THE OLD-SQUAW. 805 
No. 324. 
OLD-SQUAW. 
A. O. U. No. 154. Harelda hyemalis (Linn.). 
Synonyms.—Lonc-TatLep Duck. SoUTH-SOUTHERLY. OLD-WIFE. 
Description.—4dult male in winter: General plumage rich dark brown, 
or brownish black, and white; breast, broadly—continuous with band around 
upper back—back, centrally —to end of tail—wings (reddening on secondaries ), 
and patches on sides of neck, brown; sides of head in front, including eyes, warm 
ashy gray, but eyelids white; superior scapulars elongated, reaching nearly to tip 
of wing, pale ashy white; sides ashy-tinged; axillars and lining of wings smoky 
brown; remaining plumage, including crown and throat and neck all around, 
white; tail graduated, the central pair of feathers much elongated, blackish, the 
lateral feathers short, white; bill black, saddled with orange toward tip; feet bluish 
with dusky webs and claws; iris bright red. Adult male im breeding season: 
Head, neck, fore-breast, and upperparts rich chocolate brown or sooty black ; fore- 
part of head silvery gray, whitening around and behind eye; back varied by rich 
fulvous or bright reddish on longer scapulars, etc.; lower breast and upper belly 
dark sooty gray; below white shaded with pale gray on sides. Adult female in 
winter: Head and neck white; a dark brown patch on head and nape and another 
on side of neck; upperparts dusky or blackish, varied, especially on scapulars, with 
considerable light brown or ochraceous; fore-neck and breast light brown above, 
shading thru gray into white of lower parts; tail sharply pointed, but central 
feathers not lengthened; bill and feet dusky green; iris yellow. Adult female im 
breeding plumage: Similar to winter plumage, but head and upper neck dark 
grayish brown or blackish; a white space about eye and another on the side of 
the neck; scapulars with still more ochraceous. Young: Like adult female in 
winter, but more uniformly colored above, the males gradually acquiring the ashy 
scapulars. Adult male length 20.50-23.00 (520.7-584.2); wing 9.00 (228.6) ; 
tail 8.00-9.25 (203.2-235) ; bill 1.10 (27.9); tarsus 1.32 (33.5). Female some- 
what smaller—tail 2.50 (63.5). 
Recognition Marks.—Mallard size; white and sooty brown; head white 
with ashy and dark patches, or brown with grayish patch ; tail (of male) greatly 
elongated ; bill short,—black and orange; face full. 
Nesting.—Does not breed in Washington. Nest: on the ground in tall 
grass or bushes near water. Eggs: 6-12, dull grayish green, or light olive-buff. 
Awa sizes 2105) % 1.50) (52.0 x 38.1). 
General Range.—Northern hemisphere; in North America south to the 
Potomac and the Ohio (more rarely to Florida and Texas) and California; breeds 
far northward. 
Range in Washington.—Common in winter on Puget Sound and along the 
Coast—abundance dependent upon severity of season. 
Authorities —Harelda glacialis, Leach, Newberry, Rep. Pac. R. R. Surv. 
Vola Wie prelVea18s7; ps 1040 Ta iC&s. zh: hike Bon. 
Specimens.—(U. of W.) Prov. B. BN. E. 
