604 ANAS 



ANAS, Linn., 1766. 

 842. WILD DUCK. 

 ANAS BOSCAS. 



Anas boscas, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 205 (1766) ; Naum. xi. p. 575, Taf. 

 300 ; Audubon, B. Am. vi. p. 236, pi. 385 ; Gould, B. of E. v. 

 pi. 361 ; id. B. of Gt. Brit. v. pi. 15 ; Hewitson, ii. p. 407, pi. cxiii. 

 fig. 3 ; Dresser, vi. p. 469, pi. 422 ; Salvador!, Cat. B. Br. Mus. 

 xxvii. p. 189 ; Tacz. F. 0. Sib. 0. p. 1129 ; Blanf. F. Brit. Ind. 

 Birds, iv. p. 435 ; Saunders, p. 423 ; Lilford, vii. p. 86, pi. 33 ; 

 Ridgway, p. 91. 



Canard sauvage, French ; Pato real, Portug. and Span. ; 

 Germano real, Ital. ; Stockente, German ; Wilde Aant, Dutch ; 

 Stokand, Dan. and Norweg. ; Grdsand, Swed. ; Stuora-vuojas, 

 Selsina, Lapp. ; Sinisorsa, Finn. ; Krahu&hJca, Russ. ; Bat, Arab. ; 

 Zerok el ras, Moor. ; Nilsir, Nir-rugi, Hindu. ; Ma-gamo, Jap. 



<J ad. (England). Head and neck deep glossy green, darker on the 

 fore-crown ; a white ring round the middle of the neck, interrupted behind ; 

 scapulars and fore-back grey, vermiculated with brown ; middle of back 

 dark brown with fulvous margins ; rump and four central recurved tail- 

 feathers purplish black ; rest of tail and quills brownish grey with whitish 

 margins, speculum on secondaries greenish purple margined above and 

 below with white ; forepart of breast deep chestnut-red ; rest of under 

 parts greyish white narrowly barred with brown ; under tail- coverts 

 purplish black ; bill dull yellowish olive ; legs and feet reddish orange ; 

 iris brown. Culmen 2-6, wing 10'5, tail 4'0, tarsus 1*85 inch. In the 

 summer season a plumage resembling that of the female but darker is 

 donned for about 10 to 12 weeks. The female is brown above, marked 

 with buff, the sides of the head paler, the chin and throat plain brownish 

 buff, the tail-feathers brown, straight, and the under parts buff marked 

 with brown, the upper breast browner. 



Hob. Europe, north to Lapland where it is rare, south to the 

 Mediterranean ; the Canaries, Madeira, and Azores ; north Africa ; 

 Asia east to Japan, north to Kamchatka, south to central India ; 

 North America, south to Mexico. 



Is a shy and wary bird, flies swiftly and with ease, and walks 

 well. It feeds by night on seeds, roots, worms, mollusca, in- 

 sects, and though more frequently to be found on freshwaters, 

 it is occasionally to be met with on the sea-coast. It breeds 

 from early in March to late in May, its nest, which is a some- 

 what scanty structure of twigs and grass, well lined with down, 

 is usually placed on the ground near water, though sometimes 



