EUROPEAN WIDGEON 111 



markets of San Francisco and Los Angeles during the season 1895- 

 1896 (Calif. Fish Comm., 1896, p. 40). In San Francisco nearly 

 15,000 were sold by one game transfer company in 1909-1910, while 

 but 9,254 were reported as sold in 1911-1912. The decrease here 

 shown would seem to indicate that there has been a marked decrease 

 in the general abundance of this duck during the two years specified. 

 The species has held its own to a greater degree than some other 

 ducks in spite of the large number killed annually. Nevertheless it 

 needs adequate protection such as would be afforded by a no-sale 

 law, shorter season, and smaller bag limit, to assure its preservation 

 as a game bird. 



European Widgeon 



Mareca penelope (Linnaeus) 



Other names — Red-headed Widgeon; Anas penelope. 



Description — Adult male: Head and neck bright rufous red, except crown 

 and forehead which are creamy white; lower eyelid white, upper black; numerous 

 minute black or iridescent flecks on sides of head; chin and narrow line down 

 throat dull black; bill " 'light grayish blue, with the tip . . . black' "; iris 

 " 'hazel brown' " (Baird, Brewer and Eidgway, 1884, I, p. 518); back undu- 

 lated with fine zig-zag bars of black and white, resulting in a general gray 

 cast; base of rump grayish brown; middle upper tail coverts like back, but 

 lighter; lateral upper and whole under tail coverts black; tail feathers above 

 blackish, beneath ashy; outer surface of closed wing mostly white but edged 

 anteriorly with ashy brown, and the tertials black edged with white; flight 

 feathers plain ashy brown; speculum metallic green bordered both in front and 

 behind with velvety black; under surface of wing shining ashy gray; lower 

 surface largely pure white; broad area on chest extending high on the shoulders 

 pinkish brown; legs and feet " 'light grayish blue' " (Baird, Brewer and 

 Ridgway, loo. cit.). Total length (both sexes): "18.00-20.00" inches (458-508 

 mm.) (Ridgway, 1900, p. 96); male: folded wing 10.00 (254); bill along culnie]i 

 1.47 (37.3) ; tarsus 1.62 (41.2) (one specimen in Grinnell coll., in Mus. Vert. 

 Zool.). Adult female: Head and upper neck yellowish red with small greenish 

 black spots most numerous on the upper part of head; upper surface dusky 

 brown, each feather edged with brownish red or whitish, giving a barred 

 appearance; bill and iris as in male; outer surface of closed wing dusky gray, 

 the white feathers of male being replaced by dusky gray ones tipped with 

 white; only an indication of a dark terminal bar on secondary coverts, and 

 black of inner secondaries as found in male replaced by dark gray; tail 

 feathers brownish gray edged with lighter; under tail coverts white barred 

 with brown; sides and fore part of chest obscurely barred with reddish brown 

 and brownish gray; breast and belly white. Folded wing 10.00 inches (254 

 mm.); bill along culmen 1.50 (38.2); tarsus 1.50 (38.2) (Baird, Brewer and 

 Eidgway, 1884, I, p. 518). Juvenile plumage: "Head, neck, jugulum [foreneck], 

 sides and flanks, umber brown, varying to a cinnamon shade, the head and 

 neck thickly streaked with black, and the feathers of the jugulum, sides, etc., 

 centered with dusky. Back and scapulars dusky, the feathers broadly 

 bordered with dull fulvous; crissum [under tail coverts] irregularly streaked 

 and spotted with dusky; rump and upper tail coverts slaty brown, bordered 



