ANATINiE — THE DUCKS — ^THYIA. 



37 



between that of ^E. americana and yE. vallisneria ; its color is also different, being black, crossed 

 by a band of pule blue, instead of pale blue with the end black ; the entire abdomen is undulated 

 with "ray, like the sides and flanks, only mure delicately, while the back, scapulars, and sides are 

 much whiter than in yJi. umericana. The rich chestnut-red of the neck is destitute of the metallic 

 reddish-purple j,dos«> while it involves the en- 

 tire neck, even tinging the anterior part of the 

 back, instead of being confined to about the 

 ui>per half of the neck ; the wing-coverts are 

 also much lighter colored, and, in most speci- 

 mens, very distinctly vermiculated with white, 

 instead of nearly plain slaty gray. In general 

 size the European species is decidedly infe- 

 rior , the tarsus is considerably shorter, while 

 the middle toe is decidedly longer. 



The female of the ited-head resembles that 

 of the Ring-neck, or Ring-billed Black-head 

 (^Fidix collaris), so closely as to be distin- 

 guished with difliculty, except on direct com- 

 parison. The latter has all the colors darker, 

 however, the fore part of the head and the 

 throat more decidedly white, and the bill much 

 shorter and broader. The different propor- 

 tions, however, afford the surest means of dis- 

 tinguishing them, the two species comparing 

 about as folhnvs : — Female. 



iE. americana. Wing, 8.50 inches ; culmen, 1.90; greatest width of bill, .85, least width, 



.75 ; tarsus, l.CO ; middle toe, 2.30. 

 F. collaris. Wing, 7.50 inches ; culmen, 1.80 ; greatest width of bill, .85, least width, .65 ; 



tarsus, 1.35; middle toe, 2.(K). 



The Red-head Duck lias a distribution more or less general throughout North 

 i America, breeding in high northern latitudes down to about 44°, and frequenting in 

 ; the winter the southern portions of the continent as far as Mexico. It is found botli 

 ,j on the Atlantic and the Pacific coasts. 



' j It was met with on the western coast of Mexico, near INIazatlan, by Colonel Gray- 

 son, and in Northeastern Mexico and Southern Texas by Mr. Dresser. It is given as 

 ■ occurring on the Pacific coast at Viincouver Island by Mr. II. Browne. On the coast 

 ,; of California, according to Dr. Cooper, the Red-head is not so common as the Canvas- 

 !back, but it has been obtained from San Francisco to San Diego, and throughout the 

 interior in the winter. Dr. Heermann believes that some of these Ducks breed in 

 the marshes of the Sacramento Valley; and he mentions obtai)\ing several females 

 ithere in June Avith their breasts denuded of feathers, as is usually the case with Ducks 

 ■when sitting on their eggs. Mr. J. A. Allen found this species in great abundance 

 in the valley of Gr(!at Salt Lake, Utah. 



Richardson states that this species breeds in all parts of the Fur Countries, from 

 the fiftieth parallel to their most northern limits. Mr. Roardman informs me that 

 in the summer of 1871 he found a pair of Red-heads which were evidently breeding 

 in the vicinity of Calais, Me. This statement, coupled with that of Dr. Heermann, 

 goes to show that this species, on both the eastern and the western shores, breeds 

 _^^|nuch farther south than the limit assigned by Dr. Richardson. Its nest and eggs 

 , ;^were afterward, in the summer of 1874, mutually found by Mr. William Bryant about 

 ~ thirty miles north of Calais. The presence of this bird about Calais liad been pre- 



