Species XIV. AN-AS PERSPICILLATA. 



BLACK, OR SURF DUCK. 



[Plate LXVII. Fig. 1.] 



Le grande Macreuse de la Baye de Hudson, Briss. vi., p. 425, 30. — La Macreuse d 

 large bee, Buff, is., p. 244. — PL Enl. 995. — Edw. pi. 155. — Lath. Syn. in., p. 

 479.— Phil. Trans. Lxii., p. 417.* 



This Duck is peculiar to America, and altogether confined to the 

 shores and bays of the sea, particularly where the waves roll over the 

 sandy beach. Their food consists principally of those small bivalve 

 shell fish already described, spout fish, and others that lie in the sand 

 near its surface. For these they dive almost constantly, both in the 

 sandy bays and amidst the tumbling surf. They seldom or never visit 

 the salt marshes. They continue on our shores during the winter ; and 

 leave us early in May for their breeding places in the north. Their 

 skins are remarkably strong, and their flosh coarse, tasting of fish. 

 They are shy birds, not easily approached, and are common in winter 

 along the whole coast from the river St. Lawrence to Florida. 



The length of this species is twenty inches, extent thirty-two inches ; 

 the bill is yellowish red, elevated at the base, and marked on the side 

 of the upper mandible with a large square patch of black, preceded by 

 another space of a pearl color ; the part of the bill thus marked swells 

 or projects considerably from the common surface ; the nostrils are 

 large and pervious ; the sides of the bill broadly serrated or toothed ; 

 both mandibles are furnished with a nail at the extremity ; irides white, 

 or very pale cream ; whole plumage a shining black, marked on the 

 crown and hind head with two triangular spaces of pure white ; the 

 plumage on both these spots is shorter and thinner than the rest ; legs 

 and feet blood red ; membrane of the webbed feet black, the primary 

 quills are of a deep dusky brown. 



On dissection the gullet was found to be gradually enlarged to the 

 gizzard, which was altogether filled with broken shell fish. There was 

 a singular hard expansion at the commencement of the windpipe; and 

 another much larger about three-quarters of an inch above where it 

 separates into the two lobes of the lungs ; this last was larger than a 

 Spanish hazel-nut, flat on one side and convex on the other. The 



* Anas perspkillata, Gmel. Syst. i., p. 524, No. 25. — hid. Orn. p. 847, No. 42. 

 Vol. III.— 7 (97) 



