160 GAME BIRDS OF CALIFORNIA 



and neck with purplish reflections predominating; iris yellow; bill clear 

 bluish gray, nail black; back and scapular region white with coarse zig-zag 

 barrings of black; rump, upper tail-coverts and tail dull black; outer surface 

 of closed wing slaty brown, mottled sparsely with fine white dots; flight 

 feathers slaty brown; speculum pure white; sides and long feathers of flanks 

 white, the latter finely vermiculated with dusky; hind part of belly blackish 

 brown, finely barred with whitish; under tail coverts black; rest of under 

 surface pure white, this sharply contrasting with the black on breast; legs 

 and feet (dried) slaty black. Total length 16.50-18.00 inches (418-457 mm.) 

 (Eaton, 1910, p. 207), and two specimens from California; folded wing 7.60- 

 8.20 (193-208); bill along culmen 1.55-1.73 (39.4-43.9); tarsus 1.35-1.40 (34.3- 

 35.6) (seven specimens). Adult female: Whole head, neck, breast, and fore 

 back, dusky reddish brown; a conspicuous area (sometimes called a mask) 

 around base of bill, white; lower back, rump and tail dark brown; scapulars 

 finely peppered with white dots, this taking the place of the zig-zag barrings 

 in the male; outer surface of closed wing and flight feathers plain slate brown; 

 speculum pure white; sides, flanks, lower belly and under tail coverts more or 

 less deeply brownish, with here and there traces of whitish vermiculation; 

 rest of under surface white, not so abruptly marked off from brown of breast 

 as in male. Total length "16.00-16.75" inches (406-425 mm.) (Eaton, loc. 

 cit.) ; folded wing 7.42-8.00 (188-203) ; bill along culmen 1.56-1.65 (39.6-41.8) ; 

 tarsus 1.27-1.40 (32.3-35.6) (nine specimens) ; all from Alaska and California. 

 Juvenile plumage: Not known to us. Natal plumage: "Upper parts, dark brown, 

 with buff spots on side of back and rump; lower parts, buff; forehead and side 

 of head, brownish buff; narrow brown ring across neck in front connecting with 

 brown of upper parts" (Sanford, Bishop and Van Dyke, 1903, pp. 137-138). 



Marks for field identification — Not distinguishable from Greater Scaup 

 at gunshot range. In hand, or within a few yards, the smaller size, purplish 

 instead of greenish gloss on the head, somewhat coarser or more distinct black 

 undulations on back and flanks, and lack of whitish on outer webs of innermost 

 primaries identify the male Lesser Scaup (pi. 5). Females can be definitely dis- 

 tinguished only by size differences. The Lesser Scaup averages nearly two 

 inches shorter than the Greater Scaup and is proportionally smaller throughout. 



Voice — Same as that of Greater Scaup Duck. 



Nest — Concealed in grass near water; composed of dry grass stems and 

 lined with down. 



Eggs — 6 to 11, elongate ovate or elliptical in shape, measuring in inches 1.97 

 to 2.38 by 1.40 to 1.62 (in millimeters, 50.0 to 60.5 by 35.5 to 41.0), and averag- 

 ing 2.22 by 1.56 (56.5 by 39.5) (fifty-two eggs in U. S. National Museum); 

 color plain olive buff. 



General distribution — North America. Breeds, chiefly in the interior, 

 from the Yukon Valley, Alaska, and Fort Anderson, Mackenzie, south to central 

 British Columbia, southern Montana, and northern Indiana; winters from 

 southern British Columbia, Colorado, Lake Erie and New Jersey south to 

 Panama, but chiefly within the United States. Non-breeding birds summer 

 far south of the breeding range (modified from A. O. U. Check-list, 1910, p. 75). 



Distribution in California — Common transient and winter visitant prac- 

 tically throughout the state wherever favorable conditions obtain. The coastwise 

 records are largely in the fall and winter and the interior ones in sjiring. A 

 few non-breeders summer along the sea coast, as at Santa Barbara (Torrey, 

 19106, p. 204) ; has bred on lakes of San Francisco County (Squires, 1915, p. 

 234; J. Mailliard, 1915, p. 235). 



