BABBOW GOLDEN-EYE 173 



The food is iiiaile up largely of mussels and other shellfish obtained 

 by diving. The stomach of a bird taken on San Pablo Bay, December 

 5, 1913, by Samuel Hubbard, Jr., contained only broken clam shells 

 (Mya arenana). Some autliors state that the Golden-eye also feeds 

 on small fish. In the interior it is said to feed on aquatic insects and 

 even sucli vegetable matter as grasses and roots. 



Like otliers of the rarer ducks the Golden-eye cannot be considered 

 an important game bird. From the sportsman's point of view it is 

 almost negligible, for it seldom comes well to decoys. It has rarely 

 been seen on the markets of San Francisco. As a table bird it is 

 inferior, taking rank below even the Blue-bill. The young, however, 

 are said to be fairly tender and well flavored. 



This lover of the far north will probably always be more or less of 

 a rare duck in California. The size of tlie contingent reaching us will 

 always be dependent on conditions obtaining farther to the north. 

 Thus the numbers to be expected each year are variable. During mild 

 winters in the north, the continued presence of open water nuikes it 

 unnecessarv for tlie birds to travel farther south. 



Barrow Golden-eye 



('J(i)i(j}ila isJdxclica (Gmelin) 



Other names — Rocky Mountain GoMen-eye; Rocky Mountain Garrot; 

 Whistler; Bucephala islnndica ; Glaucionetia isJandico. 



Description — Adult male: Head, including well developed crest extending 

 to hind neck, and upper half of neck, black, strongly glossed, except on fore- 

 head and throat, with steely blue showing violet reflections at certain angles; 

 extreme point of chin flecked with white; an approximately wedge-shaped patch of 

 white on each side of head between eye and bill, bordering whole lateral base 

 of bill; upper part of this white patch forms an acute angle on each side of 

 the forehead, the lower part broadest and rounded; bill goose-like, color 

 "black"; iris "yellow" (Sanford, Bishop and Van Dyke, 1903, p. 147); upper 

 surface of body velvety black, with a faint steely gloss on scapulars; outer 

 row of scapulars on each side white, with outer edge of outer web of each 

 feather black and produced into an abruptly elongated spike; the mass effect 

 of this scapular white is of a longitudinal series of roundish or oblong spots; 

 outer surface of closed wing chiefly black; middle wing coverts white, together 

 producing a broad white bar; exposed terminal half of greater coverts, and 

 whole of exposed portion of five or six inner secondaries, white, forming a 

 large patch, which includes speculum; black bases of greater coverts form a 

 diagonal black bar separating the two above designated patches of white on 

 wing; axillars and under surface of wing blackish brown; sides and flanks 

 chiefly white, continuous with same color on lower surface, but upper feather 

 edges widely bordered with deep black, and flank feathers also broadly termin- 

 ated with black; thighs and marginal under tail coverts blackish brown; 

 lower half of neck all around, and entire lower surface of body, except as 

 above, pure satiny white; legs and feet "pale orange" (Sanford, Bishop and 

 A^an Dyke, loc. cit.). Total length "21.00-23.00" inches (533-584 mm.) (Ridg- 



