No. 14. 

 Spatula clypeata. 



Adult male. Head and upper neck of a very dark greenish 

 tone, with purple reflections ; lower neck and breast white ; belly 

 and flanks rich chestnut brown ; front part of wings conspicu- 

 ously blue, of light shade, but vivid; back of this blue, a green 

 wing-mark, or speculum, bordered with white and black; feath- 



ers striped with white, sweeping backward from inner region of 

 wings; back dusky brown; rump, and above and below tail, 

 black with greenish gloss ; at either side of tail a white patch. 



Audubon wrote : " We have no duck in the United States 

 whose plumage is more changeable than that of the male of this 

 beautiful species." The species can nevertheless be quickly 



