286 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



Characters. — No subspecies. Small size and pale blue median 

 and lesser wing-coverts distinguish species in all plumages. 



Breeding-habits. — Nests in neighbourhood of lakes, but often at 

 some distance from water. Nest. — Depression in ground, lined with 

 grasses, down, etc. Eggs. — 8 to 12, but generally about 8-9, creamy- 

 buff. Average size of 17 eggs, 45.7x33. Max. : 48.6x34.5 and 

 46x35. Man.: 44.1 X 32 and 45.6x31.3 mm. Breeding -season. — 

 Early June or late May. Incubation. — By female. 



Food. — Recorded as feeding on pond- weeds and roots of aquatic- 

 plants. 



Distribution. — British Isles. — Two or three. Female Upper 

 Nithsdale (Dumfries), 1858 (Saunders, p. 434, Birds Dumfries.. 

 pp. 276-8, addenda, p. 21). Female Dee estuary (Cheshire), about 

 1860 (Vert. Fauna Cheshire, p. 332). Immature female (probably 

 wild bird) Ballycotton (Cork), Ireland, Sept., 1910 {Bull. B.O.C., 

 xxvn, p. 15 ; Brit. B., iv, p. 252). Male Anglesey early 1919 (Brit. 

 B., xin, p. 85). 



Distribution. — Abroad, — Western Hemisphere ; breeding in 

 Canada and United States, wintering in parts of United States and 

 south to West Indies and South America. According to Kennard 

 (Auk, 1919) represented by A. d. albinucha in Louisiana and south- 

 western States. Casual in Bermudas, Denmark, Holland (once). 



ANAS QUERQUEDULA 



305. Anas querquedula L— THE GARGANEY. 



Anas Querquedula Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., ed. x, i, p. 126 (1758 — Europe. 



Restricted typical locality : Sweden). 



Querquedula circia (Linnaeus), Yarrell, iv, p. 393 ; Saunders, p. 435. 



Description (Plate 6). — Adult male. Winter and summer. — Fore- 

 head and crown black-brown, feathers of hinder-crown edged rust- 

 brown, those of fore -head and fore -part of crown with narrow white 

 or brownish-white shaft-streaks ; broad white superciliary band 

 extends from front of eye and runs parallel with crown to nape ; 

 nape ash-brown, tinged auburn, feathers with white shaft-streaks ; 

 mantle black-brown or dark olive-brown, feathers fringed light 

 sepia or greyish-olive ; feathers at sides of upper-mantle as breast, 

 feathers towards centre freckled cream ; scapulars pale lavender - 

 grey mostly edged white at sides, longer ones dark green, some with 

 outer webs deep grey and with broad white shaft-streaks, under 

 ones olive-green or olive-brown edged white, some with ash-white 

 shaft-streaks ; back black-brown or dark olive-brown, feathers 

 fringed greyish-olive or cream-brown ; rump and upper tail-coverts 

 dark sepia, feathers with irregular wavy and V-shaped bars of light 

 buff and edged same or greyish-olive ; chin and throat black ; 

 lores, cheeks, sides and front of neck auburn, feathers with narrow 

 white shaft-streaks ; breast pink-buff, feathers with black-brown 

 bars, V-shaped or crescentic on upper-breast, more or less trans- 



