144 



BIRDS OF AMERICA 



so rL-duced in numbers that feather huntintj was 

 no longer protitable. Audubon never saw it 

 ahve, but asserted that it remained off the coast:> 

 of Maine and Massachusetts all winter and was 

 unknown south of Chesapeake Bay. Dekay 

 ( 1844) averred that the bird was well known to 

 gunners on the New York coasts, but Giraud, 

 writing about the same time, regarded it a;; rare 

 there. Elliot says that between i860 and 1870 

 he saw a considerable number of the species in 

 the New York markets, but that a full-plumaged 

 male was exceedingly rare although no one 

 imagined that the species was on the verge of 

 extinction. The last Labrador Duck on record 

 died bv the hand of man near Long Island, New 



Little is known about the habits of this Duck. 

 It frequented sandy shoals off the New England 

 coast and was so tame and confiding that it was 

 not difficult to shoot. 



It was said to feed largely on shellfish, and 

 Audubon relates that a bird stuffer at Camden, 

 New Jersey, had many fine specimens taken 

 with hooks baited with mussels. It was a strong 

 fl_\er and a good diver and, as is the case with 

 most Sea Ducks, its flesh was rank and fishy. 

 It was hardy and in every way well fitted for 

 the battle of life but was not able to cope with 

 civilized man. It is significant that its ex- 

 tinction occurred in the nineteenth century 

 when marked improvements in firearms were 



LABRADOR DUCKS 

 A group of mounted specimens in the American Museum of Natural History, New York City 



York, in 1875. According to Dutcher's summary, accompanied \>y the extermination of far more 



there are only forty-two recorded specimens in species of birds than in any other century 



existence in the museums and scientific collec- since the dawn of history, 

 tions of the world. Edw.vrd llowi-: Focrush. 



SPECTACLED EIDER 



Arctonetta fischeri {Brandt) 



.\. O. U. .Xumher 15S 



Other Name. — Fischer's Eider. 



General Description. — Length, 2J inches. Males are 

 white above and grayish-black below ; females are yel- 

 lowish-brown, streaked and barred with darker. Both 

 sexes have dense patches of velvety feathers around the 

 eyes, outlined with black, suggesting spectacles : very 

 fine, stiffened frontal feathers; and crown feathers 

 lengthened into a short hanging hood in the male, 

 slightly indicated, or not, in the female. 



Color. — Adult M.m.e: Most of head, neck all around, 

 most of back, lesser and middle wing-coverts, long 

 inner secondaries and a patch on side of ruinp, white; 

 frontal feathers on head, nape, and cheeks strongly 

 tinged with pale sea-green ; spectacle area pure silvery- 

 white framed as aforesaid, with black; rest of plumage, 

 including wings, grayish-black; bill, orange; feet, yel- 

 lowish ; iris, white surrounded with a light blue ring. 

 Adult Female: Varies as do all Eiders ; general colora- 



