373 
QUERQUEDULA DISCORS (STEPHENS). 
THE BLUE-WINGED TEAL. 
Specific Character.—Male.— Head and neck dull plumbeous, slightly glossed with 
lavender purple on the side of the occiput and nape, and marked in front of the eyes 
by a large crescentic patch of white extending entirely across the anterior portion 
of the head ; pileum, chin, and feathers bordering the white patches, blackish ; 
lower parts pale reddish thickly spotted with black ; the crissum uniform black ; 
back and anterior scapulars dusky marked with crescentic or U shaped bars of 
pale reddish buff; lesser wing coverts and some of the outer webs of some of the 
larger scapulars, blue; middle coverts white for the exposed portion forming a 
_bar across the wing ; speculum bronzy green, dusky terminally, with a very nar- 
row white tip; tertials black with acentral stripe of buff ; a white patch at the 
base of the tail on each side ; axillars immaculate pure white ; bill uniform black; 
‘iris brown; feet yellowish. Female—Wings only as in the male; upper parts 
dusky, the feathers bordered with dull buff; rest of the body brownish gray. 
Total length about 16.00 inches ; extent about 25.00; wing, 7.00 ; culmen, 
 1.50,; tarsus, 1.20; middle toe 1.40. 
| Habitat.—North America in general but chiefly the eastern Province. North 
to Alaska, south to Ecuador and throughout West Indies. Accidental in Europe. 
The Blue-winged Teal is rarely met with north of 60° north latitude and is not 
found throughout the whole Pacific coast. Itis a very common duck throughout. 
_ Ontario and breeds plentifully in the southern counties although not nearly so 
much soas in former years. It arrives here early in the spring, and is apparently 
-mated when it reaches here. It makes its nest along the side of a ditch, in a grain 
tield, fence corner, or other locality convenient to water, and lays from 8 to 12 
egos of a pale green colour. Whenever the female leaves the nest she invariably 
covers the eggs with down, grasses, etc. It begins its migration south about the 
_ middle of September and reaches the southern border of Ontario about the 20th, 
when formerly large bags were made during the day or two when the Teal drop- 
_ ped down to feed or rest. Its food consists of wild oats and rice, small shell fish, 
and insects. This bird is considered very fine for the table. 
