Old Squaw 59 



it in Middle Park, April 14th, 1877, and later a pair in July — which 

 looks as if it might occasionally breed in the mountains, but I have 

 no further confirmation of this. 



Habits. — In no important respect differing from the 

 Golden-eye in its habits, the Buffle-head is often known 

 as the " Butter-ball " or " Hell-diver." It is noted for its 

 quick diving to escape a shot, rivalling even the Grebes 

 in this respect. Its flesh is fishy and poor-eating. 



The nest is placed in holes or in hollow trees, and lined 

 with feathers and down ; the eggs, 9 to 10 or even 14, are 

 buffy-drab, and measure about 2*0 x 1*5. 



Genus HARELDA. 



Bill short, high at the base, the rounded end occupied by a broad 

 nail ; head not crested, nostrils in the basal half of the bill ; feathers 

 ending in a straight Une across the forehead ; tail of fourteen feathers, 

 much elongated in the male by the prolongation of the central pair 

 of feathers ; scapulars also elongated. 



One species only. 



Old Squaw. Harelda hyemalis. 



A.O.U. Checklist no 154 — Colorado Records — Deane 95, p. 292 ; 

 Cooke 97, pp. 56, 195 ; 06, p. 52 ; Henderson 03, p. 234 ; 09, p. 226 ; 

 H. G. Smith 08, p. 184 ; Felger 09, p. 282. 



Description. — Male in winter — Head, neck, front part of the back, 

 abdomen, sides, under tail- coverts and lateral tail-feathers white ; 

 scapulars which are elongated and pointed, and a square patch on 

 the side of the face from the eye to the ear-coverts, grey ; another 

 behind this and the whole of the breast, dark brown ; rest of the upper- 

 parts and wings black or brownish-black ; central tail-feathers much 

 elongated ; iris yellow, bill black with a transverse band of pink (in 

 dried skins orange), legs yellow (in dried skins). Length about 21 ; 

 wing 8-5; tail 6-0; culmen 1-1 ; tarsus 1-3. 



In sumnier the male is chiefly sooty with ashy-grey face, white eyelids 

 and belly, and streaks of chestnut on the back and scapulars. 



The female in winter is dark brown above with the scapulars, which 

 are not elongated, more or less margined with white ; head and neck 

 white, with a dark patch on the crown and side of the neck ; a little 

 mottHng also on the fore-breast ; below pure white ; tail pointed, but 

 feathers not elongated ; wing 8-5. 



