S86 THE GADWALL. 



Recognition Marks. — Spotting of throat and red legs most distinctive. 



Nest, and Bggs probably not different from those of preceding form. 



General Range. — Atlantic Coast during migration from Newfoundland to 

 Virginia and west to Arkansas ; breeding range not definitely known, but includes 

 northern Labrador and Hudson Bay region. » 



Range in Ohio. — Imperfectly known as yet. Probably the common bird 

 during migrations. Winters irregularly and sparingly throughout the state. 



THE recent elaboration of this well-marked subspecies has left us quite 

 in doubt as to its status in Ohio. From a comparison of museum material, 

 it would appear quite possible that this may prove to be, as Jones suggests, 

 the more common form. Sportsmen would do well to report to^ some central 

 authority, as to the Secretary of the Wheaton Club, in Columbus, the pro- 

 portion which the red-legged birds bear to the others in their daily bags. 



No. 284. 

 GADWALL. 



A. O. U. No. 135. Chaulelasmus streperus (Linn.). 



Synonym. — Gray Duck. 



Description. — Adult male : Head and upper neck buffy, spotted or streaked 

 with dusky ; top of head darker brownish ; breast and lower neck all around dusky 

 and white, each feather with five to eight concentric half-rings of alternating colors, 

 presenting a handsomely scaled appearance; sides, back and scapulars similarly 

 varied with dusky and white, buffy, or ochraceous-white, in serai-concentric, zigzag, 

 or fine, wavy lines ; the posterior inner scapulars, not thus marked, dull cinnamon- 

 brown, darker centrally and edged with lighter, lanceolate; lower back dusky, 

 becoming velvety black on lower tail-coverts and around on sides of crissum ; 

 middle wing-coverts bright chestnut; the lesser dull brownish gray, the greater 

 velvety black; speculum white, rather narrowly, the outer secondaries black and 

 dusky, the bounding tertials plain fuscous ; belly white or grayish, obscurely barred 

 posteriorily ; axillars and lining of wings white ; bill blue-black ; legs and feet dull 

 orange, the webs dusky. Adult male in breeding season : "Similar to winter male, 

 but colors duller, crown dusky, rump and breast tinged with rusty, and under parts 

 more spotted with dusky" (Ridgway). Adult female: "Head and throat as in 

 the male ; back fuscous margined with buffy ; breast and sides ochraceous buffy, 

 thickly spotted with blackish ; belly and under tail-coverts white, more or less 

 thickly spoted with blackish ; little or no cbestnut on wing-coverts ; speculum ashy 

 gray and white; axillars and under wing-coverts pure tvhite" (Chapman). (No 

 specimen in O. S. U. collection.) Length 19.00-22.00 (482.6-558.8) ; wing 10.60 

 (269.2) ; tail 4.50 ( 1 14.3) ; bill 1.67 (42.4) ; tarsus 1.60 (40.6). Female smaller. 



Recognition Marks. — Something under Mallard size ; white speculum dis- 

 tinctive. 



