wings when flying, and "Greatheads" because of the puffy crest. The head
is greenish with a large round white spot in front of, and a little
below the eye. The rest of the plumage is black and white. This species
nests in hollow trees near the water, lining the cavity with grass, moss
and leaves, and lining the nest with down from their breasts. In May and
June they lay from six to ten eggs of a grayish green color. Size 2.30 ×
1.70.
152. BARROW'S GOLDEN-EYE. _Clangula islandica._
Range.--Northern North America, breeding north of the United States
except from the mountainous portions of Colorado northward.
This Golden-eye differs from the preceding chiefly in the shape of the
white spot before the eye, which in this species is in the form of a
crescent. The size is the same, about 20 inches in length. The
reflections on the head are purplish rather than greenish as in the
preceding. The nesting habits are the same, they building in hollow
trees near water. The six to ten eggs are not different from the
preceding. Size 2.30 × 1.65. Data.--Alfusa, Iceland, June 30, 1900.
Seven eggs. Nest of grass and down in a box attached to a tree by an
islander.
[Illustration 101: Grayish green.]
[Illustration: American Golden-eye. Barrow Golden-eye.]
[Illustration: deco.]
[Illustration: right hand margin.]
Page 100
153. BUFFLE-HEAD. _Charitonetta albeola._
Range.--North America, breeding from United States northward. Winters
south to Mexico.
Gunners know this handsome little duck by the names of "Butter-ball,"
and "Dipper," a name also given to Grebes. It is also quite similar, but
smaller (15 in. long), to the American Golden-eye but has a large white
patch on the back of the head, from eye to eye. It is an active bird
and, like the two preceding, is capable of diving to a great depth to
get its food. Its nesting habits are like the preceding. Eggs eight to
fourteen. Size 2 × 1.40. Data.--Alberta, Canada, June 6, 1899. Seven
eggs. Nest in hole in tree stump, lined with down. Collector, Dr.
George.
154. OLD-SQUAW. _Harelda hyemalis._
Range.--Northern Hemisphere, breeding in the Arctic regions; south in
winter to New Jersey and Illinois.
The Long-tailed Duck, as it is called, is especially noticeable because
the breeding plumage of the male differs markedly from that in the
winter. In summer their general plumage is blackish brown, with a white
patch around the eye, and white belly. In winter they are largely white.
The central tail feathers are much lengthened. They breed abundantly in
Greenland, Alaska and the Hudson Bay Territory, placing their nests of
grasses and weeds on the ground near the water. It is generally
concealed in the long grass. The eggs number from six to twelve. Size 2.
× 1.50. Data.--N. Iceland, June 10, 1900. Nest on ground, lined with
down. Collector, S. H. Wallis.
[Illustration 102: Dull buff.]
[Illustration: Buffle-head. Old-squaw.]
[Illustration: Buff.]
[Illustration: left hand margin.]
Page 101
155. HARLEQUIN DUCK. _Histrionicus histrionicus._
Range.--Northern Hemisphere in America, breeding from Newfoundland and
the Rocky Mountains in Colorado, northward. South in winter to
California and New England.
A beautiful and most gorgeous bird, not in colors, but in the oddity of
the markings, the colors only including black, white, gray and chestnut.
Either sex can be recognized by the small short bill. They breed mostly
in single pairs along swiftly running streams, placing their nest, which
is woven of weeds and grasses, in the ground near the water. It is also
claimed that they sometimes nest in hollow trees. They lay from five to
eight eggs, yellowish or greenish buff in color. Size 2.30 × 1.60.
Data.--Peel River, Alaska, June 13, 1898. Seven eggs in a hollow in
river bank, lined with down. Collector, C. E. Whittaker.
156. LABRADOR DUCK. _Camptorhynchus labradorius._
This bird, whose range was from Labrador to New Jersey in the winter,
has probably been extinct since 1875, when the last authentic capture
was made. It is a strange fact that a bird of this character should have
been completely exterminated, even though they were often sold in the
markets. Only forty-one specimens are known to be preserved at present
and nothing is known in regard to their nesting habits or eggs.
[Illustration 103: Greenish buff.]
[Illustration: Harlequin Duck. Labrador Duck.]
[Illustration: right hand margin.]
Page 102
157. STELLER'S DUCK. _Polysticta stelleri._
Range.--Arctic regions in America, chiefly on the Aleutian Islands and
northwest coast of Alaska.
A very beautiful species eighteen inches long; head white, washed with
greenish on the forehead and nape; chin, throat, neck, back, tail and
crissum, black; underparts chestnut; wing coverts white, the long
scapulars black and white. It breeds on the rocky coasts and islands of
Bering Sea. The six to nine eggs are pale olive green in color. Size
2.25 × 1.60. Data.--Admiralty Bay, Alaska, June 22, 1898. Nest on a
hummock of the tundra, near a small pool, lined with grass and down.
Collector, E. A. McIlhenny.
158. SPECTACLED EIDER. _Arctonetta fischeri._
Range.--Coast of Alaska from the Aleutians to Point Barrow.
Like the rest of the true Eiders, this species is black beneath and
mostly white above. The head is largely washed with sea green, leaving a
large patch of white, narrowly bordered by black around each eye, thus
resembling a pair of spectacles. The nests are made of grass and seaweed
and lined with down; they are placed on the ground in clumps of grass or
beneath overhanging stones. The five to nine eggs are an olive drab or
greenish color. Size 2.70 × 1.85. Data.--Point Barrow, Alaska, June 15,
1898. Six eggs. Nest of moss and down in a hollow in dry tundra.
Collector, E. A. McIlhenny.
159. NORTHERN EIDER. _Somateria mollissima borealis._
Range.--North Atlantic coast, breeding from Labrador to Greenland and
wintering south to New England.
A large Duck similar to the next species, but with the base of the bill
differing, as noted in the description of the following species, and
with a more northerly distribution. The nesting habits are the same as
those of the other Eiders. Six to ten eggs generally of a greenish drab
color. Size 3. × 2.
[Illustration 104: Steller's Duck. Spectacled Eider.]
[Illustration: Pale olive green.]
[Illustration: left hand margin.]
Page 103
160. EIDER. _Somateria dresseri._
Range.--Atlantic coast, breeding from Maine to Labrador and wintering
south to Delaware.
This species differs from the preceding only in the fleshy part of the
base of the bill, which extends back on each side of the forehead, it
being broad and rounded in this species and narrow and pointed in the
Northern or Greenland Eider. This species, but more especially the
Northern Eider, are the ones chiefly used for the eider-down of
commerce. The preceding species is often semi-domesticated in Greenland,
the people protecting them and encouraging them to nest in the
neighborhood. They make their nests of seaweed and grass and warmly line
it with down from their breast; this down is continually added to the
nest during incubation until there is a considerable amount in each
nest, averaging about an ounce in weight. The birds are among the
strongest of the sea ducks and get their food in very deep water. Their
flesh is not good eating. Their eggs number from five to ten and are
greenish drab. Size 3. × 2.
161. PACIFIC EIDER. _Somateria v-nigra._
Range.--North Pacific from the Aleutian Islands northward, and east to
Great Slave Lake.
This bird is, in plumage, like the Northern Eider, except that it has a
black V-shaped mark on the throat. They nest sparingly on the Aleutian
Islands, but in great numbers farther north on the coast about Point
Barrow. Their habits, nests and eggs are precisely the same as those of
the eastern forms. Their eggs number from five to ten and are of olive
greenish color. Size 3. × 2. Data.--Cape Smythe, Alaska, June 8, 1900.
Eight eggs. Nest a hollow in the moss, lined with grass and down.
[Illustration 105: Greenish drab.]
[Illustration: Eider. Pacific Eider.]
[Illustration: right hand margin.]
Page 104
162. KING EIDER. _Somateria spectabilis._
Range.--Northern Hemisphere, breeding in America from Labrador to
Greenland and the Arctic Ocean; south in winter to the New England
States and rarely farther on the eastern side, and to the Aleutians on
the Pacific; also casually to the Great Lakes in the interior.
A handsome and very different species from any of the foregoing, having
the crown ashy blue, and the long scapulars black instead of white. It
also has a broad V-shaped mark on the throat. Like all the other Eiders,
the female is mottled brown and black, the different species being very
difficult to separate. The nests are sunk in the ground and lined with
down. Eggs number from six to ten. Size 2.80 × 1.80. Data.--Point
Barrow, Alaska, July 5, 1898. Five eggs. Nest a hollow in the moss on
tundra lined with moss and down. Collector, E. A. McIlhenny.
163. SCOTER. _Oidemia americana._
Range.--Northern North America, breeding from Labrador, the Hudson Bay
region and the Aleutian Islands northward; winters south to Virginia,
the Great Lakes and California.
Scoters or "Coots" as they are generally called are sea ducks whose
plumage is almost wholly black; they have fantastically colored and
shaped bills. The American Scoter is entirely black without markings;
base of bill yellow and orange. This species nest as do the Eiders,
often concealing the nest, of grass and feathers, under some overhanging
rock. They lay from six to ten eggs of a dingy buff color. Size 2.50 ×
1.70. Data.--Mackenzie Bay, June 15, 1899. Ten eggs. Nest a hollow in
the sand, lined with down.
[Illustration 106: King Eider. Scoter.]
[Illustration: Buff.]
[Illustration: left hand margin.]
Page 105
164. VELVET SCOTER. _Oidemia fusca._
An Old World species that has accidentally occurred in Greenland.
165. WHITE-WINGED SCOTER. _Oidemia deglandi_.
Range.--Abundant in North America, breeding from Labrador, North Dakota
and British Columbia, northward. Wintering south to the Middle States,
southern Illinois and southern California.
The largest of the Scoters, length 22 inches, distinguished by a large
white speculum on the wing, also a white comet extending from under the
eye backwards. It also has a yellow eye. Like the other Scoters, this
species often feeds in very deep water. They are strong, active diving
birds, and are also strong on the wing, generally flying close to the
surface of the water. Their flesh is not regarded as good eating,
although they are often sold for that purpose. They nest on the ground,
generally in long grass or under low bushes making a coarse nest of
grasses, and sometimes twigs, lined with feathers. They lay from five to
eight eggs of a pale buff color. Size 2.75 × 1.85.
166. SURF SCOTER. _Oidemia perspicillata._
Range.--Northern North America, breeding north of the United States
boundary, and wintering south to Virginia and southern California.
The male of this species is entirely black, except for the white patches
on the forehead and nape, and the vari-colored bill of black, white,
pink and yellow. They nest either along the coast or in the interior,
building a nest lined with down, in the marsh grass bordering small
ponds. They lay from five to eight buffy cream colored eggs. Size 2.40 ×
1.70. The females of all the Scoters are a dingy brownish color, but
show the characteristic marking of the species, although the white is
generally dull or sometimes mottled. Data.--Mackenzie River, June 25,
1894. Six eggs in a nest of down on an island in the river.
[Illustration 107: Surf Scoter. White-winged Scoter.]
[Illustration: deco.]
[Illustration: right hand margin.]
Page 106
167. RUDDY DUCK. _Erismatura jamaicensis._
Range.--Whole of North America, breeding chiefly north of the United
States border except locally on the Pacific coast. Winters along the
Gulf and through Mexico and Central America.
This peculiar species may always be recognized by the brownish or
chestnut upper parts, blackish crown, white cheeks and silvery white
underparts. The bill is very stout and broad at the end, and the tail
feathers are stiff and pointed like those of a Cormorant. They build
their nests in low marshy places, either placing them on the ground near
the water or in the rushes over it. Their nests are made of rushes and
grasses, sometimes lined and sometimes not, with down from the parents
breast. The eggs number from six to twelve and are grayish in color.
Size 2.40 × 1.75. Data.--Northern Assiniboia, Canada, June 6, 1901.
Eight eggs. Nest made of aquatic grasses, lined with down. Built in a
tuft of rushes in a marsh. Collector, Walter Raine.
168. MASKED DUCK. _Nomonyx dominicus._
This is a tropical species which is resident in Mexico, Central America
and in the West Indies. It occurs in Mexico north to the lower Rio
Grande Valley and has in three known instances strayed to northern
United States. The general plumage is a rusty chestnut, mottled with
blackish, it has a black face and throat, with white wing bars.
[Illustration 108: Grayish white.]
[Illustration: Ruddy Duck. Masked Duck.]
[Illustration: deco.]
[Illustration: left hand margin.]
Page 107
169. SNOW GOOSE. _Chen hyperboreus hyperboreus._
Range.--North America west of the Mississippi Valley, breeding in
northern Alaska and the MacKenzie River district.
This smaller species of the Snow Goose nests on islands in rivers along
the arctic coast. The nest is a depression in the ground, lined with
grasses and, occasionally down. They lay from four to eight eggs of a
buffy or yellowish white color. Size 2.75 × 1.75.
169a. GREATER SNOW GOOSE. _Chen hyperboreus nivalis._
Range.--Eastern North America, breeding in the Arctic regions and
wintering chiefly on the Atlantic coast, south to Cuba.
This bird is like the preceding; except in size; about thirty-six
inches, instead of twenty-six inches in length as is the lesser variety.
The entire plumage is white except for the black primaries. They
construct their nests of grasses on the ground the same as the preceding
variety. The eggs number from five to eight and are cream colored. Size
3.40 × 2.40.
169.1. BLUE GOOSE. _Chen cærulescens._
Range.--North America, principally in the interior, breeding from Hudson
Bay northward and wintering along the Gulf coast.
This species may always be recognized by the entirely white head and
neck, the body being grayish or bluish gray. They nest on the ground as
do the other geese laying from four to eight eggs of a brownish buff
color. Size 2.50 × 1.75. Data,--Cape Bathurst, Arctic coast, June 29,
1899. Four eggs laid in a depression lined with grass, on an island.
Collected with the parent birds by the Esquimaux.
[Illustration 109: Grayish White.]
[Illustration: Lesser Snow Goose. Blue Goose.]
[Illustration: right hand margin.]
Page 108
170. ROSS'S SNOW GOOSE. _Chen rossi._
Range.--This beautiful species, which is similar in plumage to the large
Snow Goose, is but twenty-one inches in length. It breeds in the extreme
north, and in winter is found in the western part of the United States
as far south as the Gulf of Mexico. Their nesting habits and eggs
probably do not differ from others in the family except in the matter of
size.
171. WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE. _Anser albifrons albifrons._
This European species is exactly like the American except that it is
said to average a trifle smaller. It is occasionally found in Greenland.
171a. AMERICAN WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE. _Anser albifrons gambeli._
Range.--Whole of North America, breeding in the Arctic regions and
wintering south to the Gulf coast; not common on the Atlantic coast
during migrations.
These birds may be recognized by their mottled plumage, dark head and
white forehead. This species is more abundant than any of the preceding
and nests in large colonies along the arctic coast and in Alaska. Their
nests are made of dried grasses, feathers and down and are placed on the
ground in a slight depression. From four to nine eggs are laid; these
have a dull buff ground. Size 3.00 × 2.05. Data.--Island in delta of
Mackenzie River, June 10, 1899. Four eggs. Nest of grass and feathers on
the ground on a small island. Collector, Rev. I. O. Stringer.
171.1. BEAN GOOSE. _Anser fabalis._
This European species is casually found in Greenland. It is one of the
most common of the Old World Species.
[Illustration 110: Ross Snow Goose. American White-fronted Goose.]
[Illustration: deco-photo.]
[Illustration: left hand margin.]
Page 109
172. CANADA GOOSE. _Branta canadensis canadensis._
Range.--The whole of North America, breeding from northern United States
northward, and wintering in the southern parts of the United States.
This species is the most widely known of American Geese and is the most
abundant. Its familiar "honk" has long been regarded as the signal of
the coming of spring, and the familiar V-shaped formation in which the
flocks migrate is always an object of interest to everyone. With the
exception of in North Dakota and Minnesota, they breed chiefly north of
the United States. They construct quite a large nest of weeds and grass,
and warmly line it with down and feathers. They lay from four to nine
eggs of a buff or drab color. Size about 3.50 × 2.50. Data.--Ellingsars
Lake, North Dakota, May 18, 1896. Five eggs. Nest on an island in the
lake, constructed of weeds and trash, and lined with a few feathers.
Collector, Edwin S. Bryant.
172a. HUTCHINS GOOSE. _Branta canadensis hutchinsi._
This sub-species is like the preceding except that it is smaller, thirty
inches in length. It is a western variety, breeding in Alaska and along
the Arctic coast and wintering to southern California. Its breeding
habits, nests and eggs are the same as the common goose except that the
eggs are smaller. Size 3.00 × 2.05.
172b. WHITE-CHEEKED GOOSE. _Branta canadensis occidentalis._
This bird is about the same size as the Canada Goose and the plumage is
very similar except that the black sometimes extends on the throat,
thereby isolating the white cheek patches, and there is a white collar
below the back of the neck. It is a western species, breeding in Alaska
and wintering along the Pacific coast of the United States. Its nesting
habits and eggs are same as those of the Canada Goose except that the
latter are a trifle smaller.
172c. CACKLING GOOSE. _Branta canadensis minima._
This bird is really a miniature of the Canada Goose, being but
twenty-four inches in length. It breeds in Alaska and along the Arctic
coast and migrates into the western parts of the United States. They are
abundant birds in their breeding range, where they place their nests
upon the shores of ponds, or on islands in inland rivers or lakes. The
nests are made of weeds and grasses, lined with down. The eggs which are
buff colored, number from four to nine and are laid during June and
July. Size 2.30 × 1.95.
[Illustration 111: Canada Goose. Cackling Goose.]
[Illustration: right hand margin.]
Page 110
[Illustration 112: CANADA GEESE.]
Page 111
173. BRANT. _Branta bernicla glaucogastra._
Range.--Eastern North America, breeding in the Arctic regions and
wintering in the United States east of the Mississippi.
The Brant resembles a small Canada Goose, except that the black of the
neck extends on the breast, and only the throat is white. They are one
of the favorite game birds and thousands are shot every fall and spring.
Their nests and eggs are the same as the next species.
174. BLACK BRANT. _Branta nigricans._
Range.--Western North America, breeding in Alaska and wintering on the
Pacific coast of the United States. Rare east of the Mississippi.
This species is like the last except that the black extends on the under
parts. This species nests very abundantly in northern Alaska, laying
their eggs in a depression in the ground, lined with down. Favorite
locations are the many small islets in ponds and small lakes. They lay
from four to eight grayish colored eggs. Size 2.80 × 1.75. Data.--Cape
Bathurst, North West Territory, Junes 22, 1901. Seven eggs in a small
hollow in the ground, lined with down. Collector, Capt. H. H. Bodfish.
[Illustration 113: Brant. Black Brant.]
[Illustration: Grayish.]
[Illustration: deco.]
[Illustration: right hand margin.]
Page 112
175. BARNACLE GOOSE. _Branta leucopsis._
This Old World species occurs frequently in Greenland and very rarely is
found on the mainland of this continent.
176. EMPEROR GOOSE. _Philacte canagica._
Range.--Alaska, south in winter casually to California.
This handsome species is twenty-six inches in length; it may be known
from the mottled or "scaly" appearance of the body, and the white head
with a black chin and throat. While not uncommon in restricted
localities, this may be considered as one of the most rare of North
American Geese. Their nests are built upon the ground and do not differ
from those of other geese. They lay from three to seven eggs of a dull
buff color. Size 3.10 × 2.15. Data.--Stuart Island, Alaska, June 16,
1900. Six eggs laid in a slight hollow in the ground, lined with a few
feathers and some down. Collector, Capt. H. H. Bodfish.
[Illustration 114: Barnacle Goose. Emperor Goose.]
[Illustration: Egg of Canada Goose--Buffy drab.]
[Illustration: left hand margin.]
Page 113
177. BLACK-BELLIED TREE-DUCK. _Dendrocygna autumnalis._
Range.--Tropical America, north in the Rio Grande Valley to southern
Texas.
These peculiar long-legged Ducks are very abundant in southern Texas
during the summer months. They build their nests in hollow trees, often
quite a distance from the water. They lay their eggs upon the bottom of
the cavity with only a scant lining, if any, of feathers and down. They
are very prolific breeders, raising two broods in a season, each set of
eggs containing from ten to twenty. These eggs are creamy or pure white,
size 2.05 × 1.50. The first set is laid during the latter part of April
or early in May, and fresh eggs may be found as late as July. They are
especially abundant about Brownsville and Corpus Christi, Texas.
Data.--Hidalgo, Mexico, May 29, 1900. Ten eggs in a hole in an old elm
tree on side of lake in big woods near town. Eight feet from the ground.
Collector, F. B. Armstrong.
178. FULVOUS TREE-DUCK. _Dendrocygna bicolor._
Range.--This species is tropical like the last, but the summer range is
extended to cover, casually the whole southwestern border of the United
States.
This bird is long-legged like the last, but the plumage is entirely
different, being of a general rusty color, including the entire under
parts. The nesting habits and eggs are the same as those of the
Black-bellied Duck, the white eggs being laid at the bottom of a cavity
in a tree. They number from eight to (in one instance) thirty-two eggs
in one nest. This species is nearly as abundant as the preceding in
southern Texas.
[Illustration 115: White.]
[Illustration: Black-bellied Tree duck. Fulvous Tree-duck.]
[Illustration: deco.]
[Illustration: right hand margin.]
Page 114
179. WHOOPER SWAN. _Olor cygnus._
This European variety frequently is found in Greenland and formerly,
regularly bred there. It nests in secluded swampy places in northern
Europe.
180. WHISTLING SWAN. _Olor columbianus._.
Range.--North America, breeding in the Arctic Circle, and wintering
south to the Gulf of Mexico.
These birds, which are nearly five feet in length, are snow white with
the exception of the black bill and feet. The Whistling Swan is
distinguished from the next species by the presence of a small yellow
spot on either side of the bill near its base. Their nests are made of a
large mass of rubbish, weeds, grass, moss, feathers and occasionally a
few sticks. It is generally placed in a somewhat marshy place in the
neighborhood of some isolated pond. The eggs are of a greenish or
brownish buff color, and number from three to six. Size 4.00 × 2.75.
Data.--Mackenzie River. Nest a mass of weeds, sods and grass, lined with
feathers; on an island near the mouth of the river. Collector, I. O.
Stringer.
181. TRUMPETER SWAN. _Olor buccinator._
Range.--Interior of North America from the Gulf of Mexico northward,
breeding from northern United States northward.