ANATIDyE THE SWANS, GEESE, AND DUCKS. 147 



spotted) coloration, and in the very slight elongation of the 

 middle rectrices. They constitute a group somewhat interme- 

 diate between Dajila, and Nettwn, and are again directly con- 

 nected with the latter by several small ducks of the southern 

 hemisphere, usually referred to the genus Qucrquedula (e. g. 

 fla/oirostris, of South America, and eafon-!, of Kerguelen 

 Island). The genus Pcedlonetta (type, Aw IK Ixthamensis LINN.) 

 was proposed for this group by Kaup, and should probably be 

 retained for it. 



Dafila acuta (Linn.) 



PINTAIL. 



Popular synomyns. Sprig-tail; Spike-tail; Pike-tail; Picket-tail; Pheasant Duck; Sea 

 Pheasant, Water Pheasant; Smee, Smees, or Smothe (New Jersey); Long-neck; 

 Pato golondrino (Mexico).* 



Anqs acuta LINN. S. N. ed. 10, i, 1758,126; ed. 12, i, 17Gr>,202. WILS. Am. Orn. viii, 1814, 

 pi. 68, fig. 3. NUTT. Man. ii, 1834,386. AUD. Orn. Biog. iii, 1835,214; v, 1839,615, pi. 

 227; Synop. 1839,279; Birds Am. vi, 1843,266, pi. 390. 



Dafila acuta BONAP. Comp. List, 1838, 56. BAIED, B. N. Am. 1858, 776; Cat. N. Am. B. 

 1859, No. 578. COUES, Key, 1872, 286; Check List, 1873, No. 490; ed. 1882, No. 710; 

 Birds N. W. 1874, 561. HENSH. Zool. Wheeler's Exp. 1875, 473. RIDGW. Orn. 40th 

 Par. 1877, 622; Norn. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 605; Man. N. Am. B. 1887, 98.-B. B. & R. 

 Water B. N. Am. i, 1884,. 511.-A. O. U. Check List, 1886, No. 143. 

 "Anas alandica SPAEEM. Mus. Carls, iii, pi. 60." 

 Anas sparrmanni LATH. Ind. Orn. ii, 1790, 876. 

 Anas caudacnta PALL. Zoog. Rosso- As. ii, 1826, 280. 

 Anas longicauda BKISS. Orn. vi, 1760, 366, pi. 34, fig. 1, 2. 

 Anas catidata BEEHM, Yog. Deutschl. 869. 

 Dafila acuta, var. americana BONAP. Compt. Rend, xliii, 1850. 



HAB. Nearly the entire northern hemisphere, breeding chiefly far northward; in 

 North America migrating south in winter as far as Panama and Cuba. 



SP. CHAE. Adult male in fall, winter, and spring: Head and upper half of the neck 

 hair-brown or grayish umber, the upper surface darker, often inclining to deep sepia-brown ; 

 all the feathers (usually) appreciably darker centrally, producing an indistinctly and 

 minutely speckled appearance; on each side of the occiput the brown has a metallic gloss 

 of dull green, showing a faint purple reflection in some lights. Nape opaque intense 

 black, separated from the brown of the upper neck by an upward extension of the white of 

 the lower neck nearly to the occiput. Stripe on each side of the nape (as described above), 

 lower half of the neck frontally and laterally, breast, and abdomen immaculate white. Lower 

 hind neck, with entire dorsal region and lateral lower parts, finely waved with trans- 

 verse, rather zigzag, lines of white and black of nearly equal width. Longer scapulars 

 opaque velvety black centrally, edged broadly with grayish white; outer scapulars with 

 exposed ends of their outer webs entirely velvety black. Tertials silvery gray, with 

 a median stripe of intense velvety black. Speculum dull green, varying to dull bronzy 

 purple, with a subterminial bar of velvety black and a tip of white. Wing-coverts uni- 

 form brownish gray, the last row broadly tipped with cinnamon-rufous. Primaries dull 

 slaty. Upper tail-coverts with outer webs black, the inner webs grayish white; lower 

 tail-coverts deep opaque velvety black, the exterior row with their outer webs white; post- 

 femoral space delicate cream-color. Tail-feathers dark ashy edged with white, the elon- 



* For many of the local names of game and water birds I am indebted to Mr. Gurdon 

 Trumbull's Names and Portraits of Birds, (Harper Brothers, New York,) a most useful 

 work, which should be in the hands of every sportsman. 



