344 
SWIMMERS. 
France and Switzerland, and in the United States is observed 
to winter in the Delaware, and probably proceeds as far as the 
waters of the Southern States, having been seen in the lower 
])art of Missouri by Mr. Say in the spring. It is abundant also 
in winter in the Mississippi around and below St. Louis. The 
breeding-places of this bird, according to the intelligent and 
indefiitigable Richardson, are in the remote fur countries, 
from the most southern point of Hudson Bay to their utmost 
northern limits. 
The Scaup Duck is said to derive its name from feeding on 
scaup, or broken shell-fish, for which and other articles of sub- 
sistence, such as marine insects, fry, and marine vegetables, it 
is often seen diving with great alertness. It is a common 
species here both in fresh waters and bays, particularly fre- 
quenting such places as abound in its usual fare, and like 
most of its tribe it takes advantage of the accommodation of 
moonlight. These birds leave the Middle States in April or 
early in May. 
Both male and female of the Scaup make a similar grunting 
noise, and have the same singular toss of the head, with an 
■opening of the bill when sporting on the water in the spring. 
While here they are heard occasionally to utter a guttural 
-quanck, very different from that of Common Ducks. In a 
state of domestication during the summer months, when the 
lar\-se of various insects are to be found in the mud at the 
bottom of the pond these birds frequent, they are observed to 
be almost continually diving. 'I'hey feed, however, content- 
edly on barley, and become so tame as to come to the edge of 
the water for a morsel of bread. Mr. Rennie adds, of all the 
aquatic birds we have had, taken from their native wilds, none 
have appeared so familiar as the Scaup. The flesh of this 
species is but little esteemed, though the young are more 
tender and palatable. 
The Bluebill is well known to the gunners on the Atlantic, though 
more common to the southward than on the New England shores^ 
and abundant in the Western interior. It breeds from about lati- 
tude 50° northward, and winters south to Central America. 
