126 WATER FOWL. 



DAFILA ACUTA. 



Geographical Distribution. — Cosmopolitan. In North Amer- 

 ica it ranges from Alaska to Panama and Cuba. Breeds from 

 northern United States to limit of its northern range. 



Adult Male. — Head and upper neclc, hair brown, darkest on 

 the crown, where it is often a rusty brown. Sides of occiput 

 with metallic green and purple reflections. Upper part of hind 

 neck, black; lower part, dusky, minutely waved with white. A 

 white stripe, beginning at the upper edge of black portion, 

 passes down the sides of the neck, and is confluent with the 

 white of the under parts. Back, and sides of flank, waved with 

 narrow white and dusky lines. Tertials, silvery gray, with 

 a central black stripe ; long scapulars, black, edged with buff or 

 whitish. Wing coverts, glossy brownish gray, last row tipped 

 with cinnamon, forming a bar across the wing. Speculum, 

 bronze, changing from green to copper according to the light, 

 with a subterminal black bar and white tip. Under parts, pure 

 white, sometimes blotched with rust color. Sides and flanks 

 crossed with narrow bars of white and dusky. Lengthened 

 upper tail coverts, black, edged with white on inner webs. Tail 

 feathers, pointed, dark brown on outer webs, gray on inner, the 

 long central pair narrow and pointed and extending beyond the 

 others, black. Under tail covefts, black, the external ones hav- 

 ing white outer webs, forming a line on each side. Iris, dark 

 brown. Bill bluish gray, blackish toward tip; lead color toward 

 the edges. Legs and feet, brownish gray. Length, about 26 

 inches; wing, 10^; culmen, 2^%; tarsus, 1,%; tail, 7; bill, 2. 



Adult Female. — Top of head, rufous streaked with black. 

 Rest of head, whitish or yellowish white, finely streaked with 

 dusky. Back of neck, dusky, streaked with buff; chin and 

 throat, whitish ; upper parts, dusky, crossed with irregular, often 

 U-shaped, bars of yellowish white, or ochraceous, these last 

 being mostly on middle of back. Wing coverts, brownish gray 

 tipped with white. Under parts, white, streaked with dusky. 

 Sides and flanks with broad V- or U-shaped marks of glossy 

 grayish brown. Upper tail coverts, irregularly blotched with 

 black and white. Tail, dark brownish gray irregularly barred 

 with white. Bill, bluish gray, blackish on top. Legs and feet, 

 lead color. Length, about 20 inches; wing, g^; culmen, i-^; 

 tarsus, i^. 



