190 



The Goose-like Birds 



The first is found throughout the whole of temperate North America, and the 

 last in eastern Asia. 



The male in the Wood-Duck has the "head metallic green, purple, and violet, 

 relieved by a pure white line extending backward from the angle of the upper 

 mandible along each side of the crown and upper border of the crest ; another 

 from behind the eye backward along the lower edge of the crest, and two much 

 broader transverse bars crossing the cheeks and sides of the neck, respectively, 

 confluent with a white throat patch; upper parts chiefly velvety black, varied 



FIG. 63. Wood-Duck, Aix sponsa. 



% 



with metallic hues of bronze, purple, blue, and green; chest rich chestnut, 

 glossed with reddish purple, and marked with triangular white spots; sides of 

 the breast crossed with a broad pure white bar and a broad deep black one 

 immediately behind it; sides and flanks delicately waved with black on a buff 

 or pale fulvous ground, the outer feathers beautifully ornamented with broad 

 crescentric bars of pure white and velvety black ; abdomen white ; bill beautifully 

 varied with jet-black, milk-white, lilac, red, orange, and yellow." - RIDGWAY. 

 The Mandarin is similar but smaller, and has the middle of the crest chestnut, the 

 sides of the neck darker chestnut, etc. 



The Wood -Duck or Summer Duck, which is perhaps the handsomest of the 

 entire Duck tribe, is, or rather was until a few years ago, a common summer 

 resident practically throughout its entire range, which extends from Nova Scotia, 



