92 HISTORY OF THE 



grayish brown, niiiiuti-ly mottled ^Yith paler; reiiiigos dull brownish dusky; 

 rectrices brownish black, the shafts deep black; lower parts white on the sur- 

 face, but the concealed portion of the feathers dark brownish gray, showing 

 when the feathers are disarranged, and in niidsunniier specimens completely 

 exposed by abrasion of the tips of the feathers; jugulum strongly washed with 

 fulvous buff, this sometimes iuvading the abdomen. Lower tail coverts entirely 

 white, to the roots of the feathers; bill and edges of the eyelids grayish blue; 

 iris hazel; feet dull grayish blue, webs inclining to dusky; claws grayish brown. 

 Adult female: Top of the head, down to below the eyes, and upper parts gener- 

 ally, dusky grayish brown, minutely freckled with pale grayish fulvous (more 

 reddish on the head); remainder of the head dirty grayish white, crossed longi- 

 tudinally by a stripe of speckled dusky, running from the rictus back across the 

 auriculars, parallel with the lower edge of the brown of the top of the head; 

 neck pale brownish gray, fading gradually into the white of the chin; lower 

 parts, except sides and flanks (which are similar to the abdomen, but darker), 

 as on the adult male. Young: Similar to the adult female. Dimmy young: 

 Above, dark smoky brown, darker on the head; a whitish spot on each side the 

 back; a brownish white stripe beneath the eye, from the bill to near the occiput; 

 beneath this, a narrower dusky brown one, confluent with the brown of the 

 nape, reaching almost or quite to tlie rictus; lower parts grayish white, strongly 

 shaded with sooty brown across the jugulum." 



Although the collection of the National Museum contains lumierous examples 

 of this species, only a small portion of them have the sex indicated, while on a 

 still smaller number is the date noted. It is therefore difficult to determine 

 satisfactorily, from the material at hand, the seasonal and sexual differences of 

 plumage. Certain it is, however, that specimens in the plumage described 

 above as that of the adult male in full plumage occur both in summer and winter. 

 Audubon says that the "adult female in summer presents the same characters 

 as the male"; but although this may very likely be true, the series under exami- 

 nation affords no indication of it. He describes the "male one year old" as 

 having "a similar white patch on the side of the head; upper part of head and 

 hind neck dull blackish brown; throat and sides of neck grayish brow'n, lower 

 part of neck dull reddish brown, waved with dusky; upper parts as in the adult, 

 but of a duller tint; lower parts grayish white." 



This chubby little Duck lias been found breeding in Gua- 

 temala, southern California, Pewaukee Lake, AVisconsin, and 

 northward, chiefly north of the United States. During migra- 

 tion the birds are rather common throughout the States, arriv- 

 ing in small flocks. 



Thej swim lightly, with their stiff, spine-like tails erect, or, 

 at their pleasure, like the Grebes, can sink deep beneath the 



