STELLER/S EIDER 



299 



a pond with two pairs of mated adults. They were watched through field 

 glasses and it was noticed that the adult drakes were very jealous of the 

 youngsters, driving them off whenever they approached the females. The 

 young drakes were not seen to take any interest in the females, how- 

 ever. No more immatures were noticed until July 1, when three females 

 were shot. After that both ducks and drakes were seen occasionally 

 about the tundra. The young females appear quite different from the 

 adults, being slightly lighter 

 colored and lacking the blue 

 speculum. Two drakes, shot 

 on June 4, differ quite wide- 

 ly in the amount of adult 

 plumage they possess. One is 

 in the brown plumage except 

 for a mottling of white on 

 the upper breast. The other 

 has the head greyish, a tuft 

 of slightly greenish feathers 

 on the back of the head, and 

 bright, metallic blue scapu- 

 lars. Whether this difference 

 is due to age or individual 

 variation is hard to say. On 

 July 3, an adult drake was 

 collected which had started 

 to moult into the eclipse 

 plumage. It had not as yet 

 commenced to change the 

 body feathers, but the head 

 and neck were more than 

 half moulted. After about 

 July 10, very few drakes were 

 seen about the tundra. 



"Very few were found nesting about Point Dall, but, like the Spec- 

 tacled Eiders, they bred commonly on the flats of Igiak Bay. Generally, 

 the nest was placed on or near the edge of a pond. The females were 

 very tame. One driven from her eggs which were about to hatch stayed 

 within ten feet, clucking and fussing about while photographs were be- 

 ing taken. The first eggs were found on June 19, and downy young 

 were seen July 8." 



