225 



STELLEE'S WESTEEN DUCK. 



WESTERN POCHARD. 



Somateria dispar, 

 FaliguTa dtspar, 

 Pohjsticta Stelhri, 

 Canard de Steller, 



Tabeele. 



Selbt. 



Eytoh". 



TeIMINCK. 



Somateria. Quaere, Soma — A body, and Pteron — -A -wing; on account of its heavy flight. 



Dwpar — Different. 



On the 10th. of February, 1830, a male specimen of this Duck was shot at Caistor, 

 on the Norfolk coast: it is now in the Norwich Museum, to which it was presented 

 by the Eev. G-. Steward, into whose possession it came. A second male specimen is 

 stated by Robert J. Bell, Esq., in the "Zoologist," to have been shot at Filby, (Quasre 

 Filey.) Yorkshire, on the 15th. of August, 1845, by Mr. G. Curzon, of Weston Lodge, 

 Derbyshire, in whose collection it now is. The specimen was submitted to Mr. YarrelPs 

 inspection. These are the only records we have of the occurrence of this very rare 

 bird on our shores; and on the continent of Europe it is also extremely scarce. It has 

 been met with a few times in Sweden; once in Denmark; and occasionally in Germany. 

 It is found in Northern Asia, and on the north-west coast of North America, whence it 

 derived its name of Western Duck. 



With its habits we are unaccpiainted, except that it is said to be exclusively maritime. 



Its food consists of marine mollusca, and Crustacea. 



It breeds in Kamtschatka, in lofty and inaccessible rocks, but nothing is known of 



its nest or eggs. 



The adult male has the bill "brownish black; the irides, pale brown; round the eye 

 a narrow ring of black; between the beak and the eye, and on the occiput, a patch of 

 pale green; head, cheeks, and part of the neck behind, white; below the white on the 

 neck, there is a collar of black, which ends in a broad stripe, passing the whole length 

 of the middle of the back and upper tail coverts, this latter portion tinged with raven 

 blue; the wing primaries, and tail feathers, brown; the secondaries, in part, white, 

 with a steel blue outer web, forming a rich speculum, the terminal portions white; each 



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