124 British Diving Ducks 
most common attitude of the male in courtship is to erect the tail, stiffen the neck to its 
fullest extent, and then lower it towards the female with a sudden bow, the bill being held 
outwards and upwards. As the head curves down the call is emitted. Sometimes the head 
is held out along the water before the female, who herself often adopts this attitude, or 
makes a "guttering" note of appreciation with head held in close to the body. Another 
common attitude of the male is to throw the head right back till it almost touches the 
scapulars, the bill pointing to the heavens. As the bird throws the head forward again 
the call is emitted. Many males will closely crowd round a female, all going through the 
same performance. It is not long before a fight starts amongst the males, so that the lady 
of the tourney is in the midst of a struggling clamorous mass of squabbling knights, each 
endeavouring to show his qualifications to love by his extravagant gestures or strength. To 
add to the confusion, any male Long-tails in the neighbourhood are sure to hear the noise 
and come flying in all haste to take part in the jousts. Even males still in full winter 
plumage will come and be almost, if not quite, as active as the rest. They advance with all 
haste, swaying from side to side, their sharp-pointed wings being only arrested when almost 
above the contest. Then they close the wings in mid-air and dash into the fray with all 
their ardour. So impetuous and gallant are males of this species that they will chase each 
other for long distances, falling often in the sea and sending the spray flying ; down they go 
under the water and emerge almost together on the surface to continue the chase in mid-air. 
I have twice seen a male when flying seize another by the nape and both come tumbling 
head over heels into the sea in mad confusion. 
The longer the birds remain the more fierce become the love-fights, as more and more 
females show their disposition towards mating, but any cessation of the north winds and 
rise of temperature at the beginning of April makes them migrate. Two fine days, at this 
time, cause all the West Orkney birds to leave the inner bays and carry on the love-lists 
in the open sea towards the Black Craig, and the next day they are away to Iceland, 
Greenland, and the Russian tundras. Sometimes a small flock may be left behind for 
another week, but these are generally unapproachable, and any that remain in the northern 
islands until May are generally wounded birds. I have killed a pair in May, and have 
another shot by my boatman in June. 
Long-tailed Ducks arrive in Iceland, generally from the loth to the 20th of April, 
in large flocks, which seems to be about the same time as they come to the nesting grounds 
in Russia, Siberia, and some weeks earlier than in Arctic Canada and Greenland. They 
continue their courtship for a short time, and soon pair and distribute over the small and 
large lakes and slow-moving rivers that are situated near the sea-coast, though this is 
not always the case in Arctic Canada, where they go great distances up the rivers and lakes 
inland. Even in Norway and Finland they nest in fresh waters far from the coast. But 
wherever the species nest, they choose a position that is connected with the sea by a system 
of rivers and lakes, so that they are able to lead the young down-stream in the autumn. 
It is said that in the choice of her nesting site the female is very quarrelsome, and does not 
permit the approach of other species, but I think this cannot always be the case, for I found 
a nest at Myvatn in dwarf willows almost beside that of a Common Scoter, whilst several 
were noticed in cracks in the lava on the river banks, very close to the nests of Scaup. 
Shepherd and Ussher also record this species and Scaup sitting on a joint nest. I found 
