History of British animals - University of Guam Marine Laboratory

1-20 BIRDS. PALMIPIDES. Clangula.Eider, Will. Orn. 277- Sibb. Scot. 21 A. moll. Linn. Syst.i. 198. Perm.Brit. Zool. ii. 581. Temm. Orn. ii. 848.— £, Edder, Cuthbert Duck ;S, Dunter Goose; W, Hwyad fwythblu.— In the islands of Scotland,common.Length 22 inches, weight 4 pounds. Bill 1\ inches long. Irides brown.Crown (with the exception of a white line near the nape), front and sides ofthe head, black. Nape to the throat pea-green. Cheeks, chin, back, andbreast, white ; the latter with a reddish tinge. Quills and tail brown. Thebelly and rump black. Female less ; plumage reddish-brown, with transversewaved black lines Nest of sea- weeds, lined with the dozen, so well known,which it plucks from its body. Eggs 5, pale greenish-olive The young male cinereous,with brown spots; breast with transverse black and white rays. Thetrachea resembles that of the King Eider.177. S. spectabilis. King Eider. — Lateral divisions of thebill elevated, arched, ridged ;bill and feet vermillion.Anas spect- Linn. Syst.i. 1!)5. Temm. Orn. ii. 851. (Trachea, Linn.Trans, xii. tab. xxx. f. 1, 2.) Breeds in the Northern Isles.In size nearly equal to the last. Feathers at the base of the bill, black ;crown and nape bluish-grey ; cheeks green; neck, back, and sides of the rump,white ; scapulars, lower part of the back, wings, tail, and belly black, Tertialsas in the preceding species, deflected. Female, like that of the precedingspecies in plumage, but the base of the bill furnishes sufficiently distinguishingmarks—Nest of sea-weeds, lined with down. Eggs 6, cinereous-olive—Mr Bullock found this species breeding in Papa Westra, Orkney, in the endof June—Mont. Supp. Orn. Diet.Gen. LXXXIII.CLANGULA.—Bill short and narrow.178. C. vulgaris. Golden Eye.— Bill black, legs yellow.A white spot under the eye. Wing-spot white.Anas platyrynchos mas, Will. Orn. 282 A. Clangula, Linn. Syst.i.201. Penn. Brit. Zool. ii. 587- Temm. Orn. ii. 870. (Trachea, Linn.Trans, iv. tab. xv. f. 1, 2.)— E, Pied Wigeon ; S, Gowdy Duck ; W,Llygad aur A regular winter visitant of the coast and lakes.Length 19, breadth 31 inches ;weight 2 pounds. Bill broader at the basethan the point ;the nostrils small, placed beyond the middle. Irides brightyellow. Webs of the toes dusky. Head and upper neck green, with a tingeof purple. Lower neck, beneath, part of the scapulars, and greater wingcovers,white. Back, rump, and lesser wing-covers, black. Quills black, exceptseven of the secondaries, which are mostly white. Tail dusky, of 10pointed feathers. In the female, the bill is yellowish at the point, the headis brown, the feathers on the back dusky, edged with cinereous. Breeds inthe northern regions, in lakes and ponds (Phil. Trans, lxii. 417«). Young likethe female. In the second year the white eye-spot appears. The young andfemale have been describe:! by several British writers as the Morillon (A.Glaucion, Linn.). The windpipe and tail readily furnish proofs of identity.179. C. histrion'ica.—Harlequin Duck. Bill and legsblack.A white patch befere the eye. Wing-spot blue.Brit. Misc. tab. vi Temm. Orn. ii.A- hist. Linn. Syst.i. 204. Sowerli/s878.— A rare winter visitant of the north of Scotland.Length 1 7, breadth 2(i inches; weight 18 ounces. Bill, with the nostrilsnear the base, above. Irides brown. Legs with a bluish tinge. Head,neck, back, wings, and rump, black, with purple reflections. In front of the