THE AMERICAN WIDGEON. 499 



their form is a long ovoid; and their dimensions average 

 about 2.15 inch in length by 1.50 inch in breadth. 



MARECA, STEPHENS. 



Mareca, STEPHENS, Shaw's Gen. Zool., XII. (1824) 130. (Type Anas Pene- 

 lope, L.) 



Bill shorter than the head, and equal to the inner toe claw ; the sides parallel to 

 near the end, which is rather obtusely pointed, the nail occupying the tip, and about 

 one-third as broad as the bill ; bill rather high ; the upper lateral angle at the base 

 not prominent, nor extending as far back as the lower edge; tail pointed, not half 

 the wings. 



The North-American and European species of Mareca have the upper parts 

 finely waved transversely with black and gray or reddish-brown ; the under parts, 

 with the usual exceptions, snowy-white. The top of the head is uniform white or 

 cream-color; the neck more or less spotted; the middle and greater coverts are 

 white, the latter tipped with black; the speculum is green, encircled by black; the 

 tertials are black on the outer web, edged with hoary-white ; the entire outer web of 

 one of them hoary. 



MARECA AMERICANA. Stephens. 

 The American Widgeon; Baldpate. 



Anas Americana, Gmelin. Syst. Nat, I. (1788) 526. Wils. Am. Orn., VIII. 

 (1814) 86. Aud. Orn. Biog., IV. (1838) 337. lb., Birds Am., VI. (1843) 259. 

 Mareca Americana, Stephens. Shaw's Gen. Zool., XII. (1824) 135. 

 Anas (Boschas) Americana, Nuttall. Man., II. (1834) 389. 



DESCRIPTION. 



Male. Tail of fourteen feathers ; bill blue, the extreme base and tip black ; 

 head and neck pale-buff, or faint reddish-yellow, each feather banded narrowly with 

 blackish, so as to give the appearance of spots ; the top of the head from the bill is 

 pale unspotted creamy- white ; the sides of the head from around the eye to the nape, 

 glossy-green, the feathers, however, with hidden spots, as described; chin uniform 

 dusky ; forepart of breast and sides of body light-brownish or chocolate-red, each 

 feather with obsolete grayish edge; rest of under parts pure-white; the crissum 

 abruptly black ; the back, scapulars, and rump, finely waved transversely anteriorly 

 with reddish and gray, posteriorly with purer gray, on a brown ground; a little of 

 the same waving also on the sides ; the lesser wing coverts are plain gray ; the mid- 

 dle and greater are conspicuously white, the latter terminated by black, succeeded 

 by a speculum, which is grass-green at the base, and then velvet-black; the tertials 

 are black on the outer web, bordered narrowly by black, the outermost one hoary- 

 gray, externally edged with black; the tail is hoary-brown; the upper coverts are 

 black externally; the axillars are white; iris hazel. 



The blackish chin appears to be found only in very highly plumaged birds. The 

 top of the head is sometimes pure-white. 



The female has the head and neck somewhat, similar, but spotted to the bill; 

 wings as in the male ; the black of tertials replaced by brown ; the gray of the lesser 

 coverts extending slightly over the middle ones ; back and scapulars with rather 



