402 WEB-FOOTED BIRDS. 



The American Teals in the autumn, which visit this quarter, 

 are also for the most part young birds and females, the 

 males pursuing a different route apart from the rest, and are 

 rarely seen here until their return in the spring. 



According to Richardson, the American Teal is about 15 inches in 

 length : the wing when folded 7 inches ; the bill above, 1 inch 5 

 lines ; tarsus 1 inch 2 lines. In the male, the head and adjoining 

 half of the neck is chestnut-brown. Chin, region of the bill, and 

 forehead, brownish-black. Behind the eye a broad duck-green band, 

 narrowly edged with white. Nuchal crest tipped with deep indigo 

 blue. A collar, base of the neck above, interscapulars, part of the 

 scapulars, the flanks and vent, finely waved with brownish-black and 

 white. Outer border of the scapulars black } the interior and longer 

 scapulars, wing coverts, primaries, posterior part of the back and tail, 

 hair-brown. Tail coverts velvet black and green, with whitish 

 edges. Speculum half velvet black, half vivid grass-green, bordered 

 above and below with brownish-white, and posteriorly on the tertia- 

 ries and scapulars with black. Breast wood brown, with round black 

 spots. A crescentic band on the shoulder; bell}^ and under lateral 

 tail coverts white, middle ones black. Bill bluish-black. Irids 

 yellow. Feet bluish-grey, mixed with red. Tracheal dilatation an 

 osseous capsule, capable of holding a pea. 



The female is without the crest, and brilliant colors on the head, 

 as well as the stripes on the scapulars, the black under tail coverts, 

 the round spots on the breast, and all the fine waved markings on 

 the base of the neck, flanks, &c. The upper plumage, breast and 

 flanks, is liver-brown, with pale margins. Head and neck the same, 

 with smaller specks. Chin and belly white, the latter obscurely 

 marked with brown. 



In a vfole just moulting into the adult plumage (now before me.) 

 The bill is of an olive-grey, dotted beneath the epidermis with black, 

 the under mandible brownish flesh color, also spotted and tipped with 

 dusky. The irids are umber-brown. The legs and feet light yellow- 

 ish-grey, with darker webs. The green band behind the eye wants 

 the white edging. The scapulars, wing coverts, posterior part of the 

 back and tail are plain dark ash color, the coverts faintly glossed 

 with green ; the quills dusky brown. The undulated back feathers 

 are succeeding others which are simply dusky with dull rufous- white 

 edgings. The speculum is complete and vivid, according to the 



