I, MllKH., Iklld 



pn'sciitcd by 

 lire |>luiiui;^o 

 r I me on l}if 

 fiitiro upper 

 illiiiiit ^rt'i'ii 

 lie j^rci'ii ill' 

 •ck iiri' mori! 

 iliiicii, 2.1(1 ; 

 tor arc iiiiicli 

 I' Mill lard as 

 to 1)1' a truo 

 c retlt'ctioiiH 

 on suspicion 

 'urk'd upper 

 characters of 



Ducks, tlK^re 

 ice is (1 cross 

 )nu'sticntion. 

 onot inlierit 

 id escape liy 

 le I w 1 1 speci- 

 id speculum, 

 ved featliers 

 mixed with 

 ; breast and 

 II undulated 

 ick, },'rizzled 

 1 U])per tail- 

 ; speculum 

 whitt! ; tail 

 Head com- 



ulars. It 



le head and 



plish of C. 



, and sides 



Man. Water 



Sai.v, Norn. 

 1874, 559 



r — in fact, 

 ivn Gulf, in 

 he warmer 

 its favorite 

 trees, and 



ANATIN Ji — THE DUCKS — ANAS. 



496 



are chestiiut-rufous, the feathers haviiiK narrow white borders, and those in frunt with a central 

 bluck dot on euch ; the i rissuiu is lilack, tinned with chestnut j remaining' lower parts white, 

 sli^^hlly grizzled laterally. Doiwd iv;;ion black, tlie feathers bordered leniiiiiully with white, and 

 yri/./.led iiasally with the same, nome of them tinned with iiil'nu>; rump ami upper tail-coverts 

 continuous intense j,'reenisli black ; tail uniform ilark slate, with a violet rellection. Win"-coverts 

 white, mottled transversely with lilack, the last row dusky, shar[ily iiordeied with white ; speiiiliini 

 brij^ht bi)ttle-;;reen, narrowly tipped with white ; jirimaries dusky, tiie outer webs white, liill and 

 feet deep Mack. Hcail normally feathered. Win;;, 13. (M) inches; culmen, 2,35; tarsus, iJ.lO" 

 middle toe, 2.50. 



A beautiful hybri<l Initwceu the Mallard and the Pintail [Ihifdn m-utu) was sent to the National 

 Museum (No. (i()(tls) liy \)\\ ,(. W. Velie, from ('hicaj^o. It corresponds very do.selv with that ti"- 

 ured and described by Professor Newton, in the " Troceediiijis " of the London Z()olo},'ical Sncictv, 

 June, I8(in, pi. cl.wiii., and in both form and cidoration is throu;,dioHt a perfect combinalicui of 

 both species. The head and neck are continuou-* brownish ^,'ieen, raii;,'inj,' from the brown of i>, 

 acuta on tin; anterior part of the lie.id to the brilliant green of .1. Ixiscltan on the back of the neck. 

 The white collar is broader than in .1. hn^chan, and imsteriorly sends upward on each side of the 

 nape a short arm, correspoiidiiij,' to the lengthened stripe of I). (ichIii. The jugulum is pide cinna- 

 mon ; the wings are those of // (tnilu, e.\cept the teitials, wliiih are tlio.sc of ^1. Imsiltus ; the uiiper 

 tail-coverts are purplish-bLick, edged with ]iale fulvous ; the two middle tail-feathers are elongated 

 about half as much as in D. ((nthi, and curled lialf as tightly as in .1. Imschan ! The bill is dark 

 lead-color, and the feet are dark reddish. Wing, 1 1 .0(1 inches ; culmen, 2.20 ; tarsus, 1.5.") ; middle 

 toe, l.!>0. 



The remaining supposed hybrid is an adult inaU', intermeiliate between .1, hoschtis and A. obscura, 

 ])urcliased liy Professor iSaird in the Washington market, Jan. 2.5, l^^Tl, and is apparently much 

 like the biril de.scrilied by Audubon as Anun Brnnri. AVitli the prevalent aspect of .1. olm-tira, it 

 has the side of the occiput and nape brilliant green, and the jiigulum and breast strongly tinged 

 with chestnut. The lateral upjicr tail-coverts are black with a violet reflection, as are also the 

 terminal and lateral lower coverts; while the middle tail-feathers curl ujiward, though not so 

 much so as in pure .1. '"tov/id.f. The white bar anterior to the s])eculiim cjf 6(mi7((I,« is ol)S(dete, or 

 very faintly indicated, ami the while collar round the neck is wanting. It measures, wing, 10.75 

 inches; culmen, 2.0"); tarsus, 1..')"); middle toe, 1.0.'); and before skinning was 23..')0 inches in 

 total length, and 4H..")0 in e.Ktcnt of wings. Tlu^ liill was grayish olive-green on teiininal half and 

 along culmen, greenish olive-yellow ba.sally ; nail and most of lower mandible black; iris brown ; 

 legs and feet dull saluion-orange, the webs purplish. 



Probably no Duck lias a Avitler ilistributioii. or is foiiiul in greater numbers where 

 it occurs, than tlic (Jommuii Mallard, the tindoubtcd origin of the doniosticated inmates 

 of our poultry-yards. It is found throughout Xurtli Anierica, from Mexico to the 

 Arctic Ocean, and from the Atlantic to the racific. It occurs in every part of 

 Europe, breeding from Southern Spain to Lapland on the west, and from Greece 

 to Siberia on the east. Xo part of Asia, except the more southern liortions of India, 

 is supposed to be without it, and it is more or less abundant in all the northern por- 

 tions of Africa. And wherever found, the birds of this species are more or less 

 resident, some remaining all winter as far north as they can find open inland water, 

 and breeding, in limited uunibers, in localities where the larger pnjportion spend 

 their winter. 



This Duck is cited by Professor lleinhardt as among the birds which breed in 

 Greenland. Captain Blakiston found it on the Saskatchewan, and abundant through- 

 out the interior. Mr. lloss met with it along the entire course of the ^Mackenzie, even 

 as far north as the shores of the Arctic Sea. It is abundant in Vancouver Island ; 

 and Dr. Cooper found it very connnou in the liocky Mountains in Montana, where 

 it breeds. 



In Hearne's time (1790) flocks of this Duck visited Hudson's Bay in great num- 





