NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 65 



ened secondaries. The head and upper neck of the male are rich 

 chestnut, blackening on the chin with a glossy green patch behind each 

 eye. There is a white crescent in front of the wing. The female 

 differs in the head markings, but those of the wing are the same. It 

 is a well-known and highly esteemed game bird. The nest is placed 

 on the ground, in a thick growth of grass, and is essentially the same 

 as that of the Blue-winged Teal. 



The eggs are from five to eight in number, greenish-buff in color, 

 usually ovoidal in shape, sometimes nearly oval, and vary in size from 

 1.73 to 1.90 long by 1.22 to 1.32 broad. 



140. Anas discors LINN. [609.] 



Blue-winged Teal. 



Hab. North America, but chiefly the Eastern Province; north to Alaska and south to the West Indies 

 and Northern South America. 



A beautiful little duck, inhabiting North America in general, 

 but chiefly the Eastern portions. During the breeding seasons it is 

 found in the same localities as the Green-wing, but is more abundant 

 in the northern tier of States at that season than the latter. This Duck 

 feeds chiefly upon vegetable matter, and its flesh is tender and luscious. 

 It may be known by its small size, blue wings and narrow bill. The 

 feet are yellowish. The male has a white, crescent-shaped spot in front 

 of the eye. The female is brown throughout, with the feathers edged 

 with whitish which becomes prominent below. The nest is made on the 

 ground, in a thick patch or tussock of grass, usually in meadows, the 

 border of ponds or streams and swampy places. It is composed of soft 

 pieces of grass and weeds, lined with down and feathers from the breast 

 of the bird. 



The eggs are greenish or buff, lighter in color than those of the 

 Green-winged Teal ; they vary from ovate to ovoidal, and are sometimes 

 nearly oval in shape ; six to ten and twelve in number, and vary in size 

 from 1.30 to 1.35 broad by 1.90 to 1.95 long. 



141. Anas cyanoptera VIEILL. [610.] 



Cinnamon Teal. 



Hab. Western America, from the Columbia River south to Chili, Patagonia and Falkland Islands; east 

 in North America to the Rocky Mountains; casual in the Mississippi Valley. 



This pretty South American Teal is abundant in the United States 

 west of the Rocky Mountains, and breeds anywhere in this range ; Col- 

 orado, Utah, Nevada, California, Idaho, Oregon, etc. In the adult male 

 the head, neck and under parts are rich chestnut, the wing coverts are 

 sky-blue, as in the Blue-winged Teal. The speculum is green and is 

 set between the white tips of the greater coverts and the secondaries. 



