THE VELVET DUCK. 335 



plumage, and the rich colouring of the bill. The gizzard, which is not so 

 large as that of the Eider, is of a yellow colour; the gut very large, tough, 

 and strong, about eight feet in length. 



Velvet Duck, Anasfusca, Wils. Amer. Orn., vol. viii. p. 137. 



Fuligdla fusca, Bonap. Sj 7 n., p. 390. 



Oidemia fusca, Velvet Duck, Swains, and Rich. P. Bor. Amer., vol. ii. p. 449. 



Velvet Duck, Nutt. Man., vol. ii. p. 419. 



Velvet Duck, Fuligula fusca, Aud. Orn. Biog., vol. iii. p. 354. 



Male, 22, 39. Female, 22, 38. 



From the coast of Georgia eastward to Nova Scotia, during winter, when 

 it is extremely abundant in all the estuaries and bays. Breeds from Labrador 

 northward. 



Adult Male. 



Bill about the length of the head, very broad, as deep as broad at the base, 

 depressed and flattened towards the end, which is rounded. Upper mandible 

 with a short abrupt prominence at the base, its dorsal line on the prominence 

 straight, at its fore edge abruptly sloping, then slightly concave, and at the 

 end curved, the ridge on the prominence very broad and nearly flat, towards 

 the end broadly convex, the sides convex, the edges obtuse, with about 

 thirty lamellae, the unguis very large, and elliptical. Nostrils sub-basal, 

 elliptical, very large, pervious, nearer the ridge than the edge, and placed on 

 the lower side of the basal prominence. Lower mandible flat, with the 

 angle long, rather narrow, rounded, the dorsal line slightly convex, the 

 edges with about twenty-five lamellae, the unguis nearly circular and very 

 large. 



Head large. Eyes rather small. Neck of moderate length, thick. Body 

 large, and much depressed. Wings rather small. Feet very short, placed 

 rather far behind; tarsus very short, compressed, having anteriorly in its 

 whole length a series of small scutella, and above the outer toe a partial 

 series, the rest covered with reticular angular scales. Hind toe small, with 

 a free membrane beneath; anterior toes double the length of the tarsus, 

 united by reticulated membranes having a sinus on their free margins, the 

 inner with a lobed marginal membrane, the outer with a thick edge, the 

 third and fourth about equal and longest. Claws small, that of first toe very 

 small and curved, of middle toe largest, with a dilated inner edge, of the 

 rest slender, all obtuse. 



Plumage dense, soft, blended. Feathers on the fore part of the head 

 extremely small, on the neck velvety. Wings rather short, narrow, pointed; 

 primary quills curved, strong, tapering and pointed, the first longest, the 

 second very little shorter, the rest rapidly graduated; secondary broad and 



