ANATID.E THE SWANS, GEESE, AND DUCKS. 185 



abruptly downward and backward, so as to be Invisible from above; tail more than half as 

 long as the wings, much graduated, consisting of eighteen very stiff, narrow feathers, with 

 the shafts strong and rigid, and grooved underneath, toward the base; the tail-coverts 

 extremely short, scare ly covering the base of the tail; wings very short, and very con- 

 cave beneath, the primaries scarcely or not at all ext nding beyond the tertials; tarsus 

 very short, much less than one half as .ong as the longest toe. 



Only one species, the common Ruddy Duck (E. rubida} occurs 

 in North America. 



Erismatura rubida (Wils.) 



RUDDY DTJCK. 



Popular synonyms. Spine-tailed Duck; Heavy- tailed Duck; Quill-tail Coot, Stiff- tail. 

 Bristle-tail; Rook, or Rook Duck (Potomac River), Sleepy Duck, Sleepy Coot, Sleepy 

 Brothe ; Fool Duck, Deaf Duck, Shot-pouch, Daub Duck, Stub-and-twist. Booby 

 Coot, Batter Scoot. Blather-scoot. etc., etc.; *Pato zambullidor de pico azul (Mexico). 



Anns rubida WILS. Am. Orn. viii, 1814, 128, 131 pi. 71, fig. 5. 6. 



Fuligula (Gymnura) rubida NUTT. Man. ii, 1834, 426. 



Fuligula rubida Sw. & RICH. F. B.-A ii, 1831, 455. Aur>. Orn. Biog. iv. 1838,326; pi. 

 343; Synop. 1839, 288; B. Am. vi. 1843, 324. pi. 399. 



Erismatura rubida BONAP. Comp. List, 1838, 59 BAIRD. B. N. Am. 1858, 811; Cat. N. 

 Am. B. 1859, No. 609. COUES, Key, 1872, 295; Check List. 1873, No. 519; 2d ed. 1882, 

 No. 741; Birds N. W. 1874, 583. HENSH. Zool. Wheeler's Exp. 1875, 483. RIDGW. 

 Orn. 40th Par. 1877, 626; Nom.N. Am. B. 1881, No. 634; Man. N. Am. B. 1887, 113. 

 B. B. & R. Water B. N. Am. ii, 1884, 104.-A. O. U. Check List, 1886. No. 167. 

 Anas jamaicensis OBD, ed. Wils. viii. 1825. 138. 



HAB. The whole of North America, breeding nearly throughout its range, which ex- 

 tends south to Guatemala and Colombia; Cuba and other West India islands. 



SP. CHAE. Adult male, full plumage: Pileum and upper half of the nape uniform 

 black; entire side of the head, below the eyes, including the malar region and chin, pure 

 white; rest of neck, entire upper parts, sides, and flanks, rich chestnut-rufous or purplish 

 ferruginous; wing-coverts and middle of the rump dusky grayish brown, minutely mottled 

 Wjth paler; remiges dull brownish dusky_; rectrices brownish black, the shafts deep black; 

 lower parts white on the surface, but the concealed portion of all the feathers dark brown- 

 ish gray, showing when the feathers are disarranged, and in midsummer specimens com- 

 pletely exposed by abrasion of the tips of the feathers; chest strongly washed with fulvous- 

 buff, this sometimes invading the abdomen. Lower tail-coverts entirely white, to the 

 roots of the feathers. "Bill and edge of the eyelids grayish blue; iris hazel; feet dull 

 grayish blue, webs inclining to dusky; claws grayish brown" (AuDUBON). Adult female: 

 Top of the head, down to below the eyes, and upper parts generally, du-ky grayish brown, 

 minutely freckled with pale grayish fulvous (more reddish on the head); remainder of the 

 head dirty grayish white, crossed longitudinally by a stripe of speckled dusky, running from 

 the rictus backward across the auriculars, parallel with the lower edge of the brown of the 

 top of the head; neck pale brownish gray, fading gradually into the white of the chin; 

 lower parts, except sides and flanks (which are similar to the abdomen, but darker), as 

 in the adult male. Young: Similar to the adult female. Downy young: Above, dark 

 smoky brown, darker on the head; a whitish spot on each side the back; a brownish white 

 stripe beneath the eye, from the bill to near the occiput; beneath this, a narrower dusky 



* Also, Hickory- head, Greaser, Paddy. Noddy. Paddy-whack, Dinkey. Light-wood knot, 

 Hard-tack, and so forth, according to the locality or the particular individual who is asked 

 to name the species! See TnuatBULi/8 Names ana Portraits of Birds. 



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