that the Gadwall :is nob common' there ; he'- only {Obtained
one aest, composed of dry grass' and down, and~containing
five eggs v this was placed, near thé edge öf «-the. fresh-water,
in a marsh near Myvat on the north sijdé of Iceland.
This species is described by various writers on the Birds
of North America and the Ignited'-States as beings found
from the fur countries as low a's SouJb Carolina.
- The Gadwall, like the other ducks of this^division "with
long and pointed'wings,-ha:s a v^ofous .and rapid flight, but
appears to dislike exposure, rand hides-itself among .‘thick’
reeds and aquatic herbagé.- This- is- observed. to be. t-hef
habit of a pair in the Gardens- of the Zoological - Socioi/;
which mostly^eonceal themselves im-the%(tóf grass1 ,©n>. the
islands Of the ornamental water in which they arc ccmfmkb
These birds bred therein the season of', 1839, and againjn
1841, laying seven or eight eggs. One "egg Mfi unhatched
in the nest was pf a uniform bufly whitencMöhr^tïnged with '
green, and measured two inches two lines- in length, by one
inch eight lines in breadth. These Ducks feed om Vegetable
matter, aquatic insects, and small fish.
In the adult male the beak "is lead colour; irides hazel;,
the head and upper part of the' neck light Thrown; speckled,
with darker “brown ; back grey, produced by an alternation v
of darker and lighter coloured grey lines; the. pbint .of the
wing, and the small coverts chestnut, varied with orange-
brown ; the greater coverts almost black ; primaries nearly
black; the secondaries similar, but the outer webs f o rm in g
thé speculum white ; - tértials: pointed, and of two shades of
brownish gre^,- :the darker colour occupying the.: centre of
each feather, the lighter colour forming the margin; rump
and upper tail-coverts bluish-black : tail-feathers dark brown,
with lighter coloured edges; lower part, of the neck in front,
and on thé side dark grey,_ each feather ending in a half
circle of lighter grey; breast and-belly white; sides, flanks,
ahdfj iVenMt&rfer-ed y$tn/‘two shades of grey in short lines ;
under -tail-d%(MM4bluishrblaek; legs, toes, and their mem-
bra®e^,^bjpange, claws* Hala&fe -
The- female.;.-has tlf|t head and upper part of the neck
l o t t e d with dark brown, (^<«a®ii'rface of pale brown; the
alt^r.tiht'^ffeTtesc^n-fi.'e bahds^ on.’l'^.ei • lower■part y<|f the neck
« f r o n t dark^-'MSl'fen;-. 'andipalet brown, bub the bands broader
than in th e^rna'l^M. unde^ -^feeiaVofe^hm'bodv white; lower
part of, thefn#ifc behind,J, and.r-t‘|e) upper-surfape^of the body,
b^OjW'pj- .'tlit^-fb'ffltlifrs-; with 3pa|e®;hrowaf“^ wing-coverts
Jarjown, with paler margins ; 'Sj^culuin like that pf the male ;
tail-feathers* of dafkilMown,. with )ivd|ftf and tips' of pale
bu|fyKbrown, and whited
The young birds- .of Ithe-Syear at ^the ZoqlS^^TGardens,
compared with the old! hjjds^jaEC.Jpfl a moff^uniform reddish-
bjrown cq|‘q p r^ a b o ^ t^ ^ k le d wathh'!darkc -br(|wn ; the middle
6f {each feathef-afso- (larllhl^wn.
«bThp windpipe-bf the Gadwdlli p l rather small- in calibre,
wife a slight enlargement of the tubel&feeit' two inches above
the bony protuberance' as herl^lmwn. voice, of this
loud, and h e f ^ i ^ obtained the name s^frepera.