from a fine specimen, killed in Cambridg6^S, now in the
collection of Dr. Thackeray, the ProvoJiofrJpng^s Gollege.
The Pintail is rather rare id the extremis:'north of England,
and in Scotland.- • Mr. Robert Dunn, in his useful
littkrbook, says, I never met .with this bird^M.' Shetland, but
it is tolerably plentiful in Orknspjipartic^^piy in the island
ofSanda. I t frequents the inlandsJak^ipoje than the,seashore,
and leaves these islands early in th||8>ring. 'Richard
Dann, Esq.7 tells me that the Pintail Daclf is common in
Lapland, and at the head oTThe B o th h ^ p ^ j ulf 5 during the
summer months. It breeds late; I sawbnlth’e .lst of July,
1838, a large flock, both males and females, in a lake near
Lulea, which had evidently not yet dispersed for breeding.
In the Dofee Eiell mountains thejf are tolerably numerous lit
May, but pass ■ on to the north. ■ They «6 hoi? appear, however*
in 4hfeautunah on their: return from then^jiand from
their nbt7 appearing on the western coast in autumn^b.u*t>
rarely, I am .induced to think their migration -is <snntl%|l|iin
autumn, and as winter advances westerly. They are by no
means shy or difficult of access. The young areffiv.exbr*six
in number. ..
This species is said to be common in' Russia, Germany,
Holland, and France. In Spain it occurs at Lake Gallo-
canta, in Arragon, where it is called colliiavgo., „ I t is -seen
at Genoa twice annually on its passage and in lltaly Savi
Says it appears at the beginning, of winter and remains till
spring. Mr. Strickland saw this species at Smyrna in winter.
Messrs. Dickson and Ross sent the Zoological Society specimens
from Erzerum, -that were killed there at the end 7of
March ; and the Russian naturalists found this Duck in the
vicinity of the Caspian Sea. I t is said to be found in China
and Japan. -
The Pintail is ^included in the Catalogue of the birds of
the Faro Islands ; and Mr. Proctor says that a few breed in
Iceland, laying from sixr to ten, eggs, in a nést placed among
reeds and thick herbage ; it is also found in North America
and the 'Uhate'dsStateSi -
‘The ^appearance of the adultt'male in July, August, and
September-, has beeii already noticed. In winter the bill is
dfsad grey, on thetsidps“, part of the central ridge and the base
brownish-black ; irides dark brown; head, cheeks, chin, sides,
and upper halfrof "the neebim front rich dark brown; nape
and back of the neck the same, the occipital portion tinged
with ,‘purple; 'back, scapulars,, the part before the wings,
and" the Smaller coverts, richpgl¥y, produced by fine undulating
alternate lines of greyrsh^white and bluish-black ;
primaries* greyish-brown ; secondaries black, the énd of the
outei^wêfe^óf each forming a speciaium of dark green; greater
w'iUg-coverts ash-brëwn, ■ tipped with reddish-buff and white;
teftials elongated, black in the centre; with a white lateral
margin on the ouif^roweb, and a grey one on the>inner ; tail-
Gdvtrts ash grey; the elongated^ tail-feathers black; the
dfh.ërs dfek brown, margined with white ; from the occipital
portion of the neck on each side descends a white stripe, which
becoming broader as it passes downwards, extends in front
over1'®® whole of the lower portion of the nedk$breast, belly,
and-part of the flanks; the sides -grty'£ vent and under tail-
cbverts velvet black ; legs; toes’, and their membranes, black-
ish-browh.
The whole length of the male,, somewhat influenced by
the tail-feathers,' is from twenty-six to twenty-eight inches.
From the carpal joint to the end of the wing ten inblies and
a half; the first quill-feather the longest in the wing.
The female has the head reddish-brown; the neck pale
brown, both parts speckled with very dark brown; upper
surface of the body dark brown; each feather almost black
in the centre, and pale brown on the margin; tail-feathers
also dark brown, varied with pale brown ; no appearance of
m 2