■ a-(j-a-u-a-a-a-i. 



Vol. I. 



^yipril, 1901. 



JVo. 4- 



WOOD DUCK. 



A.. O. \/.JWo. 14-4-. (Aejc jponsa.) 



RANGE. 



From Hudson Bay to Gulf of Mexico, and from the Atlantic to the Pa- 

 cific. They breed practically throughout their range. 



DESCRIPTION. 



Male. — Length, i8 inches; extent, 28 inches; tail 4.5 inches. Bill. — 

 Tip black; oblong spot of white between nostril and lip; remainder pur- 

 plish red, changing to scarlet back of nostril, and outlined at the base with 

 yellow. Legs and feet, olive yellow; webs dusk)'. Eyelid and eye, red. 



Forehead and crest, green and purple metallic hues. A v. bite line ex- 

 tends from bill, over eye to end of crest; also one from back of eye to base 

 of crest. Cheeks, violet and purple. Side and back of neck, violet 

 green, as is also the back and tail. The white on throat extends, in a 

 crescent, across base of neck and also back of cheek to the eye. 



Wings chiefly black with metallic greenish reflections. Outer webs of 

 primaries white. Ends of secondaries tipped with white. Breast pur- 

 plish chestnut, this color extending nearly to the back of the neck. 



Breast dotted with V shaped white spots which grow larger as they ap- 

 proach the belly. There is a crescent of white, bordered by black on the 

 lower side, extending across the shoulder. Sides buffy, crossed by fine 

 wavy black lines, the feathers on the upper and outer edges being edged 

 with a broad band of black and white. On each side of the rump is a 

 patch of purple excepting the last three or four feathers which are orange. 



Female. — Length, 17 inches; extent, 26 inches. Legs, a yellowish 

 brown. Eyelids, yellow. Eve, reddish brown. Forehead, space about 

 the eye and throat, white. Head, crest, rump, back', and tail brownish 



