WESTERN DUCK. 451 



WESTERN DUCK. 



(Fuligula Stelleri, Bonap. Synops. No. 344. .^nas Stelleri, Pallas. 

 Spicil. Zool. fasc. v. p. 35, tab. 5. Anasdispar, and A. Stelleri^ 

 Gmel. Syst. Lath. Ind. iii. Western Duck, Penn. Arct. Zool. ii. 

 p. 289. No. 457. plate 23. Sparman, Mus. Carls, tab. 7. and 8. 

 Steller's And, Swensk, Zool. ii. fascic. ii. pi. 62.) 



Sp. Charact. — Speculum metallic black, margined with white; 

 bill blackish-green ; tail cuneiform. — Male white ; beneath rufous; 

 front and band on the nape greenish ; orbits, throat, collar, and 

 back black. Female reddish-brown, varied with dusky and black. 



This beautiful and singular Duck was discovered by the 

 learned voyager Steller, in flocks, inhabiting, during the 

 breedincr season, the inaccessible rocks on the coast of 

 Kamtschatka. In these wild and desolate retreats, con- 

 tiguous to the sea, they were found to have their nests, but 

 were so exclusively maritime, as never to enter even the 

 estuaries of the contiguous riv^ers. They are very common 

 at Oonalashka, and stray accidentally into northern and 

 eastern Europe, and probably sometimes into Atlantic Ame- 

 rica ; but like the Eider, whose aspect and manners they 

 so nearly possess, they seldom stray farther from their natal 

 abodes than to the open inlets and seas contiguous to their 

 favorite haunts. A pair were shot in Oster Gothland, in 

 Sweden, both of which were engraven by Doctor Sparman. 

 They inhabit likewise the western coast of America. 



The length of this species is about 17 inches. In the male there 

 is a small occipital crest. There are two spots of bright green, one 

 upon the nape, and the other larger one passes along the lower part 

 of the front and from the bill to the eyes. The eyes are surrounded 

 with small silky black feathers. The fore part of the neck, throat 

 and back, black, with violet reflections ; a collar round the neck of 

 the same color but more brilliant. The breast slightly tinged with 

 rufous ; the rest of the body white. The primaries bright dark 



