346 NEW-YORK FAUNA — BIRDS. 



' THE EUROPEAN WIDGEON. 



Anas penelope. 



Altai penelope, Lin. p. 202. Giraud, Birds of Long island, p. 307. 



Characteristics. Mirror green, surrounded by black ; wing-coverts white. Male, black 

 waved with white : head and neck reddish chesnut ; crown cream-color ; 

 no green band ; breast vinaceous ; throat black. Female, dark brown : 

 whole head and neck reddish, sprinkled with black. Length, 20 - 0. 



Description. " Bill narrow, bluish lead-color, tipped with black ; top of the head, from 

 the bill and chin, yellowish cream-color ; rest of the head, and upper part of the neck, bay 

 speckled with black ; breast vinaceous ; belly white ; upper and under tail-coverts black, edged 

 with rufous above and with white beneath ; back, scapulars, and sides under the wings black 

 and white in fine undulated lines ; coverts of the wings dusky brown, with pale edges ; quills 

 dusky ; secondaries green on the outer webs, tipped with black : those next the body have 

 the margins of the outer webs more or less white. Tail cuneiform ; the two middle tail- 

 feathers pointed, and considerably longer than the rest : these are dusky, dashed with cine- 

 reous ; the rest cinereous, edged with rufous brown. Legs and feet dusky lead-color ; the 

 latter small. Length, 20 inches" (Montagu). 



Col. Montagu farther observes, that this species is subject to great variety : in some the 

 forehead is almost white, and the feathers on the back and sides mottled with brown ; the 

 wing-coverts mixed with white : female brown ; the middle of each feather darkest ; fore 

 part of the neck and breast pale brown ; wings and belly like the male. 



Mr. G. N. Lawrence of New-York has noticed, in the work of Mr. Giraud cited above, a 

 specimen shot on Long island, and in an imperfect condition, which appears to be undoubtedly 

 the Widgeon of the eastern continent. He notices the following distinctive marks : " The 

 head rises gradually from the bill, not abruptly as in the American species, and without the 

 black line where it joins the head. The frontal feathers extend on the bill a quarter of an 

 inch, forming an acute angle. Crown reddish cream : other parts of the head and neck 

 bright rufous, plainly sprinkled with small black spots, more numerous adjoining the bill. 

 Throat of a dark rich vinous color, almost black. Crest small, and the green color on the 

 sides of the head confined to the immediate vicinity of the eye. Under wing-coverts ash- 

 grey ; those of ours being white." 



Mr. Audubon seems inclined to the opinion that there is no difference between the American 

 and the European and Asiatic widgeons ; although from " not having traced them through all 

 their gradations," he can not positively assert their identity. . I learn subsequently from Mr. 

 Giraud, that two or three others have been shot on Long island. 



