THE GREEN-WINGED TEAL. 24? 



of the picture, on the right, a Blue- Winged Drake, 

 swimming on the limpid water, soliciting his congener, 

 with reverted neck, and the harsh gabble whence his 

 name to take wing and greet the new-comers it being 

 the object of the draftsman to give an idea not merely 

 of the markings and form of these two most beautiful 

 and graceful of the duck tribe, but of their motions, the 

 character of their nights, and the nature of their feeding- 

 grounds and habitations. 



The head of the Green- Winged Teal is of moderate 

 size and compressed ; the bill nearly as long as the head, 

 deeper than broad at the base, depressed 'at the tip ; 

 neck slender, of moderate length ; body full and 

 depressed ; wings rather small, feet short and rather far 

 back. 



The plumage is short and blended ; that of the hinder 

 head and neck elongated into a soft filamentous droop- 

 ing crest. The bill is black ; iris hazel ; feet light blue ; 

 head and upper part of neck bright chestnut brown ; a 

 broad band of shining rich bottle-green, narrowing from 

 the eye backward and downward to the nape, margined 

 below with black, anterior to which is a white line ; 

 chin dusky brown. Upper parts and flanks white, 

 beautifully and closely undulated with narrow lines of 

 deep gray. Anterior to the wings is a broad transverse 

 lunated white bar this alone distinguishing the Ameri- 

 can from the European bird. The wing coverts, scapu- 

 lars and quills gray. The speculum bright green above, 



