1 68 DUCK. SHOOTING. 



which Mr. Trumbull and others give. Some of these 

 are little broad-bill, little black-head, little blue-bill, 

 river broad-bill, creek black-head, river blue-bill, marsh 

 blue-bill, mud blue-bill, mud broad-bill and fresh-water 

 broad-bill. 



Notwithstanding the fact that most of the little black- 

 heads are readily to be identified by their size, there is 

 considerable variation in the species and sometimes 

 these birds almost equal the broad-bill in their meas- 

 urements. It is stated that the adult males can be easily 

 identified, no matter what their measurements may 

 show, by the metallic gloss of the head feathers, these 

 being always green in the broad-bill and blue or purple 

 in the little broad-bill. This metallic gloss, therefore, 

 would seem to be considered by some naturalists a 

 specific character. 



This is one of the most abundant birds of the south- 

 ern seacoast, being found, in winter, from New Eng- 

 land south to Florida, and even beyond that, to the 

 West Indies and Central America. It is found, indeed, 

 over the whole of North America, and, while breeding 

 chiefly north of the United States, it is yet found in 

 Minnesota, Dakota and Montana. 



Owing to its similarity to the greater broad-bill, it is 

 not always easy to determine just what the range of 

 this species is. Some Alaska explorers give it as breed- 

 ing in that country, while others declare that of the 

 many broad-bills seen by them none belongs to this spe- 

 cies. However, east of the Rocky Mountains the nests 

 have been found throughout British America, usually 



