CHAULELASMUS STREPEEUS, GAD WALL. 503 



in the sedfje, lined witli dry grass, and, ia the absence of both parents, 

 is covered with dry leaves and feathers. # * * * They lay from 

 six to ten, or even twelve eggs, and as soon as the young are hatched, 

 they withdraw from the river to the small creeks and rivulets, where 

 they remain until the ducklings are fully able to fly, when all repair to 

 the great marshes, where, on the roots of the horsetail [Equisetum), 

 they grow so fat that frequently they cannot raise themselves above 

 the water." 



A nest-complement of seven eggs, from the Yukon, now in the Smith- 

 sonian, furnishes the following characters : size, 2.10 by l.oO, to 2.30 by 

 1.55; shape, rather elongate ellipsoidal; color, uniform dull grayish- 

 olive, without any buff or creamy shade. 



Hybrids of this species with the Mallard are of comparatively fre- 

 quent occuirence ; and in at least one instance (that recorded by Prof. 

 A. Newton, as above cited) these have proved fertile inter se. Those 

 that I have examined show uhmistakably the characters of both parents 

 in about equal proportions. 



CHAULELASMUS STEEPERUS, (Linn.) Gray. 

 Gadwall; Gray Duck. 



A7ias alrepera, LiNN , Syst. Nat. i, 1776, 200.— Gm., Syst. Nat. i, 1788, 520.— Lath., iDd. 

 Orn. ii, 1790, 849.— WiLS., Am. Orn. viii, 1814, 120, pi. 71.— Temm., Man. 1>^15, 

 539 ; ii, 1835, 837 ; iv, 1840, 532.— BoiB, Isis, 1832, 564.— Bp., Obs. Wils. 1825, No. 

 257 ; Syn. 1828, 383.— Steph., Gen. Zool.xii, 1824, IOS.-Flem, Br. An. 1828, 124.— 

 Brehm, Vog. Deutscb. 1831, 870.— Nutt., Man. ii, 1834, 383.— Aud. Orn. Biog. 

 iv, 1838, 353, pi. 348 ; Syn. 1839, 378; B. Am. vi, 1843, 254, pi. 388.— Nauji., Vr.^r. 

 Deatsch. xi, 1842, 659, pi. 302.— ICeys. & Bl,AS.. AVirb. Eur. 1840, 85.— Selys-L , 

 Fn. Belg. i, 1842, 141.— GiR., B. L. I. 1844, 314.— DeKay, N. Y. Zool. ii, 1S44, 

 343.— ScHL., Kev. Crit. 1844, 115; M. P.-B. viii, 1865, 48.— Degl., Orn. Eur. ii, 

 1849, 430.— Newb., P. E. E. Eep. vi, 1857, 102.— Swix., P. Z. S. 1803, 124 ; and of 

 most earlier authors. 



Anas {Chauliodus) strepera, Sw. & EiCH., F. B. A. ii, 1831, 440.— Jen., Man. 1835, 231.— 

 Sw., Classif. B. ii, 1837, 360. 



Chauliodus strepera, Sw., Journ. Eoy. Inst, ii, 19. — Eyt., Cat. Br. B. 1836, 60. 



Ktinorhynchus strepera, Eyt., Monog. Anat. 1838, 137. 



Chaulelasmus streperm, Gray, 1838 ; List B. Br. Mus. 1844, 139 ; List of Gen. of B. 1840, 

 74 ; Gen. of B. iii, 1849, 617 ; List Br. B. 1863, 196.— Bp., List, 1838, 56.— Gos.sF., 

 B. Jam. 1847, 408.— Eeich., Syst. Av. 1852, 10.— Woodh., Sitg. Eep. 1853, 104. 

 Bd., B. N. a. 1858, 782.— Coop. & SncK.,N. H. AYasb. Ter. 1860, 256.— Heerm., 

 P. E. E. Eep. X, 1859. pt. vi, 69.— Gondl., Av. Cub. 1866, 389.— Jerd, B. India, 

 iii, 1864, 892.— Cooes, Pr.Phila. Acad. 1886, 99 (Arizona).- Degl.-Gerbe, Orn. 

 Eur. ii, 1867, 516.— Dress., Ibis, 1866, 43 (Texas).— Dall & Bann., Tr. Chic. 

 Acad, i, 1869, 298.— Mere., U. S. Geol. Snrv. Ter. 1872. 704 (Idaho).— AiXEX, 

 Bull. M. C. Z. iii, 1872, 183 (Colorado).— Aiken, Pr. Bost. Soc. xv, 1872, 240 

 (Colorado).- CouES, Key, 1872, 286.— Snow, B. Kans. 1873, 11 ; and of authors 

 gener.illy. 



Querquedula strepera, Macgil., Man. Orn. ii, 1842, 169. 



Anas strepera amenmna, Maxim., J. f. O. vii, 1859, 169. 



ChaulelasniHs anwricana, Bp. (Gh'ay.) 



Anas dnerea ot suhulata, S. G. Gmelin. (Gray.) 



Anas Tcekusohlca, Gm., Syst. Nat. i, 1788, 531. — Lath., Ind. Orn. ii, 1790, 877. 



^«as rnaiZ, Hodgson. (Gray.) 



Jna« copensjs, SWAINSON. (Gray.) 

 Hob. — North America generally. Europe. Asia. Africa. Generally distributed in 



this country. 

 Not obtained by Captain Eaynolds' or Lieutenant Warren's Expedition. 

 Later Expeditions. — 62363, Idaho. 



The Gadwall breeds in various parts of the United States, and does 

 not appear to proceed to the extreme Korth like some other spen.es, 

 Mr. Dall mentions a British Columbian specimen, with merely the piob- 

 ability that the species reaches as far as Sitka. Audubon notes the 

 breeding in Texas, and in the Middle States and New England, while I 



