THE COMMON WIDGEON. 337 



Length about twenty inches, extent of the wings about 

 thirty-two. Bill leaden grey, with the nail and margin 

 black ; feet dull yellow, dusky on the hind edges of the tarsi 

 and the webs. Head and the upper part of the neck black, 

 much glossed with green and purple reflections. A bright 

 rust-coloured spot before and another under the eye, from 

 which it gets the name of bimaculated, or two-spotted. 

 Lower part of the neck and breast reddish brown, mottled 

 with dusky. Ground colour above ash, that below the same, 

 paler, and continuing to the rump, both minutely marked by 

 cross lines of dusky, and on the sides with waving lines. The 

 scapulars dark ash, bordered with blackish purple, and thin 

 pale reddish brown ; the coverts dark ash, with the tips first 

 black and then pale reddish brown ; the wing spot glossy 

 green, crossed by a black line, and bordered by white ; quills 

 dusky ash, lower part of the back drab brown, tail coverts 

 black j two middle feathers, which are a little produced and 

 pointed, the same colour glossed with green ; and the other 

 tail feathers dark ash tipped and margined with white. 



THE COMMON WIDGEON (Mareca penelope). 



The widgeon is another bird, respecting which the question 

 of breeding or not breeding in the country is not settled. 

 It is, however, known to breed in those parts of the con- 

 tinent which are immediately adjacent ; and, therefore, it 

 may, as it is a regular winter visitant in England, be pre- 

 sumed to breed in the country, though the nest and eggs 

 have not often been found. On the eastern part of the 

 continent they range far to the southward, and are found 

 on the other side of the Mediterranean ; so that their 

 general habitat must be considered as a middle latitude 

 rather than a polar one. They haunt nearly the same places 

 as the wild duck ; but with us they appear in smaller flocks, 



VOL. IT. Z 



