702 



SYSTEM A TIC SYNOPSIS. — LAMELLIIiOSTBES — ANSERES. 



723. F. feri'na america'na. (Lat. ferina, feral, wild. Figs. 486; 487, 488.) Red-head. 



American Pochard. Adult $ : The feathers of the head somewhat full and puffy, though 



forming no crest. Bill broad and flattened, 



a little widened toward end, running into 



the forehead which arches abruptly over 



and away fixim it, not rising gradually into 



hue with forehead; shorter or not longer 



than head, 2 inches or less in length along 



culmen, the nostrils within its basal half; 



the forward end of nostrU about f the way 



from upper corner to end of bill. Bill dull 



blue with a black belt at the end. (Compare head and bill of 



canvas-back.) Iris orange. Feet dull grayish-blue, with dusky 



webs and black claws. Head and neck all around rich pur6 



chestnut, not obscured «dth dusky-brown, but with bronzy or 



coppery red reflections. Lower neck and fore parts of body 



above and below, with rump and tail-coverts above and behjw, 



bl.ukish. Back mixed whitish and blackish in about equal 



amounts, the dark wavy lines distinct and unbroken. (In the 



European pochard, F. ferina, from which our bird differs, th 



back is also distinctly and coniijletely waved with black, but the 



ground is quite white, as iu our canvas-back, in which the darlc 



lines are much broken up, the white thus prevailing. This tine 



vermiculation, when not too chisely examined, gives a delicate 



silvery-gray tone, of different shade in the different species.) 



Sides of body under the vi'ings vermiculated much like the back, FiclST. — Red-head, Jnat. size. 



the undulations subsiding iu the grayish-white of the middle '^''""^ ""'"« ''5' J- ^- KWg^^ay) 



under parts. Wing-coverts ashy-gray, minutely dotted «itli white; speculum hoary-ash, 



bordered internally 

 w ith black ; lining of 

 u mgs mostly white. 

 9 : Bill obscured blu- 

 i-h, with black belt 

 nc ar end ; iris yellow ; 

 1 1 et as in ^ . Same 

 ^hape of bill and 

 h< ad. Head and up- 

 ] n r neck dull reddish- 

 biown, paler or whit- 

 ish on cheeks and 

 behind eye ; upper 

 parts brownish, the 

 t( tthers paler edged. 

 Wings much as iu 

 (J, the white lining 

 restricted. Length 

 20.00-23.00; extent 

 about 33.00 ; wing 

 FlG.488. -Ked-l.eads. Fnm.Unis.) 9.00-10.00; tail 3.00, 



of 14 feathers; tarsus 1.50; middle toe and claw 2.75. N. Am. at large, but particularly 



