The Bird Book: Illustrating in natural colors more than seven hundred North American birds; also several hundred photographs of their nests and eggs.Reed, Chester A. (Chester Albert)
Science
The Bird Book: Illustrating in natural colors more than seven hundred North American birds; also several hundred photographs of their nests and eggs.
Reed, Chester A. (Chester Albert)
Birds -- North America
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.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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