378 



QUERQUEDULA DISCORS (Stephens). 



THE BLUE- WINGED TEAL. 



Specific Character. — Male. — Head and neck dull plumbeous, slightly glossed with 

 lavender purple on the side of the occiput and nape, and marked in front of the eyes 

 by a large crescentic patch of white extending entirely across the anterior portion 

 of the head; pileum, chin, and feathers bordering the white patches, blackish; 

 lower parts pale reddish thickly spotted with black ; the crissum uniform black ; 

 back and anterior scapulars dusky marked with crescentic or U shaped bars of 

 pale reddish buff ; lesser wing coverts and some of the outer webs of some of the 

 larger scapulars, blue ; middle coverts white for the exposed portion forming a 

 bar across the wing ; speculum bronzy green, dusky terminally, with a very nar- 

 row white tip ; tertials black with a central stripe of buff ; a white patch at the 

 base of the tail on each side ; axillars immaculate pure white ; bill uniform black; 

 iris brown ; feet yellowish. Female. — Wings only d.s in the male ; upper parts 

 dusky, the feathers bordered with dull buff; rest of the body brownish gray. 



Total length about 16.00 inches; extent about 25.00; wing, 7.00 ; culmen, 

 1.50j tarsus, 1.20 ; middle toe 1.40. 



Habitat. — North America in general but chiefly the eastern Province. North 

 to Alaska, south to Ecuador and throughout West Indies. Accidental in Europe. 

 The Blue-winged Teal is rarely met with north of 60" north latitude and is not 

 found throughout the whole Pacific coast. It is a very common duck throughout 

 Ontario and breeds plentifully in the southern counties although not nearly so 

 much so as in former years. It arrives here early in the spring, and is apparently 

 mated when it reaches here. It makes its nest along the side of a ditch, in a grain 

 field, fence corner, or other locality convenient to water, and lays from 8 to 12 

 eggs of a pale green colour. Whenever the female leaves the nest she invariably 

 covers the eggs with down, grasses, etc. It begins its migration south about the 

 middle of September and reaches the southern border of Ontario about the 20th, 

 when formerly large bags were made during the day or two when the Teal drop- 

 ped down to feed or rest. Its food consists of wild oats and rice, small shell fish,, 

 and insects. This bird is considered very fine for the table. 



