278 
THE CABINET OF NATURAL HISTORY, 
it is seldom seen here in winter; but returns to us early 
in April. In North and South Carolina, I observed num- 
bers of these birds in the months of February and March. 
I also frequently noticed them on the shores of the 
Ohio, in February, as high up as the mouth of the Musk- 
ingum. 
I suspect this bird to be a native of the Bahama islands, 
as well as of our continent. In passing between these 
isles and the Florida shore, in the month of July, a Kings- 
fisher flew several times round our ship, and afterwards 
shot off to the south.* 
The length of this species is twelve inches and a half, 
extent twenty; back and whole upper parts a light bluish 
slate colour; round the neck is a collar of pure white, 
which reaches before to the chin; head large, crested, the 
feathers long and narrow, black in the centre, and gene- 
rally erect; the shafts of all the feathers, except the white 
plumage, are black; belly and vent white; sides under the 
wings variegated with blue; round the upper part of the 
breast passes a band of blue, interspersed with some light 
brown feathers; before the eye is a small spot of white, 
and another immediately below it; the bill is three inches 
long, from the point to the slit of the mouth, strong, 
sharp pointed, and black, except near the base of the lower 
mandible, and at the tip, where it is of a horn colour; pri- 
maries, and interior webs of the secondaries, black, spot- 
ted with white; the interior vanes of the tail feathers ele- 
gantly spotted with white on a jet black ground; lower 
side light coloured; exterior vanes blue; wing-coverts and 
secondaries marked with small specks of white; legs ex- 
tremely short; when the bird perches it generally rests 
on the lower side of the second joint, which is thereby 
thick and callous; claws stout and black; whole leg of a 
dirty yellowish colour; above the knee bare of feathers 
for half an inch; the two exterior toes united together for 
nearly their whole length. 
The female is sprinkled all over with specks of white; 
the band of blue around the upper part of the breast is 
nearly half reddish brown; and a little below this passes a 
band of bright reddish bay, spreading on each side under 
the wings. The blue and rufous feathers on the breast 
are strong like scales. The head is also of a much darker 
blue than the back; and the white feathers on the 
chin and throat of an exquisite fine glossy texture, like the 
most beautiful satin. — Wilson. 
* On the 25th of April last, a like circumstance occurred. While a 
passenger in the Brig General Sumter, from Charleston to Norfolk, 
lat. 35 long. 76, I noticed a Kingsfisher settle on the end of the fly- 
ing gib-boom of the brig, where it remained about ten minutes, and 
then took its departure to the eastward with the same quietness as 
when it came. — Ed. 
BUFFEL-HEADED DUCK. 
ANAS ALBEOLA. 
[Plate XXIY. Yol. 2.] 
La Sarcelle de la Louisiane, Briss. vi. p. 461, pi. 41, 
Jig. 1 . — Le petit Canard a grosse tcte, Buff. ix. p. 
249. — Edw. pi. 100. — Arct. Zool. No. 487 . — Catesby, 
i. 95. — Lath. Syn. in. p. 533. — Le Canard d’hyver, 
Briss. vi. p. 349; La sarcelle de la Caroline , Id. p. 
464. — J. Doughty’s Collection. 
This pretty little species, usually known by the name 
of the Butter-box, or Butter-ball, is common to the sea- 
shores, rivers and lakes of the United States, in every 
quarter of the country, during autumn and winter. About 
the middle of April, or early in May, they retire 
to the north to breed. They are dexterous divers, and 
fly with extraordinary velocity. So early as the latter 
part of February the males are observed to have violent 
disputes for the females; at this time they are more com- 
monly seen in flocks; but during the preceding part of 
winter they usually fly in pairs. Their note is a short 
quack. They feed much on shell fish, shrimps, &c. They 
are sometimes exceedingly fat; though their flesh is infe- 
rior to many others for the table. The male exceeds the 
female in size, and greatly in beauty of plumage. 
The Bujfcl-headecl Duck, or rather as it has originally 
been, the Bujfalo-hecided Duck, from the disproportion- 
ate size of its head, is fourteen inches long, and twenty- 
three inches in extent; the bill is short, and of a light 
blue or leaden colour; the plumage of the head and half of 
the neck is thick, long and velvetty, projecting greatly 
over the lower part of the neck; this plumage on the 
forehead and nape is rich glossy green changing into a 
shining purple on the crown and sides of the neck; from 
the eyes backward passes a broad band of pure white; 
iris of the eye dark; back, wings, and part of the scapu- 
lars, black; rest of the scapulars, lateral band along the 
wing, and whole breast, snowy white; belly, vent, and 
tail coverts, dusky white, tail pointed, and of a hoary 
colour. 
The female is considerably less than the male, and en- 
tirely destitute of the tumid plumage of the head; the 
head, neck, and upper parts of the body and wings, are 
sooty black, darkest on the crown; side of the head 
marked with a small oblong spot of white, bill dusky; 
lower part of the neck ash, tipt with white; belly dull 
white; vent cinerous; outer edges of six of the seconda- 
ries and their incumbent coverts, white, except the tips 
of the latter, which are black; legs and feet a livid blue; 
