434 DuTCHER, Bird Notes from Long Isla?id, N. 1'. [October 



(belonging to the new dress, just being assumed) having the whole of 

 their underlying portion grayish white, this color showing through 

 wherever the plumage is disarranged. The upper and lateral portions of 

 the head are clouded with blackish (new feathers). The wing-coverts and 

 tertials are entirely destitute of the white terminal bars of the first plu- 

 mage, the general surface of the wing being dark sooty brown, mixed with 

 new feathers of a decidedly darker color, these prevailing over the an- 

 terior portion of the lesser covert region, where contrasting very boldly 

 with the broad and very distinct white border to the fore arm and bend 

 of the wing. The old feathers of the back and scapulars are sooty brown, 

 without white tips (the latter being worn off.'') ; the new feathers, which 

 largely prevail, are dark brownish slate, Avith a chalky cast in certain lights, 

 bordered terminally with ashy white — these lunulate markings being verj' 

 different from the much broader, much moi-e distinct, and directly trans- 

 verse white tips of the first plumage. The lateral rectrices are much more 

 elongated and attenuated than in the first plumage, but less so than in the 

 adult; in color they are much like those of the latter, being white for the 

 basal half or more, passing gradually into grayish dusky toward the end, 

 the tip again grayish, especially on the outer web. Lining of the wing 

 grayish white, becoming nearly pvire white on the longer axillars, clouded 

 faintly with light sooty gray toward the anterior and outer border of the 

 wing. Anal region abruptly grayish white ; crissum and lower tail -coverts 

 grayish white or pale gray, the feathers with darker tips. Wing, 11.20; 

 tail, outer rectrices, 5.40, middle rectrices, 3.50; culmen, 1.60; gonys, .80; 

 tarsus, .95; middle toe, .So." 



3. Histrionicus histrionicus. Harlequin Duck. — Mr. 

 Knoess informs me that during tlie time lie has been engaged as 

 a taxidermist at Riverhead, he has mounted four specimens of 

 tliis species. I have secured the following particulars regarding 

 the capture of three of them. 



Mr. W. W. Reeves, ofGreenport, Suffolk Co., writes : "I shot 

 the Harlequin Duck in January, 1S65, on Gull Island, while I 

 was keeper of the light. There were four of them living around 

 the Island sometime before I had a chance to kill one. The bird 

 I secured was a male. I crippled a female at the same time but 

 did itot secure her, as the tide was running so swiftly- They 

 were the first of the kind I ever saw, nor have I seen but two 

 since. They are a diving Duck, and like to play around the 

 rocks. I watched them play several times while they were there ; 

 they chased each other about as boys do while playing tag. 



"I have gunned over forty years, and as far south as Savannah, 

 Ga.. and never saw this Duck anywhere except on the island, so 

 I think it a rare bird." 



Mr. Josiah Robbins, of Bayshore, Suffolk Co., writes: "■The 



