SCANSORES. 
451 
This species is about the size of a wigeon, length twenty-two inches, 
including the long feathers of the tail ; the bill is black ; down the mid- 
dle and across the tip orange ; irides red; the fore part and sides of the 
head are reddish grey ; on each side of the neck, just below the head, 
is an oval black spot ; the hind part of the head, the throat, and remain- 
ing part of the neck and breast, white ; back and rump black ; sides of 
the upper tail coverts white, the middle black ; the lower belly and 
vent white; the scapulars white, long, and pointed; the wings chiefly 
black, with a mixture of chestnut ; the four middle tail feathers are 
black, the others white ; the two middle ones are narrow, and exceed 
the others three inches and a half ; legs of a dull red ; claws black. 
Such is the description of the male; but in some the black parts are 
more or less of a chocolate colour, and the spot on the neck occupies 
half of it ; the length of the tail also varies. 
The female has been described by some authors for a different species. 
The bill, however, which is the same in this sex, seems to be an uner- 
ring guide. The sides of the head are white, behind cinereous ; the 
rest of the head, the neck, breast, and back, dusky black ; the lower 
part of the breast and scapulars chestnut ; belly white ; upper tail coverts 
and wings like the male ; legs dusky reddish-brown. This sex is also 
subject to some variation ; most commonly the middle tail-feathers are 
not much longer than the rest. It is rarely met with in England, but 
is frequent in the north of Scotland and the Orkneys in winter, where 
they assemble in large flocks ; it is common in Sweden, Lapland, and 
Russia, and is said to breed in Greenland and at Hudson’s Bay, where 
it makes a nest of grass near the sea, and lays ten or more bluish- white 
eggs. The down of this bird is said to be as valuable as that of the 
eider duck. 
* The trachea of this species is of a very singular structure; it rather 
increases in size at each extremity ; at the lower end close to the laby- 
rinthic part, one side is flattened, and instead of the bony rings conti- 
nuing round of their full breadth, this part is crossed with four distant 
linear bones as fine as a thread, which support a delicate transparent 
membrane three quarters of an inch in length, and almost three-eighths 
of an inch broad at the base : below this ribbed membrane projects the 
bony part of the labyrinth, with a tympanum of a kidney shape, placed 
transverse to the trachea, the middle of which is flat and membrana- 
ceous, but more opaque than is usual; the opposite side of the labyrinth 
is depressed ; from the bottom of this part the two hronchce originate.* 
SCALE DRAKE. — A name for the Sheldrake. 
SCANSORES (Auctores). — A family of climbing birds, 
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