784 



U S. p. R. R EXP. AND SURVEYS — ZOOLOGY GENERAL REPORT. 



Sp. Ch. — Male. Tail of 14 feathers. Bill blue, the extreme base and tip black. Head and neck pale bufl", or faint 

 reddish yellow, each feather banded narrowly with bhckish, so as to give the appearance of spots. The top of the head from 

 the bill is pale 'jnspottcd creamy wliite ; the sides of the head from around the eye to tlie nape, glossy green, the feathers 

 however, with hidden spots, as described; chin uniform dusky. Forepart of breast and sides of body light brownish Or 

 chocolate red, each feather with obsolete grayish edge ; rest of under parts pure white ; the crissum abruptly black. The 

 back, scapulars, and rump, finely waved transversely anteriorly with reddish and gray, posteriorly with purer gray, on a brown 

 ground ; a little of the same waving also on the sides. The lesser wing coverts are plain gray ; the middle and greater are 

 conspicuously white, the latter terminated by black, succeeded by a speculum, which is grass green at the base, and then 

 velvet black. The tertials are black on the outer web, bordered narrowly by black, the outermost one hoary gray, externally 

 edged with black. The tail is hoary brown. The upper coverts are black externally. The axillars are white. 



The female has the head and neck somewhat similar, but spotted to the bill. Wings as in the male. The black of 

 tertials replaced by brown ; the gray of the lesser coverts extending slightly over the middle ones. Back and scapulars with 

 rather broad and distant transverse bars of reddish white, each feather with two or three, interrupted along the shafts. These 

 are much wider and mure distant than in the male. Length, 21.75 ; wing, 11 ; tarsus ] 42 ; commissure, 1.80. 



Hab. — Continent of North America. Accidental in Europe. 



The blackish cliin appears to be found only in very highly plumaged birds. The top of 

 the head is sometimes pure white. 



List of specimens. 



Gatal. Sex and 

 No. I age. 



Locality. 



Carlisle, Pa. 

 do 



.do.. 



9704 1. 



9705 !. 



9706 i. 



9715 ;. 

 9717 '. 



9716 I. 



Nelson river, H. B. T. . 



Plane river, K. T 



Head of Delaware creek, 

 N. M. 



Near Bijoux Hills 



El Paso, Texas 



Mimbrcs lo Rio Grande. 



Western Texas 



KiJca Grande, Mexico .. 



San Diego, Cal 



Bodega, Cal 



Fort Steilacnom 



When col- 

 lected. 



Wlieuce obtained. 



Mar. 24,1844 S. F. Baird.. 



April 28,1843 do 



April 10,1841 do 



D. Gunn 



July 11,1856 Lieut. Bryan. 

 iVIar. 24,1856 Capt. Pope .. 



Oct. 14,1856 Lieut. Warren.. 



Maj. Emory , ... 



Dr. Henry 



Capt. Pope 



Mar. — ,1855 Maj Emory.... 



Lt. Trowbridge . 



Dec. —.1854 do 



Gov. Stevens... 



Orig. 

 No. 



Collected by — 



92 



18G 



Jolln Isbister.. 

 W. S. Wood.. 



Dr. II.iydpn. 

 J. H. Clark. 



28 Dr. Kciinerly. 



T. A Szahn. 

 Dr. Suekley .. 



Length. 



21.75 

 20.00 



Stretch 

 of wings. 



33. SO 

 33.50 



21. OO 



34.50 



21.00 30.00 



Wing. 



11.00 

 10.25 



11.25 



Bill blue; tip dark ; 

 eyes dark brown ; 

 feet gray. 



MAKEOA PENELOPE, Bon. 



English Widgeon. 



iAnas penelope, Linn. Syst. Nut I, 1766, 202. — Gm. I, 527. — ^Temm. Man. II, 840. European specimens. Giraud, 



Birds L. Island, 1843, 307, Am. sp. 

 Mareca penelope, Bon. List, 1838. 

 Marcca fistularis, Eiton, iMon. Anat. 1838, 118. 



Pp. Ch. — Similar to M. ameiicana. Head and neck reddish brown, without bars ; a very small green patch round the eye. 

 Length, 20 ; wing, 10.60; tarsus, 1.52; commissure, 1,64. 



Hab. — Old World. Accidental on the Atlantic coast of United States. Greenland. 



The European widgeon is so frequently shot along the Atlantic American coast as to be justly 

 considered as belonging to our fauna, and not as a mere straggler. Every year a few specimens 

 are found in the New York market, shot chiefly along the coast of Virginia, Carolina, and 



