86 KEPOET OF XEW JERSEY STATE MUSEUM. 



146 Marila americana (Eyton). 



Redhead. 



Adult male. — Length, 17-21. Wing, 8.50-9.25. Head and upper neck, en- 

 tirely bright chestnut red ; lower neck, breast and shoulders, black ; back and 

 sides narrowly vermiculated with black and white ; upper tail-coverts, dusky ; 

 under surface, white ; crissum, dusky ; wings, gray : greater coverts lighter, 

 some of them edged with black. 



Adult female. — Above, dull grayish-brown, brighter on head, neck and sides ; 

 breast, dusky ; abdomen, white ; brownish posteriorly ; wings as in the male ; 

 chin, whitish. 



Regular transient, and occasional in midwinter, but somewhat vari- 

 able in its abundance. Rarely seen on the Delaware. Plentiful on 

 Barnegat Bay (Justice), but not common at Cape May (Hand). 

 Occurs from October to March. 



147 Marila vallisneria (Wilson). 



Canvas-back. 



PLATE 10. 



Adult »>!«??.— Length, 20-23. Wing. 8.75-9.25. Similar to the Redhead, but 

 top of head, lores and chin, dusky ; back and sides very much whiter, and under 

 surface grayer, due to scattered dusky specks and wavy lines ; bill very dif- 

 ferent ; longer and sloping gradually from far up on the forehead. 



Adult female. — Differs from female Redhead in lighter back ; grayer under 

 surface and darker crown. Bills differ as in males. 



Transient, but not common. Shot mainly on Barnegat Bay. Mr. 

 W. W. Justice, Jr., took one there on November 14th, 1906; another 

 was shot October 25th, 1907, at Manahawkin,^ and Dr. Braislin re- 

 ports another January 25th, 1909. 



I have no recent records for the Delaware River, although in Wil- 

 son's time it was frequent from Burlington to Eagle Point. He also 

 describes a wonderful congregation of these birds which assembled on 

 Great Egg Harbor Bay when a vessel loaded with wheat was wrecked. 

 Two hundred and forty were killed in one day, though the species had 

 scarcely been seen there before. 



At Cape May Mr. Hand tells me that not more than two or three 

 have been killed in his experience. 



Oldys, Auk, 1908, p. 80. 



