34 
ALLEN’S naturalist’s LIBRARY. 
THE RUFOUS-BREASTED EIDER DUCKS. 
GENUS HENICONETTA. 
Eniconetta, G. R. Gray, List Gen. B. 1840, p. 75. 
Type, H. stelleri (Pall.). 
Although recognised as one of the Eider Ducks, and placed 
by many naturalists in the genus Aw/w/wVr, Steller's Duck, 
which is the sole representative of the genus, possesses certain 
structural characters which cause it to be placed in a genus 
apart. The edges of the upper mandible are bent inwardly 
the lower mandible has the apical portion flat and .almost 
spatulated, and both male and female have a metallic alar 
speculum (cf. Salvad. Cat. B. Brit. Mus. xxvii. p. 327). 
There is only one species of the genus Hcniconetta' yiz., the 
following : — 
I. STELLER’s eider duck. HENICONETTA STELLERI. 
Anas stelleri, Pallas, Spic. Zool.fasc. vi. p. 35 (1769). 
Stelleria dispar, Macg. Br. B. v. p. 164 (1852). 
Somateria stelleri. Dresser, B. Eur. vi. p. 649, pi. 447 (1871)- 
Saunders, ed. Yarr. Br. B. iv. p. 468 (1885); Seebohm’ 
Br. B. lii. p. 613 (1885); Saunders, Man. Br. B. p. aci 
(1889). 
Heniconetta stelleri, B.O. U. List Br. B. p. 133 (1883); Salvad. 
Cat. B. Brit. Mus. xxvii. p. 419 (1895). 
Adult Male.— General colour above blue-black, from the 
lower hind-neck to the tail, the latter being also black ; win<^- 
coverts and scapulars pure white, the long ones slightly’sickle- 
shaped, metallic purplish-blue, with a longitudinal white centre • 
bastard-wing, primary-coverts, and quills dusky-blackish, darker 
on the outer web and the end of the inner web, this dark por- 
tion having a purplish gloss ; the secondaries metallic-purple 
tipped with white, forming a speculum, the inner ones white 
on the inner web, the innermost sickle-shaped, purple exter- 
nally, white internally ; head satiny-white, with a faint greenish 
spot on the lores j eyelid purplish-black, wider below; nape 
greenish, with a purplish-black spot on each side ; malar-line 
and throat purplish-black, separated from the chest by a band 
of white across the fore-neck, which joins the white on the sides 
