GEEEN-WINGED TEAL 113 



about 1905 and is in the collection of Dr. P. H. Ottnier. The third 

 specimen was taken by an expert hunter, Alden Trott, from a flock 

 of Baldpates on Areata Bay, October 20, 1911. Mr. Chase Littlejohn 

 has told us that when his brother was hunting for the market in the 

 eighties, Red-headed Widgeons were frequently secured on south San 

 Francisco Bay. 



There is a considerable difference in coloration between the male 

 Euro])ean Widgeon and our Baldpate, so that there is no need of 

 confusing the two, at least when in hand. The male European 

 Widgeon can always be distinguished by the rich brown color of the 

 head and neck, and both sexes by the gray instead of white axillary 

 feathers. In the full plumaged male bird the head and neck are almost 

 uniform rufous red in color, there is no brown on the sides, and the 

 back lacks the pinkish brown tone to be observed in the Baldpate. 

 The top of the head is creamy white, slightly rusty on the forepart. 

 The throat is largely blackish, while minute flecks of black dot the 

 cheeks and loral region. Back of the eye the chestnut ground-color 

 is overlaid by numerous flecks of metallic green. A specimen pro- 

 cured in Los Angeles County was taken for a hybrid between a Red- 

 head and Baldpate by local sportsmen. 



In all its habits the European Widgeon is said by competent 

 authorities to resemble closely the American Widgeon, or Baldpate. 



It has been suggested that probably many instances of occurrence 

 of this species have been overlooked by sportsmen and market hunters, 

 Avho usually make no attempt to pick out unusual birds unless the 

 difference is very noticeable. Owing to the rarity of its occurrence 

 the European Widgeon can hardly be reckoned upon as one of Cali- 

 fornia's regular game ducks. 



Green-winged Teal 



Nrttion carolinense (Gmelin) 



Other names — Green-wing; Common Teal; American Green-winged Teal; 

 Anas carolinensis; Querquedula caroJinensis. 



Description — AduU male: Head and upper neck chiefly rich chestnut brown, 

 darkest on forehead; a broad patch of metallic green on each side of head 

 extending from eye to hind neck, shading into black under eye and bordered 

 below by a buffy white line; on back of head the two green patches are 

 separated by a black patch, the latter involving the hinder part of a short 

 crest which is otherwise chestnut brown in continuation with same color on 

 top of head; chin and upper throat dull black; bill black; iris dark brown; 

 upper surface of body, a narrow collar around foreneck, sides, and flanks, 

 finely and irregularly undulated (cross-barred) with black and white; rump 

 slate brown; upper tail coverts dull black with ashy edgings which have a 

 suggestion of fine black and white undulation; tail slaty brown; outer surface 

 of closed wing (including elongated tertials) slate brown; speculum bright 



