Duck-sbooting 109 



in Texas and Louisiana, and is found sparingly on 

 the Atlantic Coast of the Southern states, but is 

 rare north of North Carolina and a straggler in 

 New England. Two are recorded from Rye Beach, 

 Massachusetts, in August,- 1872. Four killed on 

 the sand-bars just outside of New Haven harbor 

 in September, 1886, were brought to the writer. 



The shoveller is known by a variety of names, 

 such as spoonbill, blue-winged shoveller, red- 

 breasted shoveller, spoon-billed teal, spoon-billed 

 widgeon, broadbill, swaddlebill, mud shoveller, 

 mesquin. 



PINTAIL 

 {Dafila acuta) 



Adult male — Head and upper neck, brown, darkest on the crown ; 

 sides of head with metallic purple reflections ; upper part of 

 neck, black behind, lower part lighter, with faint white undula- 

 tion ; a white stripe beginning at upper edge of black portion 

 passes down sides of neck and is continuous with the white of 

 lower parts ; back and sides waved with fine, narrow, white and 

 dusky lines ; wing-coverts, brownish gray, the last row tipped 

 with cinnamon, forming a bar across the wing ; speculum, bronze, 

 with copper and green reflections, with an outside black bar 

 and white tip ; under parts, pure white ; upper tail-coverts, 

 black, edged with white, and lengthened ; tail feathers, pointed, 

 dark brown on outer side, gray on inner ; the two central feath- 

 ers black, long, and pointed, extending beyond the others ; 

 under tail-coverts, black, edged with white ; iris, brown ; bill, 

 slate, black on tip ; legs and feet, slate ; webs, dusky. 



Measurements — Length, 26 inches; wing, 10.50 inches; culmen, 

 2.30 inches ; tarsus, 1.60 inches ; tail, 7 inches. 



Adult female — Top of head, brown, streaked with black; rest of 

 head, buff, streaked with dusky; upper parts, dusky, crossed 

 with bars of buff; under parts, white, streaked with dusky; 



