THE GOLDEN-EYE DUCK. 
157 
second, some Idotece , a Littorina littorea, and a few fish-scales ;* a 
third was entirely filled with Idotece. + A fourth (an adult female shot 
at the end of January 1849) contained 218 beautifully perfect 
and fresh-looking shells of Lacuna quadrifasciata, and 19 equally 
fine and perfect ones of Rissoa labiosa, all the specimens of both 
being full-grown or nearly so. Besides, there were above a dozen 
of Montacuta purpurea, and single specimens of our two common 
species of Littorina . A number of broken shells of the two 
first-named species were also present. An adult male bird, 
killed a few days afterwards, exhibited a mass of decomposed 
shells. They all contained sand or gravel. In a bird brought 
from Westmeath to Dublin were (according to Dr. C. Barran) 
several species of fresh-water shells, above twenty of Limneus 
pereger (nearly all the variety called Galnaria lacustris, by Dr. 
Leach), a Limneus fossarius, with Ancylus jluviatilis, and Neritina 
fiuviatilis ; there was likewise some vegetable matter. A corre- 
spondent mentions, as favourite food of 'the golden-eye, very 
small leeches (. Hirudines ), with which he has found the bill filled. 
The golden-eye is widely spread over the coasts and inland 
waters; is common in the north-west of Donegal ;{ in Dublin 
Bay; and is frequently brought from inland localities to the 
market of the metropolis, — old males, however, being very rarely 
seen there. According to Mr. J. Poole, this bird is plentiful during 
some winters in Wexford harbour. On the 11th of Pebruary he 
once noted, in reference to this place : — “ The golden-eyes are now 
to be met with in small parties of eight to twenty or more. They 
* This is the only instance in which I have observed the remains of fish, of 
which, Mr. Yarrell remarks, their food principally consists. This varies, of course, 
in different localities. The scaup and tufted ducks are also mentioned by this author 
as feeding on small fish, the remains of which I have never met with in them, 
and rarely are they found in any species of duck in the north of Ireland, exclusive 
of the genus Mergus. 
f The mention of these criastacea reminds me of Audubon’s having witnessed 
the extraordinary partiality of some of these birds to a certain locality in a North 
American river, and ascertained by shooting some of them that the attraction was 
cray-fish. A full and interesting description of the habits of the golden-eye will he 
found in the 4th volume of this author’s c Ornithological Biography,’ p. 320. 
| Mr. J. V. Stewart. 
