Welsh Journals

ORNITHOLOGICAL NOTES. By T. W. PROGER AND D. R. PATERSON, M.D. Long-Tailed Duck. Fuligula glacialis. In December, 1905, a duck frequented the upper part of the lake at Roath Park, and attracted attention by its considerable diving powers. It remained about a fortnight, and as it gave many opportunities of examining it closely, it was identified as an immature female Long-Tailed Duck. According to Seebohm, this species is a tolerably common winter visitor to the British Isles being most abundant in the northern parts. It appears regularly off the south and east coasts of England. It is circumpolar, dwelling above the limit of first growth in the Arctic regions and is in reality more Arctic in its distribution than any other duck, not excepting even the Eiders and Scoters. It rivals the Guillemots and Grebes in its rapidity of diving, the length of time it remains immersed, and the distance it travels under water. Its flight is very rapid, the short wings moving at great speed, and though the direction is generally straight, the body is turned from side to side as the course is slightly altered. This last fact is also noticeable in other kindred species, e.g., Tufted Duck, Golden Eye, etc. Seebohm and Harvie-Brown, who found numbers breeding on the small lakes on the Siberian tundras, remark upon the exceeding tameness of the bird, and this statement agrees with the habits of the specimen we saw at Roath Park. The Long-Tailed Duck differs so much in plumage according to sex, age, and season, that it is difficult to identify it unless the bird is handled. The adult drake differs from the adult duck in a greater degree than the cock pheasant does from the hen, and the transition stages of immature plumage make the matter more complicated. The adult female has the forehead, crown and back of the neck dark brown, the space between the base of the bill and eye, the ear coverts and sides