322 



BAY, SEA OR DIVING DUCKS 



adult female but the upperparts are darker, the feathers are brown, edged with 

 cinnamon buff; the underparts are faintly barred with dusky; the spectacle is only 

 faintly indicated. The young female is much the same except that the underparts 

 are spotted rather than barred. 



The second winter plumage, after the first eclipse, is almost fully adult, but 

 the perfection of adult plumage is probably not achieved until after the second 

 eclipse when the bird is over two years old. Wing of Male. As in adult female. 

 Wing of Female. As in adult female but more brownish, and with more buffy- 

 brown edging in coverts. 



SPECIMEN IDENTIFICATION 



MALE. WINTER PLUMAGE: General effect: A very large duck, with white 

 upperparts, dark underparts and pronounced, large, white area around the eye. 

 Chief distinguishing features (a) hind toe with lobe, 



(b) white "spectacle," outlined in black, around eye, 



(c) feathering on upper mandible extends past nos- 

 tril. 



The male can not be confused with any other 

 duck. 



AUTUMN AND JUVENILE PLUMAGE: See "Descriptions." 



FEMALE. General effect: A very large, rich-brown, heavily-barred duck. 

 Chief features (a) hind toe with lobe, (b) large, pale area around eye, (c) 

 feathering on upper mandible extends past nostril. 



The female is similar to the other female eiders in coloration, but is readily 

 separated by features (b) and (c). 



FIELD MARKS 



(To be looked for on the northwest Arctic coasts, chiefly in Alaska.) 

 These are large, clumsy-looking ducks; the male has 

 the same general coloration as that of the Northern, 

 American and Pacific Eiders, with the white back 

 and black breast, but in this eider the black of 

 the breast extends forward to include the chest. 

 The white "spectacle" of the male is noticeable at 

 a considerable distance. The pose on the water 

 and the style of flight are similar to those of the 

 American Eider. The female appears as a large, 

 rich-brown, heavily-barred duck and, except in hand, 



can be separated in life from the other female eiders only if the vague spectacle 



is discernible. 



LIFE STORY 



The Spectacled Eider, while common in northeastern Siberia, is rare 

 on this continent and is one of the least known of our wild fowl. It oc- 

 cupies an extremely restricted breeding range on the Arctic coast of 

 Alaska, where, unlike Steller's Eider of the same locality, it favours the 

 shallow, muddy coastal waters. In winter, limited numbers of these 

 beautiful ducks are to be found scattered throughout the Aleutian 

 Islands. 



Nelson, over fifty years ago, predicted the probable extinction of 



