I040 WILLE T— WILLO W-BITER 



autumn to the waters of temperate Europe are in Lapland or further 

 to the eastward. Comparatively few breed in Iceland. 



Intermediate in size between the Teal and the Mallard, and 

 less showy in plumage than either, the drake Wigeon is a beautiful 

 bird, with the greater part of his bill blue, his forehead cream-colour, 

 his head and neck chestnut,^ passing into pinkish-grey below and 

 above into lavender-grey, which last, produced by the transverse 

 undulations of fine black and white lines, extends over the back 

 and upper surface of the wings, except some of the coverts, which 

 are conspicuously white, and shews itself again on the flanks. The 

 wings are further ornamented by a glossy green speculum between 

 two black bars ; the tail is pointed and dark ; the rest of the loAver 

 parts is white. The female has the inconspicuous coloration 

 characteristic of her sex among most of the Freshwater-Ducks. In 

 habits the Wigeon differs not a little from most of the Anatinse. It 

 greatly affects tidal waters during the season of its southern stay, 

 and becomes the object of slaughter to hundreds of gunners on 

 the coasts of Britain and Holland ; but, when it resorts to inland 

 localities, as it also does to some extent, it passes much of its time 

 in grazing, especially by day, on the pastures which surround the 

 lakes or moors that it selects. 



The Wigeon occurs occasionally on the eastern coast of North 

 America, and frequently, it would seem, in Alaska. But the New 

 World has two allied species of its own. One of them, M. americana 

 (a freshly-killed example of which was once found in a London 

 market), inhabiting the northern part of that continent, and in 

 winter reaching Central America and the West Indian islands as 

 far as Trinidad, resembles its Old- World congener wholly in habits 

 and much in appearance. But in it the pale frontlet and the rich 

 chestnut are mingled into, as it were, a compromise of light warm 

 brown, the white wing-coverts are less extensive and nearly all the 

 plumage is subdued in tone. The other species M. sibilatrix or 

 chiloensis, inhabits the southern portion of South America and its 

 islands, from Chili on the west to the Falklands on the east, and is 

 easily recognized by its nearly white head, nape glossy with purple 

 and green and other differences. 



WILLET, a name in North America originally given, from its 

 cry, to what is known in books as the Semipalmated Sandpiper, 

 Symphemia semipalmata, but by recent writers of that country applied 

 to all the Totaninx (Sandpiper, page 811, note). 



WILLOCK, one of the many names of the Guillemot and 

 Razor-bill. 



WILLOW-BITER (corruptly Billy-biter), a local name of the 

 Blue Titmouse (page 967) : WILLOW- WREN, see Wren. 



^ Hence come the additional local names " Bald-pate" and "Red-head." 



