AXATIX^il — THE DUCKS — .ETHYIA. 



29 



Com. Char. Secondaries bluish gray, the upper feathers narrowly edged with black. Adult 

 male : Head and neck reddish brown ; jugulum and anterior part of back, lower part of rump, 

 upper tail-coverts, and crissum black ; back, scapulars, flanks, anal region, and sometimes (in 

 yE'. ferina) whole abdomen, white, finely vermiculated with dusky. 





jE. americana. 



A. Bill as long as middle toe (without claw), its greatest width not more than one third the 



length of the culnien, much depressed at the end, the nail scarcely hooked (Aristonetta, 

 Bairp). 



1. ^. vallisneria. Head and neck reddish cinnamon or rusty brown in the male, the former 



dusky on top and anteriorly ; jugulum, anterior portion of back, rump, upper tail-coverts, 

 tail, and crissum black ; remainder of the body wdiite, the upper surface, sides, flanks, 

 and anal region finely vermiculated with dusky. Bill entii-ely black. Wing, 8.75-9.25 

 inches; culmen, 2.10-2.50; greatest width of bill, .75-80; tarsus, 1.70; middle toe, 

 2.60-2.65. Hab. North America. 



B, Bill much shorter than middle toe (without claw), its greatest width nearly half the length 



of the culmen, the end moderately depressed, and the nail decidedly hooked (^-Ethijia). 



2. ^. americana. Head and neck rich reddish chestnut, the latter glossed with reddish 



purple ; back, scapulars, sides, and flanks vermiculated with white and dusky in nearly 

 equal quantity ; abdomen immaculate white. Bill pale blue, the end black. Wing, 8.50- 

 9.25 inches ; culmen, 2.05-2.25 ; greatest width of bill, .75-85 ; tarsus, 1.60-1.65 ; 

 middle toe, 2.30-2.40. Hab. North America. 



3. iE. ferina.^ Head and neck chestnut-rufous, the latter without decided purplish gloss ; 



back, scapulars, sides, flanks, and abdomen white, everyw'here , finely vermiculated with 

 dusky. Bill black, crossed, a little anterior to the middle, by a wide band of pale blue. 

 Wing, 8.00-8.50 inches ; culmen, 2.20-2.40 ; greatest width of Inll, .70-.78 ; tarsus, 1.30- 

 1.55 ; middle toe, 2.30-2.50. Hab. Europe. 



1 .^THYIA FERINA. 



Anas Jcrina, LiNN. S. K. ed. 10, I. 1758, 126 ; ed. 12, I. 1766, 203. — Naum. Vog. DeutscH. 



XII. 1844, 21, pi. 308. 

 Fuligida ferina, Keys. & Blas. Wirb. Enr. 87. 



Nyroca ferina, Flem. Phil, of Zool. II. 260. —Gray, Gen. III. 621 ; Cat. Brit. B. 1863, 200. 

 Aythya ferina, BoiE, Isis, 1822, 564. — Boxap. Comp. List, 1838, 58. — Macgill. Man. 11.191. 

 Anas rufa, Gmel. S. N., 1. 1788, 515. 

 Anas erythrocephala, S. G. Gmel. Eeise, I. 1770, 71. 

 Aythya erythrocephala, Bkehm, Vcig. Deutschl. 919. 

 Pochard, Yarr. Brit. B. ed. 2, III. 332, fig. ; ed. 3, III. 334, iig. 

 Hab. Palsparctic Region. 



