RIVER DUCKS 89 



incubation and were situated in a nest composed of grass, lined 

 with down, which was placed near the edge of a rush bordered 

 slough. Similar nesting sites in meadows and marshes near 

 some body of fresh water are usually selected In migration 

 they occur in small flocks of three or four to ten or twelve in 

 September and October, and again along the coast in April. 

 Their food is similar to that of the Blue-winged Teal. 



Genus QUERQUEDULA Stephens. 



A 



140. Querqiiedida dlscors (Linn.). Blue-winged Teal. 



Plumage of adult male : lesser and middle wing coverts grayish blue ; end 

 of greater wing coverts white ; speculum green ; feathers of the fuscous back 

 marked with curves of buff ; black on chin and at sides of bill ; crown dusky ; 

 a wide white band, bordered behind with black, crossing front of head ; head 

 and neck otherwise dull plumbeous with glossy piu-ple on sides of occiput ; 

 below pale chestnut, spotted with black. Plumage of adult female and adult 

 male in breeding season : dusky above with huffy bars; the fuscous crown 

 grayish margined ; head, neck and under parts dull pale brownish white, 

 more or less spotted or streaked with dusky ; speculum deeper green ; other- 

 wise similar to previous plumage. Immature plumage : belly pale, dull, buff 

 white, unspotted ; speculum a dull grayish non-metallic brown. Wing 7.00 

 to 7.65 ; culmen 1.52 ; tarsus 1.25. 



Geog. Dist. — Chiefly eastern North America, but also north to Alaska, 

 breeding from North Dakota, Kansas, northern Ohio and Maine (rarely), 

 northward ; wintering south to the West Indies, Lower California, and 

 northern South America. 



County Records. — Androscoggin ; fairly common migrant, (Johnson). 

 Aroostook; one specimen, it should occur regularly however, (Knight). 

 Cumberland; common, (Brock). Franklin; rare migrant, (Richards). 

 Hancock; occasional in fall at least, (Knight). Kennebec; (Dill). Knox; 

 rare migrant, (Rackliff). Oxford; quite common, (Nash). Penobscot; 

 seemingly quite a rare migrant, (Knight). Piscataquis : rare, (Homer) ; one 

 at Milo about September 21, 1897, (Cooper). Sagadahoc; common spring 

 and fall, (Spinney) ; flocks of fifty, one hundred and even two hundred seen 

 in September, 1904, in Merrymeeting Bay, (Noble). Somerset ; common 

 migrant, (Morrell). Waldo; a few at least occur, (Knight), Washington; 

 common, breeds, (Boardman). 



The known breeding range of this little Duck in Maine seems 



to be only within the limits of Washington County, where it is 



in all probability not a common breeding bird at present, what 



