•340 AMERICAN WIDGEON.
Ikjwer mandible flattened, its angle very long and rather narrow, the
dorsal line very short, slightly convex, the edges soft, with about. seventy
lamella-.
Head of moderate sizè, oblong, compressed.. Neck rather long,
slender. Body elongated and slight'v depressed-. Feet very short ;
tibia bare for about a quarter of an inch ; tarsus very short, compressed,
anteriorly with two series of scutella, the outer shorter, the rest covered
with reticulated angular scales ; toes obliquely seutellate above ;
first very small, free, with a narrow membrane beneath ; third longest,
fourth considerably shorter, second shorter than fourth ; their connecting
webs entire, on the edge orenatir ; the second Or inner toe with a
membranous margin. Claws small, slightly areîted, compressed, rather
acute ; the. hind one very small and more curved, that of tlio middle
toe curved outwards, and having the inner edge dilated.
Plumage dense, soft, blended. Feathers of the .head and upper
neck oblong, small, those along' the crown and ij^ciput longer ; of the
lower parts ovate, glossy, with the extremities of the filaments stif&sh.
Wings rather long, little curved, narrow, pointed ; the first quill longest,
the next scarcely shorter, the rest rapidly graduated ; secondaries very
short, broad, obliquely rounded ; the inner elongated and tapering ; the
tips of the filaments of the outer web; of the first primary are separated
and curved a little outwards. Tail short, rounded and pointed, of sixteen
leathers, of which the middle pair are more pointed and project
considerably,
Bill light, greyish-blue, with the extremity, including the unguis,
and a portion of .the margins, black. Iris haze!. Feet light bluishgrey,
the webs darker, the claws dusky. The upper part of the head
is white, more or less mottled with dusky on its é i i ^ ;Hh| . |or a l space
and cheeks reddish-whi|K dotted with greenish-black ; a broad band
from the eye to behind the occiput deep green. The lower piul of the
hind neck, the scapulars, and the fore part of the back, are minutely
transversely undulated with brownish-black and light brownish-red ;
the hind part similarly undulated with blàckish-brown and greyishwhite,
The smaller wing-coverts are brownish-grey ; the primary
quills aridTcoverts dark greyish-brown ; the secondary coverts white,
tipped with black. The speculum is duck-green anteriorly, bounded
by the black tips of the secondary coverts, black behind, internally
black with white streaks, the inner elongated secondaries having their
AMERICAN WIDGEON. 341
outer.webs black, margined with white, their inner webs brownishgrov.
. The tail-feathers arc light brownish-grey. The throat is brownish
black ; the lower ,part of the neck in front, and the fore, part of the
breast, light brownish-red ; the breast, belly,- and sides of the rump,
white-;, .the sides of the body finely undulated with white and dusky ;
the rump beneath and the lower tajkeoverts black.
. l.ength to emW.f tail 20| inches, to end of claws 21 : extent of
wings .344.; bill to frontal processes along the edge of lower mandible
l i s ; wing from flexure 11 ; tail 4£ ; tarsus. I j ï ; hind toe A , its
claw fi, middle.too.1 ft, its claw ft. Weight 1 lb, 14 oz.
Adult Female. Plato (XGXJ.V. Fig. 2
. : The. female is considerably smaller.. The bill, feet, and iris are
>,coloured asjn.tb,. male..,The head anil upper part of the neck all round,
a » white or reddish-white, longitudinally streaked with brownishblack,
the top of the- head transversely barred ; the lower part of the
neck in front and behind, the fore part of the back, and the scapulars,
are blackish- brown, the feathers broadly margined with brownish -red,
and barred with the same, the bars on the back narrow ; the hind part
of the back dusky:;; the upper tail-coverts barred with white. The
wings are greyish-brown; the secondary coverts tipped with white;
the secondary quills are brownish-black, thé inner greyish-brown, all
margined with white. The tail-feathers are greyish-brown, margined
with whites- All the lower parts, are white,, excepting the feathers of
the ¡-ides, and under the tail, which are broadly barred with dusky and
.light reddish-brown,
Length to end of tail 18 inches, to end of claws 19i; extent of
wings 30 ; bill Cong tlie ridge ; wing from flexure 9 A ; tail ST% ;
tarsus 1& ; middle toe lïj§; its claw ,'<., , Weight 1 lb. 5 oz-
A very great diversity of colouring exists in this species, which,
.however, is not yet properly understood. Although males are often
found as described above, and as represented in the plate, others have
a very different appearance. Thus, an individual shot at the mouth
of the . Mississippi, in the beginning of April 1837, has the head and
neck brownish-orarige, the feathers all minutely tipped with dark green,
the lower fore neck lilac ; all the upper parts finely undulated with
white and dusky, as are the sides ; the wing-eoverts light brownish