VOL. 1. 



SALEM, IOWA. JULY. 1895. 



NO. 4. 



The Blue-winded Teal. 



The Bluc-vving-cd Teal is flie 

 most common summer resident of 

 the Ducks found in this vicinity, 

 exceeding- the Mallard in numbers 

 during- the summer months. 

 This species arrives from the 

 South rather later in the spring 

 than most other Ducks, and de- 

 parts in the fall before the great- 

 er flights of Ducks and Geese 

 from the Northland. 



Though not as handsome a 

 bird as some of the other species 

 of the Ducks, the Blue-Aving-ed 

 Teal is nevertheless a very tine 

 appearing- bird, with a dark col- 

 ored head, somewhat iridescent, 

 and a white crescent in front of 



the eye. The female is dull, 

 streaked and mottled with brown- 

 ish; p: ler below. The wing- cov- 

 erts of both sexes are of a clear 

 sky blue and the bird is thus 

 readily identified at sight. The 

 young- of this species are hatched 

 about the middle of June, and 

 the downy little Ducks leave the 

 nest <?s soon as the shell is off 

 their backs. Fresh eggs may be 

 found from the #niiddle to the 

 last of Ma}'. The nest is built on 

 dry g-round, generally not far 

 from a marsh, or other body of 

 water, being a slight hollow in 

 the g-round lined with dr}' grc.s^ 

 and soft dark gray down from 

 the Ducks breast; each tiny pellet 

 having- a light colored center, 

 fringed with darker color, which 

 gives the Jov/n of the nest a speck- 

 led appearance. Indeed the down 

 of some species of Ducks shows 

 more variation than their eggs. 



