30 
ALLEN’S naturalist’s LIBRARY. 
grass-stems and down picked from the parent’s breast composes 
the nest, and if the eggs are left, they are carefullv hidden in 
the loose material. Messrs. H. J. and C. E. Pearson, who 
found the species breeding in Iceland, write as follows : — 
“ VVe found eggs from the 20th of June to the i8th of July, 
most of the nests being placed on islands. On the 2Dth of 
June we flushed the bird from a nest of six eggs, which was 
several hundred yards from the water, on a bare hill-side of 
black sand. There was no material in the nest except down, 
the black colour of which would form a perfect protection when 
the Duck covered the eggs with it in the ordinary course. 
Not one of the many nests observed was placed in a hole, but 
they were often in a hollow between two mounds of grass. In 
such situations the outer part was always of grass, and the 
bird cpefully covered the eggs with the material on leaving, 
sometimes forming a splendid imitation of an old nest. The 
only safe rule was to put your hand well to the bottom of 
every nest, whether it looked fresh or old.” 
Egrgs.— Six or seven in number; clay-brown to greenish- 
grey, or dull green. Axis, 2’o-2’25 inches; diam., i’5. 
Down.— Very dark, deep chocolate-brown, almost blackish, the 
filamentous tips also dark brown ; in the centre a small star 
or “ eye ” of white. 
THE HARLEQUIN DUCKS. GENUS COSMONETTA. 
Cosmonetta, Kaup, Natiirl. Syst. p. 196 (1829). 
Type, C. hislrionica (Linn.). 
A single species, the Harlequin Duck, constitutes the genus 
Cosmonetta, and the characters of the genus are given by 
Count Salvadori as consisting mainly of the peculiar pattern 
of plumage which is displayed by the species in question. 
This is, however, so remarkable that recognition is easy. The 
Harlequin Duck belongs to the section of Diving Ducks in 
which the primaries are nearly uniform and show no light 
“mirror,” as in the Pochards, while there is no perceptible 
crest, and the bill is conical and tapers almost to a point. 
