260 RING-NECKED DUCK.
and then, while near the females, none of which seem to pay the least attention
to their civilities.
Whilst in ponds, they feed by diving and dabbling with their bills in
the mud amongst the roots of grasses, of which they eat the seeds also,
as well as snails and all kinds of aquatic insects. When on rivers, their
usual food consists of small fish and crays, the latter of which they procure
at the bottom. A male which I shot near Louisville, in the beginning
of May, exhibited a protuberance of the neck so very remarkable as
to induce me to cut the skin, when I found a frog, the body of which was
nearly two inches long, and which had almost choked the bird, as it allowed
me to go up within a dozen or fifteen paces before I took aim. This
species remains with us in the Western country later than most others of
its tribe, and not unfrequently as late as the Blue-winged Teal.
We are indebted for the discovery of this species to my friend the
Prince of Musignano, who first pointed out the difference between it and
the Tufted Duck of Europe. The distinctions that exist in the two species
he ascertained about the time of my first acquaintance with him at
Philadelphia in 1824, when he was much pleased on seeing my drawing
of a male and a female, which I had made at Louisville in Kentucky previous
to WILSON'S visit to me there. WILSON supposed it identical with
the European species.
The summer haunts and habits of this Duck have not been ascertained;
for although Dr RICHARDSON mentions that he found it not rare in the
fur countries, he says nothing of its eggs or nest. While with us it has
no long crest, but I am inclined to think that at the commencement of
the breeding season that appendage may be developed.
FULIGULA RUFITOROUES, Ch. Bonaparte, Synops. of Birds of United States, p. 3 9 3.
x U F T E D DUCK, ANAS FULIGULA, Wils. Amer. Ornith. vol. viii. p. 60. pi. 67, fig. 5.
RING-NECKED DUCK, FULIGULA RUFI TO ROUES, Swains, and Richards. Fauna-Bor.
Amer. part ii. p. 453.—Nuttall, Manual, vol. ii. p. 439.
Adult Male. Plate CCXXXIV. Fig. 1.
Bill about the same length as the head, rather deeper than broad at
the base, depressed and enlarged towards the end, the frontal angles acute.
Upper mandible with the dorsal line at first sloping, then concave, along
the unguis decurved, the ridge broad and flat at the base, then broadly
convex, the sides nearly flat and perpendicular at the base, convex and
RING-NECKED DUCK. 261
sloping towards the end, the edges soft, with about forty-five internal lamella?,
unguis obovate, curved. Nostrils subbasal, lateral, rather small,
oval, pervious. Lower mandible flat, with the angle very long and rather
narrow, the dorsal line very short, slightly convex, the edges with about
sixty-five lamella? and smaller intermediate ones above.
Head of moderate size, neck rather long and slender, body full and
depressed, wings rather small. Feet very short, strong, placed rather
far behind; tarsus very short, "compressed, at its lower part anteriorly
with two series of scutella, the rest covered with reticulated angular scales.
Toes scutellate above, first very small, free, with a broad membrane beneath,
fourth longest, third scarcely shorter; claws small, curved, compressed,
obtuse, the hind one smaller, more curved and acute, that of the
third toe with an inner sharp edge.
Plumage dense, soft, blended, rather glossy. Feathers of the middle
of the head, and upper part of hind neck, very narrow and a little elongated
; of the rest of the head and upper part of the neck very short, of
the back and lower parts in general broad and rounded. Wings of moderate
length, narrow, acute; primaries curved, strong, tapering, first
longest, second very little shorter ; secondaries broad, rounded, short, the
inner longer and tapering. Tail very short, rather broad, much rounded,
of sixteen rounded feathers.
Bill black, with a basal band, the edges of both mandibles, and a band
across the upper towards the end, pale blue. Iris yellow. Legs greyishblue,
the webs brownish-black. The head, and upper part of the neck,
greenish-black, with purple reflexions. A brownish-red collar, broader
before, on the middle of the neck. Its lower part all round, as well as
the back, scapulars, smaller wing-coverts, and posterior part of abdomen,
brownish-black. Inner secondaries of the same colour, outer bluish-grey
on the outer web, light brown on the inner, as are the primaries, of which
the outer webs and tips are dark brown. Tail brownish-grey. Chin
white, breast greyish-white, sides and fore part of abdomen greyish-white,
minutely undulated with greyish-brown.
Length to end of tail 18 inches, to end of wings 16; extent of wings 28;
wing from flexure 7 | ; tail 2^ ; bill along the back %£jf9 along the edge
of lower mandible 1-}|; tarsus 1 \ ; middle toe 2 2
, its claw
T T
5 Adult Female. Plate CCXXXIV. Fig. 2.
The Female has the neck umber brown, the upper part of the head