124 



BIRDS OF AMERICA 



variegated with brownish-black and yellowish-brown ; 

 lower back and rump, dark brown with a greenish 

 tinge; wing-covcrts and outer zvcbs of some of the 

 shoulder feathers, dull cobalt blue; speculum, rich mal- 

 lard green enclosed by white tips of greater coverts 

 and secondaries ; some inner secondaries, greenish- 

 black on outer web, greenish-brown on inner, striped 

 lengthwise with reddish-buff; breast, very pale purplish- 

 gray; rest of under parts, yellowish-gray with innu- 

 merable round black spots on breast, sides, and below, 

 changing to bars on flanks behind ; under tail-coverts, 

 black; a patch on each side of rump, pure white; bill, 

 ashy, darkening on ridge and tip ; feet, yellow, webs 

 duller; iris, brown. Adult Fem.\le: Head and neck, 

 dull buff; crown, brownish-dusky streaked with brown- 

 ish-black; cheeks and chin, whitish, markings small or 

 obsolete ; upper parts, dark brown with pale yellowish- 



brown edgings to all feathers; below, grayish-white, 

 slightly more brown on breast, mottled on breast with 

 dusky spotting and on sides and flanks with V-shaped 

 brownish marks; wings as in male but speculum duller; 

 bill, greenish-dusky; feet, paler yellow. Young of the 

 Ye.\r : Resemble adult female. 



Nest and Eggs. — Nest : In marshes or on dry 

 ground ; constructed of grass and weed stems and lined 

 with feathers and down. Eggs : 8 to 12, pale bufify. 



Distribution. — Western hemisphere ; breeds from 

 central British Columbia, across British America to 

 Newfoundland, south to Oregon, Nevada, New Mexico, 

 Missouri, Indiana, northern Ohio, western New York 

 (occasionally Rhode Island), and Maine; winters from 

 about the parallel 36° south to the West Indies and 

 South America as far as Brazil and Chile; accidental 

 in Bermuda and Europe. 



The Blue-winged Teal is quite similar to the 

 Green-winged in many of its ways. One differ- 

 ence is that it is less able to endure cold. Before 

 the heavy frosts of late autumn arrive, it is well 

 to the southward. I have been told by hunters 

 in Louisiana that in late October and Noveinber 

 large columns of them pour along the Gulf coast 

 and pass on into Texas and Mexico. However, 

 a good many remain in Louisiana on the great 

 reservations for the winter. In the winter of 

 191 5-16 I saw there considerable numbers of this 

 species, associating with the Green-wing, some- 

 times in flocks of several hundreds. Both kinds 

 became quite gentle tinder protection, and would 

 swim up within a few feet of blinds and of our 

 cabin window and feast on rice which was scat- 

 tered for them. 



Quite a number of the Blue-wings remain each 

 summer to breed in Louisiana. The general im- 

 pression seeiried to be that this is a rather new 



Drawing by R. I. Brasher 



BLUE- WINGED TEAL (5 nat. size) 

 It becomes quite gentle and tame under protection 



Photo by H. K. Ji-li r. mrtisy of Outing fub. to. 



BLUE- WINGED TEALS 



About one month old 



thing, and that they are breeding further south 

 than usual because of protection. For the same 

 reason, since the abolition of spring shooting, 

 they are said to be nesting more and more in the 

 central-western States. The Green-wing, how- 

 ever, still elects to go well to the north. 



The Blue-wing is the common summer Teal of 

 the open prairie regions of the northwest. In 

 selecting its nesting-site it does not retire as far 

 from the water as the Green-wing, but generally 

 chooses the thick growth of prairie grass of the 

 jireceding year's growth, only a few rods back 

 from the shallow marshy sloughs. Sometimes, 

 however, it is placed on the dry prairie, half a 

 mile from water. 



The mother Blue-wing always approaches 

 her nest with great caution, not flying directly to 

 it, but, alighting at a distance, she sneaks through 

 the s^rass and weeds. In leaving the nest she 



