354 FEATHERED GAME 



he will never find it out, since there are few 

 prying scientists among his acquaintances to 

 inform him of his mistake and so destroy his 

 happiness. 



THE BUFFLEHEAD. DIPPER. BUT- 

 TERBALL. 



(Charitonetta albeola.) 



At different seasons of the year this pretty 

 little duck is found in all parts of North 

 America, breeding from the northern States of 

 the Union into the Arctic regions, and winter- 

 ing in the West Indies, Mexico and Central 

 America. It is also a chance visitor to Europe. 



A fat and chunky little fellow he is, well 

 meriting his name, the ^'Butter-ball," as also 

 his other title, earned by his undoubted talent 

 for disappearing beneath the water when dan- 

 ger threatens, — ^because of which he is called 

 the ''Spirit Duck" and ''Dipper." In appear- 

 ance he is a miniature "whistler," the black and 

 white plumage being arranged much as in the 

 dress of that bird, and the little fellow's head 

 has the same puffy, hair-on-end innocence of 



