312 lewis's AMERICAN SPORTSMAN. 



DESCRIPTION. 



" The widgeon, or bald-pate, measures twenty-two inches in 

 length and thirty inches in extent ; the bill is of a slate-color : the 

 nail black ; the front and crown cream-colored, sometimes nearly 

 white, the feathers inflated; from the eye backwards to the middle 

 of the neck behind extends a band of deep, glossy green, gold, and 

 purple ; throat, chin, and sides of the neck before, as far as the 

 green extends, dull yellowish-white, thickly speckled with black; 

 breast and hind-part of the neck hoary bay, running in under the 

 wings, where it is crossed with fine waving lines of black ; whole 

 belly white; vent black; back and scapulars black, thickly and 

 beautifully crossed with undulating lines of vinous bay ; lower part 

 of the back more dusky; tail-coverts long, pointed, whitish, crossed 

 as the back ; tail pointed, brownish ash ; the two middle feathers 

 an inch longer than the rest, and tapering ; shoulder of the wing 

 brownish ash ; wing-coverts, immediately below, white, forming a 

 large spot ; primaries brownish ash ; middle secondaries black, 

 glossed with green, forming the speculum; tertials black, edged 

 with white, between which and the beauty-spot several of the 

 secondaries are white. 



" 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. They are also subject to a regular 

 change every spring and autumn." 



This fowl, it will be seen, resembles the English widgeon, 

 whewer, or whim, both in appearance and habits. The American 

 variety is, perhaps, a little heavier, and the plumage richer. 

 Widgeons do not feed much during the day, but remain listlessly 

 on the sand-flats or hidden among the herbage of the marshes ; but 

 as soon as night comes they are in motion, and may be heard repair- 

 ing in considerable numbers to the various feeding-grounds which 

 they are wont to frequent. These fowl are very abundant on the 



