ORNITHOLOGICAL EXPLORATIONS. 169 



ceed in fludiug any evidence of its breeding ; so that I have little doubt 

 that the numerous flocks which remain over summer consist of birds 

 not propagating during that season, for some reason or another. It is 

 also probable that the flocks observed on July 1, and later, exclusively 

 consisting of males in full adult plumage, are composed of adult males 

 having already left the females and young on the breeding haunts, which 

 I suspect to be the interior mountainous parts of Kamtschatka. It is 

 probably the occurrence during the breeding season of similar flocks 

 which has given rise to the supposition of the breeding of birds, like 

 Eniconetta stelleri and Soinateria spectahilis, in the latitudes of Kam- 

 tschatka and the Aleutian chain. 



76. Harelda hyemalis (Lin.). 



1758. — Anas hyemalis LiN., Syst. Nat., 10 ed., I, p. 126 {nee Pah..).— Harelda h. Tur- 

 ner, Auk, 1885, p. 158. 



1700. — Anas (jlacialis Lin., Syst. Nat., 12 ed., I, p. 203. — Pall., Zoogr. Ross. As., II, 

 p. 276 (1826).— MiDDEND., Sibir. Reis., II, 2, p. 236 (1853).— Radde, Reis. 

 Sud. Ost- Sibir., II (p. 374) (1863).— Harelda g. Swinil, P.Z.S., 1863, p. 

 324.— Id., ibid., 1871, p. 419.— Id., Ibis, 1877, p. 147.— Whitely, Ibis, 1867, 

 p.208.— Dall and Bannist., Tr. Qliic. Acad., I, 1869, p. 298.— Baird, Tr. 

 Chic. Acad., I, 1869, p. 800.— Finsch, Abh. Brem. Ver.,III, 1872, p.67.— 

 Dall, Avif. Aleut. Isl. Unal. eastw. p. 5 (1873). — Id., Avif. Aleut. M. west 

 Unal. p. 7(1874).— COUES, in Elliott's Affairs Alaska, p. 191 (1875).— Taczan., 

 J. f.Orn., 1876, l^.202.— Id., Oin. Fauu. Vost. Sibir., p. 71 (1877).— /d.. Bull. 

 Soc. Zool. France, 1877, p. 48. — Id., ibid, 18rf3, p. 344. — Blakist. and Pryek, 

 Ibis, 1878, p. 214.— Hd., Tr. As. Soc. Jap., VIII, 1880, p. 186.— lid., ibid., X, 

 1882, p. 100.— Seeb., Ibis, 1879, p. 23.— Elliott, Monogr. Seal-Isl., p. 130 

 (1882).— Nelson, Cruise Corwin, p. 99 (1883).— Haktl., J. f.Orn., 1883, p. 

 282.— Blakist., Amend. List Birds Jap., p. 20 (1884). 



As the changes of the difi'erent plumages of this species are now very 

 well known, no further remarks are here required. I may mention, how- 

 ever, that the males commenced assuming their dark nuptial plumage 

 about the middle of April, most of them being in full change in the lat- 

 ter part of this month. The time varies a great deal in different indi- 

 viduals, so that while two males shot on the 2d and 3d of June were in 

 full nuptial plumage, another shot three days later had not passed 

 through more than half the change. 



