BIRDS OF NEW YORK I9I 



days later than, the Pintail and is about as common as that species. 

 It returns from the breeding grounds, which lie mostly from Minnesota 

 to the Mackenzie valley and Alaska, the 15th of September to loth of 

 October, and leaves from the loth to the 20th of November for its 

 winter quarters, which lie from Chesapeake bay to Florida and Cuba 

 and Mexico. Stragglers are sometimes found with us as late as Decem- 

 ber 13th. 



The Baldpate or American widgeon, like the Black duck often spends 

 the day on the open waters of our lakes and bays, especially when disturbed 

 in the marshes, and at dusk resorts to the shallows and flooded lands to 

 feed on the seeds of aquatic plants, tender vegetable shoots, snails and 

 insects. The male's note is a mewing whistle resembling the syllables 

 whew, whew. The female utters a loud cry like the syllables kaow, kaow. 

 Its flesh is highly esteemed as food. 



Nettion crecca (Linnaeus) 



European Teal 



Anas crecca Linnaeus. Syst. Nat. Ed. 10. 1758. i •. 126 

 A. 0. U . Check List. Ed 2. 1895. No. (138) 



mt'tion, Gr. diminutive, v^mov, a duckling; crec'ca, Lat., referring to the 



voice, or quack 



Distinguishing marks. Similar to the Green-winged teal, but no white 

 crescent in front of the wing; long scapulars and inner secondaries, creamy 

 white, forming a conspicuous broad white streak; the dusky barring of the 

 sides and upper parts coarser. 



Females and young of this teal can scarcely be determined unless 

 by careful comparison with authentic specimens, but seem to be browner 

 and less finely variegated than the American bird. 



This palearctic species occurs in Greenland and casually along the 

 Atlantic coast of America. J, G. Bell reported several specimens from 

 Long Island and the vicinity of New York taken in 1858 and earlier {see 

 Coues, Key to North American Birds, 2: 918]. Mr Foster Parker reports 



