THE EUROPEAN WIDGEON. 
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of water-insects, worms, and seeds, of which its food chiefly 
consists ; it is an awkward walker, a bad diver ; but flies 
and swims easily, and not without grace of motion. It 
measures about twenty inches in length, has a black bill 
about two inches long, and an inch and a quarter broad 
at the end ; dark glossy green head and throat, white 
breast, and chestnut red under parts ; the back is brown 
with a greenish tinge, the under wing coverts are light 
blue, with a white edging ; the speculum is bright green ; 
the tail short and much rounded, has the dusky feathers 
edged with white. This, although a bird of almost world- 
wide distribution, is by no means common in any part of 
Britain ; it occurs sparingly during the winter all along the 
eastern and southern counties of England, in North Wales 
and Cumberland : a few are known to build regularly in 
Norfolk. The nest is of dry grass, placed in a tuft of 
rushes or coarse grass, in some secluded marshy tract ; the 
eggs, ten or twelve in number, are of a rusty yellow colour 
slightly tinged with green. 
WIDGEON. 
The European Widgeon (Mai^eca Penelope)^ some- 
times called the Common, or Red-headed, or Golden -headed 
Widgeon ; the Whew Duck, the Pandle Whew, Yellow 
Poll, Bald-pate, Whewer, Whim, Whistler. 
