ANATID^E. 231 



reeds and the tall herbage of marshes and the borders of 

 lakes; and the eggs, from eight to ten or twelve in number, 

 are of a buff- white with a slight tinge of green. 



THE COMMON WIDGEON. Mareca penelope. Although 

 this bird breeds inland, it frequents the coast more than the 

 preceding species. It comes to us in the autumn, and is 

 present in large numbers during the winter, on the coasts 

 and estuaries or more extensive fens. In the spring it 

 migrates northwards, to its breeding stations, which appear 

 to be principally in Norway and Sweden. A few however 

 breed annually in the vicinity of the lochs of Scotland, or 

 upon the islands which stud their surface, but this appears 

 to be the limit southward of their nidifi cation. The nest is 

 placed among rushes, grass, flags, and reeds in the neigh- 

 bourhood of lakes and rivers. It is composed of decayed 

 grasses and rushes, lined with down, and the eggs, which 

 are of a cream-colour, are from five to eight in number. 

 Aquatic plants, seaweeds, and ordinary grass form the chief 

 support of this species. 



THE AMERICAN WIDGEON. Mareca Americana. This 

 species, which breeds in the high northern latitudes of 

 America, is common in winter in the United States, and 

 particularly so in Carolina, where it frequents the planta- 



