Birds of Pennsylvania. 



11 



of the small coleopters, called Donatias^ which are seen so nimbly 

 flying over or resting on the leaves of the Pond lily {NymphcBa)\ they 

 are therefore very alert in quest of their prey, or they could never 

 capture the wary insects." 



In some twenty odd examinations that I have made of these birds, 

 which were killed in Florida in March and April, 1885, I found only 

 vegetable substances, consisting chiefly of various small seeds, had 

 been fed upon. 



Genus AYTHYA. Boie. 



146. Ajrthya americana (Eyt). 



Red-head. 



Description. 



Bill as long as the head, broad, blue, the end black ; the region anterior to the nos- 

 trils dusky; head, and neck for more than half its length, brownish-red, glossed 

 above and behind vi^ith violaceous-red ; rest of neck and body anterior to the shoul- 

 ders, lower part of back and tail coverts, black ; beneath white, sprinkled with gray 

 and black anterior to the crissum ; the sides, interscapulars and scapulars finely lined 

 with undulating black and white in nearly equal proportions, imparting a general 

 gray tint; wing coverts bluish-gray, finely sprinkled with whitish; the speculum, 

 consisting of the ends of the secondaries, hoary grayish-blue, lightest externally, 

 and the innermost narrowl3r edged with black ; ba.sal jiortion of inner primaries 

 somewhat similar to the speculum ; tail of fourteen feathers ; iris orange-yellow. 



This species, with a strong resemblance to the Canvas-back, is readily distin- 

 guished bj' the shorter, broader bill, absence of brown on the head, and a greater 

 predominance of black in the waved lines ; this being equal in amount to the white 

 instead of much less. Female with the head, neck and forepart of body brownish ; 

 the region round the base of the bill whitish. 



Length of male, 20.50 inches; wing 9.50 ; tarsus, 1.60; commissure, 2..30 inches. 



Hah. — North America ; breeding from California and Maine northward. 



This handsome bird, frequently confounded by sportsmen and others 

 with the Canvas-back, is oftentimes to be found about our larger 

 streams during the winter season. The Canvas-back, on the other 

 hand, I have observed in this region only as a casual visitant on mi- 

 grations. 



Some few years ago, while hunting along the Brandywine creek, 

 near West Chester, Pa., I suddenly came upon a party of thirteen 



