84 



NESTS AND EGGS OF 



The male b^ird, inclusive of the long central tail-feathers, is about twenty-nine inches 

 long; the general color of the upper parts is grayish, delicately penciled with white; 

 either sex may be known by the very long and slender neck, but the female is 

 shorter, being about twenty-two inches long, the central tail feathers making a 

 difference of seven inches. In the far north this species deposits as many as twelve 

 eggs in a single nest. These are of a dull grayish olive; elongate ellipsoidal in shape 

 and measure from 2.10 to 2.30 long by about 1.52 broad. 



144. WOOD DtrCK. Aix sponsa (Ldnn.) Geog. Dist.— Temperate North 

 America, breeding throughout its range. 



An exquisite bird, the most beautiful of all our ducks; in fact, no description 

 can give a sufficient conception of the variety and lustre of its plumage. It is crested, 

 the head iridescent green and purple, with parallel curved white superciliary and 

 post-ocular stripes and a broad white throat patch. The iris and edges of eyelids 

 are red. In the female the head is mostly gray. A freshly-killed specimen has all 

 the variegated tints to be seen in the rainbow. It is well-named Bridal Duck. It 

 inhabits North America at large and is especially abundant in the United States, 

 breeding almost wherever found. Frequents the wooded portions of the country 



144, Wood Duck (From Brehm), 



