SPECIES 25. 



PIED DUCK. 

 [Plate LXIX. Fig. 6.] 



Jlrct. Znol. JVo. 488. LATH. Syn. in, p. 497. PEALE'S Museum, 



No. 2858.* 



THIS is rather a scarce species on our coasts, and is never 

 met with on fresh water lakes or rivers. It is called by some 

 gunners the Sand Shoal Duck, from its habit of frequenting sand 

 bars. Its principal food appears to be shell fish, which it pro- 

 cures by diving. The flesh is dry, and partakes considerably 

 of the nature of its food. It is only seen here during winter; 

 most commonly early in the month of March a few are observ- 

 ed in our market. Of their particular manners, place, or mode 

 of breeding nothing more is known. Latham observes that a 

 pair in the possession of Sir Joseph Banks were brought from 

 Labrador. Having myself had frequent opportunities of exa- 

 mining both sexes of these birds, I find that, like most others, 

 they are subject when young to a progressive change of colour. 

 The full plumaged male is as follows: length twenty inches, 

 extent twenty-nine inches; the base of the bill, and edges of 

 both mandibles for two-thirds of their length, are of a pale 

 orange colour, the rest black, towards the extremity it widens 

 a little in the manner of the Shovellers, the sides there having 

 the singularity of being only a soft, loose, pendulous skin; iri- 

 des dark hazel ; head and half of the neck white, marked along 

 the crown to the hind-head with a stripe of black; the plumage 

 of the cheeks is of a peculiar bristly nature at the points, and 



* Anas Labradora, GMEL. Syst. i, p. 526, No. 97. I*d. Orn. p. 861, Ac. 74. 

 Le Canard Jauscn, PI. Enl. 955. BUFF, ix, p. 174. PEACE'S Museum, No 

 2199, female. 



VO,L. III. 3 B 



