154 MEXICAN TEAL. 



SIZE of the Common Teal : the upper mandible 

 blue ; the under mandible black : the irides the same, 

 or, according to others, yellow : the head is fulvous, 

 mixed with blackish and glossy greenish-blue : be- 

 tween the beak and eye is a large spot of white : the 

 neck and body white, sprinkled with black dots, espe- 

 cially on the breast : the scapulars and upper tail- 

 coverts the same : under tail-coverts and wing-coverts 

 blue, the last with a white band ; the greater coverts, 

 farthest from the body, dusky : the quills black ; some 

 of the middle ones outwardly green, with fulvous tips, 

 forming a band of the last colour across the wing ; 

 the quills nearest the body are white, dotted with 

 black : the tail dusky black, edged with white : the 

 legs pale red. The female differs in having the head, 

 hind part of the neck, back and scapulars, wing- 

 coverts and rump, black ; some of the feathers edged 

 with fulvous, and others with white : the throat, fore 

 part of the neck, breast, and under parts of the body 

 variegated with black and white : the primary quills 

 are black, externally margined with white j the next 

 green on the outer webs, and black within ; and those 

 nearest the body black, outwardly banded with white : 

 tail as in the male : legs cinereous. 



Native of Mexico, Surinam, and other parts of 

 America. 



