BUFFLEHEAD {Charitonetta albeola). 

 These are handsome little ducks, length 13 or 

 14 inches, about equaling in size the Green- 

 winged Teal. Neither sex can be confused 

 with any other species owing to their tiny 

 size and very characteristic markings. They 

 are quite frequently known as "Butter- 

 balls" because of their small, plump bodies, 

 and as "Spirit Ducks" or "Dippers" be- 

 cause of the extreme speed with which they 

 can disappear under water. In the days of 

 black powder, it was quite difficult to shoot 

 one on the water, but modern weapons of 

 offense give them no warning to dive, yet 

 their bodies are so small and their sight so 

 keen that they are well able to take care of 

 themselves. They breed throughout central 

 and northwestern Canada, laying their eggs 

 on down in cavities of trees near the banks 

 of streams. They are found quite uniformly 

 over the United States in winter. They usu- 

 ally add some fish to their diet, as do the two 

 Golden-eyes, consequently their flesh is 

 rather rank, although they are often eaten. 



OLD-SQUAW (Harelda hyemalls). A spe- 

 cies breeding in Arctic America and wintering 

 in great numbers as far south as the Great 

 Lakes and on the coast to North Carolina 

 and southern California. Otherwise known 

 as "Long-tailed Duck," "Old- wife," "South- 

 southerly" and other less common ones , most 

 of which refer to their noisy gabbling. The 

 summer and winter plumages are quite different , as shown respectively by 

 the bird just diving into the water and the lower one. The male measures up 

 to 23 inches, while the female averages about 18 inches long. Their food con- 

 sists of shellfish, small fish and insects which 

 they can secure in very deep water. Their 

 f esh is very tough and quite unpalatable. 



LABRADOR DUCK {Camtorhynchos lab- 

 radorius), the male of which is shown in the 

 little pen sketch, formerly lived off the North 

 Atlantic coast, but has been extinct since 

 v^^evS^^v'^vvcW — =-**■ about 1875. 



bufflehead ( 9 , £) 

 old-squaw (summer, ? 

 winter) 



*7 



