2 7 2 PIED DUCK.
The I Hod Duck seems to l«> a truly marine bird, seldom entering
rivers unless urged by stress of weather. It procures its fo'od by diving
amidst the rol l® .surf oyer- sand or mud' bars; although at times it
conies along the shore, and searches in the manner of the Spoonbill
Buck. Its usual faro consists .of' small shell-fish, fry, and various kinds
of sear-weeds, along with which it swallows much sand and gravel. Its
flight is swift, and its wings emit a whistling sound.: It is usually seen
lb locks of from seven to ten, probably the members of one family,
ASTAS I .ABKA»OHA, Lath. TND. Orr.ith. vo!. ii. p. 859.
P I E D D U C K , A N A S J.ABHAJIOILA, Wils. Amer. Ornith. vol. viii. p. ii!l, fig. ft male.
F I ; I . I C H I.A I .ABRAHIMA, Ch. Bonaparte, Synopsis of Birds of .fruited States, p. 391.
P I E D DUCK., Nuttall, Manual, vol. ii. p. 428.
Adult Mat e Plate OCCXXXI-I. Kg. 1.
Bill nearly as long asteia head. rather broader than high at the
base, the sides nearly parallel, but at the end enlarged by soft, membranous
oxpiinsifms to tlw; upper mandible. The latter has the dorsal outline
:it first Straight and decimate, then direct and slightly ¡convex, at
the extremity dociirved-; tho ridge broad, at the base, ¡-.onvox toward
the end,;, the sid.e^ sloping at. tho base, then i-onvox, tho extremity broad
and rounded, the unguis broadly obovate ;: the margins soft, expanded
toward the end, a nd with about 50 lamella-, of which the anterior ¡ire
inconspicuous. Nasal groove oblong, nostfjl's linear-oblong, sub-basal
near the ridge;.. Lower mandible tlnttcmcd, curvo.! upwards, with the
angle;: very long and narrow, the dorsal line: very short, raid nearly
Straight, the nearly ereot edgfS with about 30 large and prominent
lamelUe; the unguis very broad.
Head of moderate size, oblong, compressed. J jps small. Neck
rather short and thick. Body full, depressed. ¿.Ifoot very short, strong,
placed rather far behind;.;- tarsus very short, compressed, with two anterior
series of rather small.sc-utelln, the sides and back part reticulated
with angular scales. I find too very small, with a, free membrane
beneath outer anterior toes double the length of the tqjrwus, and nearly
equal, the inner much shorter, and with a broad marginal membrane.
Claws small, slightly arched, compressed, rather acute.
,;PliiMage dense, soft, blended; feathers of the head and nock small,
obl.mg; those on the .lower part of the chocks vorv stiff, having the
terminal filaments more or less united into a horny glgjf. Wings
short, of moderate breadth, concave, acute ; primary quills curved,
P I E D DUCK. 2 7 3
strong, tapering, the second very slightly longer than the first, the rest
rapidly graduated ; secondary quills broad and rounded, the inner elongated
and tapering. Tail very short, much rounded, of fourteen tapering
feathers..
BilUwith the basal'spacS between the nostrils running into a
rounded paint in the middle, pale greyish-blue ; the sides of tho base,
and the edges of both mandibles for two-thirds of their length, dull pale
orange; the rest of the bill black. Iris reddish-hazel. Feet light
greyish-blue-, wolis and claws. dusky. Head and upper half of nook
ivhito, excepting aji ¡elongated black patch on the top of the head and
nape. Below tlio middle of. tho neck-is a, black ring, from the hind
part of which proceeds a -limgitudinal band of the same colour, gradually
becoming wider on the bask and rump ; below the black ring
anteriorly is a broad band of whit.!, passing backwards 011 each side so
a < to include the-scapulars.. All the under parts black, excepting the
axillaries and .lower wing-covert*. Upper wing-coverts and secondary
quills white,, somei i the inner quills with a narrow external black margin;
alula, primary coverts, and primary quills, brownish-black. Tail
brownish-black, tinged with grey, thp shafts black ; upper tail-coverts
dusky, minutely dot tod with reddish-brown.
Length to .end of tail 2.0 inches, to end of c.laws 22|, to end of
wings 18^; extent of wings 30; wing from flexure 9J ; tail 3$; bill
along the ridge 1|, along the edge of lower mandible 2§ ; tarsus 1|. 5
middle, too ;2f, its claw f , hind too 4| , its claw J*; outer toe and claw
slightly longer than iniddlo: inner toe1J, its clawf - Weight lib. 14J oz.
EeinslfH PlsWpCCXXXII. Kg. 2.
The female i s Je* than the male. The bill, iris, and feet are
c<>"iour<:d as in the male ; sides of tho forehead white (not in: the figure,
i t having been taken from a voting bird). She general colour is
brownish-grey, darker on the head, cheeks, back, rump, and abdomen,
of a lighter tint approaching to ash-grey, on the throat, breast, wingcoverts.
and inner secondaries, which are margined externally with
black; seven or eight of the secondary quills white; the primaries and
tail-feathers as in tho mala:') .
Length to end of tail 18i inches, 'SO; end of claws 19f, to end of
Wings 17 si "extent gf;. wingr . 29 ; wing from flexure 9 ; tail 3 | ; bill
along the ridge: I f , along the edge of lower mandible 2 J ; tarsus 1| ;
hind toe and claw | ; middle toe and «law Weight 1 lb. 1 oz.
VOL. IV. •/ S