94 EWER DUCK. 



top of head and nape, ring around lower neck, Iwoadening out on backfroni which proceeds a longitudinal band, becoming 

 wider on back and rump, and under part«, black. Head, neck, transverse patch below black ring, sides of tliroat, scap- 

 ularies which are tinged with bluish, and wings, excepting primaries which ire plumbeous-black, white. Bill, bluish tip- 

 ped with black, iris, reddish-brown, and feet, blue. Adu/t female. Ashy-gray throughout, becoming darker below, and 

 the tertiaries are hoary, while the inner secondaries are margined internally with black. 



OBSERVATIONS. 

 Known by the prominent black and white colors as described. Formally distributed in winter from New Jer.sey, 

 northward, and bred in the far North. At present, very rare everywhere. 



DIMENSIONS. 

 Average measurements of specimens from North America. Length, 22'00; stretch, 29-50; wing, 9()5; tail, 3'65; bill, 

 1-65; tarsus, 1-55. Longestspecimen,23'75; greatest extent of wing, 30-00; longestwing,9'25; tail, 3'7o; bill, r75; tai-sus, 

 1-60. Shortest specimen, 2UU0; smallest extent of wing, 29-30; shortest wing, H-80; tail, 3-50; bill, I'SO; tarsus, 1-50. 



HABITS. 

 The Ltilirailor Duck lias, within the last fifteen or twenty years, become so rare as to 

 be considered nearly extinct. I saw a Duck in Plumb Island River, some five or six win- 

 ters ago, which I was confident was this species, but was unable to procure it; and I nev- 

 er saw another, nor can I learn that any hiive been taken on our coast of late years. I 

 hear upon good authority, however, that one was procured at Grand Menan, three 3'ears 

 Bince, in winter. This hitter named loctilily appears to htive been the strong-hold of the 

 species in the not very distant past, and numbers have been secured there. In habit, this 

 Duck resembles other Se;i Ducks, feeding Itirgely upon mollusks which are procured by 

 diving. At present, the Ltibrador Duck is a great desideratum in collections, there being 

 but few specimens in the country. 



SOMATERIA MOLISSIMA. 

 Eider Duck. 



t. nmateria moUxsiina liEACii, Flemming, Pliilos., Zool.; 1822. 



DESCRIPTION. 



Sr. Cn. Form, robust. Size, large. Bill, slightly swollen at base and fleshy covering jjrojects backward on either 

 side. Tertiaries. curved outward. Color. Adult male. Head and neck all around, upper breast, and entire upper 

 surlacc, white. Narrow margin at base of bill, forehead, and lino through eye to nape, black, while tlie white liehind and 

 bolov the line, is glossed with emerald green. Beneath, black with the asillaries white. Primaries, very dark-brown. 

 The white beneath and on the wings is overwaslied with creamy. Bill and feet, greenish, iris, brown. 



Adult fi male. Reddish-brown throughout, trans\ersely banded everywhere, excepting on wings, with dark-browii. 

 Tertiaries, ti[)pc-d wilh white. Yuuny. Similar to adult female. 



OBSERVATIONS. 

 Known by the |)eculiar fleshy jirocess projecting backward at base of bill, large size, and colors as dcscrilied. Distrib- 

 uted in summer from Crand Menan, nortliward; wintering from New Jersey, northward. 



DIMENSIONS. 

 Average measurements of specimens irom Eastern North America. Length, 2500; stretch, 40-.')n; wing, ll-l"), tail, 

 4 25; bill, 2-4;), tiirsiis, l-(i2. L^ingest spe;-imeTi, 26-25; greatest c.-itent of wing. 42-110; longest wini;-, 11 -.50; tail, 4 ,50: lull, 

 2-50: tarsus, l-Tf). S'ione~.t spi'iinii-n, 21-110; smallest i-xtent of wing, .'iO-OO; shortest wing, 11-25; tail, 1-00; Kill, 2-25; lar- 

 sus, 1-5;). 



DESCRIPTION OF NESTS AND EtiCS. 

 7^>v.s-/,s-, placed o'l t! e gi'ouiid near water, composed of sticks, weeds, down, etc, 7->/(/.« , si X to ten in nnm'ier, elli|)itcnl 

 in firm, and a<li,v-green in color. Dimensions IVom 1-98x2-82 to 2-10x3-20. 



HABITS. 

 The well known Eider Ducks are found off our coast in winter in eonsidcritble num- 

 bers, espcciidly in tlic watevs of the sounds on the southern shore of Miissachusetts. They 

 ieed priiiciii;dly iipim undlusks, and ttciug ([uite hirge birds, swallow good sized bivtilves, 

 several spe;-ies id' whicli I have fre(]ui'iitly lid^eii fnini their stmnai-hs. I iound these birds 



