AQUATIC FOWLS. 



273 



cess. We have seen in the yard of Mr. George 

 Law, of Baltimore, a half-blood a cross of the 

 Canvas-back and the common duck. She was 

 timid, shy, and seemed to retain many of the 

 wild habits, and did not seem to care for the 

 company of the other ducks in the yard. 



At our public dinners, hotels, and particular 

 entertainments, the Canvas-backs are universal 

 favorites. They not only grace but dignify the 

 table, and their very name conveys to the im- 

 agination of the eager epicure the most pleas- 

 ing and exhilarating ideas. Hence, on such 

 occasions, it has not been uncommon to pay 

 from one to three, and even five dollars per 

 pair for these dueks ; and, indeed, at such times, 

 if they can they must be had, whatever may be 

 the price. 



As the Red-heads are so frequently imposed 

 on purchasers for the Canvas-back, we have 

 thought it advisable to introduce both birds in 

 the sam'e plate, where it will be seen that the 

 distinguishing marks are chiefly confined to the 

 bill, eyes, head, and size of the bird, and hav- 

 ing a bright-red over the whole head. 



THE RED-HEADED DUCK. 



"This," says Wilson, "is a common asso- 

 ciate of the Canvas-back, frequenting the same 

 places, and feeding on the stems of the same 

 grass, the latter eating on the roots; its flesh is 

 very little inferior, and it is often sold in our 

 markets for the Canvas-back to those unac- 

 quainted with the characteristic marks of each. 

 Anxious as I am to determine precisely whether 

 this species be the Red-headed widgeon, Poch- 

 ard, or Dun bird of England, I have not been 

 able to ascertain the point to my own satisfac- 

 tion ; though I think it very probably the same, 

 the size, extent, and general description of the 

 Pochard agreeing pretty nearly with this. 



"The Red-head is twenty inches in length, 

 and two feet six inches in extent; bill dark 

 slate, sometimes black, two inches long, and 

 seven-eighths of an inch thick at the base, fur- 

 nished with a large broad nail at the extrem- 

 ity ; irides flame-colored ; plumage of the head 

 long, velvety, and inflated, running high above 

 the base of the bill ; head, and about two inch- 

 es of the neck, deep glossy reddish-chestnut; 



rest of the neck and upper part of the breast 

 black, spreading round to the back ; belly white, 

 becoming dusky toward the vent by closely- 

 marked undulating lines of black; back and 

 scapulars bluish - white, rendered gray by nu- 

 merous tranverse waving lines of blacky lesser 

 wing-coverts brownish-black; wing quills very 

 pale slate, dusky at the tips ; lower part of the 

 back, and sides under the wings, brownish-black, 

 crossed with regular zigzag lines of whitish ; 

 vent, rump, tail, and tail-coverts, black; legs 

 and feet dark ash. 



" The female has the upper part of the head 

 dusky brown, rest of the head and part of the 

 neck a light sooty-brown ; upper part of the 

 breast ashy-brown, broadly skirted with whitish ; 

 back dark ash, with little or no appearance of 

 white penciling; wings> bill, und feet nearly 

 alike in both sexes." 



This duck is sometimes met with in the rivers 

 of North or South Carolina, and also in those 

 of Jersey and New York ; but always in fresh 

 water, and usually at no great distance from 

 the sea. It is most numerous in the waters 

 of the Chesapeake, and, with the connoisseurs 

 in good eating, ranks next in excellence to the 

 Canvas-back. Its usual weight is about H 

 pound avoirdupois. 



The Red-head leaves the bay and its tribu- 

 tary streams in March, and is not seen until 

 late in October. 



THE DUCK. 



The common duck is so well known that a 

 description is hardly necessary. In regard to 

 the origin of the common farm-yard duck but 

 one leading opinion seems to have prevailed in 

 all the compilations from Aldrovandus down 

 to Audubon that it is nothing more than 

 the tame descendant of the common wild duck 

 (Anas boschas) of Europe, or the Mallard. It 

 is generally dark-brown or gray, and the wings 

 and throat sometimes ornamented with change- 

 able purple. The drakes of all sorts may be 

 distinguished by the curled feathers in their 

 tails. 



Though little can be elicited as to the origin 

 of the tame duck, we still possess birds in this 

 class presenting features quite as distinct as any 



