6i2 THE OLD-SQUAW. 



No. 301. 



OLD-SQUAW. 



A. O. U. No. 154. Harelda hyemalis (Linn.). 



Synonyms. — Long- tailed Duck; South-southerly; Lord and Lady 

 (male and female). 



Description. — Adult male in winter: General plumage rich dark brown, 

 or brownish black, and white; breast, broadly, — continuous with band around 

 upper back — back, centrally, — to end of tail — wings (reddening on secondaries), 

 and patches on sides of neck, brown ; sides of head in front, including eyes, warm 

 ashy gray, but eyelids white; superior scapulars elongated, reaching nearly to tip 

 of wing, pale ashy white; sides ashy-tinged; axillars and lining of wings smoky 

 brown ; remaining plumage, including crown and throat and neck all around, 

 white; tail graduated, the central pair of feathers much elongated, blackish, the 

 lateral feathers short, white ; bill black, saddled with orange toward tip ; feet bluish 

 with dusky webs and claws ; iris bright red. Adult male in breeding season : 

 Head, neck, fore-breast, and upper parts rich chocolate brown or sooty black ; fore 

 part of head silvery gray, whitening around and behind eye; back varied by rich 

 fulvous or bright reddish on longer scapulars, etc. ; lower breast and upper belly 

 dark sooty gray; below white shaded with pale gray on sides. Adult female in 

 ■mnter : Head and neck white ; a dark brown patch on head and nape and another 

 on side of neck ; upper parts dusky or blackish, varied, especially on scapulars, with 

 considerable light brown or ochraceous ; fore-neck and breast light brown above, 

 shading through gray into white of lower parts ; tail sharply pointed, but central 

 feathers not lengthened ; bill and feet dusky green ; iris yellow. Adult female in 

 breeding plumage: Similar to winter plumage, but head and upper neck dark 

 grayish brown or blackish; a white space about eye and another on the side of 

 the neck ; scapulars with still more ochraceous. Young : Like adult female in 

 winter, but more uniformly colored above, the males gradually acquiring the ashy 

 scapulars. Adult male length 20.50-23.00 (520.7-584.2) ; wing 9.00 (228.6) ; 

 tail 8.00-9.25 (203.2-235.) ; bill 1. 10 (27.9) ; tarsus 1.32 (33.5). Female some- 

 what smaller, — tail 2.50 (63.5). 



Recognition Marks. — Mallard size ; white and sooty brown ; head white 

 with ashy and dark patches, or brown with grayish patch; tail (of male) greatly 

 elongated; bill short, — black and orange; face full. 



Nesting. — Does not breed in Ohio. Nest, on the ground among tall grass 

 or bushes near water. Bggs, 6-12, dull grayish green, or light olive-buff. Av. 

 s=ze, 2.05 X 1.50 (52.1 X 38.1). 



General Range. — Northern hemisphere ; in North America south to the 

 Potomac and the Ohio (more rarely to Florida and Texas) and California; breeds 

 far northward. 



Range in Ohio. — Rare winter visitor on Lake Erie. Casual in the interior. 



"THIS is a winter duck sometimes passing to the southern border of the 

 state. It is not at all regular even in the northern part, and does not appear 

 to be governed wholly by weather conditions. During some winters it is 



