DUCKS, GEESE AND SWANS OF NORTH AMEKICA. 



73 



Genus ENICONETTA Gray. 

 ENICONEITA STELLERI. 



Stellers' Duck. 



Speciiil charaxters. Male: Greater portion of the top ami siile^i of the liead. wliite; troiil of 

 the head, gi-eenigh ; an olive green pateh on tlie oceipiit; a small luiteh ot lilue blacl; around 

 the eye and another on each side of tlie oeciput ; tliroat and a l)road collar around tlie neek, 

 blue black; liack, dull blaek, shading into blue l)lack on the rumii and upper tail coverts; 

 outer webs of scapulary plumes, glossy blue ))lack or purplisli ; iiiuer welis, mostly wlnle ; 

 wing coverts, white; axillars, white; breast, whitish, liebjw the lilack collar shading into 

 tawny bull and theu cliestuut brown becoming gradually darker, lower down, until the collar is 

 smoky black on the lower abdomen; speculum, ])urplisli blue. 



Length, 15.50 to 18; wing, 8 to 8.60; bill, 1.40 to 1.60; angle of moutli to tip, 1.87. 



Special charwters. Female: I'pper plumage, dusky mixed with fulvous; head anil neck, 

 light brownisli, more or less speckled with dusky ; breast, tawiiy brown, barred and spotted 

 with dusky; bell}', ilark, smoky brown or sooty lirown ; speculum, showing tinge "i purplfsh 

 blue, but not brilliant as in the male; wing <'Overts tippeil with buff gray or brownisli gray. 



Geoeii-dfihiedl Distribution: -'Arctic and subarctic coasts of the Northeru llendsiihere, 

 Aleutian Islands, east to UiKilaska and Kadiak: Iveuai Peninsula." (A. '). 1'.) 



Stellers" Duck is abuiulant in summev in Behiing Sea and winters in miiu- 

 bers among the Aleutian Islands. It was oljserved l:>y Ktiinlien in Greenland 

 in 1878. The eggs are usually from si.x; to nine, grayish green in color, and 

 measure about 2.20 x I. GO. 



