AMERICAN GREEN-WINGED TEAL. 9g5 



ate. Having planted a stick as a mark of recognition, I visited the nest 

 three days in succession, but found that the bird had abandoned it; while 

 those of the other two nests, which were not more than about a hundred 

 yards distant, and whose eggs I had handled quite as much, although I took 

 none away, continued to sit. No male birds were to be seen during my 

 stay in that neighbourhood. I concluded that although the eggs may be 

 touched or even handled and lifted from the nest, yet if they were all re- 

 placed, the bird did not take umbrage; but that should any of them be 

 missed, some strong feeling urged her to abandon the rest. Again I thought 

 that as incubation had just commenced with this bird, she cared less about 

 her eggs than the other two whose eggs contained chicks. 



Having met with the young of this species only once, at a time when I 

 was less aware of the necessity of noting observations in writing, I am un- 

 willing to speak of their colours from recollection. All I can say is that I 

 had great trouble in catching four of them, so cunningly did they hide in the 

 grass, and so expert were they at diving. 



Green-winged Teal, Anas Crecca, Wils. Amer. Orn., vol. viii. p. 101. 



Anas Crecca, Bonap. Syn., p. 386. 



American Teal, Anas Crecca, var. Nutt. Man., vol. ii. p. 400. 



Anas Crecca, Green-winged Teal, Swains, and Rich. F. Bor. Amer., vol. ii. p. 400. 



Green-winged Teal, Anas Crecca, Aud. Orn. Biog., vol. iii. p. 219; vol. v. p. 616. 



Male, 14f, 24. Female, 13f, 22l 



Dispersed throughout the country during autumn and spring. Extremely 

 abundant during winter in all the Southern States and Texas. Breeds 

 sparingly along the Great Lakes, and far north. 



Adult Male. 



Bill almost as long as the head, deeper than broad at the base, depressed 

 towards the end, its breadth nearly equal in its whole length, being however 

 a little enlarged towards the rounded tip. Upper mandible with the dorsal 

 line at first sloping, then concave, towards the ends nearly straight, the ridge 

 broad and flat at the base, then broadly convex, the sides convex, the edges 

 soft, with about fifty-five lamellae. Nostrils sub-basal, near the ridge, rather 

 small, elliptical, pervious. Lower mandible flatfish, with the angle very 

 long and rather narrow, the dorsal line very short, straight, the sides perpen- 

 dicular with about 130 lamellae. 



Head of moderate size, compressed. Neck of moderate length, rather 

 slender. Body full, depressed. Wings rather small. Feet short, placed 

 rather far back; tarsus short, compressed, at its lower part anteriorly with 

 two series of scutella, the rest covered with reticulated angular scales. Toes 

 scutellate above; first toe very small, free, with a narrow membrane beneath; 



