A N 
colour; that they live to a great age, and will at length 
grow quite grey. Their food is (hells, for which they dive 
to great depths. They are very numerous in the Efqui- 
maux lands, where, and in Greenland, they are called mettek. 
The natives kill them on the water with darts, (hiking 
them the moment they appear after diving ; and know the 
place, from their being preceded by the riling of bubbles. 
The flelh is faid to be much valued. 
18. The maula, or fcaup-duck, is lefs than the common 
duck. The bill is broad, flat, and of a greyilh blue co¬ 
lour; the head and neck are black, glolfed with green; 
the bread: is black; the back, the coverts of the wings, 
and the fcapulars, are finely marked with numerous nar¬ 
row tranfverfe bars of black and grey ; the legs are dufky. 
Mr. Willughby acquaints us, that thefe birds take their 
name from feeding on fcaup, or broken lhell-filh ; they 
differ infinitely in colour, fo that in a flock of forty or fifty 
•there are not two alike. 
19. The mofehata, or Mufcovy duck of Ray, lias a na¬ 
ked papillous face, and is a native of India. It is bigger 
than the wild duck, being in length two feet. This fpe- 
cies is pretty common in a domefricated ftate in almolt 
every nation; and the breed ought to be encouraged, as 
there is more flelh on it than the common duck, and of 
a very fine flavour. The eggs are rounder than thofe of 
a duck, and, in young birds, frequently incline to green. 
'They lay more eggs, and fit oftener, than other ducks. In 
an unconfined Hate, they make their neft on the flumps of 
old trees, and perch during the heat of the day on the 
branches of fuch as are well clothed with leaves. When 
kept tame, they are fufficiently docile ; and the male will 
not unfrequently affbeiate and produce a mongrel breed 
•with the common ducks. The name of Mufcovy duck 
was given them from their exhaling a mulky odour, which 
proceeds from the gland placed on the rump in common 
with other birds. 
ao. The clypeata, or Ihoveler of Ray, has the end of 
its bill broad, rounded, and furnilhed with a fmall hook. 
It is in length twenty-one inches; the female a trifle fmaller. 
Both lexes are apt to vary much in colour : the male like- 
wife differs from the female inwardly, having, juft above 
the divarication of the wind-pipe, where it paffes into the 
■lungs, an enlargement, ox - , as it is called by fome, a laby¬ 
rinth. This bird is now and then met with in England, 
though not in great numbers. It is faid to come into 
France in February, and fome of them to (lay during the 
fummer. It lays ten or twelye rufous-coloured eggs, 
placed on a bed of rulhes, in the fame manner as the fum- 
mer-teal ; and departs in September, at lead the major 
part of them, for it is rare that one is feen in the winter. 
Their chief food is infedls, for which it is continually 
•muddling in the water with its bill. It alfo is faid dex- 
teroufly to catch flies which pafs in its way over the wa¬ 
ter. Shrimps, among other things, have been found in its 
ftomach on diffeCtion. This fpecies is alfo found in mod 
•parts of Germany ; throughout the Ruffian dominions, as 
far as Kamtlchatka; and in North America, in New York 
and Carolina, during the winter feafon. With us it is 
accounted pretty good food. 
21. The ftrepera, or gad-wall, has the wings variegated 
with black, white, and red. It inhabits England in the 
winter months, and is alfo found at the fame feafon in 
various parts of France and Italy. It migrates as far as 
Sweden, as fummer advances, in order to breed; and is 
■found throughout Raffia and Siberia, except in the eaftern 
part of the lad, and Kamtfchatka. Being a very quick 
•diver, it is difficult to be diot. It feeds mornihg and even¬ 
ing only, being hid among the reeds and rulhes during 
the day. The noife it makes is not unlike that of the 
mallard, but louder. The flelh is good. 
22. Theclangula, or golden-eye of-Ray, is variegated 
'with black and white, and the head is interfperfed with 
biaekilh green feathers : it has a white fpot near the 
■mouth ; and the eyes are of a diining gold colour. It is 
'not (infrequent on our fea-coafts in. winter, and appears in 
Vol. 1 . No. 33. 
A S. 521 
fmall flocks; but pafles to the north in fpring, in order to 
breed. It inhabits Sweden and Norway during the fum¬ 
mer. It is an excellent diver, and feeds on fmall flielts. 
It is moftly feen in the water, as it is very aukward in 
walking. It has been attempted to be domefticated, but 
feems out of its element on land. Wirli difficulty it can 
be brought to eat any thing but bread ; and die feet foon 
grew injured, infomuch as at laft to hinder it from walk¬ 
ing. The flelh is much edeemed, and the birds are of¬ 
ten feen in the lnarkets at the proper feafon. This fpe¬ 
cies is found in Anxerica ; in winter, as low as New York ; 
in fixmmei-, at Hudfon’s Bay, where it frequents the freffi- 
watef lakes, and makes in hollow trees a round ned of 
grafs, lined witlx feathers from its bread ; lays from feven 
to ten white eggs. 
23. The merla, or Ural duck of Pallas, is fomewhat 
bigger than the common teal. The bill is lax'ge, broad, 
very tumid above the noftr;ls, and bifid in the adult bird, 
the end marked with diverging ftriae ; colour blue ; the 
head, and part of the neck, are white ; on the crown is a 
large patch of black ; the middle of the neck is black ; 
the fore-parts of the body are a yellowilh brown, undula¬ 
ted with black; the back is clouded with a cinereous and 
pale yellow, powdered with brown; the wings are fmall j. 
the tail longilh, wedge-fliaped, and black ; the legs are 
bi'ovvn, on the fore-part bluilli, and placed as far back as- 
in the diver genus. This fpecies is not unfrequent in the 
greater lakes of the Ural mountains, and the rivers Ob 
and Irtifch. It is not feen on the ground ; for, from the 
lituation of its legs, it is unable to walk; but it fwixns 
very well and quick ; at which tixixe the tail is immerfed 
in the water as far as the runxp, ferving by way of rud¬ 
der, contrary to the common nxethod of a duck’s fwinx- 
ming. The neft is formed of l'eeds, and floats, fomething 
like to that of the grebe. 
24.. The American wigeon, (le canard jenfen of Buffon), 
is rather larger than our wigeon. The bill is of a lead- 
colour; the ci'own and forehead of a yellowilh white; the 
hind-part of the head and neck is black and white, fpeck- 
led ; and behind the eye is a black.mark, changing in lome 
lights to green ; the back and fcapulars are of a pale ruft- 
colour, waved with tranfverfe black lines; in the middle 
of the wing-coverts there is a large bed of white; the 
quills and tail are deep brown; the legs dufky. It inha¬ 
bits North Anxerica, from Cai'olina to Hudfon’s Bay; but 
is no where a common bird. It is called at New York the 
pheafant. duck. It is more pleqty at St. Domingo and Cay¬ 
enne, where it is called vingcon or gingron. At Martinico, 
great flocks of them often take Ihort flights, from one rice- 
plantation to another, where they make much havoc, par¬ 
ticularly during the rainy feafon. They are faid to perch 
on trees. They feed in company ; and have a centinel on 
the watch, like fome other birds. They are feldom feen 
during the day, lying hid in places diaded from the fun; 
but, fo foon as that luminary difappears, they come forth 
from their hiding-places to feed; and, during this, make 
a particular kind of noife, by which the fportfmarr is di¬ 
rected in his fearch after them ; at other times, their note 
is a foft kind of whiffle, which is often imitated in order 
to decoy them within reach of the gun. They fit in Ja¬ 
nuary, and in March the young are feen running about.. 
They lay many eggs. Sometimes they are hatclied un¬ 
der hens; in which cafe they are, while young, familiar,, 
though, when grown up, exceedingly quarrelfome with 
other ducks : their flelh is mod excellent, efpecially fuch 
as are brought up tame. They appear upon the coaft of 
Hudfon’s Bay in May, as foon as the thaws come on, 
chiefly in pairs: they lay there only from fix to eight eggs; 
and feed on flies and woims in the fwarnps.. They de¬ 
part in ^ :ks in autumn. They are known by the name 
of atheikimo ajhecp. 
25. The acuta, pin-tail, or fea-pheafant of Ray, has 
a long accuminated tail, black below, with a white line 
on each lide of the back part of the head. It is a native 
of Eui'ope. Mr. Hartlib, in the appexidix to his Legacy, 
6 R. 
