786 THE WOOD DUCK. 



one by one, the pair rL-maining (and I iliiuk tlu' male was tlie same that 

 originated the ]iiifsuit ) settled in one cif the pniids." 



Pintails afe coiunioii with us only in winter, and they are the first of the 

 Ri\er Ducks to move northward in the early spring'. While they are lo\-ers of 

 fresh water, and prefer the secludeil Lakes and ])iicils nf the interinr. the\- are of 

 regular occurrence (.)n salt water during the migrations, and are most in evi- 

 dence on Puget Sound in Fel.iruary, when the northward luovenient is under 

 full headwa}'. They nest chiefly north of our borders and are counted the 

 most abundant breeding River Ducks in western .Alaska. .\ few. howexer, 

 remain to breed in eastern Washington. We found a nest at Brook Lake, 

 which, lia\ing escaped the mower, fell a \-ictini to the horse-rake, so that only 

 se\'en of ten eggs were spared us. 



The young after hatching are kept in the most secluded depths of the 

 swamp, and it was a \ery luck_\- chance which placed two of these ])roiuising 

 youngsters in the benevolent clutches of Messrs. Finle\- and Bohlman. on 

 Tule Lake in southern Oregon. A bird on the photogra])hic ])late is worth 

 two on the dinner plate. ])ut the Havor of the Pintail is so delicious that one 

 might be ]iardoned for desiring both. 



No. 31.S. 



WOOD DUCK. 



A. ( ). V. No. 144. Aix sponsa (Linn.). 



Synonyms. — Sum.mkr Duck. "Tin-: llkinic." 



Description. — Adult male: Of almost indescribable elegance; head, crested, 

 metallic and iridescent green, purple, violet, and black; a wliite line from angle 

 of upper mandible along crown, and another backward from behind eye, both 

 continued in the feathers of the large occipital crest ; throat white, sending up 

 two transverse bars on either side on cheek and hind-neck; fore-neck and breast 

 rich chestnut, glossed with purplish on sides of breast, and marked centrally with 

 triangular wdiite spots, which increase in size backward ; bellv broadly white ; 

 sides warm fulvous, minutely waved with black, the tijjs of the outermost feathers 

 with broad crescentic bars of black and white; chestnut of lireast and fulvous 

 of sides separated by two transverse bars, the front one white, the hinder black; 

 upperparts chiefly sooty or velvety black with metallic reflections of blue, purple, 

 green, and bronze; the anterior and marginal coverts and base of primaries (all 

 mostly concealed) plain fuscous; exposed tips of priiuaries silvery white, on 

 outer web tipped with metallic blue; secondaries white-tipped, the exposed webs 

 metallic; crissum sooty-brown with metallic gloss; flank-])atchcs intense purplish 

 chestnut; axillars and lining of wdngs white, spotted or barred with dusky; "bill 

 (in life) beautifullv varied with jet-black, milk-white, lilac, red. orange, and 

 yellow ; legs and feet orange, claws black ; iris and edges of eye-lid red." Adult 

 feiinilc and vouuf/: Crest onlv faintlv imlicated; toj) of head i)nrplish brown 



