ANATID.E— THE SWANS, GEESE, AND DUCKS. 1G3 



Ay thy a afi&nis (Kyt.) 



LESSER SCAUP DUCK. 



Popular s3monyms. Little Black-head; Little Blue-bill; River Blue-bill; March Blue- 

 bill; Mud liluo-bill; Broad-bill; Creek Broad bill (Lone Island) ; pato boludo do 

 cabezacafe (M<'xico); River Shuffler. 



J'M/i(7ttZa7nari7aAuD.Orn.Biog.iii, 18:35. 226; v. 1839. 614, pi. 22^; Synop. 18:39.236; B.Am. 



vi. 184.3. 316. pi. 397. 

 Fuligula affinix Eyton, Mon. Anat. 1838. 157 — CoUES. Key. 1872. 289; Check List. 1873, No. 

 an; 2d cd. 1882. No. 721; B. N. W. 1874. 573. 

 Fulix affinis Baikd. B. N. Am. 18.58, 791; Cat N. Am. B. 1&59. No. 589.— Ridgw. Orn. 4i)th 



Par. 1877. 625; Norn. N. Am. B. 1881. No. 615.— B. B. & R. Water B. N. Am. ii. 1884. 22. 

 Aythya affinis Stejn. Orn. Expl. Kamtsch. 1885. 161.— A. O. U. Check List. 1886, No. 149.— 

 Ridgw. Man. N. Am. 13. 1887. 103. 

 Fuligula minor BglIj, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sei. Phila. i. 18J2. 141.— Gikaud, B. Long, i, 1844, 323. 



Hab. The whole of North America, south to Guatemala and the West Indies; breeds 

 chiefly north of the United States. 



Sp. Char. Similar to A. moriZa nearciica, but considerably smaller; adult male with 

 the head less glossy and the gloss usually purplish instead of green; flanks waved or zig- 

 zagged with blackirh. Total length, about 1.5.00-17.00 inches; extent, 26.00-27.75 ; wing, 7.50- 

 8.25 (average 7.81) ; eulmen, 1.58-1.90 (1.75); greatest width of bill, .80-.95 (.89); lea.st width of 

 bill .60-.78 (.69) ; tarsus, 1.1-5-1.50; middle toe, 2.00-2.25. 



In addition to the characters of coloration mentioned above, 

 the lower part of the neck is usually dull brownish and quite 

 lustreless, in many examples forming as distinct a collar 

 as in some specimens of I^. collaris, though the color is never so 

 rufescent as in the latter species. 



The Little Black-head has much the same range and essen- 

 tially the same habits as its larger relative {A. marila nearctica), 

 though, as Dr. Brewer has truly said, it is extremely difficult, 

 if not at present quite impossible, to state just wherein the two 

 differ in these respects, in consequence of the confusion of their 

 history resulting from the great similarity of their appearance. 

 Dr. Brewer further states that so far as his own observations 

 go, he is inclined to agree with Dr. Cooper in regarding the 

 present species as a much more decided frequenter of the land 

 than the other, and adds that "it is quite probable that much 

 that has been written by Audubon and others in regard to the 

 Scaup Duck, as seen on our rivers and lakes, may have had 

 reference only to this species." "A careful examination," says 

 he, "of Audubon's account of the habits of the Scaup Duck 

 clearly indicates that nearly' all he says of it belongs in reality 

 to this species; and this supposition is strengthened by the fact 



