DUCKS. 295 



GENUS ANAS. (LiNN.) 



Mr. Yarrell gives the following as the charac- 

 ters of the genus Anas, in which, however, he in- 

 cludes several species that are separated by other 

 ornithologists. The beak about as long as the 

 head, broad, depressed, the sides parallel, some- 

 times partially dilated ; both mandibles furnished 

 on the inner edges with transverse lamellae. The 

 nostrils small, oval, lateral, in front of the base of 

 the beak. The legs rather short, placed under 

 the centre of the body ; tarsus somewhat round- 

 ed ; toes three in front, connected by intervening 

 membrane, hind toe free, without any pendent 

 lobe or membrane. The wings rather long, point- 

 ed ; the tail pointed or wedge-shaped. The sexes 

 differ in plumage. 



The true Ducks, as restricted, are found almost 

 everywhere ; and specimens of the same species 

 are received from the most distant regions. The 

 Shoveler (Anas clypeata, LINN.), for example, is 

 found all over Europe, in the United States, at 

 Smyrna, in North-west India, at Calcutta, and 

 Nepaul ; it is common in North Africa, and speci- 

 mens have been brought from South Africa, and 

 from the islands of Japan. The common Wild 

 Duck again (Anas boschas, LINN.), the parent of 

 our domesticated broods, is spread over the whole 

 of the northern hemisphere, in a wild condition. 



The plumage of our beautiful Wild Mallard it 

 is scarcely needful to describe ; most persons are 

 familiar with his glossy velvet-green head and 

 neck, his collar of white, his breast and back of 

 chestnut, his beauty-spot of shining purple, his 



