I trust 
but the time it spends with us is so short that hut few opportunities of observing it are afforded us. 
that the following extract from Mr. Wolley’s valuable paper will supply my deficiencies. 
Mr. Wolley, after having ascertained that the native names of the Smew among the Laplanders are Ungilo 
and Uinilo, states that “In 1857 the clergyman of Muonioniska, Priest Liljeblad, had been transferred to 
Sodankyla ; and in the spring of this year, an intelligent young man, Carl Leppajervi, went to be assistant 
to his former teacher. I gave Carl strict charge to make every inquiry for Uitiilo in that part of the world, 
and of travellers from Kemi Trask. On the 30th of July, 1857, as I passed by the homestead of Regina’s 
Calle, the famous steei'er of the Muonio Falls, there was given to me a wooden box, such as is used in the 
country for carrying butter on a journey, addressed, ‘To the English gentleman Joh Woleg in Muonio- 
vaara.’ The box was not tied or secured in any way ; and on the lid being opened there first appeared a 
wellwvritten Finnish letter, of parts of which the following is an exact translation : — ‘ Matthias Lakso of Made- 
koski-kyla, on the Kitinen-joki, five Swedish miles from Sodankyla, has found on the Liesi-joki eggs of Uinilo, 
and has brought to me three. . . . They were found on the 8th day of the Summer-month [June] 1857. Of 
an old birch trunk the wood was rotted away, and it was left hollow, forming a hole in which they were. 
There were two men in company, and the other man has given four eggs to the priest ; there were seven of 
them, hut there was no down brought. The Uinilo was also killed, and with the eggs it too is sent. — Carl 
Leppajervi. First day of the Hay-month [July] 1857.’ 
“The next thing in the box that struck my eye was a stiff-necked skin of a female Smew, with hatching- 
spots on the under side ; then five or six eggs of other birds ; and lastly, well wrapped in tow, were the 
three Smews. The eggs rather staggered me at first siglit, they were so like Widgeons’. On comparing 
them with a series of something like fifty Widgeons’ eggs, I found they w^ere nearly of the same size, though 
rather below the average ; they were more flattened at the smaller end, and had less of the yellowish tinge 
about them : so that a person not much used to eggs could distinguish them. It was not long before I 
perceived that there was also a decided difference of texture. This could he perceived on an ordinary 
examination, but it became very striking on exposing the egg to direct sunshine and examining the 
penumbra, or space between full light and full shadow, with a magnifying-glass ; the sharp ‘ mountainous ’ 
structure of the Widgeon’s egg was strongly contrasted with the lower and more rounded character of the 
elevations in the Smew’s. The ivory-like texture of the Goosander’s egg was a pretty parallel to the 
character of that of the Smew.” 
Mr. Wolley adds, “I have seen a MS. list of birds from the German naturalist Herr Hoffmansegg, then 
resident at Archangel, from which it appears that Mergus albellus occurs in that neighbourhood, which is 
considerably more southerly than Muonioniska or Sodankyla. As I did not hear of it on the north or north- 
east coast of Norway, and as it is not known to breed in Sweden, I should be inclined to suppose it to he 
generally an eastern and northern bird. It is worthy of note that the very pale colour of the down of the 
Smew seems to be connected wuth its choosing holes for breeding. No bird of the Duck kind that has white 
down, as far as I know, places its eggs in an exposed situation.” 
Tliese very rare eggs, together with the whole of Mr. Wolley’s collections, were bequeathed to and are 
now in the possession of Alfred Newton, Esq., of Elveden Hall, near Thetford, in Norfolk, a gentleman in every 
Avay worthy of such a valuable gift, since few persons possess a more intimate acquaintance, not only with 
our native birds, but with those of Europe generally. 
The food of the Smew consists of fish, crustaceans, mollusks, and aquatic insects of various kinds. Its 
pow'ers of swimming and diving are most perfect, even more so than those of flight, though these, as may be 
readily conceived from the extent of its migrations, are by no means inconsiderable. 
Tlie general hue of the male is pure white, relieved by an oval patch of greenish black at the base of tbe 
bill, a broad stripe of tbe same colour on each side of the head, and two narrow crescentic marks of black 
on each side of the chest ; the centre of the back is also black; the rump, upper tail-coverts, and tail 
ashy grey ; the lesser wing-coverts and scapularies white, the latter edged with black ; greater coverts and 
secondaries black, tipped with white, forming two narrow w^hite bands ; primaries brownish black ; tertials 
ashy grey, those nearest the body being the darkest ; flanks grey, crossed by narrow irregular lines of dark 
brown ; bill greenish lead-colour ; nail horn-colour ; irides reddish brown ; legs, toes, and webs leaden grey. 
The female, which is smaller than the male, has the head rusty red ; chin white ; upper and breast surface 
grey ; under surface white. 
The Plate represents tw^o males rather less than the natural size, and a female in the distance, much reduced. 
