146 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. I50 



slip of the pen). I was told that shovelers were shot occasionally 

 near Changuinola, Bocas del Toro. The records of the La Jagua 

 Hunting Club list 2 killed in 1940 and 9 in 1943. At times they have 

 been fairly common there. In recent years, Karl Curtis shot a male 

 there in January 1953 and another (sex not stated) on February 3, 

 1955 ; and I secured a female there on January 14, 1962. 



Fig. 26. — Head of shoveler, pato cuchara, Spatula clypeata, male, to show form 



of bill. 



MARECA AMERICANA (Gmelin): American Widgeon; Pato Calvo 



Figure 27 

 Anas ameruana Gmelin, Syst. Nat., vol. 1, pt. 2, 1789, p. 526. (New York.) 



A medium-sized duck with small bill; male with white crown. 



Description. — ^Length 460 to 540 mm. Male, crown white ; a green 

 stripe behind eye; rest of head light buff, sprinkled with small dots 

 of black; upper surface light brown with fine lines of black; a 

 prominent white patch on the wing; speculum green, bordered by 

 black ; rump, undertail coverts, and tail black ; breast and sides pinkish 

 brown ; a prominent patch on either side of the flanks ; under wing 

 coverts white. Bill short and small. 



Female, head dull white, finely spotted with blackish brown ; black- 

 ish brown above, lined with dull brown ; speculum black ; a white or 

 grayish patch on the wing; upper breast and sides brown; lower 

 breast and abdomen white ; bill like that of male. 



Measurements. — Males (5 from southeastern United States), wing 

 253-260 (255.4), tail 98.2-126.5 (110.1), culmen 35.0-37.6 (35.9), 

 tarsus 36.9-38.8 (37.9) mm. 



Females (5 from Alaska to California and Maryland), wing 233- 

 245 (240.6), tail 85.6-96.0 (90.3), culmen 32.7-36.7 (34.1), tarsus 

 35.3-37.2 (36.4) mm. 



