140 
British Diving Ducks 
of other duck, but in walking the small head with its beautiful beak is stretched rather forward, and the 
long tail pointing downwards, with the proportionately slender body and the peculiar colouring, all give 
this bird a rather foreign appearance, though certainly not an unlovely one. The plumage of this small 
duck charmed me particularly when I saw it swimming up stream with unparalleled swiftness through 
the frothing foam of the Laxa, winding about through the eddies of the strongest breakers, and making 
use of the quieter places in the most skilful way. I then always had in mind the other much less common 
Icelandic name Brindufa (Breaker Dove). I have never seen the Harlequin Duck make an even 
temporary stay on the lake, but they always keep to the swiftly flowing rivers of the neighbourhood, 
e.g. on the Laxa, where I visited a small breeding colony near the Helluvad farm. When I came to this 
place on June 24th I was several times obliged, in order to reach the nests, to ride through the water of 
the river to a series of small heath-overgrown rock islands upon which the duck breed. Here I found, 
in addition to several nests of the Fuligula marila, four nests of the F. histrionica ; it is certain that 
there were still more nests to be found close to. I put the number of pairs nesting at this place at from 
ten to twelve. The first nest, standing under a thick clump of heath, had a sort of bank of dry heath 
round the shallow hollow of the site of the nest. This hollowed-out basin contained the first half-finished 
lining of grey down mingled with fine dry grass. In the nest lay five eggs, which I took away, and 
which proved not to have been sat on at all. This nest had been hitherto untouched by human beings, 
but not so the others which I saw, and which had already lost some of their eggs. The next nest showed 
exactly the same construction, and in this the down lining was still altogether wanting. This one con- 
tained only two eggs. While the two first nests we have just described were some paces from the edge of 
the island, the next, unprotected by heath growth, was placed on a small piece of rock jutting out over 
the river. The basin contained a complete lining of grey down mixed with grass, and the loose edge 
of this was carefully pulled down over three eggs which were in the nest. The duck flew away from 
the fourth nest which I visited as soon as I was quite close to it, and this one again was placed more in 
the middle of the island under a clump of heath, and was very plentifully lined with down with an 
unusually small admixture of parts of plants ; it contained three eggs. The eggs of the Histrionica are 
very bulging, and of very regular and uniform shape ; the shell is smooth, but has no sheen ; the colour 
is pure yellow-white ; on the eggs found in the nest there were some red almost effaced spots and streaks, 
blood colour, probably caused by parasitic insects. The diameter of the eggs to be found in my 
possession is as follows : 59 x 44, 59 + 43, 58 + 43, 59 + 43.5, 49 + 43 mm." 
Coarse stalks, leaves, and vegetable matter form the basis of the nest, which is as a rule 
only roughly put together. 
The female lays from 5 to 10, usually 6 to 8, creamy-yellow to pale yellowish-brown or 
cinnamon-buff eggs, with a dull but smooth surface. In shape they are elliptical or a short 
oval. The down with which she lines the nest is larger than that of most ducks, individual 
sprays having a diameter of if in. (Pearson, Ibis, 1895, p. 244). In colour it is greyish- 
brown with light greyish-white centres, and is lighter than either the Scaup or Scoter. 
Since Harlequins arrive somewhat late at the breeding grounds, the nesting season is also 
slightly later than with other species. It is unusual to find full clutches until the second 
half of June. Incubation is by the female alone, as with other ducks, and is said by 
Hantzsch to be 3I- weeks, whilst Mr. Barnby Smith, in the Avicultural Mag. (1909, p. 58), 
says it is said to be longer than with other ducks. It is presumed that the young are at 
first fed by the old bird direct from the bill, as newly hatched young always hold their bills 
upwards to the beak of the foster parent, and will not at first pick up food for themselves 
(Avicultural Mag., 1909, p. 58). At first the food is principally the larvae of Ephemerce 
(Slater). The down period of the young is said by Faber to be about forty days. 
I noticed that in the last week in June all the adult male Harlequins had deserted the 
females, and were to be seen in small parties of five to ten in shady places near to waterfalls 
