BIRDS OF INDIANA. 595 



</-. Wing with no blue; hill very narrow. Submenus Nettimi Kaup. 

 / '. White crescent on side of body in front of wing. 



A. carolinensis Ginel. 33 

 -. Culm en shorter than middle toe without claw. 



'/'. Hill not shorter than head. Submenus ('hniilfluAmux Konaparte. 



It 1 . Speculum white. A. strepera Linn. 30 



//-'. Hill shorter than head : crown and belly white. 



Subgenus Mareca Stephens. 



7 1 . Head and neck plain rufous. A. penelope Linn. 31 



?"-. Head and neck grayish; sides of head with broad patch of 



green. A. americana Gmel. 32 



*28. (132.) Anas boschas LINN. 



Mallard. 



Adult Male. Four middle tail feathers strongly recurved; head and 

 neck brilliant velvety-green; chest, rich chestnut, with a white collar 

 between it and the green of the neck; speculum, rich metallic violet, 

 bounded anteriorly by a black bar, this preceded by a white one, and 

 posteriorly by a black subterminal and white terminal band. Adult 

 Female and Male in Breeding Season. Wings as in the above; else- 

 where variegated with dusky and ochraceous, the former on the centers 

 of the feathers, and predominating on the upper parts; the latter on 

 the borders, and prevailing beneath. 



Length^ about 20.00-21.50; wing, 10.25-11.50; culmen, 2.00-2.35; 

 tarsus, 1.50-1.80. 



RANGE. Northern hemisphere; in North America, generally dis- 

 tributed; in the interior breeding from Indiana, Iowa, and, on the 

 coast, from Labrador, northward. Winters from Indiana, Iowa, and 

 Delaware southward to Panama and Cuba. 



Nest, generally on ground. Eggs, 6-12; pale, dull green, or greenish 

 white; 2.25 by 1.60. 



Abundant migrant; winter resident in varying numbers, and locally, 

 particularly in the northern part of the State, resident in some 

 numbers. 



Some winters, when the weather is severe and the waters are mostly 

 frozen over, the Mallard is scarce in Indiana. Occasionally two or 

 more such winters succeed each other, and then for more than 

 one winter these ducks are rare. Often, however, they remain, and, 

 upon the larger streams, may be found in some numbers through the 

 entire severe season. Open water and food are the only requirements 

 to make them winter residents. 



Their spring movements vary with conditions. If the season opens 

 early, they begin to migrate early in February. On the contrary, some 



