recorded of its occurrence. Mr. Bullock assured .Goloneh
Montagu that he -found this bird breeding in Papa Westra,
one of the Orkney Islands, in the latter end of June. ^ It
had six eggs, rather less than, those of the Eider Duck, and,
like that bird, covered them with its own down. nest
was on a rock Impending the sea. AnSqgg of this species, in
my own collection, is of a pale green colour, two inches, and
rather more than a half long, by one inch and three quarters
in breadth.
According to Mr. Thompson, this species has been killed
in Ireland, and th e . specimen is in the ^collection of Mr.
Robert Ball, of Dublin. The Rev, Leonard Jenyns mentions
that it has been killed at Aldborough on the coast
of Suffolk and M. Vieillot says, it has been taken, in
France.
Professor Nilsson of Sweden, states that some visit the
most northern part of the Baltic, Denmark, and Norway,
A few breed in the Faroe Islands and _at Iceland,-but in the
higher northern regions they are numerous. Nova Zembla,
Spitzbergen, and various parts of Greenland, are annually
visited bÿ these birds in vast numbers during the breeding-
season, and. accounts were famished by -the> naturaliststawho
sailed with the various Arctic expedition's of discovery from
this country. In the Appendix to Sir Edward Parry’s .first
voyage, it is stated by Major Sabine that this «pcèiesvWere
very abundant in the North Georgian Islands, having their
nests on the ground in the . neighbourhood of fresh-water
ponds, and feeding ' on the aquatic vegetation. Captain
James C. Ross, in the lastr published Appendix, says, ‘‘ vast
numbers of this beautiful Duck resort annually to the shores
and islands of the Arctic Regions in the breeding-season, and
have on many occasions afforded a valuable and salutary supply
of fresh provision to the crews of the vessels employed on
those seas. On our late voyages comparatively few were obtained^
although' seen in very .great numbers. They do not
retire far to ’thfe'1 south during the winter, but assemble in
large flocks; the males by themselves, and the females,
with fchfeir -young brood', are often met with in the Atlantic
Ocean, farMist^nt from any land, where the numerous erus-
taceous and other marine animals afford them abundance of
food.”-
; ’’'The adult male has the beak reddish-orange, bounded with
a black^pie.!; the iridesSellow; cheeks white, tinged with
green ; top' of the head and the occiput bluish-grey; lower
part dffngck behind, the upper , part of the back, and the scapulars
white.;, lower part of the back, the rump, and upper
ffoikeoverts black; the point of the wing black ; wing-coverts
whitewall the wing and tail-feathers nearly black the primaries
tinged with red on the inner web ; the ends of the
IflongaCed scapulars and tertials fall in curves over the wings;
under the chin a streak of black ; front of neck- and breast
white, the latter tinged with buff; the lower part of the
foreast, theribelly, and all the under surface black, except a
patch oh the flank, which is white; legs,' toes, and membranes
orange-red.
The whole length twenty-four inches. From the carpal
joint to the end of the longest quill-feather eleven inches and
a half.
The female has the beak greenish-brown, and the whole of
the plumage of two shades of brown ; the darker colour occupying
the centre of each feather*the brown on the .head and
neck rather lighter in colour tha’n the other parts of the
body.
Young males at first resemble the females; at a later
period one. described, by Dr. Richardson had the head and
neck dusky yellowish-grey, crowded with black spots; upper