198 BAY AND SEA DUCKS 



Range. Temperate N. A. Breeds from s. B. C., cen. Sask., n. Ont., 

 N. B. and N. S. s. to cen. Calif., s. Tex., Fla. and Cuba; winters chiefly 

 in II. S., from s. B. C., Kans., Ills., Ind., Pa., and N. J., s. to s. Calif., and 

 the Gulf of Mex. ; accidental in Bermuda, Mex., Jamaica, and Europe. 



Washington, uncommon P. R. Long Island, rare S. R., May 2-Nov. 

 27. Ossining, tolerably common S. R. Cambridge, not common T. V., 

 Apl. 1-30; Sept. 15-Oct. 20. N. Ohio, rare S. R., Mch. 20-Oct. 15. Glen 

 Ellyn, rare, May records only. SE. Minn., uncommon S. R., Mch. 17- 

 Oct. 23. 



Nest, of grasses, leaves, twigs, down, etc., in a hole in a tree or stump. 

 Eggs, 8-14, pale buffy white, 2'05 x 1*50. Date, Chester Co., S. C., Mch. 10; 

 Black Hawk Co., Iowa, May 4. 



Woodland ponds and forest-bordered streams make a proper setting 

 for the grace and beauty of these richly attired birds. I know of no 

 sight in the bird world which so fully satisfies the eye as to see them 

 in the unconscious enjoyment of their secluded homes. Alarm them, and 

 with a frightened, plaintive whistle, "oo-eek," they spring from the 

 water and make off through the woods. At other times they will swim 

 ahead of one's canoe, and, rounding a bend in the stream, go ashore 

 and walk rapidly away. 



The RUFOUS-CRESTED DUCK (145. Netta rufina} is an Old World species 

 which has been taken once in America. The record is based on an immature 

 male found in Fulton Market, New York City, which was supposed to have 

 been shot on Long Island. (Ridgw., Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus., 1881, 25.) 



Subfamily Fuligulinoe. Bay, Sea, or Diving Ducks. (Fig. 346.) 



The members of this subfamily are to be distinguished from those 

 of the preceding by the presence of a lobe or web on the hind-toe. They 

 are open-water Ducks, frequenting our large lakes, bays and sea-coasts. 

 Their food consists chiefly of mollusks, crustaceans, and the seeds and 

 roots of aquatic plants. They obtain it principally by diving, some- 

 times descending one hundred and fifty feet or more. According to 

 Townsend ("Labrador Spring," p. 92), the Old Squaw, Scoters and Eiders 

 use their wings when diving, while the Redhead, Canvasback, Buffle- 

 head, Scaups and Golden-eyes use only their feet. The bill, as in the 

 Anatince, acts as a sieve or strainer. As a rule they feed by day and pass 

 the night at a distance from the shore or at sea. Some of the species 

 occur in our waters in large flocks indeed, our most abundant Ducks 

 are members of this subfamily. With one exception, they are northern 

 breeding birds, seldom nesting south of our northern tier of States. 

 Their nest is composed of leaves, grasses, stems of aquatic plants, 

 seaweed, etc., lined with down from the breast of the incubating bird, 

 and is variously located. 



KEY TO THE SPECIES 



I. Feathers at the base of the bill not reaching '50 forward along its sides. 

 1. Wing over 7'00. 



A. Axillars and most, if not all, the linings of the wings white. 

 a. Head and neck black, with greenish or purplish reflections. 



