ANATID.E — FULIGULINJE: SEA DUCKS. 



925 



by elimination Anas ferina Lixn. I am willing to follow the A. 0. U. in adopting the genus, 

 but not in violating plain rules for the transliteration from the Greek to the Latin, which give 

 us neither Aythya Boie, nor Aithya Kaup, nor Aithi/ia lip., nor anything but ^thyia.) 

 Pochards. Red-heads. Little different from Fuligula. Bill more moderate, parallel- 

 sided, not obviously widening out toward end. Head of adult $ not black, but chestnut-red in 

 most species, darker brownish-red in the Canvas-back, which, also, in shape of bill and its set 

 on the head, diflers more from typical Pochards than these do from Scaups. Heuce the genus 

 is divisible into JEthi/ia proper and Aristoncttu. (Included under Fidigida in 2d-4th eds. 

 of the Key.) 



Analysis of Subgenera and Species. 

 Bill .shorter than middle toe without claw, not longer than head, nearly J as wide as long, with concave culmen not 



rising notably high on forehead and out of line therewith ; chord of culmen not over '2.'J5. Nostrils fairly in ba.sal 



half of bill. Nail of bill well hooked, {^tliyia proper. ) 

 Red-hedd : (f with head and neck chestnut, hi $ plain bromi ; body anteriorly, rump, tail, and its coverts, black, in 



5 brown ; back, scapular.s, and sides finely waved with black and white or ashy-white in equal amounts ; speculum 



gray. Bill blue with black belt at end. Back distinctly vermiculated with black on an ashy-white ground 



americana 

 Bill equal to middle toe without claw, longer than head, about i as wide as long, with scarcely concave culmen rising 



high on forehead in line therewith ; chord of culmen up to 2.50. Nostrils reaching middle of bill. Nail of bill 



little hooked. {Arislonetla.) 

 Canvas-back: (f head dark chestnut-brown, much obscured with dusky on top and about bill. Silverj'-whitish of 



back prevailing over the black waved lines, which are narrow and much broken into chains of dots . vallisneria 



2E.. america'na. (Figs. 644, G45, fi4G.) American Pochard. Red-headed Hroad- 

 BiLL. Red-headed Raft Duck. American Red-head. Adult $ : Feathers of head 

 somewhat full and puffy, though forming no crest. Bill broad and flattened, little widened 

 toward end, running into forehead, which 



arches abruptly over and away from it; 

 not rising gradually into line with fore- 

 head; shorter or not longer than head, 

 2.25 inches or less in length along culmen, 

 the same along gape ; nostrils within its 

 l)asal half, tlie forward end of nostril about 

 I distance from upper corner to end of bill. 

 Bill dull blue with a black belt at end. 



(Compare head and bill of Canvas-back.) Iris orange. Feet 

 dull grayish-blue, with dusky webs and black claws. Head and 

 neck all around rich pure chestnut, not obscured with dusky- 

 brown, but with bronzy or coppery red reflections. Lower neck 

 and fore parts of body above and below, with rump and tail- 

 coverts above and below, blackish. Back mixed whitish and 

 blackish in about equal amounts, the dark wavy lines distinct 

 and unbroken. (In tin; European Pochard, .^. ferina, from 

 which our bird differs, the back is also distinctly and completely 

 waved with black, but the ground is quite white, as in our Can- 

 vas-back, in which the dark lines are much broken uj), the white 

 thus prevailing. This fine vermiculation, when not too closely 

 e.xamined, gives a delicate silvery-gray tone, of different shade 

 in tlic different species.) Sides of body under wings vermiculated 

 mucli lil<i- back, the unduLitions subsiding in grayi.sh-wliite on 

 middle under parts. Wing-coverts ashy-gray, minutely dotted 

 with white ; speculum hoary-ash, bordered internally with Idack ; liniiiL; i.f wings mostly 

 white. 9 : Bill ob.xcured bluisli, with black belt near end; iris yellow ; feet as in ^. Same 

 shaj.e <.r bill and he;i.l. Head .nid upper neck dull reddish-brown, paler or whitish ou 



Fio. CAr). — Rcd-hcnd, J iint. niite. 

 (From nature, by J. L. UidRwny.) 



