bill and eye blackilh : the inner half of each tail feather white,
the outer black.
Pla ce . Thefe inhabit America; found about the fouthern fettlements
of Hudfon's Bag. In fummer moft numerous about Albany Fort.
Migrate according to the feafon, like many of the Fuck kind.
Known there by the name o f Cath catue We We *.
*9* Anas molliflima, Lin. Syjt. i. p. 198, 15.— Faun. Suec. N° 1 j7,— Bran.
4- I ER . N° 66.=—Id. Monogr. pi. i, 2 Muller, N° 116.
L’Oye a duvet, ou l’Eider, Hr if. Orn. vi. p. 294- pi. 29. 3 0.— Buf. Oif. ix.
p. 103. pi. 6.—PL Enl. 209. (male.) 208. (female.)
Gical black and white Duck, Ed-jj. pi. 98. (male and female.)
Eider, or Cuthbert, Duck, Raii Syn. p. 141. A. 3.— mil. Orn. p. 362. § i.
and ii. pi. 76— Br. Zoal. ii. N° 271. pi. 9 ;__ArS. Zool. N* 480.—
Tour in Sco/L 8vo. p. 35.
Lev. Muf.
D e s c r i p t i o n . ' ‘J ' H I S is lefs than a Goofe, and one foot ten .inches in length.
Male. The bill two inches long, and black ; the feathers on each fide
of it come very forward almoft to the noftrils: the top of the head,
taking in the eyes, is black, and continued in a line of the fame
on each fide, where the feathers project on the b ill: below the
nape, on each fide of the neck, the colour is pale pea-green: the
reft of the head, neck, breaft, and back, wing coverts, and fcapu-
lars, are white; the laft curved at the ends, and hang over the
quills, which are black 5 as are alfo the tail and under parttj. from
the breaft : the legs are of a dull green.
This is the delcription of an old males which does not come to
the complete drefs till the fourth year. In the firft, the back is
* Mr. Hutchins.
9 w,hite,
M .... ..... 1 m t t 'v .... • w
white, and the ufual parts, except the crown, black ; but the reft
of the body is variegated with white and black.
In the fecond year the neck and breaft are fpotted black and
white: and the crown black.
In the third, the colours are nearly as when in full plumage,
but lefs vivid, and a few fpots of black ftill remaining on the
neck : the crown black, and bifid at the back part.
The full-grown males alfo vary a little, fome of them having
t h e bafe of the wings, and. middle of the back, black: one with
this laft charafter is in my poflfeffion.
The female weighs three pounds and a half. Has a bill like that F emale.
of the male: general colour of the plumage reddifh brown, barred
acrofs.with blatk : hind part of the neck marked with longitudinal
dufky ftreaks : on the wings two bars of white: belly deep brown,
indiftinedy marked with black : tail dufky : legs black.
This fex likewife varies in fome fpecimens, having feveral
fpots of white in the body : others with the neck and belly afh-
.coloured, and the lines on the wings obfeure, and in fome few no
traces of them left.
The young of both fexes are the fame, being covered with a Y oung.
kind of hairy down : throat and breaft whitifh : and a cinereous
line from the bill through the eyes to the hind head.
This fpecies frequents the northern region, even to the high eft la- P lace and
titudes yet difeovered. In this ifland it is fcarce ever met with; but
is found in the Wejlerri IJles of Scotland, and on the Fat n IJles; in
thefe laft it breeds, and is faid to lay feldoni more than five eggs*,
* They muft row and then lay as far as eight; for it has been obferved, that
no lefs' than fixteen have been found in one neft, with two females, who agree
remarkably well together.— yon Frail. Icel. p. 14+.
on