AXATIX.E — THE DUCKS — HISTRIONICUS. 



53 



e sexes vtrv 



ami the white bar on the sides of the breast bordered on each side by deep blue-black ; ruiiii>, 

 npper tail-coverts, and crissiini deep bluc-blauk ; iil)donieii dark .sooty K^'iyish, blending insensibly 

 into the plunilieoiis of the bivast and tiie black of the crissum, but distinctly dehned agjiinst the 

 rufous of the sides and flanks ; win^;-coverts plunibeous-Hlate ; primaries and rcctrices dusky black ; 

 secondaries (" sikk-uIuui") luetjdlic dark violet-blue; terlials wliite, the outer webs edged with 



n Harlequin 

 chiefly liit^h 



m. Orn. VIII. 



8. 



; B. Am. VI. 



N. W. 1874, 



Club, V. Apr. 

 622. 



raift ; broi'il- 

 la to lat. 38° 



rt, in a stripe 



1 an inch in 



leck, a broail 



capuL.:s, tlie 



spot on each 



h side of tlie 



tsdosrriliiMli 



)r(ler of tlio 



! of the cn\- 



white ciillnr 



Female (natural size), 



black, the inner witJi dark iiluinbeous. Bill U'^ht yellowish olive, the extreme tip paler ; iris rwl- 

 dish brown ; feet pale-bluish, the webs du.«ky, the claws whitii«h. Immature male {2d year ') ; Pat- 

 tern (if the head-markings siune as in the preceding, but the plumbeous much duller, the black stripe 

 of tlie pileum dusky, the rufous on the sides of the crown and occiput wanting, or but faintly indi- 

 .CJiti'il. Upi>er parts in general nearly uniform dusky grayish brown, without well-define<l white 

 anywhere, no blue-black, and the speculum dull dusky 

 brownish gniy, with little, if any, glo.ss. Lower parts 

 grayisli white, each feather marked with a subtenniiial 

 transverse spot of grayish brown, the sides, flanks, and 

 crissmn nearly uniform grayish brown ; no rufous on 

 rides or flanks, and collar round the lower neck imper- 

 fect, or only sliuhtly indicated. Adult female : Some- 

 what .similar to the male, but the head, neck, and jugulum 

 grayish brown, with a distinct white spot on the auricu- 

 lar region, and the lores and sides of the forehead in- 

 clining to white. Jugnlum, sides, flanks, and crissum 

 entirely uniform grayish lirown. "Bill and feet dull 

 bluish gray ; iris brown" (Aududox). Young: Similar 

 to tlie adult female, but alwve browner and more uni- 

 form, the jugulum, .sides, flanks, and crissum tinged with 

 amber. 



Total length, aljout 17.50 inches ; extent, 27. 0() ; wing, 

 7.40 to nearly 8.00; cnlmen, 1.05-1.10; tarsus, 1.50; 

 middle toe, 2.00. Feni.ale slightly smaller. 



Male. 



The Harlequin Dnek seoms to bo nowhoro a eommnn species, but to be found 

 chiefly in the more northern or mountainous regions of both continents (luring the 

 ■Umnier, appearing only occasionally here and there on the sea-coasts, and upon open 

 interior waters at very irregular iieriods, and usually only singly or in jiairs. In 

 refereiu'c to the geograidiical range of this species in the rahearctic IJegion, I'ro- 

 fossor Alfred Xewton is of the opinion that, with the exception of Iceland and East- 

 «m Asia, it occurs only as an accidental stniggler on that continent. It is not known 

 is a bird of Lajiland ; it lias not been ascertained to occur in European llussia, but 



