RIVER AND POND DUCKS 195 



N. S. Goss writes that, as a rule, Widgeons are "not shy, and their note, 

 a sort of whew, whew, whew, uttered while feeding and swimming, enables 

 the hunter to locate them in the thickest growth of water plants; and 

 when in the air the whistling noise made by their wings heralds their 

 approach." They are fond of wild celery, which they procure by robbing 

 the Canvasback and other diving Ducks, "snatching their catch from 

 their bills the moment their heads appear above the water." "The 

 female utters a loud cry like the syllables kaow, kaow." (Eaton.) 



The EUROPEAN TEAL (138. Nettion crecca) is of casual occurrence in 

 Eastern North America. The adul.t male resembles that of N. carolinense, 

 but the white bar in front of the wing is lacking, and the inner scapulars are 

 creamy buff, with a sharply denned black mark on their outer-webs. The 

 female can not be distinguished from that of N. carolinense. 



139. Nettion carolinense (GmeL). GREEN-WINGED TEAL. Ad. <?. 

 Chin black, sides of head from eye to nape shining green, rest of head and 

 neck rufous-chestnut; breast washed with vinaceous and spotted with 

 black; belly white; sides finely marked with wavy black and white lines; 

 middle under tail-coverts black, lateral ones creamy buff; upper back like 

 sides, lower back grayish fuscous; a white bar in front of the bend of the 

 wing; wing-coverts brownish gray, tipped with ochraceous buffy. Ad. 9. 

 Top of head brownish fuscous, margined with cinnamon; throat and sides 

 of neck white, finely spotted with black; breast and sides washed with cin- 

 namon and spotted or barred with black; belly and under tail- 

 coverts white, sometimes spotted with black; back fuscous, the feathers 

 with crescent-shaped marks of ochraceous buffy, and bordered with grayish: 

 wings as in the male. L., 14'50; W., 7'00; Tar., I'lO; B., 1'35. 



Range. N. Am. Breeds from nw. Alaska, n. Mackenzie, cen. Keewatin, 

 n. Ungava, and N. F. s. to cen. Calif., n. N. Mex., n. Nebr., n. Ills., s. Ont., 

 Que., and N. B.; winters from Alaska, B. C., Nev., s. Nebr., n. Ind., w. N. 

 Y., and R. I. (casually N. S.) s. to s. L. Calif., the West Indies, and Hon- 

 duras; accidental in Hawaii, Bermuda, Greenland, and Great Britain. 



Washington, common W. V., Sept.-Apl. Long Island, uncommon T. V. 

 and W. V., Oct.-Apl. Ossining, common T. V., Apl.; Sept. 11-Oct. 28. 

 Cambridge, uncommon T. V., Apl.; Sept.-Dec. N. Ohio, occasional T. V. 

 Glen Ellyn, quite regular T. V., Mch. 10-Apl. 14; Sept. 25-Oct. 19. SE. Minn., 

 common T. V., Mch. 11. 



Nest, on the ground near water. Eggs, 6-12, buffy white or creamy buff, 

 :-80 x 1-25. Date, N. D., May 20. 



"The Green-wing is a noisier bird than the Blue-winged Teal, the 

 male uttering a short, mellow whistle and the duck a quack after the 

 fashion of a Black Duck, but small, high-pitched and often repeated.'' 

 (Eaton. ) 



140. Querquedula discors (Linn.}. BLUE-WINGED TEAL. Ad. <?. 

 Crown fuscous, chin and sides of base of bill black; a broad white band 

 across front of head, its hinder margin bordered by black; rest of head and 

 throat dark ashy with purplish reflections ; breast and belly cinnamon-rufous, 

 thickly spotted with black; back fuscous, the feathers with crescents of 

 ochraceous-buff; lesser and median wing-coverts grayish blue, end half of 

 greater ones white; speculum green. Ad. 9. Crown fuscous, lightly mar- 

 gined with grayish; sides of the head and the neck whitish, finely spotted 

 with blackish, except on the throat; breast and belly with less cinnamon 

 wash than in the preceding; back and wings quite similar to the preceding, 

 bat pchraceous bars sometimes wanting, speculum darker and greater 

 coverts with less white. L., IG'OO; W., 7'25; Tar., 1'20; B., 1'60. 



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