96 FEATHERED GAME 
Lakes and other large inland waters. On the 
coast line they rarely penetrate into the tide 
water and aestuaries, choosing rather -the 
ledges rising from the deep water and the 
rocky shores of remote and seldom-visited 
islands well out from the mainland, where all 
undisturbed they may live their happy and in- 
nocent lives. As for their coloring we might 
almost say that no two are marked alike, the 
depth of color and its arrangement being sub- 
ject to wide variation in different specimens. 
In general their upper parts are irregularly 
splashed with black and white and dark brown, 
with some patches of light red or chestnut. 
Below, mostly white, but black on lower throat 
and breast. Crown streaked with black and 
white. Forehead, cheeks, side of head, throat 
and nape white. On the side of the neck black 
and white in irregular patches. Back, rump 
and upper tail coverts white, with a dark patch 
through central line of rump and tail coverts. 
Tail white with dusky patch near tips of the 
feathers, these finally tipped with white. Scap- 
ulars, secondaries and wing coverts mottled 
with black and chestnut. Some of the greater 
coverts white, often making a crossbar of this 
