pale on the sides of the head near the bill, and throat 

 nearly white; breast and shoulders, dirty light brown, 

 and back a darker dirty brown. 



Nest and Eggs The nest, like that of the canvasback, 

 is generally built in the marsh or on the low banks of 

 a lake, usually lined with down and contains about ten 

 eggs of a brownish buff color. 



Measurements Total length, about 20 inches; wing, 

 8% to 8%; bill barely 2% inches. 



THE AMERICAN SCAUP, OR BLUE-BILL 



(Aythya marila neartica) 



The American scaup, or blue-bill, the lesser scaup 

 (Aythya affinis) and the ring-neck (Aythya collaris) 

 are very plentiful from Washington to Mexico. These 

 three species are generally grouped together by the 

 sportsmen of the Coast under the name of black jacks, 

 black ducks, black-heads or blue-bills; all three species 

 being considered as belonging to the one variety, and 

 the lesser scaup (Aythya affini's) as the younger birds. 

 With the males, at least, there should be no excuse for 

 this error, for they can be easily distinguished by the 

 color of the speculum, or bright band on the wings, and 

 by the color of the metallic sheen of the head and neck. 

 The speculum of the American scaup, or larger blue- 

 bill, is white, the head and neck showing a greenish 

 sheen, quite pronounced in the sunlight. The lesser 

 scaup, or little blue-bill (Aythya affinis) has a white 

 speculum also, but the sheen of the head and neck is 

 purple. The ring-neck (Aythya collaris), has a gray 

 speculum, which, though quite light in color, can easily 

 be distinguished from the pure white of the other two. 

 The metallic sheen of the head of the ring-neck is a dark 

 indigo blue. The bill of the ring-neck is quite different 

 from that of the scaups, being much darker in color and 

 more of a sooty tinge and with a faint bluish band 

 across it about half an inch from the end. The females 

 of all three species resemble each other very closely, 

 but the difference in size will generally determine to 

 which species they belong. The two blue-bills can be 

 told from the female ring-neck by their white spec- 

 ulums. The female ring-neck has the gray of the male, 

 but this does not distinguish it from the female red- 

 head. The smaller size of the ring-neck and darker 

 appearance of the head and neck will always indicate 

 to which species the female belongs. The bill of the 

 female red-head meets the skull in quite an abrupt man- 

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