192 RIVER AND POND DUCKS 



ceous buffy ; speculum as in the preceding; breast and belly ocbraceous buffy, 

 mottled with dusky grayish brown. L., 23'00; W. f ll'OO; Tar., 1'75; B., 2'25. 



Range. N. Hemisphere. In N. Am. breeds from Pribilof Islands, nw. 

 Alaska, n. Mackenzie, cen. Keewatiu, :ind Greenland s. to L. Calif., s. N. 

 Mex., s. Kans., cen. Mo., s. Ind., and Md. (rarely) ; winters from the Aleutian 

 Islands, cen. Alaska, cen. Mont., Wyo., Nebr., s. Wise., n. Ind., Ohio, Md., 

 and N. S. (rarely) s. to Mex., the Lesser Antilles, and Panama; casual 

 in Bermuda and Hawaii. 



Washington, common W. V., Aug. 28-Mch. 19. Long Island, uncommon 

 T. V., Oct. 3-Dec. 24; Mch., Apl. Ossining, rare T. V., Oct., Mch. Cam- 

 bridge, rare but regular in fall. N. Ohio, tolerably common T. V., Mch. 1- 

 May 15; Oct. 1-Dec. 1. Glen Ellyii, regular but uncommon T. V., Mch. 10- 

 Apl. 7; Sept. 13-Nov. 23. SE. Minn., S. R., casual W. R., Mch. 4-Dec. 11. 



Nest, on the ground, usually near water and among high grass or reeds. 

 Eggs, 6-13, light greenish buff to light grayish buff, with very little luster, 

 2'27 x 1'61. (Bent.) Date, Heron Lake, Minn., May 11. 



The loud, resonant quacking of the female Mallard and much lower, 

 less clearly enunciated quack of the drake are familiar sounds, 

 though the loud notes are usually attributed to the male. When flying, 

 the white under wing-coverts are sometimes conspicuous when the 

 birds are too far away to distinguish the green head of the male. In 

 Minnesota the Mallard is considered the wildest of wild Ducks. 



133. Anas rubripes Brewst. BLACK DUCK. Ads. Top of head rich 

 fuscous, slightly streaked with pale buffy; sides of the head and throat pale 

 buffy, thickly streaked with blackish; rest of underparts fuscous-brown, the 

 feathers all bordered by ochraceous-buff ; back slightly darker and narrowly 

 margined with buffy; speculum rich purple, bordered by black, and, at the 

 end only, narrowly by white. L., 22*00; W., ll'OO; Tar., 1'75; B., 2'20. 



Remarks. Always to be distinguished from the female Mallard by its 

 darker colors and smaller amount of whjte in the wing. 



According to William Brewster (Auk, 1902, 184) the Black Duck is 

 represented by two forms, the status of which, however, is considered 

 doubtful by the A. O. U. Committee on Nomenclature. Should they be 

 recognized, they will stand as Anas vubripes rubripes, the Red-legged 

 Black Duck, and Anas rubripes tristis, which, for sake of distinction, may 

 be called the Brown-legged Black Duck. A. r. rubripes is the larger of 

 the two (cf W., 10-99; Tar., 1'68; B.> 2'13; $ W., 10'47; Tar., T60; B M 

 2'03, as compared with the following measurements for A. r. tristis: d" W., 

 10-52; Tar., 1'65; B., 2'05; 9, W., 10'14; Tar., 1'61; B., 1'93) and has the 

 sides of the head and the neck, chin, and throat more heavily streaked than 

 in tristis in which the throat and chin are said to be unstreaked. In life the 

 tarsi and toes are bright red, the bill yellow; while tristis has the tarsi and 

 toes brownish, the bill olivaceous. The difference in the colors of the feet, 

 while not apparent in museum specimens, form a readily observable field 

 mark. The limits of the breeding ranges of these supposed fornis have not 

 been determined, but rubripes appears to be the more northern, not being 

 known to breed south of the Gulf of St. Lawrence. During the migration 

 and in winter both red-legged and brown-legged birds may be found in the 

 same flock. (See also Brewster, Auk, 1909, 175-179; 1910, 323-333, and 

 Dwight, Ibid, 1909, 422-426.) 



Range. E. N. Am. Breeds from cen. Keewatin and n. Ungava s. to 

 n. Wise., n. Ind., and s. Md.; winters from N. S. s. to s. La., and Colo.; 

 w. in migration to Nebr. and cen. Kans.; casual in Bermuda; accidental in 

 Jamaica. 



Washington, common W. V. Aug. 1-Mch. 17. Long Island, abundant 

 W. V., Sept.-May; a few breed. Ossining, tolerably common S. R., Mch. 6- 

 Nov. 13. Cambridge, very common T. V., and W. V.; a few breed. N. Ohio, 



