178 
DUSKY DUCK. 
winter ; but there are at least ten black ducks for one goose or 
brant, and probably many more. Their voice resembles that 
of the duck and mallard ; but their flesh is greatly inferior, 
owing to the nature of their food. They are, however, large, 
heavy-bodied ducks, and generally esteemed. 
I cannot discover that this species is found in any of the re- 
mote northern parts of our continent ; and this is probably the 
cause why it is altogether unknown in Europe. It is abundant 
from Florida to New England ; but is not enumerated among 
the birds of Hudson’s Bay, or Greenland. Its chief residence 
is on the sea-coast, though it also makes extensive excursions 
up the tide waters of our rivers. Like the mallard, they rarely 
dive for food, but swim and fly with great velocity. 
The dusky, or black duck, is two feet in length, and three 
feet two inches in extent; the bill is of a dark-greenish ash, 
formed very much like the mallard, and nearly of the same 
length ; irides, dark ; upper part of the head, deep dusky 
brown, intermixed on the fore part with some small streaks of 
drab ; rest of the head and greater part of the neck, pale yel- 
low ochre, thickly marked with small streaks of blackish brown ; 
lower part of the neck, and wdiole lower parts, deep dusky, 
each feather edged with brownish white, and with fine seams 
of rusty white ; upper parts the same, but rather deeper ; the 
outer vanes of nine of the secondaries, bright violet blue, form- 
ing the beauty spot, which is bounded on all sides by black ; 
wings and tails, sooty brown; tail-feathers, sharp- pointed; legs 
and feet, dusky yellow ; lining of the wings, pure white. 
The female has more brown on her plumage ; but in other 
respects differs little from the male, both having the beauty 
spot on the wing. 
