[154] BIRDS OF OREGON 



occurrence west of the Cascades. Milton Furness found a few wintering 

 near Scappoose in January 1935. He saw them on several dates, and on 

 January 30, 1935, Gabrielson visited the area with him, on which occa- 

 sion four adult males were seen at close range. It is painfully apparent 

 that so far as Oregon is concerned this species is rapidly declining in 

 numbers and may soon be classed as one of our rarer waterfowl. 



All the three Oregon stomachs available for examination were from 

 Klamath Falls, and they reveal that this diving duck feeds on much the 

 same plants in this immediate vicinity as do the shallow-water ducks. 

 It is probable that in so acting the Redhead makes a virtue of necessity, 

 as no other food supply is easily available. The stomachs, all taken in 

 late October and early November, contained 97 per cent vegetable matter 

 and only 3 per cent animal matter. Seeds of pondweed (Potamogeton), 

 sedge (Scirpus americanus), parrotfeather (M.yriophyllum spicatum), and 

 marestail (Hippuris vulgaris) were the principal foods. 



Ring-necked Duck; Black-jack; Black Duck: 



Nyroca collaris (Donovan) 



DESCRIPTION.- "Bill narrower than in Nyroca 1 marila, black, crossed by blue band 

 near end. Adult male: head, except small white triangle on chin, black, glossed with 

 rich purple; neck encircled by narrow chestnut collar; chest and back black, back 

 glossed with greenish; wings blackish, with blue gray speculum; middle of belly 

 buffy white; sides finely vermiculated gray; crissum black. Adult female: throat and 

 face whitish, rest of head, neck, and upper parts dull brown; wing with blue gray 

 speculum as in male; chest and sides fulvous, belly white." (Bailey) Downy young: 

 ' The whole head, except the posterior half of the crown, is yellowish, shading from 

 'chamois' or 'cream buff' on the cheeks and auriculars to 'colonial buff' on the throat; 

 the posterior half of the crown and the occiput are 'bister,' nearly separated by points 

 of yellow from a broad band of 'bister' which extends down the hind neck to the 

 back; narrow dusky postocular streaks are faintly suggested; the dark color of the 

 back changes gradually from 'sepia' anteriorly to 'bister' posteriorly; the under parts 

 are 'ivory yellow' tinged with 'cream buff"; there are two large scapular patches, 

 two narrow wing stripes and two small rump patches of 'cream buff'; there is also 

 a narrow streak of the same color in the center of the upper back." (Bent) Si%e: 

 "Length 15.50-18.00, wing 8.00, bill 1.75-1.00." (Bailey) Nest: Usually on a mass 

 of dead rushes in shallow water, lined with down. Eggs: 8 to 12., dark olive drab 

 and indistinguishable from those of the Lesser Scaup. 



DISTRIBUTION. General: Breeds from northern Saskatchewan, western Ontario, and 

 southern Wisconsin west to northeastern California, eastern Oregon, and southern 

 British Columbia and north to Mackenzie Valley and Athabaska Lake. In Oregon: 

 In winter found regularly in western Oregon and in Klamath and Malheur Counties 

 in eastern Oregon, at least where open water is found. 



THE RING-NECKED DUCK is a squarely built, short-necked species, similar 

 in appearance and habits to the scaups, with which it frequently asso- 

 ciates. Many observers have failed to differentiate the three species, so 

 that our knowledge of the relative abundance of each is meager. Some 



1 Nyroca=Aythya. 



