BIRDS HUNTED FOR FOOD OR SPORT. 127 



RING-NECKED DUCK {Marila collans). 

 Common or local names: Ring-neck; Ring-necked Scaup ; Ring-billed Duck. 



Male. 



Length. — About 17.50 inches. 



AduU Male. — Upper parts, breast and under tail coverts black, deepest on 

 head, which shows green, violet and purple iridescences at close range; 

 a more or less inconspicuous orange brown collar on neck; triangular 

 white spot on chin; wings slate gray; wing patch bluish gray; below 

 white; flanks and lower belly marked with fine waved lines of black; 

 bill dark leaden bluish, tipped with black, and with subterminal and 

 basal bands of pale blue; iris yellow; feet dusky blue. 



Adult Female. — Lacks the neck ring and the waved lines on flanks, which 

 are barred; a well-marked band of grayish white around base of bill, 

 shading to pure white on chin; general tints brownish; top of head, 

 back of neck, back and wings dark brown; speculum or wing patch 

 dark grayish blue, much like that of male; flanks coarsely barred with 

 two shades of brown; below white; bill slate, black-tipped, with pale 

 blue subterminal band and light basal band, as in male; eye dark, with 

 white ring around it. 



Field Marks. — The black back distinguishes male from other male Scaups, 

 and female may be distinguished from other female Scaups by white 

 eye ring and bands about bill. (See Fig. 7.) Its white face resembles 

 those of other female Scaups, but it is lighter on cheeks. The grayish 

 blue wing patch of both sexes is shown when the bird flaps its wings. 

 This distinguishes this species from all other Ducks, except the Red- 

 head, which is much larger. 



Season. — Rather rare spring and fall migrant; very rare in spring on the 

 New England coast; seen in autumn from about the middle of October 

 to the first of December. 



Range. — North America. Breeds from southern British Columbia to 

 northern California, and from northern Alberta and Lake Winnipeg 



