SUBFAMIL y ANA TINM. 



281 



C. Throat and abdomen white. 



BLUE-WINGED 

 TEAL. 



Q. discors. $ 



D. Throat deep buflf. Abdomen rufous, mot- 

 tled with black. 



CINNA.MON TEAL. 



Q. cyanop- 

 tera. 9 



GENUS NETTION 



(Greek v^ttlov, neftion, a duckling, dim. of virra, netta, a duck). 



Nettion, Kaup. Natiirl. Syst., 1829, p. 95. Type Anas crecca, 

 Linn. 



Bill two-thirds as long as the head, much longer than tarsus, 

 slender, slightly narrowing toward the tip; greatest width one- 

 third the length of culmen. Head not crested. 



About a dozen species of this genus are distributed throughout 

 the world, of which only one is indigenous to North America. 

 The European Green-winged Teal, a close ally and easily con- 

 founded with the North American species, occasionally straggles 

 into our limits, perhaps more frequently than is supposed, as the 

 ordinary observer would not notice any difference between them. 

 Both .species go in flocks of considerable size, and have a swift, 

 erratic flight. 



KEY TO THE SPECIES. 



A. A broad crescentic white band in front of 

 wing on either side of breast. No white 

 on scapulars. 



B. No crescentic white band in front of wing. 

 Scapulars margined with white or buffy 

 white. 



There appear to be no characters for distin- 

 guishing the females of the two species from 

 each other. 



AMERICAN 



GREEN-WINGED 



TEAL. 



N. carolinen- 

 sis. 5 



EUROPEAN 



GREEN-WINGED 



TEAL. 



N. crecca. 5 



