THE AMERICAN WIGEON. 



Family ANA TIDsE. 



AMERICAN WIGEON. 



Mareca americana, GMEL. 



THIS Duck, which is best known on the other side of the Atlantic as the 

 Bald-Pate, is distributed over the whole of the American Continent, from 

 the Arctic Ocean to Mexico, Guatemala, Cuba, and the West Indies, and it breeds 

 nearly throughout its range. 



The American Wigeon has occurred twice in the British Islands, and perhaps 

 more frequently without recognition. The first occurrence on record is an adult 

 male, now in Mr. J. H. Gurney's collection, and was purchased in the winter of 

 1837-38, in Leadenhall market, by Mr. Bartlett, formerly the superintendent of 

 the Zoological Gardens, in Regent's Park. The last is a young male purchased 

 in the Leeds market, in the winter of 1895-6, and now in the possession of Sir 

 R. Payne-Gallwey. This bird was traced to Ireland, having been forwarded in a 

 consignment of wild-fowl from that country. 



In the adult American Wigeon the head and neck are greyish, the former 

 with the feathers thickly spotted and the latter barred with black ; top of the 

 head nearly white ; a broad and continuous patch of green around and behind the 

 eye; this green patch seems to be much mo're pronounced in the American than in 

 the English bird. I have, however, an example of M. penelope in which the 

 bronze-green patch covers nearly the whole side of the head, and is quite as large 

 as in the fully matured American bird. The blackish chin in the American 

 Wigeon, and the same applies to the European, is only found in very highly 

 plumaged birds. 



The female American Wigeon is very much like the European, but may be 

 known by its velvet-black alar bar. Young in first plumage have a metallic alar 

 speculum. 



VOL IV. 



