170 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. 



which species the}' belong. Of the twd characters named, how- 

 ever, the color of the head seems far the more constant, and 

 may, perhaps, be found quite distinctive. 



All that can at present be said of Barrow's Golden-eye as a 

 bird of Illinois is that it is a rare winter visitant, reaching- here 

 about the southern limit of its distribution. Comparatively 

 little is known as to its habits, which, doubtless, in the main, 

 closely resemble those of the common species. 



GENUS CHARITONETTA STEJNEGER. 



Charitonetta STEJN. Orn. Expl. Kamtsch. 1885, 163. Type, Anas alheola LINN. 



GEN. CHAR. Similar to Glaucionetta, but nostril narrower and situated much farther 

 back, being behind the middle of the upper mandible instead of slightly anterior to the 

 middle; lamellae hidden behind the edge of the maxilla; outer toe, with claw, decidedly 

 longer than middle toe, and tip of inner toe, without claw, reaching only to second joint of 

 middle toe; tail more than twice as long as tarsus, reaching beyond the folded wings by 

 nearly twice the length of the culmen. 



This genus contains a single species, the beautiful little But- 

 ter-ball or Buffle-head (C. alheola}. 



Charitonetta albeola (Linn.) 



BUFFLE-HEAD. 



Popular synonyms. Butter-ball; Butter-box; Butter Duck; Spirit Duck; Dipper, or Di- 



dipper, or Di-dapper; Marionette (New Orleans); Bobin Dipper: Scotch Dipper, 



Scotch Duck, Scotch Teal, or Scotchman (North Carolina); Wool-head (Currituck 



Sound, N. C.). 



Anas albeola LINN. S. N. eel. 10, i, 1758, 124; ed. 12, i, 1766, 199.-WrLS. Am. Orn. viii. 1814, 51, 



pi. 62, figs. 2,3. 

 Fuligula albeola BONAP. Synop. 1828, 394. NUTT. Man. ii. 1831. 145. AUD. Orn. Biog. iv, 



1837. 217, pi. 225; Synop. 1839, 293; B. Am. vi, 1843, 369, pi. 408. 



Clangula albeola STEPHENS, Shaw's Gen. Zool. xii. ii, 1824. 184. Sw. & RICH. F. B.-A. ii, 

 1831, 458. RIDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1831, No. 621. COUES, Check List, 2d ed. 1882, No. 

 727.-B. B. & R. Water B. N. Am. ii, 1884, 48. 



Bucephala albeola BAIED, B. N. Am. 1858, 797; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 595. COUES, Key. 

 1872,290; Check List, 1873, No. 507 ; Birds, N. W. 1874, 577 HENSH. Zool. Wheeler's 

 Exp. 1875, 482. RIDGW. Orn. 40th Par. 1877, 626. 

 Charitonetta albeola STEJN. Orn. Expl. Kamtsch. 1885. 166. A. O. D. Check List. 1886, No. 



153. RIDGW. Man. N. Am. B. 1887, 106. 



Anas bucephala LINN. S. N. ed. 10, i, 1758, 125; ed. 12. i, 1760, 200 (male). 

 Anas rustica LINN. 1. c., 201 (female). 



HAB. North America, -breeding from Iowa (?) and Minnesota northward; wintering 

 from United States south to Cuba and Mexico. 



SP. CHAR. Adult male: Head and upper half of the neck rich silky metallic green, 

 violet-purple and greenish bronze, the last prevailing on the lower part of the neck, the 

 green on the anterior part of the head, the purple on the cheeks and crown; a large patch 



