buffi,e-hp:ad. 
DIPPER. BUTTER-nAI.E. SPIRIT DUCK. 
Charitonf.it.a AI.BF.OI-A. 
Char. Back, rump, and part ot wings black, remainder of wing white, 
varied somewhat with black; head black, with green and purple reflec- 
tions ; a triangular jratch of white from the eyes to the nape ; lower neck 
and under parts white ; tail slate gray; bill leaden blue; legs yellowish 
pink. Length 15 inches. The female is smaller, with a general color of 
grayish brown and a white patch on the cheeks and wings. Young birds 
resemble the female. 
Nest. In a hollow of a tree or stump near a pond or stream, — a thick 
cushion of down on a platform of decayed wood. 
Eg!;s. 6-14 (usually about to) ; ivory white or pale buff, sometimes 
with a tinge of olive; average size 2.00 X 1 . 45 - 
'I'his very elegant little Duck, so remarkable for its expert- 
ness in diving and disappearing from the sight, is another of 
those species, like the Golden-eye, to which the aborigines 
have given the name of Spirit, or Conjurer, from the impunity 
with which it usually escapes at the flash of the gun or the 
