THE AMERICAN WIDGEON. 499 



their form is a long ovoid ; and their dimensions average 

 about 2.15 inch in length by 1.50 inch in breadth. 



MARECA, Stephens. 



Mareca, Stephens, Shaw's Gen. Zool., XII. (1824) 130. (Type Anas Pene- 

 lope, L.) 



Bill shorter than the head, and equal to the inner toe claw; the sides parallel to 

 near the end, which is rather obtusely pointed, the nail occupying the tip, and about 

 one-third as broad as the bill; bill rather high; the upper lateral angle at the base 

 not prominent, nor extending as far back as the lower edge; tail pointed, not half 

 the wings. 



The North-American and European species of Mareca have the upper parts 

 finely waved transversely with black and gray or reddish-brown ; the under parts, 

 with the usual exceptions, snowy-white. The top of the head is uniform white or 

 cream-color; the neck more or less spotted; the middle and greater coverts are 

 white, the latter tipped with black; the speculum is green, encircled by black; the 

 tertials are black on the outer web, edged with hoary-white ; the entire outer web of 

 one of them hoary. 



MARECA A^ERICA^ A. — Stephens. 

 The American Widgeon ; Baldpate. 



Anas Americana, Gmelin. Syst. Nat., I. (1788) 626. Wils. Am. Orn., VIII. 

 (1814) 86. And. Orn. Biog., FV. (1838) 337. Jb., Birds Am., VI. (1843) 259. 

 Mareca Amei-icana, Stephens. Shaw's Gen. Zool., XII. (1824) 135. 

 Anas (Boschas) Americana, Nuttall. Man., II. (1834) 389. 



Description. 



Male. — Tail of fourteen feathers; bill blue, the extreme base and tip black, 

 head and neck pale-buff, or faint reddish-yellow, each feather banded narrowly with 

 blackish, so as to give the appearance of spots; the top of the head fi-om the bill is 

 pale unspotted creamy- white ; the sides of the head from around the eye to the nape, 

 glossy-green, the feathers, however, with hidden spots, as described; chin uniform 

 dusky; forepart of breast and sides of body light-brownish or chocolate-red, each 

 feather with obsolete grayish edge; rest of under parts pure-white; the crissum 

 abruptly black ; the back, scapulars, and rump, finely waved transversely anteriorly 

 with reddish and gray, posteriorly with purer gray, on a brown ground ; a little of 

 the same waving also on the sides; the lesser wing coverts are plain gray; the mid- 

 dle and greater are conspicuously white, the latter terminated by black, succeeded 

 by a speculum, which is grass-green at tlie base, and then velvet-black; the tertials 

 »re black on the outer web, bordered narrowly by black, the outermost one hoarj'- 

 gray, externally edged with black; the tail is hoary-brown; the upper coverts are 

 black externally; the axillars are white; iris hazel. 



The blackish chin appears to be found only in very highly plumaged birds. The 

 top of the head is sometimes pure-white. 



The female has the head and neck somewhat similar, but spotted to the bill; 

 wings as in the male; the black of tertials replaced by brown; the gray of the lessor 

 coverts extending slightly over the middle ones ; back and scapulars with ratnei 



