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THE PINTAIL DUCK. 
These birds, although wary on some occasions, are little afraid of the proximity of man 
and his habitations, feeding boldly by day, instead of postponing their feeding-time to the 
night, as is often the case with water-fowl. The length of the Widgeon is about eighteen 
inches. 
Widgeon, or Baldpate (. Mareca americana). This species inhabits the whole of North 
America, and south as far as Guatemala. It breeds in the United States generally. It is a 
straggler in Europe. In Dakota and Montana it breeds in abundance. Dali found it nesting 
along the Yukon, with the Pintail. The length is twenty -one inches. The female is smaller, 
with duller plumage. 
This is one of the finest species. Its plumage, without being extremely showy, is very 
pleasing. It is common along the more southern portions of our Atlantic coast, being seldom 
seen north of Long Island. The Widgeon, like some other ducks we have noticed, never 
dives ; it therefore contrives to “hang around” the vicinity of the canvas-back, and when he 
has brought up a goodly mouthful of the coveted wild celery, the Widgeon snatches a portion 
away, thus, unwittingly, perhaps, contributing to its own improvement as an edible bird. The 
“celery” being regarded as a cause of the prized flavor of the canvas-back, the Widgeon’s 
flesh, possibly, becomes somewhat improved by this diet. In New Orleans it is called 
“Zuizin.” In the Eastern and Western States it is Baldpate. Their flight is rapid, well- 
sustained, and accompanied by the whistling sound of the wings. They move in flocks of 
moderate size, and with little regularity as to their ranks. When first startled, they fly directly 
up to a considerable height, and in a hurried and irregular manner. They walk prettily and 
with ease. 
The English Widgeon (M. penelope) is occasionally fo^nd on the coast. An excellent 
figure is here given. 
The Pintail Duck ( Dafila acuta), so called on account of its long and sharply-pointed 
tail, is a winter visitor of moderate climates, arriving in October and departing in the spring. 
The male is a very handsome bird, its head and neck being rich dark brown, its back beauti- 
fully pencilled with black on a gray ground, and the throat, breast, and abdomen snowy-white, 
and a line of the same hue running up the sides of the neck as far as the head. The length of 
a male bird is about twenty-six inches ; the female is shorter, because her tail-feathers are not 
so well developed. 
This species is native both to North America and Europe, breeding in high latitudes, and 
migrating south to Panama and Cuba. “The Pintail is a ‘river duck,’ ” says Dr. Coues, 
‘ ‘ being far more abundant on the pools and streams of the interior than along either coast. It 
is one of the earliest arrivals in the United States, passing our northern bo tin Wry early in 
September, with the Teal, and becoming generally distributed during the following month. It 
is one of the most elegant and graceful of our ducks, either on the land or on the water, 
walking or swimming with the long, pointed tail elevated, and the thin, sinuous neck swaying 
in all directions. It is shy and vigilant, but owing to its habit of clustering close in groups 
about the margin of pools, where the reeds or brush-wood favor approach, it is sometimes 
slaughtered in numbers with ease. 
“Few ducks exceed the Pintail in extent and regularity of migration. In the spring it 
withdraws altogether from most parts of the United States to high latitudes to breed, and in 
winter pushes its migrations to Panama.” Mr. Dali says it is extremely common in the 
Yukon district and on the marshes near the sea-coast. Hybrids of this species, with the 
Mallard, are quite common, and have, it is said, proved fertile. 
Audubon says few birds exhibit more graceful motions than the Pintail on the water. Its 
delicately slender neck, the beautiful form of its body, and its pointed tail, which it always 
carries highly raised, distinguish it from other species. It is found in company with 
widgeons, teal, and mallard, usually on ponds. In the Middle States the Pintails are highly 
prized for the table. 
