TUFTED DUCK. 119 



throughout the winter. With us it is not a numerous species ; and is 

 rather a solitary bird, seldom more than four or five being found to- 

 gether. It is more common- in the month of March than any other 

 time. It is a plump, short-bodied Duck ; its flesh tender, and well 

 tasted ; but in no respect to be compared to that of the Canvas-back ; 

 it is even inferior to the Mallard. 



The American Tufted Duck is seventeen inches long, and twenty- 

 seven inches in breadth ; the bill is broad, of a dull bluish ash color, the 

 base of the upper mandible marked with a stripe of pure white, which 

 extends along its edges, and then forms a wider band across near the 

 tip, which is of a deep black — this white band changes after death to 

 gray or bluish white ; irides rich orange ; a spot of white on the chin ; 

 head tufted, and, with the upper part of the neck, black, with reflections 

 of rich purple, predominating on the back part of the neck ; about the 

 middle of the neck there is an interrupted band of a rich deep glossy 

 chestnut ; throat, lower part of the neck, breast, back, scapulars, rump, 

 and tail-coverts, of a silky brownish black ; primaries and wing-coverts 

 brown ; tertials dark brown, with strong reflections of green ; seconda- 

 ries pale ash, or bluish white, forming the speculum, some tipped with 

 brown and others with white ; back and scapulars powdered with parti- 

 cles of dull white, not to be observed but on a near inspection, and pre- 

 senting the appearance of dust ; lower part of the breast, and whole 

 belly, white, with a yellowish tinge ; vent dusky ; sides under the wings, 

 and flanks, beautifully marked with fine zigzag lines of dusky ; tail dull 

 brown, cuneiform, and composed of fourteen feathers ; the primaries, 

 wing-coverts, back and scapulars, are glossed with green ; webs of the 

 feet black. The color of the legs and feet varies : those of the figure 

 in the plate were greenish ash ; those of the specimen above described 

 were pale yellow ochre, dashed with black ; and those of Mr. Bona- 

 parte's specimen were bluish ash. The above description was taken 

 from a fine adult male, shot by myself on the 1st of April, 1814. 



On the 8th of March, 1815, I shot from a flock, consisting of five 

 individuals, two males ; and an adult female in full plumage. 



Female: Length sixteen inches and a half; bill darker than that of 

 the male, without the white at its base, above the nail with a band of 

 dull bluish white ; beneath the eyes a spot of white ; chin and front 

 part of the lores white ; throat spotted with dusky ; cheeks and auricu- 

 lars finely powdered with white ; neck without the chestnut band ; head, 

 neck, breast, upper parts of the back, lower parts of the belly, and vent, 

 a snufi-colored brown ; belly whitish ; lower part of the back dusky ; 

 the under tail-coverts pencilled with fine zigzag lines ; neck rather 

 thicker than that of the male, but the head equally tufted ; the wings, 

 feet, legs, tail and eyes, resemble those parts of the male. The dust- 



