74 BIRDS OF NORTH CAROLINA 



These evidences of the abundance of the Big Blackhead in North Carolina 

 waters are introduced as a rebuttal of the statement made by former writers that 

 Chesapeake Bay forms the southern limit of this bird's winter range, and further, 

 that in North Carolina its place is taken by the Little Blackhead. The probable 

 reason for this mistake is that most of the published duck-lore of the State has 

 come from observers on Currituck Sound and vicinity, where the small species is 

 the one most in evidence. 



Both the Blackheads are "good" ducks when feeding on aquatic vegetable 

 growths, but the flesh becomes strong and fishy when they take to an exclusive 

 diet of small mussels, as they do in localities where the vegetable food is absent. 

 And hundreds of thousands spend the winter on waters where the latter condi- 

 tions prevail. 



FIG. 45. SCAUP: BIG BLACKHEAD (adult male). 



Every salt-water duck-shooter from Core Sound to the Long Island waters knows 

 the Big Blackhead, or Broadbill, and better duck-shooting cannot be had than that 

 furnished by these birds when the weather is right for breaking the large rafts into 

 bunches small enough to be attracted to the shooter's decoys. 



55. Marila affinis (Eyt.}. LESSER SCAUP DUCK. 



Ad. cf. Similar to preceding species but smaller, head, as a rule, glossed with purplish 

 instead of greenish, and flanks strongly instead of faintly marked with wavy black bars. 

 Ad. 9 -Similar to 9 of the preceding species, but smaller, cf L., 16.50; W., 8.00; Tar., 1.35; 

 B., 1.60; greatest width of B., .95. 9 L., 16.50; W., 7.60; Tar., 1.30; B., 1.55; greatest width 

 of B., .90. 



Remarks. The Scaup Ducks resemble each other so closely that it is sometimes impossible 

 to tell them apart, but they may generally be distinguished by the characters given above. 

 (Chap., Birds of E. N. A.) 



