224 GREEN-WINGED TEAL. 



Akas Crecca, Linn. Syst. Nat. vol. i. p. 204 — Lath. Ind. Ornith. vol. ii. p. 872 



Ch. Bonaparte, Synops. of Birds of the United States, p. 386. 



Anas Crecca, var. American Teal, Swains, and Richards, Fauna Bor. Amer. 

 part ii. p. 443. 



Green-winged Teal, Anas Crecca, Wik. Amer. Ornith. vol. viii. p. 101. pi. 70. 

 fig. 4. 



American Teal, JVuttall, Manual, vol. ii. p. 400. 



Adult Male. Plate CCXXVIII. Fig. 1. 



Bill almost as long as the head, deeper than broad at the base, de- 

 pressed towards the end, its breadth nearly equal in its whole leno-th, 

 being however a little enlarged towards the rounded tip. Upper man- 

 dible with the dorsal line at first sloping, then concave, towards the ends 

 nearly straight, the ridge broad and flat at the base, then broadly convex, 

 the sides convex, the edges soft, with about fift}'-five lamellae. Nostrils 

 subbasal, near the ridge, rather small, elliptical, pervious. Lower man- 

 dible flattish, with the angle very long and rather narrow, the dorsal line 

 very short, straight, the sides perpendicular with about 130 lamellfe. 



Head of moderate size, compressed. Neck of moderate length, rather 

 slender. Body full, depressed. Wings rather small. Feet short, placed 

 rather far back ; tarsus short, compressed, at its lower part anteriorly with 

 two series of scutella, the rest covered with reticulated angular scales. 

 Toes scutellate above ; first toe very small, free, with a narrow membrane 

 beneath ; third longest ; fourth a little shorter ; the anterior toes united 

 by reticulated webs, of which the outer is deeply sinuate ; claws small, 

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

 the third toe largest, and with an inner sharp edge. 



Plumage dense, soft, blended. Feathers of the middle of the head 

 and upper part of hind neck, very narrow, elongated, with soft filamen- 

 tous disunited bands, of the rest of the head and upper part of neck very 

 short, of the back and lower parts in general broad and rounded. Wings 

 of moderate length, narrow, acute; primaries strong, curved, tapering, 

 second longest, first scarcely shorter ; secondaries broad, rather pointed, 

 the inner elongated and tapering, as are the scapulars. Tail short, round 

 ed and acuminate, of sixteen acuminate feathers. 



Bill black. Iris brown. Feet light bluish-grey. Head and upper 

 part of the neck chestnut-brown; abroad band, narrowing backwards, 

 from the eye down the back of the neck, deep shining green, edged with 



