BIRDS — ANAIINAE— MAEECA AMERICANA. 



783 



A siiecimen of this bird from Illinois, otherwise similar, is entirely without chestnut red on 



the wing. 



List of specimens. 



Locality. 



Eastern United States.., 



Rabbit river, Minn 



Tremont, III 



Pecos, Texas , 



Miinbres to Rio Grande. 



Janes, i>lex , 



San Josd^ Cal 



Bodega, Cal , 



San Francisco, Cal 



Fort Steilacooni 



When col- 

 lected. 



June 23, 1855 

 May 23,lb55 



April — , 1855 



Feb. —,1855 

 Mar. — , 1854 

 Feb. — , 1854 



Whence obtained. 



S. F. Baird 



Gov. Stevens 



W.J. Shaw 



Capt. Pope 



Dr. Henry 



Major Emory 



A. J. Grayson 



Lieut. Trowbridge. , 



Lieut. Whipple 



Gov. Stevens 



Orig. 



No. 



Collected by— 



Dr. Suckley.. 



Dr. Kennerly. 

 T. A.Szabo... 

 Dr. Suckley... 



19,50 



Stretch 

 of wings. 



Wing. 



34.50 



MARECA, Stephens. 



Mareca, Stephens, Shaw's Gen. Zool. XII, ii, 1824, 130. Type Mnas penelope, L. 

 Penelope, Kahp, 1829. 



Ch.— Bill shorter tlian the head, and equal to the inner toe claw. The sides parallel to near the end, which is rather obtusely 

 pointed, the nail occupying the tip, and about one-lhird as broad aa the bill. Bill rather high ; the upper lateral angle at 

 the base not prominent, nor extending as far back as the lower edge. Tail pointed ; not half the wings. 



The North American and European species of Mareca have the upner parts finely waved 

 transversely with black and gray or reddish brown, the under parts, with the usual exceptions, 

 snowy white. The top of the head is uniform white or cream color ; the neck more or less 

 spotted. The middle and greater coverts are white, the latter tipped with black. The 

 speculum is greL'n, encircled by black. The tertials are black on the outer web, edged with 

 hoary white ; the entire outer web of one of them hoary. The characteristics of the species are 

 as follows : 



Head and neck grayish, the feathers of the former thickly spotted, of the latter banded with 

 black. Top of head nearly white ; a broad and continuous patcli of green around and behind 

 the eye... A , M. americana. 



Head and neck reddish brown or .cinnamon, the feathers of the former slightly spotted with 

 dusky, of the latter almost uniformly colored. Top of head cream colored ; only a fiiint trace 

 of green around the eje, and a few spots behind it 31. penelope. 



MARECA AMERICANA, Stephens. 

 Baldpate ; American Widgeon. 



Jinas americana, G.melin, Syst. Nat. I, 1788, 526.— Lath. Ind. II, 861.— Wilson, Am. Orn. VIII, 1814, 86 ; pi. 



Ixix.— Bon. Obs. No. 259.— Add. Orn. Biog. IV, 1838, 337 ; pi. 345.— Ib. Syn. 1839, 279.— 



Ib. Birds Amer. VI, 1843, 259 ; pi. 389. 

 Mareca americana, Steph. Shaw's Gen. Zool. XII, ii, 1824, 135. — Siv. F. Bor. Am. II, 1831, 445. — Bon. List, 



1838.— Etton, Mon. Anat. 1838, 116. 

 JInas (Soschus) americana, Nuttall, Man. II, 1834, 389. 

 Jlmerican widgeon, Penn. II, 567. 



