RIVER DUCKS. 



105 



"In autumn the males usually keep in separate flocks from the 

 femak'H ami younj;. Tlu'ir notes arc faint and pipin;;, and tlieir wings 

 make a loud wiiistling during (light. . . ." (B., H., and i^). 



Tho EiRopKAN Tkai. { IdiS. ^««« creccrt) is of uoauiil oi'currenoc in North 

 Anieriou. Tlic adult iiiulo rcsc'iiiblcs that <>f .(. vnro/i/n /inin, Imt tlic wliitc 

 bur in front of the \vin<,' h- luckiu;;, and the iiuiur .Hcu[>ulars arc enamy Ixitf, 

 witli a sliarjily di;tliicd bhiek mark on thuir outer webu. The fuiiiulo can not 

 bo distinguished from that of A, carolinetisia. 



140. Anas discors Linn. Hlvz-vhsuku Tkai.. .(7. S. — Crown 

 fuscous, ciilii aiui silk's of tho base of tlie bill l)lack , a bri'ud white band 

 across tlie front of tiie head, its hinder nuirj;in bordered by black ; rest of tho 

 lieud and tliroat dark usliy with purplish reflections ; breast and belly cinnu- 

 mou-rufous, thickly spotted with black ; back fuscous, the leathers with cres- 

 cents of ochruceous-butf ; leaner anil mei/iu/i wiiitj-mvirts t/nii/inh blue, end 

 luilf of the greater ones wldte ; speculum green. .\<t. V ((nil 6 in xuniiuer. — 

 Crown fuscous, lightly margined with grayisli ; sides of tho lieail and tho 

 neck whitish, tincly spotted with blackisli, e.vccpt on the throat ; breast and 

 belly with less ciiunimon wusli than in the preceding ; Imck and wings (piitc 

 similur to the preceding. l)Ut ochruceous bars sometimes wanting; specul in 

 darker and greater coverts with less white. L., ItlOO; W., 7 lio ; Tar., 1*20; 

 B.. l-CO. 



Nfinffe. — Chiefly eastern North America; l>roeds from Kansn.«, northern 

 Ohio, and New Brunswick northward; winters from Virginia and tho Lower 

 Mi.ssissip.pi Valley lo northern Soutii America. 



Washington, common \V. V., Sept. to Apl. Loiii,' Island, common T. V. 

 in Sept., rare T. V. in spring. Sing Sing, common T. V. in fall, Sejit. '-'4 to 

 Oct. 17. Cambridge, rare in spring; very common iiit least formerly) Aug. 

 to Oct. 



£'ff(js, six to twelve, butty wliite or creamy huflf, VB.I x 1-30. 



This generally silent species flies in densely mussed, small flocks, 

 which move as one bird. The white face-mark ran be discerned at 

 some distance, and, in connection with the bird's small size, is a good 

 field-mark. 



Tlio CiNN'AMo.N Tkai. (I4I. .(//'rv ('.'/'/""/'Avv?), a species of western North 

 America, sometimes occurs east of the .Mississippi. It has })cen recorded frnm 

 Illinois and Florida. Tlic male has the utnlcr parts deep cinnamon; tho 

 female closely resembles the same sc.x of our .1/*^^ ilitirorn. 



142. Spatula clypeata (Linn.). Shovki.ku. ./'/. <^.— Mead and 

 neck fuscous. glo.s.seil with bluish green ; back and a broken line down the 

 back of the lower neck fuscous; rest of the lower neck and breast white; 

 lower breast and belly rufous-clicstnut; upper and under tail-coverts dark 

 greenish ; lesser wing-coverts grayish blue, greater ones brownish gray tipped 

 with white; speculum green. Ad. 9. — Throat bufty white; head and neck 

 streaked, with bufly and black ; rest of under jiurts more or less washed with 



