90 



MARECA AMERICANA. AMERICAN WIGEON. 



Anas Americana. "Wils. Amer. Omith. VIII. 86. 

 Anas Americana. Aud. Amer. Ornith. Biog. IV. 337. 

 Anas Americana. Nuttall. Man. II. 389. 

 American Wigeon. Yarr. Brit. Birds, III. 196. 

 Mareca Americana. Bonap. Comp. List, 56. 



Male with a longitudi7ial ridge of rather elongated decurved 

 feathers on the head and nape ; bill pale blue with the tip 

 black ; upper part of head white ; cheeks and upper neck 

 broivnish-red dotted with black; a broad band from the eye to 

 the occiput deep green; throat brownish-black ; fore part and 

 sides of the lower neck light vinaceous; upper parts and sides 

 beloiv the wings finely barred with tvhite and dusky/ wings 

 brownish- grey, the secondary coverts u'hite, tipped icith black; 

 the speculum green, ivith an anterior and a posterior band of 

 black; inner secondaries ivhite, grey, and black; tail light 

 brownish- grey: upper tail-coverts partly black; breast and 

 abdomen white; feathers under the tail black. 



Male. — The Wigeon of America so closely resembles that 

 of Europe, Africa, and Asia, that, after comparing a great 

 number of specimens, I am unable to find any characteristic 

 differences that can be depended upon. The American birds 

 generally have the head and neck more dotted with black, a 

 larger green band behind the eye, the bill slightly narrower, 

 and the osseous expansion of the lower part of the trachea 

 much smaller. In this latter respect, however, I have 

 examined only one specimen of the American bird. 



The form and proportions, the texture of the plumage, 

 and the relative length of quills and tail-featlicrs being the 

 same in both, I shall confine my description to that of the 

 colouring. The bill is light greyish-blue, with the tip, 

 including the unguis, and a portion of the margins, black. 



