BIRDS HUNTED FOR FOOD OR SPORT. 133 



BARROW'S GOLDEN-EYE {Clangula islandica) . 



Length. — 20 to 22.50 inches. 



Adult Male. — Similar to Golden-eye; head moderately puffy, with feathers 

 lengthening into a slight crest; gloss of head chiefly purple and violet; 

 a large wedge-shaped, triangular or crescentic white spot between bill 

 and eye. running up vertically to a point and extending along the whole 

 side of base of bill; a white stripe on the black shoulder; white area on 

 wing more or less divided by a dark bar. 



Adult Female and Young. — Similar to female of Golden-eye; indistinguish- 

 able, except by a dark bar on white of wing, which is not always pres- 

 ent, head usually darker in color, and this color extends farther down 

 on neck, making the white collar narrower than in the Golden-eye; 

 gray belt on breast is broader and the bill relatively shorter, deeper and 

 wider in proportion to its length; sometimes nearly all yellow. 



Field Marks. — In male, white spot at base of bill is triangular, not round, 

 as in Golden-eye. (See Fig. 8.) Female and young indistinguishable 

 in the field from Golden-eye. 



Notes. — Probably a low croaking sound, similar to that produced by the 

 Golden-eye (Chapman). 



Season. — Very rare winter visitor. 



Range. — Northern North America. Breeds from south central Alaska and 

 northwestern Mackenzie to southern Oregon and southern Colorado, 

 and from northern Ungava to central Quebec; winters from southeast- 

 ern Alaska, central Montana, the Great Lakes and Gulf of St. Law- 

 rence south to central California, southern Colorado, Nebraska and 

 New England; accidental in Europe; breeds commonly in Iceland and a 

 rare visitor to Greenland. 



History. 

 The Barrow's Golden-eye is a northern bird and has prob- 

 ably always been very rare in 

 Massachusetts within historic 

 times. Mr. Boardman asserts 

 that it formerly bred in Maine, 

 but although a few birds may 

 have summered in that State 

 there is no record of the actual 

 discovery of a nest. It is some- 

 times common in our markets, 

 but most of the specimens pro- 

 cured there probably came 

 from the west. The records of its occurrence here are not 

 many, and Brewster doubts the authenticity of some. Never- 



