LIFE HISTORIES OF NORTH AMERICAN WILD FOWL 67 



cult to approach in its offshore resorts ; it was essentially a maritime^ 

 species and seldom resorted to inland bays or rivers, though Audubon 

 said that it was known to ascend the Delaware River as far as Phila-^ 

 delphia; it was not particularly popular as a table bird and often 

 proved ^ drug in the market, when other more desirable ducks were 

 obtainable; for the above i^asons it is fair to assume that it was not 

 exterminated by gunner- and never was sliot in very large numbers. 

 AVhat evidence we have goes to show that it never was a numerous 

 species and that it probably had a very limited breeding range. If 

 this breeding range was, as it appears, restricted to the southeast 

 coast of Labrador, its disappearance may easily be charged to the 

 wholesale destruction of bird life which took place on that coast 

 during the last century. Continued persecution on its breeding 

 grounds, where its nests and eggs were apparently conspicuous and 

 where both young and old birds were easily killed in summer^ 

 when unable to fl}', is enough to account for it. That certain other 

 species, which are known to have wider breeding ranges, survived 

 the same persecution is no proof that the Labrador duck did not 

 succumb to it. 



DISTRIBUTION 



Breeding range, — Unknown. Supposed to have bred in Labrador, 

 probably in some very restricted range on the south coast of the 

 Labrador Peninsula. 



Winter range. — On the Atlantic coast from Nova Scotia to New 

 Jersey and probably to Chesapeake Bay. Most of the specimens 

 with known data were taken near Long Island. New York. 



Casual record. — A specimen, since lost, is said to have been taken 

 at Elmira, New York, December 12, 1878. 



POLYSTICTA STELLERI (Pallas) 

 STELLER EIDER 



HABITS 



This beautiful and oddly marked duck was first described by the 

 Russian naturalist, Pallas, who named it after its discoverer. Steller 

 obtained the first specimens on the coast of Kamchatka, which is near 

 the center of its abundance and not far from its principal breeding: 

 grounds in northeastern Siberia. Illustrating the abundance of this 

 species on the Siberian coast of Bering Sea, Dr. E. W. Nelson (1883) 

 writes : 



The first night of our arrival was calm aud misty, the water having that 

 peculiar glassy smoothness seen at such times, and the landscape rendered in- 

 distinct at a short distance by a slight mistiness. Soon after we came to- 

 anchor before the native village this body of birds arose from the estuary a 



