16 Contributions from the Charleston Museum. 



Goose Creek, a few miles north of Charleston, and, at almost 

 every bend of that historic stream, numbers were to be seen during 

 the years of 1882, 1883, 1884, and 1885. 



I do not think the species is as abundant now as it was fifteen 

 years ago. 



41. Nettion carolinensis (Gmel.). Green-winged Teal. 

 The Green-winged Teal is a very abundant winter visitant on 



the rice plantations, and is capable of enduring severe cold. The 

 winter of 1886 will long be remembered on account of the in- 

 tensely cold weather which prevailed for a week in January, the 

 thermometer registering as low as 8° F. between January 11 and 

 14. On January 14, I obtained many specimens which were 

 sitting on the ice in a reservoir. This species migrates very much 

 earlier in the spring than the Blue-winged Teal. It is one of the 

 best ducks for the table. 



The great majorit}^ of these ducks breed far to the northward 

 of 49° north latitude. 



42. Querquedula discors (Linn.). Blue-winged Teal. 

 This winter visitant arrives earlier in autumn than any other 



duck, and departs later. My earliest autumn record is Septem- 

 ber 19, 1884, when I procured a specimen on Sullivan's Island. 

 Few of these teal remain in South Carolina when the weather 

 is very severe, as they appear to be susceptible to severe 

 cold. 



The female of this species very closely resembles the female of 

 the Cinnamon Teal (Q. cyanoptera), and it is not always 

 possible to separate them with certainty. I took a female 

 on April 12, 1904, which closely resembles the female of ci/anop- 

 tera in having the entire under parts very heavily washed with 

 reddish, and the abdomen distinctly spotted, though the bill is 

 much too short for djanoptera. 



43. Querquedula cyanoptera (Vieill.). Cinnamon Teal. 

 Mr. William Brewster has shown* that the bird that I recorded- 



as a representative of this species is really the Blue-winged Teal 

 {Q. discors) . Upon verifying some ducks in the Charleston Museum 

 recently, J noticed a specimen^ bearing the following label, "Blue- 



^Auk, XXIV, 1907, 157. 'Ibid, XXII, 1905, 396. 'Spec. No. 130. 



