PINTAIL DUCK. 489 



would never have published an opinion which, in this quarter 

 of the globe, would subject one, even from the vulgar, to the 

 imputation of ignorance.*] 



PINTAIL DUCK. (Anas acuta.) 



PLATE LXVIII.— Fig. 3. 



Le Canard 4 Iongue queue, Briss. vi. p. 369, 16, pi. 34, fig. 1, 2.— Buff. ix. p. 

 199, pi. 13; PL enl. 954.— Arct. Zool. No. 500.— Lath. Syn. iii. p. 526.— 



Peale's Museum, No. 2806. 



DAFILA ACUTA.— LEACH.f 

 Dafila caudacuta, Shaw's Zool. Steph. Cont. xii. p. 127. — Canard h Iongue 

 queue au pillet, Tetwm. Man. oVOmith. ii. 838.— Pintail, Mont. Bew. — ■ 

 Helby's Illust. pi. 42, m.— Anas acuta, Cracker .— Flem. Br. Anita, p. 124.— 

 Bonap. Synop. p. 383. — Anas (Dafila) caudacuta, North. Zool. ii. p. 441. 



The pintail, or, as it is sometimes called, the sprig-tail, is a 

 common and well-known duck in our markets, much esteemed 

 for the excellence of its flesh, and is generally in good order. 

 It is a shy and cautious bird, feeds in the mud flats and shal- 

 low fresh-water marshes, but rarely resides on the sea-coast. 

 It seldom dives, is very noisy, and has a kind of chattering 

 note. When wounded, they will sometimes dive, and coming 

 up, conceal themselves under the bow of the boat, moving 

 round as it moves. Are vigilant in giving the alarm on the 

 approach of the gunner, who often curses the watchfulness of 



* The concluding paragraph, marked off with brackets, is an addition 

 by Mr Ord. 



t In this beautiful species we have the type of the subgenus Dafila. 

 In it the marginal laminse begin to disappear, and the bill to assume 

 what may be called a more regular outline, approaching to that of A. 

 boschas, our wild and domestic breed. Another peculiarity is the de- 

 velopment of the tail, which becomes much lengthened, whence the 

 name of sea-pheasant. In this country they are not very common, which 

 may arise from their being more difficult to procure, by their frequent- 

 ing the sea rather than any inland water ; they are frequently taken, 

 however, in decoys, and I once shot two feeding in the evening on a wet 

 stubble field in company with the common wild duck. — Ed. 



