THE BIRDS OF NEW JERSEY. 53 



til about the middle of March. Its winter distribution 

 extends to the South Atlantic states. Its food is com- 

 posed principally of shell-fish and its flesh has a delicate 

 flavor. When molested it frequently passes a day at sea. 

 A few probably breed in this state. 



M9uck^ Broad-bill. — See Scaup. 



IfMck, MSuMe-head, Butterball or Spirit Ouck. 



— Length, thirteen to fifteen inches; extent, twenty-two 

 to twenty-five inches; the head is puffy and over the back 

 of the head from eye to eye runs a broad white baud; the 

 rest of the head and neck is a purple green and blue 

 gloss; the bill is only an inch long, being very short; 

 back, black ; wings, black and white ; breast, belly, and 

 sides, white; the tail ashy gray and pointed. The female 

 is somewhat smaller; whole upper parts sooty brown, 

 with a white patch on each side of the head; breast and 

 belly, dull white; tail, brown. The young males resemble 

 the females. The nest is built in a hollow tree or stump, 

 the eggs being from six to twelve in number, of a light 

 yellow color, two inches by one and a half in size. Its 

 breeding location is far northward and it spends the win- 

 ter in New Jersey and as far south as Cuba and Mexico. 

 It remains in New Jersey from about the first of Novem- 

 ber to the middle of April and is most numerous along 

 the seacoast and in large rivers. It is a great diver and a 

 very swift fiyer. The food consists of small fish, shell- 

 fish and shrimp, and it it considered a fair table bird. 



Mtuck, Butter-ball. See Buffle head Duck. 



Buck, Canvasback. — Length, twenty-one to twenty- 

 four inches ; extent, three feet. The bill is black, two 

 and a half inches long ; the neck is a reddish brown and 

 the chin and crown dusky; the upper back is black, 

 the lower white with fine wavy black lines; breast, 

 black; belly, white, the lower part with fine black wavy 



