68 HISTORY OF THE 



reflections, and marked toward the end with an indistinct mesial stripe of gray- 

 ish white; primaries and tlieir coverts dull slate gray; rump and upper tail 

 coverts black, the former with faint (the latter with bright) green reflections; 

 rectrices chiefly grayish white, the middle ones dark gray edged with white. 

 Bill deep black; iris bright yellow; legs and feet beautiful orange red. Adult 

 female: Wings as in the male, but colors rather duller. Other parts grayish 

 brown above, varied with brownish white; brownish white below, the head and 

 neck streaked, the breast, abdomen, etc., spotted, with grayish brown. Bill 

 brown, maudible orange; iris yellow and feet orange red, as in the male. 

 Young male: Similar to the adult female, but lower parts ( always ? ) tinged with 

 chestnut. Young female: Similar to the adult, but wing coverts dull slate, with 

 little, if any, blue tinge, the speculum dusky, with a very faint green reflection, 

 and rather broadly tipped with brownish white. Doicny young: Above, grayish 

 brown, with a brownish white spot on each side of the back, and a correspond- 

 ing pair on the rump; pileum darker than the back and nape; head (except 

 pileum) and entire lower parts pale grayish fulvous, or dirty, grayish buffy 

 white, shaded with brownish gray across the jugidum; a narrow stripe of dark 

 brown from the upper angle of the base of the bill to the eye, and continued 

 posteriorly about half way to the occiput; another similar stripe beneath the 

 last, beginning a little behind the posterior border of the eye, and extending 

 farther back than the oue above it." 



The birds are rare upon the Atlantic coast, but ratlier com- 

 mon throughout their range elsewhere; they are generally found 

 in small flocks. I have occasionally noticed them on salt water, 

 and often resting upon the open waters of our ponds and lakes, 

 but their favorite resorts are in shallow waters, among the 

 aquatic plants, where they largely feed, often with head and 

 neek immersed, dabbling at the muddy botton (like the Roseate 

 Spoonbill), and straining the mud from their catch through 

 their fine, sieve-like teeth. Their food consists of grain, tender 

 shoots and seeds of water plants, insects, snails — in fact all low 

 forms of life. When fat, are very good eating. 



They are at home upon the land as well as upon the water. 

 In flight steady and strong, but not swift. Their voice is feeble 

 and seldom heard. 



Their nests are usually placed near the water, upon dry 

 ground; if on marshy lands, upon a hummock; they are lined 

 with grass and down. Eggs eight to ten. A set of ten, col- 



