34 Allen's naturalist's library. 



THE RUFOUS-BREASTED EIDER DUCKS. 

 GENUS IIENICONETTA. 



Enkonetta^ G. R. Gray, List Gen. B. 1840, p. 75. 

 Type, H. steUeri (Pall.). 



Although recognised as one of the Eider Ducks, and placed 

 by many naturalists in the genus Somateria^ Steller's Duck, 

 which is the sole representative of the genus, possesses certain 

 structural characters which cause it to be placed in a genus 

 apart. The edges of the upper mandible are bent inwardly, 

 the lower mandible has the apical portion flat and almost 

 spatulated, and both male and female have a metallic alar 

 speculum (cf. Salvad. Cat. B. Brit. Mus, xxvii. p. 327). 



There is only one species of the genus Htniconetta, viz., the 

 following : — 



I. steller's eider duck, heniconetta stelleri. 



Anas stelleri^ Pallas, Spic. Zool. fasc. vi. p. 35 (1769). 



Stelleria dispar, Macg. Br. B. v. p. 164 (1852). 



Sotnateria stelleri^ Dresser, B. Eur, vi. p. 649, pi. 447 (187 1); 



Saunders, ed. Yarr. Br. B. iv. p. 468 (1885); Seebohm, 



Br. B. iii. p. 613 (1885); Saunders, Man. Br. B. p. 451 



(1889). 

 Heniconetta stelleri, B. O. U. List Br. B. p. 133 (1883); Salvad. 



Cat. B. Brit. Mus. xxvii. p. 419 (1895). 



Adult Male. — General colour above blue-black, from the 

 lower hind-neck to the tail, the latter being also black ; wing- 

 coverts and scapulars pure white, the long ones slightly sickle- 

 shaped, metallic purplish-blue, with a longitudinal white centre ; 

 bastard-wing, primary-coverts, and quills dusky-blackish, darker 

 on the outer web and the end of the inner web, this dark por- 

 tion having a purplish gloss ; the secondaries metallic-purple, 

 tipped with white, forming a speculum, the inner ones white 

 on the inner web, the innermost sickle-shaped, purple exter- 

 nally, white internally ; head satiny-white, with a faint greenish 

 spot on the lores ; eyelid purplish-black, wider below ; nape 

 greenish, with a purplish-black spot on each side ; malar-line 

 and throat purplish-black, separated from the chest by a band 

 of white across the fore-neck, which joins the white on the sides 



