DUCKS. 77 



but take insects and molluscs on the surface, and 

 their flesh is excellent. 



The Green -winged Teal and the Blue -winged 

 Teal are small Ducks that appear in large flocks 

 during the spring and fall migrations. 



Our most beautifully plumed water -fowl is the 

 Wood Duck (Aix sponsa). It is a small - sized 

 Duck, resplendent in black and white, and bril- 

 liant coppery, purple, green, and chestnut. It is 

 peculiar for nesting in holes in trees. 



When the leaden skies of late fall days cast 

 their sombre hues over our bays, if we approach 

 quietly the sheltered side of an islet or head- 

 land, sailing and diving actively with the Golden- 

 eyes cind Mergansers, we will see another small 

 Duck, much resembling the first, bat with a great 

 puffed, black head, all brilliant with green and 

 purple iridescence. This is the Bufile - head Duck, 

 a purely northern species, that is here only in 

 early winter and spring. 



The Eider Duck is a large bird, two feet in 

 length. The male, in breeding plumage, is white, 

 with the under parts and rump black, and the 

 head washed with green. The females are mottled 

 brown. This is the bird which supplies the 



