A.NATIDJi— THE 8\VA.\B, GEESE, AND DUCKS. 185 



abruptly downward and backward, so as to be Invisible from above; tall more than half as 

 lone as the wings, much enuluated. consisting of eighteen very stiff, narrow feathers, with 

 the shafts strong and rigid, and grooved undernpath. toward the base; the fciil-oovorts 

 extremely short, sciirc-ly covering the base of the tail; wings very short, and very con- 

 cave beneath, t he primaries scarcely or not at all est nding beyond the tertials; tarsus 

 very short, much less than one halt as iong as the longest toe. 



Only one species, the common Rudd}'^ Duck {E. rubida) occurs 

 in North America. 



Erismatura rubida (Wils.) 



RIJDDY DUCK. 



Popular synonyms. Spine-tailed Duck; Heavy-tailed Duck; Quill-tail Coot. Stiff-tail. 



Brisile-tail; Rook. or Rook Duck (Potomac River), Sleepy Duok,Slcopy Coot, Sleepy 



Brothe : Fool Duck, Deaf Duck, Shot-pouch, Daub Duck, Stub-and-twist. Booby 



Coot, Batter Scoot. B:ather-scoot.eto.,etc.; 'Pato zambullidorde pico azul (Mexico). 



Anns rubida Wils. Am. Orn. viii. 1814, 128, 131 pi. 71, flg. 5, 6. 



Fuligula (Gymnura) rubida NuTT. Man. ii, 1831, t26. 



Fuligula rubida Sw. & Rich. F. B.-A ii. 1831, 455.— Aup. Orn. Blog. iv. 1838.326; pi. 



343; Synop. 1839. 238: B. Am. vi. 1843. 324. pi. 399. 

 Erismatura rubida Bonap. Comp. List. 1838. 59— Baird. B. N. Am. 1858. 811; Cat. N. 

 Am. B. 1859, No. 609.— CouES, Key. 1872, 295; Cheek List, 1873, No. 519; 2d ed. 1882. 

 No. 741; Bh-ds N. W. 1874, 583.— Hknsh. ZooI. Wheeler's Exp. 1875. 483.— Ripow. 

 Orn. 40th Par. 1877. 626; Nom.N. Am. B. 1881. No. 634; Man. N. Am. B. 1887. 113.— 

 B. B. & R. Water B. N. Am. 11. 1884. 101.— A. O. U. Check List. 1886. No. 167. 

 Anas jamaicensis Oed. ed. Wils. viii. 1825, 138. 

 Hab. The whole of North America, breeding nearly throughout its range, which ex- 

 tends south to Guatemala and Colombia; Cuba and other West India islands. 



Sp. Cbab. Adult male, full plumage: Pileum and upper half of the nape uniform 

 black; entire side of the head, below the eyes, including the malar region and chin, pure 

 white; rest of necR. entire upper parts, sides, ami flanks, rich chestnut-rufous or purplish 

 ferruginous; wing -coverts and middle of the rump dusky grayish brown, minutely mottled 

 With paler; remiges dull brownish dusky; rectrices brownish black, the shafts deep black; 

 lower parts white on the surface, but the concealed portion of all the feathers dark brown- 

 ish gray, showing when the feathers are dlsarmnged. and In midsummer specimens com- 

 plPtely exposed by abrasion of the tips of the feathers; chest strongly washed withfulvous- 

 buff, this sometimes invading the abdomen. Lower tail-coverts entirely white, to the 

 roots of the feathers. "Bill and edge ol the eyelids grayish blue: Iris hazel; feet dull 

 grayish blue, webs inclining to dusky; claws grayish brown" (Audubon). Adult /fvinle: 

 Top of the head, down to below the eyes, and upper parts generally, du-ky grayish brown, 

 minutely freckled with pale grayish fulvous (more reddish on the head); remainder of the 

 hoad dirty grayish white, crossed longitudinally by a stripe of speckled dusky, running from 

 the rictus backward across the aurlculurs, parallel with the lower edge of the brown of the 

 top of the head: neck pale brownish gray, fading gradually into the white of the chin; 

 lower parts, except sides and flanks (which are similar to the abdomen, but darker), as 

 in the adult male, i'oung: Similar to the adult female. JJownu young: Above, dark 

 smoky brown, darker on the head: a whitish spot on each side the back; a brownl^h white 

 stripe beneath the eye, from the bill to near the ooclput: beneath this, a narrower dusky 



* Also. Hickory- head, Greaser, Paddy, Noddy, Paddy-whack, Dinkey, Light- wood knot. 

 Hard-tack, and so forth, adcordlne to the locality or the particular individual who is asked 

 to name the epeolee! See TBUIIBUlil.'a Ham^ ana Portrait$ of Birds. 



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