° 1910 J Wright, Rare Wild Ducks Wintering at Boston, Mass. 399 



a very beautifully plumaged drake had joined them. The drake 

 and the two females remained to December 20. The following 

 days none of the three were present. The two females did not 

 appear again. But the drake was present once more, just for the 

 day, on December 27, and was not seen again on this pond. On 

 January 5, however, he re-appeared, for we can scarcely suppose 

 that it was a different bird, and was seen on that day on Leverett 

 Pond by Miss Langmaid. He has continued there with the 

 exception that on January 17 he was absent for the day when 

 others of the little company were also absent and again absent 

 with his companions on February 20 and 21. In clear sunshine 

 the purple tinting of the head is apparent, and the rather obscure 

 chestnut ring about the neck has several times been seen, when the 

 neck has been outstretched. A conspicuous feature of his plumage 

 as he sits on the water, even at some distance, is a white band on 

 the side of the breast in front of the wing when closed, having the 

 appearance of a bar, but continuous with the white under the 

 wing when the wing is spread. With closed wing as the bird sits 

 on the water the upper portion of this white bar lies between the 

 black of the breast and the black of the wing; the lower portion 

 between the black of the breast and the finely barred side. The 

 band across the bill, which is blue with a black tip, is pure white, 

 and not bluish gray, and constitutes also a conspicuous feature of 

 the bird. The bill at its base, moreover, in its junction with the 

 face is clearly outlined with white. This outlining is quite discern- 

 ible at some distance. Thus all the characteristic markings of 

 the species are in strong effect. But the small white patch of 

 the chin had not been seen upon any visit until on a day in late 

 February he raised and drew back the head sufficiently to make 

 it twice appear. This patch, therefore, is not a distinctive mark 

 for identification except the bird be in the hand. The crown 

 feathers are usually somewhat raised, producing the effect of a 

 slight crest, and the sides of the head appear puffed out in the 

 same manner. The Lesser Scaup's head did not have this appear- 

 ance. He appears of the same size as the Lesser Scaup drake. 

 They are often in juxtaposition, affording good opportunities for 

 comparison of plumage as well as size. This is the first record in 

 recent years at least, so far as I am aware, of a full-plumaged drake 



