﻿BIRDS 
  OF 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  207 
  

  

  purplish 
  instead 
  of 
  greenish. 
  Female 
  can 
  only 
  be 
  distinguished 
  from 
  Mar- 
  

   ila 
  9 
  by 
  measurement 
  as 
  follows: 
  

  

  Length, 
  male, 
  1 
  6. 
  5-1 
  7. 
  5; 
  extent 
  29-31; 
  wing 
  8; 
  tail 
  2.5; 
  tarsus 
  1.5; 
  

   middle 
  toe 
  and 
  claw 
  2.4-2.5; 
  bill, 
  length 
  i. 
  6-1. 
  85, 
  width 
  .95. 
  Length, 
  

   female, 
  16-16.75; 
  wing 
  7.5-7.9; 
  tarsus 
  1.3; 
  bill, 
  length 
  1.55, 
  width 
  .9. 
  

  

  Distribution 
  and 
  migration. 
  The 
  Lesser 
  scaup 
  or 
  Little 
  bluebill 
  is 
  an 
  

   abundant 
  migrant 
  on 
  the 
  waters 
  of 
  New 
  York 
  State. 
  It 
  is 
  more 
  generally 
  

   distributed 
  during 
  migration 
  than 
  the 
  other 
  sea 
  or 
  bay 
  ducks 
  and 
  is 
  fre- 
  

   quently 
  found 
  on 
  the 
  smaller 
  ponds 
  and 
  streams. 
  It 
  is 
  occasionally 
  observed 
  

   in 
  winter, 
  but 
  is 
  common 
  only 
  as 
  a 
  migrant, 
  arriving 
  from 
  the 
  15th 
  to 
  the 
  

   30th 
  of 
  March, 
  passing 
  northward 
  from 
  the 
  20th 
  of 
  May 
  to 
  the 
  15th 
  of 
  June, 
  

   and 
  returning 
  from 
  October 
  ist 
  to 
  15th, 
  and 
  passing 
  south 
  from 
  the 
  15th 
  

   of 
  November 
  to 
  the 
  loth 
  of 
  December. 
  The 
  principal 
  breeding 
  range 
  of 
  

   this 
  species 
  is 
  from 
  North 
  Dakota 
  and 
  Montana 
  to 
  the 
  limit 
  of 
  timber 
  in 
  

   the 
  regions 
  of 
  the 
  Anderson 
  and 
  Mackenzie 
  rivers. 
  The 
  center 
  of 
  its 
  abund- 
  

   ance 
  in 
  winter 
  is 
  along 
  the 
  coast 
  of 
  the 
  south 
  Atlantic 
  States. 
  I 
  have 
  no 
  

   reliable 
  record 
  of 
  the 
  nesting 
  of 
  this 
  bird 
  in 
  New 
  York 
  State 
  although 
  there 
  

   have 
  been 
  numerous 
  reports 
  of 
  probable 
  breeding. 
  These 
  are 
  due 
  no 
  doubt 
  

   to 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  many 
  birds 
  of 
  this 
  species 
  often 
  remain 
  on 
  our 
  waters 
  till 
  

   late 
  in 
  June, 
  or 
  even 
  throughout 
  the 
  summer, 
  but 
  all 
  that 
  I 
  have 
  examined 
  

   were 
  nonbreeding 
  birds. 
  

  

  Marila 
  collaris 
  (Donovan) 
  

  

  (Aythya 
  collaris 
  on 
  plate) 
  

  

  Ring-necked 
  Duck 
  

  

  Plate 
  17 
  

  

  Anas 
  collaris 
  Donovan. 
  Br. 
  Birds. 
  1809. 
  P- 
  6, 
  pi. 
  147 
  

  

  Fuligula 
  rufitorques 
  DeKay- 
  Zool. 
  N. 
  Y. 
  1844. 
  pt 
  2, 
  p. 
  325, 
  fig. 
  255 
  

  

  Aythya 
  collaris 
  A. 
  O. 
  U. 
  Check 
  List. 
  Ed. 
  2. 
  1895. 
  No. 
  150 
  

  

  colld'ris, 
  Lat., 
  collared 
  

  

  Description. 
  Adult 
  male: 
  Head 
  and 
  upper 
  neck 
  black 
  richly 
  glossed 
  

   with 
  violet-green 
  and 
  purple; 
  a 
  chestnut 
  ring 
  around 
  the 
  neck; 
  lower 
  neck, 
  

   forebreast 
  and 
  upper 
  parts 
  black, 
  the 
  scapulars 
  slightly 
  waved 
  or 
  dotted 
  

   with 
  grayish; 
  lower 
  breast 
  and 
  belly 
  white, 
  the 
  lower 
  belly 
  waved 
  with 
  

   dusky 
  ; 
  flanks 
  tinged 
  with 
  bluish 
  gray 
  ; 
  crissum 
  black 
  ; 
  wings 
  and 
  tail 
  fuscous 
  

   or 
  blackish 
  brown 
  ; 
  mirror 
  bluish 
  gray 
  ; 
  hill, 
  base, 
  edges 
  and 
  belt 
  near 
  tip 
  pale 
  

  

  