anatibjE—fuligulin2E: sea ducks. 



705 



chiefly purple and vitilet. A large triangular or crescentic white spot before eye, running up 

 in a point, applied against the wliole side of base of bill. White area on wing more or less 

 divided by a dark bar resulting from extension of the dark bases of the greater coverts. 

 Averaging larger than the last ; length 19.00-22. .50 ; extent 30.00 or more ; wing 9.00-10.00 ; 

 tarsus l.GO; bill as before, thus relatively shorter. Europe, Iceland; Greenland; N.Am., 

 northerly; in winter S. to N. Y. and Utah; breeds in the E. Mts. of U. S. and in higli lat- 

 itudes. Not common with us. Seems well distinguished from C. glaucium, though the 9 

 is not easily discriminated. It may usually be recognized by the occipital crest, the division 

 of the white area on the wing, and the extensively parti-colored biU, which is blotched with 

 reddish, 

 r. C. albe'ola. (Lat. albeola or attmla, dim. of alhus, white. Pig. 491.) Bupple-iiead. 

 Butter-ball. Spirit-duck. Dipper. Bill with nostrils rather behind than before its 

 middle line. Adult $ : Head particularly puffy with much lengtlieued feathers of lateral and 



hind parts, splendidly 



various with jjurple- ~^ 



violet and green irides- 

 cence; a large snowy 

 patch on each side bo- 

 liiud eye, blending on 

 nape with its fellow. 

 Bill dull bluish with 

 dusky nail and base. 

 Eyes brown. Feet 

 pale flesh-color, with 

 blackish claws. Up- 

 ]ier parts at large 

 black, fading to gray- 

 ish-white posteriorly. 

 Lower neck all around, 

 under parts at large, 

 scapulars in part, 

 nearly all the wing- 

 coverts, and most of 

 the secondaries, white. 



black; sides and .sometimes across lower belly shaded with dusky -'linin 

 •lusky and white. <? much smaller than <? ; head scarcely puffy, but a thin ^ompres'sed nui^al 

 elongation of the feathers; dusky gray, with trace at least of the white space of the <? and 

 counnonly a white touch under eye. Bill dusky; feet livid bluish-grav, with dusky webs 

 Above at large dusky-gray or blackish, with white speculum on outer webs only of five or six 

 secondaries; below white, shaded into dark along sides and across fore-breast and lower belly 

 Thus a very small msigniflcant-looking duck, but easily recognized on that very score ; notice 

 flap of hmd toe, livid feet, dark bill, white spot on dark head behind eye, etc. Lengt.h of )^ 9 



00 ;^ °r,Mr f •'^°-2^-00' ^-°g •^'•OO-7-OO; tarsus 1.10-1.24; middle toe and claw 

 AOO-2.2,. ; bill 1.00, along gape 1.40. 9 at or about the lesser of these dhnensions. N Am 

 at large, and casual in Europe; U. S. in winter, one of the most abundant ducks; breeds from 

 N. border of U. S. to high latitudes. The drake in full feather is one of th^ handso e 

 ducks, dressed III broad black and white in artistic contrast, to say nothing of the brilliancy of 

 the head. Noted for Us adroitness in diving to escape a shot, as smartly as a grebe, and on 

 that account known m some of our elegant vernacular as "hell-diver." The flesh is little 

 esteemed, so it is just as well there is so little of it. Nest feathery, in a tree; eggs up to 14 



Fig. 491. — Biiffle-lie.id, (From Lewis.) 

 ^ Outer scapulars white, edged with black-; inner secondaries velvet- 



g of wings mixed 



