that the tail is 
out of sight. 
In resting hours they float much higher than when feeding, and are fond of rolling 
over on their backs as Scaup often do to preen the breast feathers, and at such times the 
large amount of black and white on the males can be noticed at a great distance. 
Golden-Eyes are the most expert of divers, and often employ the dive in preference to 
swimming directly to some spot, for they know that by this means they will arrive more 
quickly. I have often seen my Golden-Eyes at the other end of a pond when I have gone 
to feed them and other ducks, and they were generally first to the food, because they dived 
and came past the others, which were swimming on the surface. 
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 lo feet of water. In summer this water 
was as clear as crystal, and from the bridge above the observer could note every movement 
