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place, they would dexterously rise, as if expecting to hear the lead 

 whistle around them. 



There is no great difference in the male and the female. The 

 former is rather larger, the plumage darker, and the leauty spot on 

 the wing brighter. Their voice in general resembles the domestic 

 Duck, but at times they have been heard to give utterance to a 

 loud whistling note. When at Niagara, I was informed that on 

 the I6th of October, 1840, eighty -three Dusky Ducks were killed by 

 flying into the Falls. They were picked up by the boatmen in at- 

 tendance at the ferry, a short distance below the Falls. I was told 

 that in foggy weather, this is not an unusual occurrence. In the 

 Museum at that place, a number of birds were pointed out to me, 

 that lost their lives by alighting a short distance from the precipice, 

 and before they could rise, were carried over and killed. 



ANAS STREPERA— LINN. 



GADVVALL. 



Anas strrpera, Wils. Amcr. Orn. 



Anad siiC|i('rii, Donap. iiyii. 



Anas (GhaulioiJiis) stn |)cra. Gadwal!, Sw. & Rich. 



G.iiiwali, or (jray Uuck, Nuit. Man. 



Gadvvail Dutk, Anas iircjJiTa, Aud. Orn. Biog. 



Specific Character — Speculum white ; secondary coverts black ; 

 upper wing coverts chestnut red ; general plumage dusky gray, 

 waved with white; abdomen whi e. Adult with the bill bluish- 

 black ; head and upper part of the neck gray, streaked with dusky 

 ■ — darkest on the upper part of the head, as well as the middle space 

 on the hind neck ; lower neck, upper part of the breast and fore 

 part of the back blackish-broAvn, the leathers marked with semi- 

 circular bands of white — more distinctly on the fore part of the 

 neck and upper part of the breast ; sides of the body pencilled with 

 grayish-white and dusky ; lower part of the breast and abdomen 

 white, the latter barred with dusky toward the vent; lower and up- 

 per tail coverts and sides of the rump grecriish-black ; tail grayish- 

 brown, margined with white; hind part of the back dark brown, 



