130 AMERICAN WIGEON. 



glossy green, gold and purple : that, chin, and sides of 

 the neck before, as far as the green extends, dull yel- 

 lowish-white, thickly speckled with black : breast and 

 hind part of the neck hoary bay, running in under 

 the wings, where it is crossed with fine waving lines 

 of black : whole belly white : vent black : back and 

 scapulars black, beautifully crossed with undulating 

 lines of bay : lower part of the back more dusky : 

 tail-coverts long, pointed, whitish, waved as the 

 back : tail pointed, brownish-ash, the two middle 

 feathers an inch longer than the rest, and tapering : 

 shoulder of the wing brownish-ash : wing-coverts im- 

 mediately below white, forming a large spot : prima- 

 ries brownish-ash ; middle secondaries black, glossed 

 with green, forming the speculum : tertials black, 

 edged with white, between which and the speculum 

 several of the secondaries are white. The female has 

 the entire head and neck yellowish-white, thickly 

 speckled with black, very little rufous on the breast : 

 the back is dark brown. The young males are very 

 much like the females during the first season, and do 

 not receive their full plumage until the second year. 

 Common in North America, extending to the 

 southward, over the West India islands, as far as 

 Cayenne, but most abundant in Carolina, where they 

 frequent the rice plantations : are seldom seen during 

 the daytime, but towards evening they make their 

 appearance, uttering a peculiar whistling noise, or 

 whew whew: they feed in company, and are very de- 

 structive to the rice plantations, particularly during 

 the rainy season : they lay from six to eight eggs : 

 the female sits about January, and in March the 



