ANATIN^'] — THE DUCKS — AIX. 



11 



Ais sponsa. 



THE WOOD DUCK ; SUMMER DUCK. 



Alias sponsa, LiNN. S. N. od. 10, I. 1758, 128; u«l. 12, I. 17G6, 207.— Wils. Arn. Orn. VIII. 1814, 



97, 1)1. 70, f. 3. - NUTT. Mail. II. 1834, 394. — AuD. Orn. 15iog. III. 1835, 52 ; V. 1839, 618, pi. 



206 ; Syiiop. 1839, 280 ; B. Am. VI. 1843, 271, pi. 391. 

 Aix sjmisa, lioiE, Isis, 1826, 329. — Baihd, B. N. Am. 1858, 785 ; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, no. 587.— 



CoUES, Key, 1872, 288 ; Check List, 1873, no. 499 ; 2(1 ed. 1882, no. 719 ; B. N. VV. 1874, 571. — 



IliDGW. Norn. N. Ain. B. 1881, no. 613. 

 Dcndroncssa sjmiisa, Sw. & llivu. F. B. A. II. 1831, 446. 



IIab. Whole of temperate North America, north to tlie Fur Countries ; breeding throughout 

 its range. Cuba. Accidental in Europe. 



Sp. Char. Adult male : Chin, throat, and foreneck pure wliite, sending off laterally two 

 branches, — tlie first across the cheeks, back of, and nearly to, the posterior angle of the eye, the 

 second across the lower part of the neck, almost to the nape ; both bars tapering toward the end, 

 and somewhat curved or falcate in slia]K' ; a narrow white line begins at the point of the maxil- 

 lary angle, and is continued back on each side of the crown, widening considerably on the side 

 of the crest ; a second white line commences about Iialf an inch behind the eye, and nearly the 

 same distance above the end of the 

 white cheek-bar, and follows the lower 

 edge of the crest, where considerably 

 wider than anteriorly ; remainder of the 

 head silky metallic green, violet, and 

 purple, as follows : cheeks and space be- 

 hind the white cheek bar soft viola- 

 ceous-black, in the latter region extend- 

 ing up to the lower white sti'ipe, but in 

 the anterior area bounded above and 

 anteriorly by dark metallic green, the 

 orbital region and anterior half of the 

 crest between the white lines metallic- 

 reddish purple ; forehead, crown, and 

 posterior portion of the crest metallic 

 green ; terminal portion of the crest, 

 above, laterally, and beneath, dark me- 

 tallic violet. Jugulum rich purplish 

 chestnut, with a metallic-purple gloss lat- 

 erally, the front and lower part marked 

 with deltoid spots of white, growing 

 larger toward the breast ; breast and ab- 

 domen immaculate white ; sides of the 

 breast with a broad white transverse Ijar, 

 and a wide black one immediately be- 

 hind it ; sides and flanks pale fulvous 

 buff, delicately undulated with black, the 

 broad feathers forming the upper border 

 each beautifully marked with two black 

 crescentic bars, inclosing a white one ; 



crissum dull black, fading gradually into dull rusty fulvous on the anal region. Back, lesser wing- 

 coverts, and rump dark slaty brownish, very faintly glossed with bronze, the wing-coverts more slaty, 

 the rump much darker, and gradually deepening into black toward the ui)per tail-coverts, which, 

 with the tail, are deep black, the latter with bronze-green reflection in certain lights ; a somewhat 

 ovate patch (pointed posteriorly) of rich dark metallic maroon-jiurple on each side of the rump, 

 immediately behind the flanks ; just behind this, the two or three elongated lateral upper tail-coverts 



3fale. 



