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106 



KIVER DUCKS. 





I li 





i 



U 



bulFy ocliraceous, everywhere indistinctly spotted with fuscous except on the 

 niitkUe of tlie belly ; buck fuscous, the feathers with inari,Mns and internal 

 crescents of wliitish and butfy ; \vin;,'-coverts and speculum much as in the 

 male. Im. — The im. 6 is intermediate between the ad. 6 and 9 ; the ini. 9 

 resemble the ad. S , but the winj,'-coverts are slaty trray, the speculum with 

 little or no green. I.., '2000 ; W., y-.W ; B., 2-50 ; greatest width of B., 1-20. 



JidiKje. — Jsorthern hemisphere; in America, more common in the interior; 

 breeds regularly from Minnesota northward and locally as fur south as Texas; 

 not known to breed in the Atlantic States; winters from southern Illinois 

 and Virginia southwanl to northern South America. 



Washington, not uncommon W. V. Long Island, rare T. V. Sing Sing, 

 A. v., Oct. 



Ji(J(j8, six to ten, pale bully white or bluish white, 210 x 1-50. 



The Shoveler, like most of the members of this subfuniily, is more 

 common in the Mississippi Valley than on the coast. It is generally 

 a silent bird, but its note in the breeding season is said to be *' took, 

 took.'^ It feeds largely by tipping in shallow water. 



143. Daflla acuta {Linn.). Pintail; Spriotail. Ad. <$ .-— Head 



and throat olive-brown ; back of the neck blackish, bordered by white stripes, 

 whicli pu.ss to the breu>t ; breast and belly white ; the abdomen faintly and 

 the sides strongly marked with wavy lines of black and white ; back some- 

 what darker than the sides; scapulars black, bordered or streaked with bulfy 

 wliite ; wing-coverts brownish gray, the greater ones tipped with rufous ; 

 speculum green ; central tail-feathers glossed with green and much elongated. 

 Ad. 9 . — Throat white or wliitish, crown and sides of the liead streaked with 

 blackish and butty ocliraceous, darker above; breast washed with butty 

 ochraceous and spotted with blackish ; belly white ; abdomen more or less 

 indistinctly mottled with blackisli ; sides with bars and lengtiiened black 

 and white crescents; under wing-coverts /Vavom*', bordered icith whltixh f 

 axillars barred or mottled u ith bhick ; back fuscous, tlie featiiei's with borders, 

 bars, or crescents of white or buH"y; speculum grayish brown bordered with 

 white. S in breeding /)/MWiavt'.—" Similar toad. 9 , but wings as in spring 

 or winter plumage" (Ridgw.). Im. — The im. 5 is variously intermediate 

 between the ad. i and 9 ; the im. 9 resembles the ad. 9 , but the under parts 

 are more heavily streaked or spotted. L., 4, 2800, 9, 22-00; W., 1000; T., 

 & , 7-50, 9 , 3-t)0 ; B., 2-00. 



Ji'eniitrkx. — The female of this species is a rather obscure-looking bird, but 

 may always be known by its broad, sharply pointed central tail-feathers and 

 dusky under wing-coverts. 



/iVi«f/f. -Northern iiemisphere ; in America, lireeds from Iowa and Illinois 

 to the Arctic Ocean ; not known to breed on the .Vtlantic coast ; winters from 

 Virginia southward to the (ireater .Vntilles and Central America. 



Wasliington, W. V., Oct. to Apl. TiOng Island, very comn\on T. V., Sept. 

 IT) to Apl. 1") ; a few winter. Sing Sing, common T. V., Mch. 15 to Apl. 10; 

 Sept. 2C to Dec. 4. Cambridge, casual T. V., Apl. ; Sept. and Oct. 



£(f(jti, eight to twelve, bully white or pale bluish white, 220 x 1-50. 



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