DUCKS 



135 



ing. Recently, I was studying waterfowl in 

 the Mississippi Delta country, and was anchored 

 off the exit of Pass, in a dense fog. This 

 suddenly lifted, and we saw, stretched out be- 

 fore us, a solid " bed " of Ducks, surely half a 

 mile long and one hundred vards wide. The 



guide and I estimated that there were thirty-five 

 thousand, over one-half of which were Canvas- 

 backs. And this was but one of many such 

 hordes along that coast. Cheer up, friends of 



lives ! 

 Herbert K. Job. 



wild birds, the " King '' sti 



SCAUP DUCK 



Marila marila { Liniurus) 



A. O. U. Xumber 148 See Color Plate 17 



Other Names. — Mussel Duck; Green-head; Black- 

 neck ; Gray-back ; Blue-bill ; Greater Blue-bill ; Blue- 

 hilled Widgeon; Broad-bill; Raft Duck; Flock Duck; 

 Shuffler ; Black-head ; Big Black-head ; Floating Fowl ; 

 American Scaup Duck ; Greater Scaup Duck ; Troop- 

 fowl. 



General Description. — Length. 20 inches. Males 

 have the fore parts black, and the rest of the body white 

 marked with black; females are dusky-brownish above 

 and yellowish-brown below. Both sexes have the bill 

 short and wide, and the hind toe with web or lobe. 



Color. — .A.DULT M.ale: Entire head, ticck. and fore 

 parts of body, black with green and bluish reflections ; 

 middle of back, shoulders, and most of under parts, 

 white, everywhere e.xcept on flanks and abdomen 

 marked with fine transverse zigzag lines of black; wing- 

 coverts similar but more obscurely waved ; greater 

 coverts, tipped with black ; speculum, white framed in 

 black of greater coverts and ends of secondaries ; 



primaries, brownish-black; bill, dull bluish-gray with 

 black nail; feet, bluish-gray; webs, dusky; iris, yellow. 

 Adult Female; A belt of pure 'a'hite around face at 

 base of bill: black parts of male replaced by dusky- 

 brown ; upper parts in general, dusky-brownish without 

 black marking ; wing, as in male ; below yellowish- 

 brown, duskier on breast and along sides ; center line of 

 body, whitisli ; liill, legs, and eyes as in male. 



Nest and Eggs. — Nest : In marshy ground, made 

 of weeds, grass and lined with down. Eggs: 9 to 12. 

 pale buffy-olive or olive-gray. 



Distribution. — Northern part of northern hemis- 

 phere ; in North America breeds from about the par- 

 allel 48° northward, rarely on Magdalen Islands, in 

 Ontario, and Michigan ; winters from Maine to Florida 

 and the Bahamas, and from Alaska, Nevada, Colorado 

 and Lake Ontario south to southern California, south- 

 ern New Mexico, and southern Texas ; in migration rare 

 in central Ungava, Newfoundland, and Nova Scotia. 





jt,- 



'ii'ji jgraph by A. A. Allen 



SCAtrP DUCKS 

 Flying over Cayuga Lake 



