GOLDEN EYES, OR GARROTS—GILPIN. 
394 
was by no means rare amongst us. In this paper I shall make 
as minute a comparison as I am able between the males and 
females of each species, and hope by showing some anatomical 
differences heretofore not observed by naturalists, to prove that 
they are two distinct species, for though Richardson distinctly 
asserts it, yet the last writer upon American birds, Dr. Elliott 
Coues, leaves the question an open one. 
The Common Golden Eye. 
This description is taken from a mounted specimen in the 
Provincial Museum, Halifax. The whole head and about ten— 
inches of the neck is black with duck green reflections, the green 
being more seen upon the cheeks. The rest of the neck to the 
shoulders, the breast, belly and beneath is white. There is an 
irregular round white spot at the corner of bill, reaching upward 
towards the eye. The back, shoulders and rump are jet black, the 
tail more brownish black. On looking at the bird from the back, 
two white axillary stripes commencing front the white collar, 
back of the neck, run down the back for about five inches, be¬ 
ing very narrow and ending in a point. A second white patch 
joining the first narrow stripe on its upper position, runs down 
over the wing coverts about two inches broad and five inches 
long, ending in the white speculum on the wing. Thus the back 
may be said to be black with four distinct stripes or patches of 
white upon it. The long flank feathers covering the wings, and 
the spaces about the thighs are brownish with long black spots. 
The bill is black, a slight horn blue wash over it, nostril large, 
nearer the tip a round nail upon the tip, and decided hook. The 
irides are golden yellow. The feet and legs are orange, the 
webs black, nails black. There are on the inside black pencillings, 
running up to joint of tibia, and the hind toe is orange upon the 
outside, the inside black with orange edges. In form the head 
is large, forehead moderately high, figure round, neck robust > 
wing shortish, and tail long for a duck, plumage of head rather 
tumid than long. Those dimensions I take from Richardson : 
Total length 22 inchs., 6 lines. Length of tarsus 1.6 
of tail 4 “ 6 “ 
of wing 9 “ 
of bill above 1 “ “ 
