152 Tlie Wood Duck. — Anas sj)oma. 



became of them. Latham says, that they are often kept in European mena- 

 geries, and will breed there." 



The specific name appears to be Latin, [Sponsa) a bride. We shall 

 conclude this notice of the Wood Duck with the very full description given- 

 in Audubon's Synopsis, page 280 : — 



Anas Sponsa, Linn. Wood Duck. — Summer Duck. 



Male with the feathers of the head and upper and hind part of neck elon- 

 gated and incurved, inner secondaries very broad, tail much rounded, of sixteen 

 feathers ; bill bright red at the base, yellow on the sides, ridge and unguis black ; 

 feet greenish-yellow ; upper part of head and loral space deep green ; below the 

 eye a patch of dark purple, behind it a larger patch of the same colour ; sides of 

 neck, its hind part under the crest, and the middle all round, very dark purple ; 

 a narrow line along the base of the upper mandible and over the eye, meeting on 

 the occiput, pure white, as are some of the feathers of the crest ; another from 

 behind the eye meeting below the occiput, and including several of the lower 

 elongated feathers ; throat pure white, with a process on each side a little beyond 

 the eye, and another nearly half-way down the neck ; sides of the neck and its 

 lower part anteriorly reddish-purple, each feather on the latter with a triangular 

 white tip ; middle of the neck behind, back and rump, very dark reddish-brown, 

 the latter deeper, and tinged with green; upper tail-coverts and tail greenish- 

 black ; some of tlie lateral tail-coverts dull reddish-purple, a fevr^ on either side 

 with their central filaments light red ; smaller wing coverts, alula, and primaries 

 dull greyish brown, most of the latter, with pari of the outer web greyish-white, 

 and the inner toward the end darker and glossed with green ; secondary quills 

 tipped with white, the outer webs green with purple reflections, those of the 

 inner secondaries and scapulars velvet-black, their inner webs partially glossed 

 and changing to green ; the broad feathers anterior to the wings white, terminated 

 with black ; breast and abdomen greyish- white ; feathers under the wings yellowish 

 grey, minutely undulated with black, and tipped with a white and two black 

 bands ; lower wing-coverts and axillar feathers white, barred with greyish-brown ; 

 lower tail-coverts dull greyish-brown. Female with the bill blackish-brown, the 

 feet dull green ; upper part of head dusky glossed with green, sides of head and 

 neck, with hind part of latter, light brownish-grey ; throat white, but without 

 the lateral processes ; fore part of neck below and sides light yellowish-brown, 

 mottled with dark greyish-brotrn, as are the sides under the wings ; breast and 

 abdomen white, the foi-mer spotted with brown ; hind neck, back, and rump dark 

 brown, glossed with green and purple ; wings as in the male, but the speculum 

 less, and the secondaries externally faint reddish-purple, the velvet-black of the 

 male diminished to a few narrow markings ; tail dark brown, glossed with green ; 

 lower tail-coverts pale greyish-brown, mottled with white. 



Male, 20i, 28. Female, 19^ 



Breeds throughout the country from Texas to the Columbia, and eastward 

 to Nova Scotia. Fur Countries. Accumulates in the Southern Districts in winter. 



Summer Duck or Wood Duck, Anas sponsa. Swains. & Rich. F. Bor. 

 Amer. v. viii. p. 97. 



Dendronessa sponsa, Summer Duck, Swains & Rich. F. Bor. Amer. v. ii., 

 p, 446.- 



Summer or Wood Duck, Anas sponsa, Nutt. Man. v, ii. p. 394. 



Wood Duck, Anas sponsa, AuD. Orn. Biog. y. iii. p. 52 ; v. t. p. 6 IS. 



