several males by themselves, about .four miles distant from
the marsh, as we were returning to the harbour. This induced
me to believe, that, like the Eider and other ducks
that breed in Labrador, the males abandon the females^as
soon as incubation commences; I regret that, notwithstanding
all my further exertions, I did not succeed in discovering'''
more nests or young birds, ï - The fèmalej which was.killed as
she flew off from the nest,, uttered a rough uneouth. guttural
cry, somewhat resembling that of the..6oasander, on similar
occasions; and I haveonever /heard any otherr’kound from
either sex. The Surf Duck is a powerful, swimmer and an
expert diver ; it-is frequently .observé£L.fishiBg at. the depth <of
several fathoms ; and it floats buoyantly: among the sttrf fit'
the raging billows, where it; seems: as - uneonfeerned: as-if it
were on the most" tranquil waters'. I have, never seen this
species on . any fresh-water lake or riv.er,J .. in any part of
the interior, and, therefore, consider it as tru ly .-a marine
Duck.”
The adult male has the beak orange, with a squar^patch
of black, on each side at the base of the upper mandible^’
irides strawy-yellow; on the top of the heaï-and on the back
of the neck, are two e-fal patches of white; all thé rest of the~
plumage black; legs and toes orange.red* the membranes
brownish-black. Thé whole 3ehgth twenty-one inchest From
the carpal‘joint to the end of the wing nine inches and a
quarter; the first and seeend primary qüill-feathers of equal
length, and the longest in the wing.
The female differs from the male in having the plumage of
dull brown, which is lightest in colour about the cheeks and
under surface of the body; the beak dark olive,; the feet
greyish-brown. According to the descriptions givën,
trachea of the Surf Scoter resembles that of. the Velvet
Scoter as represented at page 215. •
NATATORES. ANATIDÆ.
T H E RED-CRESTED W H IS T L IN G DUCK.
Red-cfisted* Pochard, Selby, B rit.; O rn ith . vol. ii. p . 3 5 0 .
... ' M. H .....HHh H BA J enyns, B rit. V e rt. p . 2 4 0 .
Mersoides , „ ,, ,, . E ytoy, R a r e B rit. B ird s, p , 7 7 .
Fuli’mla ,, ,, B Dyck; G o u ld , Bird.« o f E u ro p e , p t. v i.
Anas ' 1 ‘^ 'C ana rd Sijfleur Happé, :Temm. M an . d ’O rn ith .v o l. ii. p. 864.
F^tiGtrL’A. > Generic Characters. — B ill n o t lo n g e r th a n th e h e ad , h u t
slightly e levated a t- th e ha.s,e, d ep re ssed towards th e % ; sides p a r a lle l; b o th
man d ib le s lam in a ted , la te ra l edges o f th e u p p e r m an d ib le en clo sin g th e edges
of th e uncler one, j j j p s tn ls a t a sh o rt »distance from th e b a se . W in g s ra th e i
sh o rt, pointed;- Leg s with theTmiddle a n d o u te r toes lo n g e r th a n th e ta rsu s,
wfrjoh ,is fla tten ed f r t e r a l f r ; feet la rg e , web b ed , th e h in d toe with a b ro a d d e p
e n d in g m em b ran e . v
1 h a v e followed the example of several modern zoologists
in adopting the generic term Fuligula, for an extensive series
of oceanic Ducks, the general characters and habits of which