696 SYSTEMATIC SYNOPSIS. — LAMELLIBOSTBES — ANSEBES. 



length about 14.00; extent 33.00 ; wing 7.00-7-50 ; tail 3.00 ; bill 1.50 ; tarsus 1.20. N. Am. 

 at large, extremely abundant ; casual in Europe. Breeds from the N. borders of the U. S. It 

 is one of the earliest anivals among the hordes of water-fowl that come thronging from the 

 north in fall. Nest on the ground, of weeds, grass, and feathers : eggs about 8, 1.75 to 1.90 

 by 1.20 to 1.30, pale dull greenish in color. 



•nc, Q. dls'cors. (Lat. discors, discordant.) Blub-winged Teal. Adult ,J : Bill grayish- 

 black ; feet dingy yeUow, with dusky webs and claws ; iris brown. Head deep leaden-gray, 

 with purplish gloss, blackening on top ; a large white black-edged crescent in front of eye. 

 Under parts purplish-gray, with innumerable black spots, rounded or oval on the breast, 

 changing to bars on the flanks, becoming nebulous on the beUy. Crissum black, a patch on 

 each side of rump, the axUlars and most of the lining of the wings, white. Lower hind neck 

 and fore back varied with brownish-black and yellowish-brown ; lower back and rump dark 

 brown with"a greenish tinge. Wing-coverts and outer webs of some of the scapulars sky-blue ; 

 speculum rich green, set between white tips of the greater coverts and secondaries, some of 

 the inner secondaries and longest scapulars velvety greenish-black on outer web, greenish- 

 brown on inner web, striped lengthwise with reddish-buff. 9 retaining the sky-blue on 

 the wing-coverts and much of the other wing-markings, hence easily distinguished among our 

 ducks, excepting ? eycmoptera. Bill greenish-dusky; feet very pale or flesh-tinted. Head 

 and neck streaked with brownish-black on a dull buff ground, the cheeks and chin whitish, 

 unmarked. Above, dark brown, with pale edges of the feathers; below, whitish-gray, 

 mottled with obscure spots. Length 15.00-16.00; extent 26.00-30.00; wing 7.00-7.50; 

 tail 8.50; bill 1.50; tarsus 1.20. N. Am., chiefly E. of the R. Mts., to the Pacific in Alaska; 

 goes to high latitudes, but also breeds indefinitely throughout its range ; abundant in the 

 U. S. in winter and during the migrations. 



117. Q. cyano'ptera. (Grr. Kvavos, kucmos, blue ; Ttrepov, pteron, wing.) Cinnamon Teal. Adult 

 ,J : Bill black; feet orange, joints and webs dusky; iris orange. Head, neck, and entire 

 under parts rich purplish- chestnut, darkening on crown and chin, blackening on middle of 

 belly; crissum dark brown. Fore back lighter cinnamon, varied with brown curved bars, 

 several on each feather ; lower back and rump greenish-brown, the feathers edged with paler. 

 Wing-coverts sky-blue, as in discors; some of the scapulars blue on outer webs and with a 

 central buff stripe, others dark green, with buff stripe. Speculum green, set between white 

 tips of greater coverts and white ends of the secondaries. Wings thus quite as in discors, but 

 the body-colors and head entirely different ; rather larger ; length 16.00-17.00; extent 25.00; 

 wing 7.50-8.00; bill 1.60-1.75, along commissure about 2.00. Adult 9 : Similar to 9 discors, 

 and not easy to distinguish ; larger ; bill longer ; under parts at least with a tinge of the pecu- 

 liar chestnut color ; head and especially chin more speckled, without the immaculate whitish 

 of those parts of ? discors. Bill dusky, paler below and along edges ; iris brown ; feet yel- 

 lowish-drab. A generally distributed S. Am. teal, now abundant in U, S. west of the R. 

 Mts., and of casual occurrence in the Gulf States. Nest on ground, of grass and feathers, 

 anywhere in its U. S. range ; Colorado, Utah, Nevada, California, Idaho, Oregon, etc. Eggs 

 9-12, laid in June, oval, one end smaller than other, creamy white or pale buff; 1.90 X 1.30 

 to 2.10 X 1.40. 

 289. SPA'TULA. (Lat. spatula or spafhula, a spoon, spathe, spatula : shape of the bUl.) 

 Spoon-bill Ducks. BUI much longer than head or tarsus, twice as wide at end as at base, 

 broadly rounded spoon-fashion at end ; the nail narrow and prominent, the laminse very numer- 

 ous and protrusive. Tail short, pointed, of fourteen acute feathers. Feet small, red. The 

 peculiarity of the biU characterizes this genus almost as strongly as Plataha among ibises, 

 or Eurynorhynchm among sandpipers ; the form is otherwise that of ordinary Anatina. 

 There are several species, one N. American. 



"718. S. clypea'ta. (Lat. ch/peum, a shield : shape of the bill. Fig. 483.) Shoveller Duck. 



