THE LITTLE BLACK-HEAD. 505 



season of incubation on our coast ; but, in the interior, it is 

 an abundant breeder, — in the lake country, in Wisconsin, 

 and other localities in similar latitudes. It nests on the 

 ground ; forming, as I am told, a nest of grass and weeds in 

 a marshy swamp, very similar to the nest of the Mallard that 

 breeds in the same localities. 



The eggs are from six to ten in number : they are of an 

 ovate form, sometimes nearly oval ; and are of a dirty pale- 

 drab color, with a slight tint of olivaceous. 



They vary in dimensions from 2.32 by 1.60 to 2.26 by 

 1.52 inch (both sizes from Wisconsin). 



FULIX AFFINIS.— Baird. 



The Little Black-head ; Blue Bill. 



Fuligula marila, Audubon. Orn. Biog., III. (1835) 226; V. (1839) 614. lb., 

 Birds Am., VI. (1843) 316. 



FvMgula minor, Giraud. Birds L. Island (1844), 323. 



Description. 



Bill blue ; the nail black ; head, neck, forepart of breast, and back anterior \u 

 the shoulder, lower part of back, tail and its coverts, black; the head with violet 

 purple reflections, changing occasionally to green; the belly and sides, with axillars, 

 and central portion of inner surfaces of wings pure-white ; the lower part of the 

 belly, near the anus, undulated finely with black spots ; the interscapular region and 

 scapulars white, with transverse zigzag bands or lines of black, these lines much 

 further apart in the scapulars, which consequently are whiter; wings blackish ; the 

 lesser and middle coverts sprinkled with grayish; the speculum is white, edged 

 behind by greenish-black, the color also of the tertials ; the white of the speculum 

 goes across the middle of the secondaries ; iris yellow. 



The female has the wing nearly similar; the black replaced by brownish; the 

 region round the base of the bill whitish ; the marbling or mottling almost entirely 

 wanting. 



Length, sixteen and fifty one-hundredths inches; wing, eight; tarsus, one and 

 thirty-four one-hundredths ; commissure, one and ninety-four one-hundredths inch. 



This species resembles the former in its general habits, 

 but is more abundant on our coast, where it is generally 

 known to our gunners by the name of " Blue-bill Coot." 

 It appears in our creeks and bays early in October, and 

 remains with us until late in November, and even later, if 

 the season is mild and open. 



