60 WOOD DUCK. 



Anas sponsa, Limi. Syst. Nat. vol. i. p. 207 — Lath. Ind. Omith. vol. ii. p. 871 Ch~ 



Bonaparte, Synops. of Birds of the United States, p. 385. 

 Summer Duck, or Wood Duck, Anas sponsa, Wils. Amer. Omith. vol. viiL p. 97. 



pi. 78. fig. 3 Nuttall, Manual, vol. ii. p. 394. 



Dendronessa sponsa, Richards and Swains. Fauna Bor. Amer. part ii. p. 446. 



Adult Male. Plate CCVI. Fig. 1, 3. 



Bill shorter than the head, deeper than broad at the base, depressed 

 towards the end, slightly narrowed towards the middle of the unguis, the 

 frontal angles prolonged and pointed. Upper mandible with the dorsal 

 line at first sloping, then concave, along the unguis convex, the ridge 

 broad and flat at the base, then broadly convex, the sides concave and 

 perpendicular at the base, convex and sloping towards the end, edges soft, 

 with about twenty-two internal lamella', unguis broadly elliptical, curved, 

 rounded. Nostrils subbasal, lateral, rather small, oval, pervious. Lower 

 mandible flattish, with the angle very long and rather narrow, the dorsal 

 line very short, convex, the sides convex, the edges soft and rounded, la- 

 mellate above. 



Head of moderate size, neck rather long and slender, body full and 

 depressed, wings rather small. Feet very short, strong, placed rather far 

 back ; tarsus very short, considerably compressed, at its lower part ante- 

 riorly with two series of scutella, the rest covered with reticulated angu- 

 lar scales. Toes scutellate above ; first very small, free, with a narrow 

 membrane beneath, third longest, fourth a little shorter ; claws small, 

 curved, compressed, acute, the hind one smaller and more curved, that 

 of the third toe with an inner sharp edge. 



Plumage dense, soft, blended, generally glossed. Feathers of the 

 middle of the head and upper part of hind neck, very narrow, elongated, 

 and incurved, of the rest of the head and upper part of neck very short, 

 of the back and lower parts in general broad and rounded, excepting on 

 the shoulders before the wings, where they are enlarged, very broad and 

 abrupt. Wings of moderate length, narrow, acute; primaries curved, 

 strong, tapering, first and second longest ; secondaries broad, rounded. 

 Tail of moderate length, rather broad, much rounded, of sixteen rounded 

 feathers. 



Upper mandible bright red at the base, pale yellow on the sides, the 

 intermediate space along the ridge, and the unguis, black, as in the lower 

 mandible and its membrane. Iris and edges of eyehds bright red. Feet 



