THE GREEN-WINGED TEAL. 247 
of the picture, on the right, a Blue-Winged Drake, 
swimming on the limpid water, soliciting his congener, 
with reverted neck, and the harsh gabble—whence his 
name—to take wing and greet the new-comers—it being 
the object of the draftsman to give an idea not merely 
of the markings and form of these two most beautiful 
and graceful of the duck tribe, but of their motions, the 
character of their flights, and the nature of their feeding- 
grounds and habitations. 
The head of the Green-Winged Teal is of moderate 
size and compressed ; the bill nearly as long as the head, 
deeper than broad at the base, depressed at the tip; 
neck slender, of moderate length; body full and 
depressed ; wings rather small, feet short and rather far 
back. 
The plumage is short and blended ; that of the hinder 
head and neck elongated into a soft filamentous droop- 
ing crest. The bill is black ; iris hazel; feet light blue ; 
head and upper part of neck bright chestnut brown; a 
broad band of shining rich bottle-green, narrowing from 
the eye backward and downward to the nape, margined 
below with black, anterior to which is a white line; 
chin dusky brown. Upper parts and flanks white, 
beautifully and closely undulated with narrow lines of 
deep gray. Anterior to the wings is a broad transverse 
lunated white bar—this alone distinguishing the Ameri- 
can from the European bird. The wing coverts, scapu- 
lars and quills gray. The speculum bright green above, 
