SUMMER DUCK, OR WOOD DUCK. 201 
I cannot discover that this species is found in any of 
the remote 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 that of 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 yellow ochre, thickly 
marked with small streaks of blackish brown ; lower 
part of the neck, and whole 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, forming the beauty spot, which is 
bounded on all sides by black; wings and tail, 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. 
264 . ANAS SFONSA, LINNJEUS AND WILSON. 
SUMMER DUCK, OK- WOOD DUCK. 
WILSON, PLATE LXX. FIG. III. — EDINBURGH COLLEGE MUSEUM. 
This most beautiful of all our ducks has probably no 
superior among its whole tribe for richness and variety 
of colours. It is called the wood duck, from the cir- 
cumstance of its breeding in hollow trees ; and the 
summer duck, from remaining with us chiefly during the 
