RIVER DUCKS. 



103 



186. Anas Strepera Linn. (Jadwall; Gkay Dick. Ad. S.— 



Top of the hi'uil stiTiiked witli rufous-brown and black; sides of the lit-nd and 

 neck pale butfy, thU'kly streaked or si)i)tteil with black; breast and neck all 

 around black, each feather with a border and an internal riiijjf of white, jfiving 

 tlie pluniajre a beuutifully scaled appearance; belly wliite or j^rayisli ; rump, 

 ujiper antl under tail-coverts black; lesser winii;-co verts <7/tJ«/;/>/^ Aii. 9. — 

 Head and throat as in the male; back fuscous margined with butl'y ; breast 

 and sii/es ochruceous butfy, thickly spotted with blackish ; belly and under 

 tail-coverts white, more or less thickly s|K)tted with blackish; little or no 

 chestnut on wing-coverts; speculum ashy gray and wliite; axillars and under 

 wing-co verts /ii/r« wfiite. L., l'J-50; W., 10'4(t; Tar., l-nr); R., 1-70. 



A'rt«f/<?.— Northern hemisphere; in America, breeds in the interior locally 

 from Kansas northward to the arctic regions ; known to breed on the Atlantic 

 coiust oidy at Anticosti ; winters from Virginia to Florida and Texas. 



Washington, common W. V., Sept. to .Vj)!. Long Island, A. V. 



^'J'JXt eight to twelve, pale butt' or butty white, iiO'.t x \-;)7 (Kidgw.). 



This species is coniinnn in the interior and in Florida, but is rather 

 nirc in the other Atlantic States. Its call-note is said to resemble that 

 of the Mallard, " but is rather more slirill, and frequently repeated." 



136. Anas penelope Linn. KiuorKAN Widukon. Jif. <$. -Crown 

 creamy buff; throat blackish, rest of liead and neck rufous-brown ; upi>er 

 bieast vinaceous, lower 1)reast and belly white; «/</«« and back tinely nuirked 

 with wavy black and white lines. Ai/. 9 . — Head and throat deepoeliraceous- 

 butf, finely streaked and barred with black, darker above; upper bretust and 

 sides much the same color, but without black markings; lower breast and 

 belly white; bju-k grayish brftwn, the feathers with small ochraceous butty 

 bars; tertials fuscous, bordered by dcej) orhraceoiix huf'y ; greater wing-cov- 

 erts hrownixh (jra;/, usually whiter on the outer webs and tipped witli black. 

 W., 10-50; B.,"l-40. 



RttmarlcK. — The females of the European and .\merlcan Widgeons bear a 

 general resemblance to one :mother. Their ilistinguishing characters are 

 mainly in the color of the head and throat, which are brown in the Kuropean 

 species, and in the color of the greater wing-eoverts, which are v.hiter in tlio 

 American bird. T have seen a caged male in the summer in a plumage closely 

 resembling that of the female. Probably a similar cliange of plumage occurs 

 in our A. ariwricaiia. 



Haiuje. — Northern parts of thn (Md World; in North America breeds in 

 the Aleutian Islands, and occurs occasionally in the eastern United States. 



Washington, A. V., two recortls. Long Island, A. V. 



Eijijx^ five to eight, bi.-ffy white, 2-'J8 x l-')-'!. 



"The call-note of the male is a shrill, whistling tvfiee-you, whence 

 the local names ' Whew Duck ' and ' Whewer ' ; but the female utters 

 a low purr-iug growl. Both sexes, however, rise in silence " (Saunders). 



137. Anas americana (t'mel. Bai.dpate; American Widgeon. 

 Ad. S . — Middle of the crowu white or butty ; sides of the crown, from the eye 



