ANAS SPONSA, Linn. Syst. Nat. vol. i. p. 207—Lath. Ind. Ornith. vol. ii. p. 871 Ch.
Bonaparte, Synops. of Birds of the United States, p. 385.
SUMMER DUCK, OR WOOD DUCK, ANAS SPONSA, Wils. Amer. Ornith. vol. via. p. 97.
pi. 78. fig- 3—Nuttall, Manual, vol. ii. p. 394.
DENDRONESSA SPONSA, Richards and Swains. Fauna Bor. Amer. part ii. p. 446.
Adult Male. Plate CCVI. Fig. 1, 3.
Bill shorter than the head, deeper than broad at the base, depressed
towards the end, slightly narrowed towards the middle of the unguis, the
frontal angles prolonged and pointed. Upper mandible with the dorsal
line at first sloping, then concave, along the unguis convex, the ridge
broad and flat at the base, then broadly convex, the sides concave and
perpendicular at the base, convex and sloping towards the end, edges soft,
with about twenty-two internal lamella?, unguis broadly elliptical, curved,
rounded. Nostrils subbasal, lateral, rather small, oval, pervious. Lower
mandible flattish, with the angle very long and rather narrow, the dorsal
line very short, convex, the sides convex, the edges soft and rounded, lamellate
above.
Head of moderate size, neck rather long and slender, body full and
depressed, wings rather small. Feet very short, strong, placed rather far
back ; tarsus very short, considerably 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 narrow
membrane beneath, third longest, fourth a little shorter; 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, generally glossed. Feathers of the
middle of the head and upper part of hind neck, very narrow, elongated,
and incurved, of the rest of the head and upper part of neck very short,
of the back and lower parts in general broad and rounded, excepting on
the shoulders before the wings, where they are enlarged, very broad and
abrupt. Wings of moderate length, narrow, acute; primaries curved,
strong, tapering, first and second longest; secondaries broad, rounded.
Tail of moderate length, rather broad, much rounded, of sixteen rounded
feathers.
Upper mandible bright red at the base, pale yellow on the sides, the
intermediate space along the ridge, and the unguis, black, as in the lower
mandible and its membrane. Iris and edges of eyelids bright red. Feet
dull orange, claws black. Upper part of head, and space between the
bill and eye deep green, and highly glossed ; below the latter space a patch
of dark purple, and a larger one of the same colour, but lighter, behind
the eye; sides of the neck, its hind part under the crest, and the middle
all round very dark purple. A narrow line along the base of the upper
mandible and over the eye, meeting on the occiput, pure white, as are
some of the feathers of the crest; another from behind the eye, meeting
below the occiput, and including several of the lower elongated feathers.
Throat, for more than three inches, pure white, with a process on each
side a little beyond the eye, and another nearly halfway down the neck.
Sides of the neck, and its lower part anteriorly reddish-purple, each feather
on the latter with a triangular white tip. Middle of the neck behind, back
and rump, very dark reddish-brown, the latter deeper, and tinged with
green; upper tail-coverts and tail greenish-black ; some of the lateral tailcoverts
dull reddish-purple, a few on either side with their central filaments
light red. Smaller wing-coverts, alula and primaries dull greyish-brown;
most of the latter with part of their outer web greyish-white, and their
inner towards the end darker and glossed with green. Secondary quills
tipped with white, the outer webs green, with purple reflections, those of
the inner secondaries and scapulars velvet-black, their inner webs partially
glossed and changing to green. The broad feathers anterior to the wings
are white, terminated with black ; breast and abdomen greyish-white ;
feathers under the wings yellowish-grey, minutely undulated with black
and white bars; lower wing-coverts and axillar feathers white, barred
with greyish-brown ; lower tail-coverts dull greyish-brown.
Length 20^ inches, to end of claws 17A, extent of wings 28; bill 1 ^ ;
tarsus 1A, middle toe and claw 2 T
5
5 ; wing from flexure 9, tail
Adult Female. Plate CCVI. Figs. 2, 4.
tjlon3 /T; f >!' ' ' .
The female is considerably smaller, and differs greatly from the male
in colouring. The feathers of the head are not elongated, but those of
the upper part of the neck behind are slightly so. In other respects the
plumage presents nothing very remarkable, and is similar to that of the
male, only the feathers anterior to the wing, the upper hypochondrial,
the inner secondaries and the rump-feathers are not enlarged, as in him.
Bill blackish-brown; feet dusky, tinged with yellow. Upper part of
head dusky, glossed with green, sides of the head and neck, with the hind