ANATIN.E — THE DUCKS — ANAS. 



489 



; behind this, 

 wings colored 



jnninally, the 

 f the maxilla 

 side the Ibre- 

 nded feathers. 



iided at ends, 



■erticrtl thick- 



lail large and 



full and very 



larrow. Head 



II adult males. 



uraMy exeeed- 



d. Tail as in 



lula:) 



1 laterally and 



1 white in the 



niing the end 

 imbeous, with 

 vn, with white 



[nail lai-ge and 



hliijuely from 



ior scapulars 



the maxilla 

 ining the end 



and occiput 

 jated ; female 



ilia furnished 



ixilla encased 



and bristly. 



er parts, ring 



h-i)lumbeous 



nd ; the base 

 of the fore- 

 Males with 

 y falcate, the 

 id with black 



IS the nostril, 

 ithers of the 

 ){ short, soft, 



e bare skin of 



18. Bomateria. Feathering at base of maxilla exceedingly irregular, the frontal and loral 

 regions being separated by a backwaiil extension of the bare skin of the maxilla ui the 

 form of an elongated angle or broad lobe. 



d. Bill more or less gibbous at the base, nnich depressed at the end, which is formed entirely 



by the broad, Hat nail ; nostrils usually anterior to the middle of the maxilla. Color 

 black, with or without white on the head or wing, in the male ; dusky grayish brown in 

 the female (jEdemiw). 



19. (Sdemia. Feathering on forehead extending only slightly in advance of that on the lores, 

 or only to the base of the gibbosity ; nostrils linear, about the middle of the maxilla. No 

 white in the plumage of either sex. 



20. Melanetta. Feathering on the lores advancing as far forward as that on the forehead 

 (nearly to the nostrils). Bill extremely broud and dei)ressed at the end. Wing with a 

 white speculum. 



21. Pelionetta. Feathering on the forehead extending forward almost or quite to the nos- 

 tril (an inch or more in advance of that on the lores) ; sides of the maxilla greatly swollen 

 in the adult male ; end of bill rather pointed, much narrower than the middle portion. No 

 white on the wing, but head with white patches (indistinct or obsolete in the female). 



e. Bill very broad and depressed terminally, as in the Ftdiijulea:. Tail rather long, graduated, 



the feathers narrow and very rigid, their shafts grooved on the undjr surface ; tail-coverts 

 very short, scarcely covering the base of the tail (^Erismatuna;). 



22. Erismatura. Nail of the maxilla very small, narrow, and linear, the terminal half bent 

 abruptly downward and backward, so as to be invisible from above. 



23. Nomonyz. Nail of the maxilla huge and broad, gradually bent downward terminally, 

 and wholly visible from above. 



/. Bill narrow, sub-cylindrical, terminated by a conspicuous hooked nail, the edges serrated 

 (^Mergc(e). 

 /'. Bill as long as, or longer than, the head, its depth through the base much less than half 

 its length, the serrations prominent. 



24. Mergus. Bill much longer than the head, the serrations acute, curved ; tarsus nearly 

 three fourths the middle toe (with claw) ; crest depressed, or jjointed. 



25. liophodytes. Bill about as long as the head (without crest), the serrations short and 

 conical (viewed laterally) ; tarsus about two thirds the middle toe (with claw) ; crest 

 compressed, with a semicircular posterior outline (when erected). 



/". Bill much shorter than the head, its depth through the base equal to about half its length, 

 the serrations small and inconspicuous. 



26. MergelluB. Serrations of the bill very fine, conical ; tarsus about two thirds the mid- 

 dle toe ; crest somewhat as in Lophodijks, but very much smaller. 



Genus ANAS, Linx^us. 

 Anas, Linn. S. N. ed. 10, I. 1758, 122; ed. 12, I. 17t56, 194 (type, by climhiiition, A. hoschas, Linn.). 



Char. Usually rather large-sized Ducks, with the bill a little longer than the head or foot, 

 rather broad, depressed, the edges parallel, the end rounded ; speculum metallic green, blue, or 

 violet, in both sexes, usually bordered posteriorly by a black band, this generally succeeded by u 

 white one. 



Only four species of true Aims are found in America, these being easily distinguished by the 

 following characters : — 



A« Size large (wing not less than 10 inches). 



a. Adidt male, except in breeding-season, very different from the female, the plumage varied 



and brilliant ; secondaries tipped with white, and greater coverts crossed by a subtenninal 



bar of the same. 

 VOL. I. — G2 



