AMERICAN WIDGEON. ; 1st 
These birds are frequently brought to the market of Balti- 
more, and generally bring a good price, their flesh being excel- 
lent. They are of a lively, frolicsome disposition, and, with 
proper attention, might easily be domesticated. 
The widgeon, or bald-pate, measures twenty-two inches in 
length, and thirty inches in extent; the bill is of a slate- 
colour, the nail black; the front and crown, cream-coloured, 
sometimes nearly white, the feathers inflated ; from the eye, 
backwards to the middle of the neck behind, extends a band 
of deep glossy green, gold, and purple ; throat, chin, and sides 
of the neck before, as far as the green extends, dull yellowish 
white, thickly speckled with black; breast, and hind part of 
the neck, hoary bay, running in under the wings, where it 1s 
crossed with fine waving lines of black; whole belly, white ; 
vent, black ; back and scapulars, black, thickly and beautifully 
crossed with undulating lines of vinous bay ; lower part of the 
back, more dusky ; tail-coverts, long, pointed, whitish, crossed 
as the back ; tail, pointed, brownish ash ; the two middle fea- 
thers an inch longer than the rest, and tapering ; shoulder 
of the wing, brownish ash ; wing-coverts, immediately below, 
white, forming a large spot ; primaries, brownish ash ; middle 
secondaries, black, glossed with green, forming the speculum ; 
tertials, black, edged with white, between which and the 
beauty-spot several of the secondaries are white. 
The female has the whole head and neck yellowish white, 
thickly speckled with black, very little rufous on the breast ; 
the back is dark brown. The young males, as usual, very 
much like the females during the first season, and do not 
receive their full plumage until the second year. They are also 
subject to a regular change every spring and autumn. 
