. HAKEXBA GLACIALIS.
HARELDA GLACIALIS.
Long-tailed Duck.
Anas glaeialis, Lmi Syst. Nat., tom. i. p. 203.
— kymetu, Liu . Faun. Suee., p. 44.
longicauda, Li ich, Syst. Cat. of Indig. Maram. and Birds
Pagonetia glaeialisj Kaup, Natiirl. Syst. p. 66.
Crymonessa glacial -, Macg. Man. of Nat. Hist., Orn., vol. ii. p
Harelda glaeialis, S iepti. Cont. of Shaw’s Gen. Zool., vol. sai. p
Clangula glaeialis, ioie, Isis, 1822, p. 564:
i Brit. M us. p. 37.
D u r in g the monj w o f summer the Long-tailed Duck frequents-the northern regions o f Europe, Asia,
Greenland, and A »erica, but on the approach of autumn bids farewell for a short period to the land of
its birth, and grj iunlly wends its way to the southward ; some proceeding to European seas, others
to China and Ja an, while others, again, wander along the eastern and western rfMut-line* o f America,
their progress soj thwart! being accelerated or retarded by the nature o f the seaaoti or the state o f the
weather ; seldom! however, do even wrfitary individuals proceed so far as the latitudes of the Mediterranean,
the Island of Man ira. or the Azores. Scotland, Ireland, and England, lying in the direct line o f migration,
inaturally come ij &»r a full share o f visitors; but, as might be expected, the northern parts o f our
¡islands are more *ftcn favoured with its presence than the southern and western; hence, in the Orkneys,
|the Shetlands, a; J in all the armlet* o f the sea on the eastern side o f Scotland, from the mouths of
(the most northeri rivers and Cromarty Bay to the Firth o f Forth on the east, and the Clyde on the west, the
¡Ijongtailed Duck nay be seen in MW&i (numbers, during the months o f autumn, winter, and early spring, as to
render the word ommon an appropriate term. Further south than this (for instance, the coasts o f Norfolk
and Suffolk, and be opposite ones of Lancashire and Wales) it gradually becomes more scarce, and it is onlv
n rigorous wind rs and at stormy periods that the bird is found in Cornwall and Devonshire. What has
iaid with re .card to the bird’s !»
, o f c i not I
reesnents in Britain, holds good in <
Hot in Iceland, Spitsbergen, Nova Z
countries o f a similar latitude,
bin, Greenland, Hudson’s Bav,
tularin D
cies are- <
ep tb y d i
»like all
of both '!-■*-
equally com
large crest o f ij ¡e.
fetttale. In sui tin
haft the same cj lo*
short-tailed Du>k.
dress in cbur
iilie* and rears its young. Those persons who are acquainted with the
ur n» courwr, have remarked the changes o f plumage which take place
> both m wvnfer, ttt
mature male, show &
er' the mole has the 1«
r s; but beuig destitute
From what has been
try; indeed the nuuie
all previous writers, t
Wtene<f tarsi, targe bin
called, clearly WuJicat
onsissioir of BKittiisk
noticed that, having performed the duty o f reproduction, he
)rt curly tail-feathers, and doire a plumage differing but little
rear until the young are able to fly. Another cliange then
lain beautifully attired, and only required the heightening of
acquisition o f the rich glossy green tint on the. head to
»mtblc him to again leave his bachelor life and seek a mate
e atad a similar transformation o f plumage is more or less
wb etW it be the gaily coloured and richiv ornamented
viir own islands. In winter and spring the males of those
ih» ; but summer the sexes can scarcely be distinguished
! y>- Urly metamorphosed at opposite seasons o f the year, but,
■■ ’’ent at one season as at another, the plumage
: f e * •f‘ a dm * common to both in summer, and another
ifereni i iwdng, ii:.:-, »he long central tail-feathers and the
out the acc«»»p»Miying Plate, are never seen in the
athers and a fid' chestnut, grey, and black dress: the female
"rnamentftl iriMeather*. her appearance is that o f a dumpy
>dl be apparent that the bird is rarely seen in its summer
ftm kind;-.- «sat i=; we by Mr. Stevenson and others, as well
prm«' th « it seldom, if ever, occurs here at that season,
md broad »nterdigita! membranes o fth e Long-tailed Harehl,
it is ewe oi the diving Ducks, and that it descend« to the
:acemw, seatworm», and other lowly organized inbabriam* of
rent or resorts to our freshwater lakes and mi • ii m out
whieb i> low down the tide-wav in the salt water.