370 



DAFILA ACUTA (Bonat). 



THE PINTAIL : SPRIGTAIL. 



Specific Character. — Head and upper half of neck hair brown or j^rayish 

 umber, the upper surface darker, often inclininfj to deep burnt umber ; all the 

 feathers appreciably darker centrally, producing an indistinctly and minutely 

 speckled appearance. On each side of the occiput the brown has a distinctly 

 metallic gloss of dull green, showing a faint purple reflection in some lights. 

 Upper half of the nape opaque intense black, separated from the brown by an 

 upward extension of the white of the lower neck nearly to the occiput. Stripe 

 on each side of the nape as described above, lower half of the neck frontally and 

 laterally, jugulum, breast and abdomen, immaculate white. Lower half of the 

 nape with entire dorsal region and lateral lower parts finely waved with trans- 

 verse rather zigzag lines of black and white of nearly equal width. Longer 

 scapulars opaque, velvety black centrally, edged broadly with grayish white ; 

 outer scapulars with exposed ends of their outer webs entirely velvety .black. 

 Tertials silvery ash with a medial stripe of intense velvety black. Speculum dull 

 green varying to dull bronzy purple with a subterminal bar of velvety black and 

 a tip of white. Wing coverts very uniform brownish gray, the last row broadly 

 tipped with cinnamon rufous. Primaries dull slaty. Upper tail coverts with 

 outer webs black ; inner ones grayish white; lower coveits deep opaque velvety 

 black, the exterior row with their outer webs white ; post femoral space delicate 

 cream colour. Tail feathers dark cinereous edged with white, the elongated 

 middle pair uniform deep black. Bill, plumbeous blue ; the ungui, base, and strip 

 along the culmen, black ; iris, brown ; feet, dusky. Female quite different, being 

 of a general grayish colour and lacking the long central tail feathers. 



Total length about 26.00 inches ; extent, 36.00 ; wing, 10.25 ; tail, 7.25 ; 

 culmen, 1.85 to 2 ; tarsus, 1.55 ; middle toe, 2. 



Habitat. — The whole of North America, Europe. Breeding chiefly far 

 north ; migrating south in winter as far as Panama. The distribution of the 

 Pintail IS quite as extensive as the Mallard, for besides being found throughout 

 North America it is found in Europe. Asia, (Ceylon, China, etc.,) Africa. It is a 

 migrant going to the far north in the spring to breed, laying eight or nine eggs 

 as a setting. It is one of the handsomest of our ducks as well as one of the best 

 for the table. It is quite abundant during the spring and fall migration in On- 

 tario and a few pairs are said to breed at the St. Clair Flats. On account of its. 

 very swift flight it is considered one of the most difiicult ducks to shoot. 



