DIRECTORY TO BIRDS OF EASTERN NORTH AMERICA. 127 



and feet, brown, fig. 146. Female, brown above with feath- 

 ers edged with whitish; white beneath slightly spotted on 

 breast with dusky. Young, similar to female and all stages 

 occur between this and the male ; speculum always as in male. 

 N. A. breeding chiefly north of the U. S. in May : nests on the 

 ground, eggs, 6 to 10, pale brownish-buff ; goes south in Sep. 

 and Oct. to winter along the southern border of the U. S. 

 Comes north in April. Common, but less so along the Atlantic 

 border of the U. S. Occurs in small flocks rather more fre- 

 quently in eastern N. E. on salt than fresh water. 



EUROPEAN TEAL, IS". CRECCA. Differs from 1 in the 

 absence of the white crescent in front of wing and in having 

 the green band on side of head decidedly bordered with whit- 

 ish; bandings on sides, coarser; female and young scarcely 

 to be distinguished from 1. Northern parts of Old World;, 

 occasional in eastern IN". A. 



e. Teals. Querquedula. 



Larger than in d with a prominent blue patch on wing. 

 1. BLUE-WINGED TEAL, Q. DISCORS. 16.00; bill, 1.62 ; 

 speculum, greenish-black bordered with white behind ; lesser 

 wing coverts blue ; head and neck all around ashy-gray ; white 

 crescent in front of eye; top of head, black, back, brown; 

 outer webs of scapularies, blue, black and green; beneath, 

 purplish-ash spotted with black; bill, black, feet, yellowish, 

 fig. 147. Female, brown with feathers edged with whitish,, 

 more broadly below; speculum, pale. Young, like female; 

 with intermediate stages in males. N. A. more common east- 

 ward. Breeds chiefly in the interior from Kansas and south- 

 ern 111. northward; migrates south in Sep. in small flocks, 

 when it occurs all over our section frequenting small ponds 

 or even pools and occasionally occurring on salt water creeks ; 

 winters from the Carolinas southward through the Bahamas 

 and West Indies; comes north in April when it is less com- 

 mon on the Atlantic coast ; flight, exceedingly swift ; when 

 alarmed, gathers in close bodies on the water. Nesting hab- 

 its and eggs similar to d, 1. 



