ANATIN.E— THE DUCKS _ CIIAri.HLASML'S. 



507 



n. VIII. 1814, 

 348 I Synop. 



N. Am. 1858, 

 3, no. 4Ul ; 2d 

 ). (504. 



iperate North 



& Salv.). 



md neck pale 



n deeper and 



on llie occiput, 



of transveree 



urved bar.«, or 



! of the lilt lev 



joneath, back, 



ked transverse 



y of the longer 



edged with a 



un dull .slate. 



laque velvety 



with white. 



chestnut, the 



po.sterior ones 



k. Speculum 



iers cinereous 



rowly tipped 



primaries a 



h black. Iris 



claws brown- 



lult viale, in 



)U<,di the eye, 



Dwn, as in the 



lark blackish 



ve described ; 



adly marked 



ther having a 



al streaks on 



y inferior size, 

 nr discrepancy 



mid longitude 



J'einaU'. 



thp head and neck, and in inv!,'ular transverse spots and bars on other portions. On the upper 



surface the dusky prevails, and on the lower parts the whitish predominates. Wiuj,' nearly as in 



the male, lint tlie chestnut usually absent, the black less extended, and tiie j^ray of tiie coveits ;.en- 



erally more or less ))arred and tipped with wiiite. Abdomen and lower part of the breast pure 



white ; throat linidy streaked with dusky, fhwmj 



young: "Covered witli soft short d<i\vii ; head, 



nape, back, and rump, dark dull lirown. on eaidi 



siile of the rump and back of eacli wing-joint a 



sulphur-yellow spot, the wing-joints being marked 



with that color; forelieail, spac(^ round the eye, 



throat, and chest pale sulphur-yellow ; alxlomen 



white-, shaded with sulphur-yeUow, on tlii' lower 



part sooty gray" (SiiArti'M iV: Dkkssku). 



jl/rtic, wing, l().2.")-li.(tn inclies ; culmeli, l.tiO- 

 1.7'); wiiltii of bill, .GO-."") ; tarsus, 1.4.'')-l.7() ; 

 middle toe, I.8()-l.!)(>. Fimde, wing. lO.dd-Kt.lO ; 

 culmen, l..")5-l.(!5 ; width of bill, .(!()-.7() ; tarsus, 

 I. GO; middle toe, 1.7")-I.Ht. 



Although one of the aljove diagnoses will fit 

 almost any exam[)le of this tpecies, iliere is yet a 

 very consi(k'rable extent of individual variation 

 noticeabh- in a large series. Thu. . No. 17040 



(Washington, D. ('.. Keb. 2.'), 18(i0 ; C. DmoxMiit) has the unifoini iirown of the pileum coming 

 down over the fide of tlie hciid to a line on a level with the lower eyelid, tlu' wii(de u]p[)er half of 

 tlie iiead i)eing tiius nearly free from specks ; while that jiortion behind tlie eye has a faint, but 

 very perceptible, rose-purple reflection --this part of the head calling strongly to mind the head- 

 jiattern of Nrttinn and Manm anfriatuu. On tlie other hand, an adult mah; from I'liihidelphia 

 (No. 4GC.J8, J. KitiiiKu) has even the top of the head spotted. Xo. <J7!)1, $ ad.. Fort ."-^teilacoom, 

 W. T. (Dr. Geouue Sucki.ev), has the pileum almost chestnut, the brown having there such a 

 deeph' reddish cast ; the lower neck is nearly plain pale ochrai'eous, abruptly defined against the 

 darkly colored jngulum. Specimens from Cajpe St. Lucas and Utah present no unusual features. 



All American specimens differ uniformly, from the single European pair before us, in several 

 very tangilde respects. The European male has the neck (juite ileeply ochraceous, while in the 

 American ones there is seldom more than a mere tinge of this color ; tiie jiigulum is also pervaded 

 by a wash of a more pinkish tinge of the same, while there is aiijirecialdy less regularity and clear- 

 ness in the markings of that region. Tlie longer scapulars are more deeply tinged with fulvous, 

 and the finely undulated portions are pervaded with a brownish wash, entirely wanting in the 

 American .series. The me.isuremeiits of this b[)ecimen (Xo. .57187, Europe ; Schliiter Collection) 

 are as follows : AVing, 10.80 indies; culmen, I.G.") ; width of bill. .70; tarsus, 1.5."); middle toe, 

 1.85. The female specimen from Europe is very .similar to North American examples, but is 

 rather more deeply colored, the dark centres to the featheis being nearly deep black. The whole 

 throat is immaculate white. The measurements are as follows : Wing, 9.5t) inches ; culmen, 

 1.50; tarsus, 1.35; middle toe, 1.60. 



The Gadwall, or (Jray Duck, like the ]\rall;ivd, tlio Pintail, the Shov<'llor, and one 

 or two other fresh-water Ducks, has a general distribution, nearly or quite throughout 

 the northern hemisphere. It is more or less common in nearly all parts of North 

 America, from the Fur Eegion to Central America, tind from Elaine to the Vacific. 

 Its presence in several extended districts, however, remains to be confirmed. It is 

 found in all parts of Europe, from Iceland to Gibralttir, occurs throughout North 

 Africa, and is distributed over the larger portion of Asia. 



Mr. Robert Kennicott, in liis maiuisoript notes on the Anutkhr of North America, 

 states that this Duck, like tlie Ai/tlnja americana and some otlier birds, thougJi ex- 

 tending west of the mountains \vithin the United States, ai^parently i)asses in its 



