ORDER PALMIPEDES. (J71 



upper part of the back is brown, and the rest of the bird is 

 nearly black. Inhabits New South Wales, especially 

 Hawkesbury River there. 



The Spanish Duck, Anas Viduata, is described at p. 620. 



The figure of Anas discors, the Blue-winged Teal of 

 Latham and Catesby, is from a specimen in the British 

 Museum. It is described at p. 608. 



We shall now speak of the Common Duck, confining our 

 observations chiefly to the wild state of that species, as we 

 did with the goose. 



It is towards the middle of October that the wild ducks 

 generally begin to make their appearance among us, but only 

 in small bands, which are in a little time followed by others 

 more numerous. They are recognised by their elevated 

 flight, in inclined lines, or regular triangles. They are ob- 

 served on their arrival to fly incessantly from one pond and 

 river to others. Their movements are made more by night 

 than by day. They feed, voyage, arrive, and depart princi- 

 pally in the evening, and even at night, during which the 

 whizzing of their flight discovers their passage ; but the 

 noise of their wings is greatest at the moment of their setting 

 out. As long as the rigour of the season does not deprive 

 them of aquatic insects, of small fish, of frogs, of the grains 

 of seeds, and other marshy plants, which furnish them with 

 abundant food, they remain in rivers and large pieces of 

 stagnant water; but when these are frozen, they retire to the 

 borders of woods to pick up the acorns, or spread themselves 

 in the fields to feed upon the green corn. If the cold con- 

 tinues, and becomes too rigorous, they depart altogether, and 

 transport themselves into more temperate climates, returning 

 only with the thaw about the month of February. It is 

 usually in the evening that they are seen to repass with the 

 winds from the south ; but the bands are less numerous, be- 

 cause at this epoch they commence to pair. Each couple 



