610 



2 



ginata cincto : alis nigricantibus, secuadariis intimis et scapularibus conspicue albo notatis, et tectricibus 

 alarum majoribus vix eodem colore notatis : speculo alari nigro-violaceo : uropygio nitide nigro : cauda 

 sordide nigra, : corpore imo subtiis fusco, vix schistaeeo-cseruleo tincto, hypochondriis ferrugineis : crisso 

 nigro, macula alba utrinque notato : rostro plumbeo : iride fusca : pedibus fuscis. 



$ ad. mari dissimilis, minor : corpore supra fusco vix griseo-olivaceo tincto : fronte fusco-albida : gula, 

 oculorum et aurium regione albidis : alis et cauda nigris griseo tinctis : corpore subtiis fusco, pectore 

 et abdomine conspicue albo notatis, abdomine centraliter fere albido. 



Adult Male in full plumage (Ofjord, Iceland, 1871). A broad stripe through the centre of the crown to the 

 nape black margined with white ; and from above the eye to the nape there is on each side a broad 

 rusty-red stripe ; on each side of the head, extending from the front of the eye to the base of the bill, 

 and joining the white stripe on the crown, is a large white patch ; rest of the head and neck deep (almost 

 blackish) blue, becoming black on the lower portion, and marked on each side with two white patches, 

 one a small spot on the auriculars and another a long stripe on the side of the neck ; breast, back, and 

 lesser wing-coverts deep dull blue ; on the lower neck is a white collar nearly meeting in front and 

 behind, and bordered with black ; and another similar collar is just in front of the wing ; wings blackish, 

 the inner secondaries and scapulars conspicuously marked with white, and the larger coverts slightly 

 marked with that colour ; the outer web of the short secondaries richly glossed with purple, forming 

 an alar speculum ; rump glossy black ; tad dull black ; underparts below the breast brown with a blue- 

 grey tinge, the flanks rich chestnut-red, and the crissum and under tad-coverts glossy black, on each 

 side marked with a white spot; bill deep lead-blue, the nail lighter; iris dark brown; legs brown, the 

 webs blackish. Total length about 15 - 5 inches, culmen 13, wing 8 - 0, tail 4 - 25, tarsus 1*4. 



Adult Female (Ofjord) . Upper parts generally dark brown with a greyish olivaceous tinge ; forehead and 

 feathers at the base of the bill light whitish brown ; a white patch in front of the eye and another on 

 the ear- coverts; wings and tad black with a greyish tinge; underparts lighter than the upper parts, 

 the breast and abdomen closely spotted with white, these spots being almost confluent on the centre of 

 the abdomen. 



Young in down {fide MiddendorfF) . Upper parts deep blackish brown ; underparts white ; cheeks and all 

 the neck but a narrow line behind, white ; crown and nape blackish brown ; two spots on each side of 

 the body, one on the wing and one on the thigh, white. 



Obs. The young male in its first plumage closely resembles the old female above described, but has the 

 upper parts darker ; and between this and the full plumage of the adult male I have seen almost every 

 gradation. The young female much resembles the old female, and differs from the young male in being 

 somewhat smaller in size. 



Though the present species inhabits the northern portions of both the Palsearctic and Nearctic 

 Regions, it is much more numerous in America than it is in Europe and Asia; for it is, 

 excepting in Iceland, a rare bird with us in Europe. In Great Britain it is only known as 

 a rare straggler ; and it seems that in several instances other species have been mistaken for it. 

 It was first recorded as British by Montagu, who states that he examined two in the collection 

 of Mr. Sowerby, which were killed on the estate of Lord Seaforth, in Scotland ; and since then 

 there have been many supposed occurrences, most of which, however, refer either to the young 

 of the Long-tailed Duck or other species. Mr. Harting includes thirteen in his ' Handbook of 



