Anas obscura rubripes. 
Vol. XIX“| BreW ster, An Undescribed Form of Black Duck. 1 87 
I(j02 J 
of October, are, as far as I have observed invariably obscura. 
Most of the representatives of this race evidently pass further 
southward to spend the winter, but I have three typical specimens 
which were shot on our seacoast (at Ipswich and Chatham; during 
the latter half of February, i 9 01, . , . , 
Until very recently I had supposed that the Black Ducks which 
breed about the Gulf of St. Lawrence and to the northward a ong 
the eastern coast of Labrador would prove to belong to re 
legged form, but Mr. C. F. Batchelder has shown me seven speci- 
m fns (all but one adult) which were collected for him m New¬ 
foundland in June and July and which, although ^ *^2 
our New-England-breeding birds, are precisely similar to the latter 
in color and markings. A female in Mr. O. Bang’s collection 
taken in the Straits of Belle Isle on April a S , 19°^mustdso£ 
referred to obscura. Another, belonging to r. J. • ’ 
which, with her brood of ducklings, was captured on July 8 896 
at Okak, on the northeastern coast of Labrador, is m errne . 
certain respects between obscura and rubripes , but on .the who 
nprhaDS riGarcr the former. . » r 
To the red-legged race I can unhesitatingly refer only four o 
the breeding Black Ducks which I have examined One of these 
<a female) was taken by Mr. L. M. Turner on July , 1884 
Ungava, Northern Labrador; another (unsexed and without da e) 
by Mr. John McKensie at Moose Factory on James Bay, thi 
(represented by only the head and wing and bearing nosexma 
but evidently a female, for it was “with young ) by Mr. C 
Drexler, on June r 9 , x 86 o, at Cape Hope Severn River; Ure 
fourth (a male) by Mr. E. A. Preble, on July >8,1900, at Fo 
Churchill;-the two localities last named being on the western 
shores of Hudson Bay. Mr. Preble’s specimen is m the collectio 
•of the Biological Survey while the others belong to 1 e * 
Museum Ill four of these birds are iu poor cond.tron for 
risen Two of them were moulting, and the plumage of 
the otlrer two is worn and faded, whiie that of the M<>0S~_ 
skin is also strongly tinged with rusty chestnut .. 
ficial stain, apparently. Nevertheless they * 0 ,- sM.sfa.etony 
most of the essentia, characters of **£*•£%* 0 „ the 
