A HAND-LIST OF BRITISH BIRDS. 141^ 



Distribution. — Abroad. — Northern Hemisphere. Breeding in arctie 

 regions, wintering further southwards to Black and Caspian Seas, 

 and (in small numbers) Mediterranean, in Asia to Lake Baikal, Japan, 

 China, in America in northern United States and on Great Lakes, and 

 as far south as Gulf of Mexico. 



HISTRIONICUS HISTRIONICUS* 



305. Histrionicus histrionicus (L.)— THE HARLEQUIN-DUCK. 



Anas histrionica Linnaeus, Syst. Nat. ed. x, i, p. 127 (1758 — America. 



Typical locality : Newfoimdland). 



Cosmonetta histrionica (Linnseiis), Yarrell, iv, p. 452 ; Saunders, p. 457. 



Distribution. — Great Britain. — Very rare vagrant. Male found 

 dead Filey (Yorks.) autumn 1862. Two young males obtained, out 

 of three seen, Fame Isles (Northumberland) Dec. 2, 1886. Has 

 possibly occurred Scotland, while others recorded are doubtfully 

 authentic (Saunders, p. 457). 



Distribution. — Abroad. — ^Northern Hemisphere, breeding in Ice- 

 land, north-east Asia, and probably other places (according to 

 Sabanaeff in the Ural and government of Yaroslav), also in North 

 America as far south as Montana. In winter south to Japan, Lake 

 Baikal, middle United States of America, and California. Rare in 

 Europe. 



POLYSTICTA STELLERit 



306. Polysticta stelleri (Pall.)— STELLER'S EIDER. 



Anas Stelleri Pallas, Spicilegia Zool., fasc. vi, p. 35, pi. 5 (1769 — Kamt- 



schatka). 



Somateria stelleri (Pallas), Yarrell, iv, p. 468 ; Saimders, p. 463. 



Distribution. — England. — Two. Nearlv adult male Caistor (Nor- 

 folk) Feb. 10, 1830 (Yarrell, Proc. Z. ^Soc. 1831, p. 35). Young 

 male off Filey Brigg (Yorks.) Aug. 15, 1845 (R. J. Bell, Zool, 

 1846, p. 1249). 



Distribution. — Abroad. — Arctic and sub-arctic coasts of Northern 

 Hemisphere, breeding in arctic regions (erroneously stated to have 

 nested on Varanger Fjord, east of North Cape and at Petschinka, 

 but certain in east Siberia, east of Taimyr Peninsula, and Arctic 

 Ocean near Bering Sea east to Alaska) ; in winter sparingly in various 

 parts of northern Europe, more numerous on coasts of Kamtschatka 

 to Kurile Islands, Aleutian Islands and Greenland, once in Quebec. 



* Histrionicus, 1828, antedates Cosmonetta, 1829. — E.H. 

 t Recent ornithologists separate Steller's Eider from the geniLs Somateria, 

 If this is done, the generic name Polysticta is the oldest name for it. — E.H. 



