ANATID^ — FULIGULIXJE: SEA DUCKS. 



705 



chiefly purple and violet. A large triangular or cresceutic white spot before eye, running up 

 in a point, applied against the whole side of base of bill. White area on wing more or less 

 divided by a dark bar resulting from extension of the dark bases of the greater coverts. 

 Averaging larger than the last ; length 19.00-22,50; extent 30.00 or more ; wing 9.00-10.00 ; 

 tarsus 1.60; bill as before, thus relatively shorter. Europe, Iceland; Greenland; N.Am., 

 northerly; in winter S. to N. Y. and Utah; breeds in the R. Mts. of U. S. and in high lat- 

 itudes. Not common with us. Seems well distinguished from C. glancium, though the 9 

 is not easily discriminated. It may usually be recognized by the occipital crest, the division 

 of the white area on the wing, and the extensively parti-colored bill, which is blotched with 

 reddisli. 

 737. C. albe'ola. (Lat. alheola or alhiila, dim. of alhus, white. Fig. 491.) Buffle-head. 

 Butter-ball. Spirit-duck. Dipper. Bill with nostrils rather behind than before its 

 middle line. Adult $ : Head particularly puflfy with much lengthened feathers of lateral and 

 hind parts, splendidly .^^^ 



varit>us with purple- "=^^^^^ ~"^r^ "~- ^^^b_^= ^^ y^'^^^^"- ^^^ - _ ,- ^ 



violet and green irides- ^^ ^~-~^.Z_ -- — 



cence; a large snowy ^^""^^ " ~~" 



patch on each side be- 

 hind eye, blending on 

 nape with its fellow. 

 Bill dull bluish with 

 dusky nail and base. 

 Eyes brown. Feet 

 pale flesh-color, with 

 blackish claws. Up- 

 per parts at large 

 black, fading to gray- 

 ish-white posteriorly. 

 Lower neck all around, 

 under parts at large, 

 scapulars in part, 

 nearly all the wing- 

 coverts, and most of Fig. 491. — Buffie-head. (F^om Lewis.) 

 the secondaries, white. Outer scapulars white, edged with black; inner secondaries velvet- 

 black ; sides and sometimes across lower belly shaded with dusky ; lining of wings mixed 

 dusky and white. 9 much smaller than $ ; head scarcely puffy, but a thin compressed nuchal 

 elongation of the feathers; dusky gray, with trace at least of the white space of the <J, and 

 commonly a white touch under eye. Bill dusky ; feet livid bluish-gray, with dusky webs. 

 Above at large dusky-gray or blackish, with white speculum on outer webs only of five or six 

 secondaries; below white, shaded into dark along sides and across fore-breast and lower belly. 

 Tims a very small insignificant-looking duck, but easily recognized on that very score ; notice 

 flap of hind toe, livid feet, dark bill, white spot on dark head behind eye, etc. Length of ^ 9 

 12.75-15.00; extent 22.00-25.00; wing 0.00-7.00; tarsus 1.10-1.24; middle toe and claw 

 2.00-2.25 ; bill 1.00, along gape 1.40. 9 at or about the lesser of these dimensions. N. Am. 

 at large, and casual in Europe; U. S. in winter, one of the most abundant ducks; breeds from 

 N. border of U. S. to high latitudes. The drake in full feather is one of the handsomest 

 ducks, dressed in broad black and white in artistic contrast, to say nothing of the brilliancy of 

 the head. Noted for its adroitness in diving to escape a shot, as smartly as a grebe, and on 

 that account known in some of our elegant vernacular as "hell-diver." Thf flesh is little 

 esteemed, so it is just as well there is so little of it. Nest feathery, in a tree; eggs up to 14, 



