ANAS SPONSA. SUMMER, DUCK, OR WOOD DUCK. 



This Bird is remarkable for the richness and varied hue ot 

 its plumage, and may be considered the most beautiful of all 

 the Duck tribe. It is spread throughout the whole extent of 

 our country, breeding in almost every State of the Union, and 

 familiarly known to country people as the Wood Duck, from 

 the circumstance of its selecting the hollows of trees to breed 

 in. This Fowl delights in the small streams and mill-ponds of 

 the interior, and is but seldom met with on the large rivers. 

 They are not often met with in flocks, but are generally found 

 in small families of two or three. The followers of Sir Isaac 

 Walton are generally much more familiar with this Fowl than 

 the professed Sportsman, as they, in the pursuit of their favor- 

 ite amusement, spend much of their time in the quiet and se- 

 cluded haunts that these Birds affect. Their food consists of 

 seeds and insects, and their flesh at times is excellent. They 

 are easily tamed when taken young, and soon become com- 

 pletely domesticated. 



DESCRIPTION. 



" The Wood Duck is nineteen inches in length, and two feet 

 four inches in extent; bill red, margined with black; a spot of 



