tS allen’s naturalist’s library. 
Range outside the British Islands. — A circumpolar species, ac- 
cording to Count Salvadori, who observes that he is unable to 
distinguish the American Scaup or the Chinese Scaup frorn 
the European species. It breeds in Scandinavia up to 70 
N. lat. and above the limits of forest-growth across Northern 
Asia to Kamtchatka, and again above 50° N. lat. pf North 
America. In other parts of its range it occurs only in winter, 
when it visits the Mediterranean and extends into North- 
western India, as well as to Japan, China, and Formosa. In 
North America it wanders south in winter and reaches Mexico 
and the West Indian Islands. Fuliptla affinis of North 
America has also been recorded as British, as also F. coUaris, 
but only from specimens in Leadenhall Market, and these re- 
cords have been ignored by Mr. Howard Saunders and recent 
writers. 
Habits. — The Scaup is principally a maritime Duck, excepting 
during the breeding-season, when it retires inland to nest. 
From Mr. Seebohm’s notes on the habits of the species, I ex- 
tract the following, as no one has had better opportunities for 
observing the species in a wild state: — “The Scaup is most 
active when the sun shines from the north ; that seems to be 
its favourite feeding-time ; and then its loud, harsh scream may 
be heard as the drake calls to his mate to leave her eggs covered 
warmly up in a blanket of down, and to come away from her 
snug nest among the bilberries on the adjacent bank-side and 
join him on the lake, or perhaps have a swing down the river 
to the delta to pick up anything that may be left on the 
strand at low tide. Of all the cries of the Ducks that have 
come under my notice, I think that of the Scaup is the 
most discordant. None of them are very musical, perhaps, 
but if you imagine a man with an exceptionally harsh, hoarse 
voice, screaming out the word scaup at the top of his voice, 
some idea of the note of this Duck may be formed. It is said 
that when this harsh note is uttered the opening of the bill is 
accompanied with a peculiar toss of the head. The ordinary 
alarm-note during flight is a grating sound like that made by 
the Tufted Duck. 
“The Scaup is a very gregarious and sociable bird. In 
winter it is almost always seen in flocks, frequently associated 
with other Ducks, and in summer small parties are constantly 
