AMERICAN WIGEON. 199 



tricts of the Floridas, and in the Island of Cuba, as I have 

 seen Wigeons in the peninsula in single pairs, in the begin- 

 ning of May."'"' 



Dr. Townsend states that it is abundant on the Columbia 

 River ; and Dr. Richardson obtained it as far north as the 

 Saskatchewan, in May 1827. 



In Mr. Bartlett''s bird the beak is black ; the irides hazel ; 

 behind the eye a green streak passing backward ; forehead 

 and top of the head dull white ; neck, cheeks, and occiput, 

 pale brownish-white, freckled with black, the occipital fea- 

 thers a little elongated ; upper part of the back, the scapulars, 

 and part of the wing-coverts reddish-brown, each feather 

 crossed with minute zigzag blackish lines, some of the elon- 

 gated scapulars falling over the wing-coverts ; lower part of 

 the back hair-brown ; upper tail-coverts brown, barred with 

 pale brown ; tail-feathers uniform brown, slightly elongated 

 and pointed ; wing-coverts white, slightly varied with brown ; 

 the greater coverts tipped with black ; the primaries uniform 

 brown ; the outer webs of the secondaries forming a green 

 speculum, tipped with black ; outer web of the tertials black- 

 ish-brown, inner web hair-brown ; lower part of the neck in 

 front reddish-brown, extending along under the wing to the 

 flanks, which are barred with dark lines ; breast, belly, and 

 vent white ; under tail-coverts brownish-black ; legs, toes, 

 and their membranes dark brown. The whole length nine- 

 teen inches. From the carpal joint to the end of the wing 

 ten inches ; the second quill-feather the longest in the wing, 

 but the first almost as long. 



Wilson says " the female has the whole head and neck 

 yellowish-white, thickly speckled with black, very little rufous 

 on the breast ; the back is dark brown. The young males, 

 as usual, very much like the females during the first season, 

 and do not receive their full plumage until the second year. 



