216 PINTAIL DUCK.
everywhere, and I shot a few in order to satisfy myself that they were of the
same species as those I had been accustomed to see. On one occasion I
shot at a large flock swimming on a shallow pond in a large savannah,
and wounded several, which I was surprised to see diving very expertly
as I waded out for them, this species being by no means addicted to that
practice. Those which I have now and then wounded, while in a boat
and in deep water, soon gave up diving, and surrendered, without exhibiting
any of those feats of cunning performed by other species.
The flight of the Pintails is very rapid, greatly protracted, and almost
noiseless. They arrive in the Western Country mostly in the dusk of
evening, and alight without much circumspection wherever they find
water. They remain at night in the ponds where they feed, and continue
there generally unless much disturbed. On such occasions they keep in
the middle of the water, to avoid their land enemies; but the Virginian
and Barred Owls not unfrequently surprise them, and force them to rise
or make towards the shore, when they fall a prey to the nocturnal marauders.
In the Middle States, they are highly esteemed for the table.
There they arrive later and retire sooner towards their breeding-places,
than in the country west of the Alleghany Mountains.
ANAS ACUTA, Linn. Syst. Nat. vol. i. p. 202.—Lath. Ind. Ornith. vol. ii. p. 8 6 4 .
Ch. Bonaparte, Synops. of Birds of the United States, p. 3 8 3 .
PINTAIL DUCK, ANAS ACUTA, Wils. Amer. Ornith. vol. viii p. 72. pi. 6 8 . fig. 3 .
Nuttall, Manual, vol. ii. p. 3 8 6 .
ANAS CAUDACUTA, PINTAIL DUCK, Swains, and Bichards. Fauna Bor. Amer. part ii.
p. 4 4 1 .
Adult Male. Plate CCXXVII. Fig. 1.
Bill nearly as long as the head, deeper than broad at the base, depressed
towards the end, the frontal angles short and obtuse. Upper
mandible with the dorsal line at first sloping, then concave, towards the
curved unguis nearly straight, the ridge broad and flat at the base, then
broadly convex, the sides convex, the edges soft, with about fifty internal
lamellae; unguis small, somewhat triangular, curved abruptly at the broad
end. Nostrils subbasal, lateral, rather small, oval, pervious. Lower
mandible flattish, its angle very long and narrow, the dorsal line very
short, slightly convex, the sides convex, the edges soft, with about sixty
lamella?.
PINTAIL DUCK. 217
Head of moderate size, compressed, the forehead rounded. Neck
rather long and slender. Body full and depressed. Wings rather small.
Feet very short, placed rather far back; tarsus very short, compressed,
at its lower part anteriorly with two series of scutella, the rest covered
with reticulated angular scales. Toes obliquely scutellate above; first
very small, free, with a narrow membrane beneath; third longest; fourth
a little shorter, their connecting webs entire, reticulated, at the edge pectinate
; claws small, curved, compressed, acute, the hind one smaller and
more curved, that of the third toe with an inner sharp edge.
Plumage dense, soft, blended. Feathers of the head and neck short,
on the hind head and neck elongated. Wings narrow, of moderate
length, acute, the first quill longest, the second nearly equal, the rest
rapidly graduated ; outer secondaries broad and rounded ; inner elongated
and tapering, as are their coats, and the scapulars; first quill serrated
on the outer edge, somewhat like that of an Owl. Tail of moderate
length, tapering, of fourteen tapering feathers, of which the two middle
project far beyond the rest.
Bill black, the sides of upper mandible light blue. Iris brown. Feet
greyish-blue ; claws black. Head, throat, and upper part of neck anteriorly
greenish-brown, faintly margined behind with purplish-red ; a small
part of hind neck dark green; the rest, and the upper parts in general
beautifully undulated with very narrow bars of brownish-black and yellowish
white, smaller wing-coverts, alula, and primary quills grey, the
latter dark-brown towards the end; speculum of a coppery red, changing
to dull green, edged anteriorly with light brownish-red, posteriorly
with white; the inner secondaries, and the scapulars, black and green,
with broad grey margins. Upper tail-coverts cream-coloured, the outer
webs blackish and green ; tail light grey, the middle feathers dark brown,
glossed with green. On each side of the neck is an oblique band of
white, of which colour are the under parts in general, the sides however
undulated like the back, the lateral feathers of the rump cream-coloured,
the lower tail-coverts black, those at the sides edged with white.
Length to end of tail 29 inches ; extent of wings 36 ; bill along the
back 2 ^ , along the edge of lower mandible 23j ; tarsus 1 ^ , middle toe
T
2, its claw 4
2 ; wing from flexure 11, tail 5£. Weight 2 lb.
T
Adult Female. Plate CCXXVII. Fig. 2.
The Female, which is much smaller, has the upper parts variegated