708 



SYSTEMATIC SYNOPSIS. — LAMELLIBOSTBES— ANSEBE8. 



296. 



wings, to sooty brown, on the flanks to chestnut-brown. A white patch between bill and eye, 

 curving upward and backward to margin the black coronal stripe, changing to chestnut from 

 over eye to nape. A round white spot on side of hind-head ; a long white spot on side of 

 upper neck ; a white collar around neck, interrupted or not before and behind ; a white 

 crescent on side of breast in front of wings ; these marks black-bordered. A white spot on 

 wing-coverts ; a white bar across ends of greater coverts and some of the secondaries ; outer 

 webs of inner secondaries mostly white ; scapulars mostly white. A white spot on each side 



of root of tail. Speculum me- 

 tallic purplish or violet. Two 

 or three years appear to be 

 required to perfect this plu- 

 mage; the (J is found in almost 

 every condition between this 

 and the plumage of the ? ; the 

 final stage is the completion of 

 the white ring around neck and 

 white tips of secondaries. ? : 

 Bill dusky ; feet dull bluish- 

 gray. Iris brown. A whitish 

 spot before eye and behind ear. 

 General plumage on head and 

 upper parts dark brown, dark- 

 est on head and rump, the 

 lower parts similar, more gray- 

 ish, passing thi-ough gray mot- 

 tling to whitish on belly. Thus 

 the 9 is a very small and 

 obscure duck, widely different 

 from the $ ; observe the small 

 size, very short bill, only about 

 1.00 along culmen, higher than 

 wide at base ; plumage without 

 definite markings excepting the 

 two spots on each side of the 

 head; extent of dappled gray 

 and white on the under parts 

 very variable. Length of $ 

 16.00-17.00; extent 24..00- 

 27.00; wing 7-00-8.00; tail 

 3.00-4.00; tarsus 1.30; bill 

 FiG.493.— Bills of Eiders, J nat. size, viewed ftom above and in profile, along culmen 1.10, along gape 

 1, S.mollissma; 2,S.m dresserl. (From Sliarpe.) 1.50. Europe, Asia, N. Ain., 



northerly and ehiefiy coastwise, but also in interior; S. in winter to Middle States and Cala. ; 

 breeds in R, Mts. of U. S., and northward, as from Newfoundland to Alaska. Nest in the 

 hollow of a tree or stump, of weeds and grasses and parents' down; eggs 6-8, 2.10 X 1.60, 

 greenish. The harlequins are in some places called "lords and ladies." 



SOMATE'BIA. (Gr. a&fia, crajiaTos, soma, somatos, the body ; eptov, erion, wool, down.) 

 Eiders. Bill varying in conformation with the species ; in one simple, much as in Histrio- 

 nkus for example, without special gibbosity or peculiar outline of feathers ; in the rest 

 variously tumid or gibbous, with very various dispositions of frontal processes and outlines of 



