BIRDS OF KANSAS. 69 



lected May 27tli, 1868, at Horieon Lake, Wisconsin, average 

 2.14x1.50; greenish to buti" white; in form, ovate. 



GeXITS DAFILA STEPIIE>fS. 



"Bill longer than the head, narrow, the edges parallel, deep throngh the 

 base, bnt otherwise mnch depressed, the basal portion of the culmeu much as- 

 cending. In the male, the scapulars, tertials and middle rectrices lanceolate, 

 the latter elongated considerably beyond the other tail feathers. The adult 

 male in winter plumage very different from the adult female, but the sexes 

 much alike in summer." 



Dafila acuta (Linn.). 



PINTAIL. 

 PLATE V. 



Migratory; common. Arrive tlie last of February to first of 

 March; return in September; often remain into winter. 



B. 578. K. 00.5. C. 710. G. 385, 32. U. 143. 



Habitat. Northern hemisphere in general; in North Amer- 

 ica, breeding from the northern United States northward to 

 Iceland, and south in winter to Cuba and Panama. 



Sp. Char. ^^ Adult male, in tcinter: Head and upper half of the neck hair 

 brown or grayish umber, the upper surface darker, often inclining to deep burnt 

 umber; all the feathers (usually) appreciably darker centrally, producing an in- 

 distinctly 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. Upper half of the nape opaque intense black, separated from the 

 brown by au 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 

 Jieck frontally and laterally, jugulum, breast and abdomen immaculate white. 

 Lower half of the nape, with entire dorsal region and lateral lower parts, finely 

 waved with transverse, 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 the outer webs, entirely 

 velvety black. Tertials silvery ash, with a medial stripe of intense velvety 

 black. Speculum dull green, varying to dull bronzy i)urple, with a subterminal 

 bar of velvety black and a tip of white. Wing coverts very uniform brownish 

 gray, the last row broadly tipped with cinnamon rufous. Primaries dull slaty. 

 Upper tail coverts with outer webs black, the inner ones grayish white; lower 

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

 post-femoral space delicate cream color. Tail feathers dark cinereous edged 

 with white, the elongated middle pair uniform deep black. Bill plumbeous 

 blue, the nngui, base and strip along the cidmeu black; iris brown; feet dusky. 

 Adult male, in summer: Head, neck and upper parts generally as in the adult 

 female, except that the abdomen is duller in co]or and less marked; back dull 



