112 BLUJS-WINGED TEAL.
riving' there coast»ays, it! autumn and the greater §art of winter, ito
meet ,the||nultitudes that "tare travelled across He ulterior from the
north and west. At Nllr Orleans, and during spring, when this bird
is in full p!iima.go, it is called by .the Creoles "f Louisiana " Sareeffie
l'rintaririiore and in autumn, when'scarcely an individual can ho seen
retaining the beamy of its spring pl«nage, it is known as the " Sarcelle
Automniere';" in. coasecpieitce of which double appellation, many
persons imagine that there are two Blue-winged Teals.
Thuy ¡¡re th<! first (lucks that arrive, in that part of the country,
frequently making their appearance: m'thiilefinning of September;
in large, tiooks, when th<iV arc; exceedingly (at. They depart, however,
when'the cold Becomes, so intense: asC-to form ice,; iui.l in this respec'1
they differ fr.om the 'Green-winged Teafe, which brave the.- coldest
weather of that country. Toward the end of'February, however, they
arenas abundant as ever, but they arc then pom-, although their pluniage;
is 'pcrioetod, and; the male«', are very bwimtit'u!. During ¡their
stay, they ai'.e. seen on bayous and ponds, along the banks of the Mississippi,
and on 'the large and muddy sand-bars i;amjunili'feeding on
grasses, and their seeds, particularly in autumn,: when r they We. very.
• fond'of the wild pimento. Many remain as late a* the SfprfiS -May,
in,company' with the Shoveller and Gadwaffi Backs', with which they
are. usitaUy-'t(md.(M'assouia-i.i!it.-\-.
On my reaching the south-western puss of the Mississippi, :on the
1st April 183?-, I found these birds very abundant there, in fullplum-
&ge> and in fiocks of various sizes. On the 11th of iho sameunonth,
•when about an hundred miles to the westward, wsvsapi large and<lcnso
' flocks Hying in-the same direction.:". On the* 15th, at Derniere Isle, the
Blue-wings were very plentiful and gentle. Two days after, they wore
quite as numerous round Babbit Island, italic Hay called Cote Hlanche ;
and o n the 2lith t.hey were found on alt the ponds, ami salt bayous or
inlets ofi Galveston Island in Texas.,, as well as on the water-courses
of the interior,'where I was assured that they bred in great < numbers.
Though on account of the nature of the localities in which these Tealsbreed,
and which cannot be .explored otherwise than in extremely light
canoes, or by risking being engulphef; in oozy morasses covered with
.tall, grass, we were -not so fortunate as tiUini! any of their nests; we
could easily, judge by their manoeuvres both while. on wing and on the
water, that we were not far from their well-concealed treasures and
BLUE-WINGED TEAL. 113
the- females which procured unequivocally exhibited thè state of
exhaustion common in thé course of incubation.
During the months # September aid October, this species is plentiful
où the Ohio, and -in the whole of the Western Country, through
which they pass again in April,: h p without, tarrying. On the other
hand, they seem to prolong their stay at this .season in our Eastern Districts
more than in autumn; and this is also thé. case' in South Carolina,
as I learn from the observations of my fri,efcd J o h n Bachmax,
who has (keen them mated there as early as February.' I have found
them in the Boston markets: on the 8th óf September, but it is very
rare to see any of thera there in full spring dress. 1 saw or heard of none
„-hen 1 was in Labrador and Newfoundland ; from which it may V/<! inferred
that, those found in the fur Coimtrtes reach them through thé
interior.' They also Occur im the Columbia Hiver. On the 2l'st of
March iSIl, I saw many Blue-winged Teals copulating on ihe Mississippi,
a little below Natchez ; yet none of these birds have been
known to breedpi that section of the country. They were at the time
mentioned on a sand-bar in company with some American Widgeons,
which also were similarly employed.
The flight of' the Blue-winged Teal is extremely rapid and well
sustained. Indeed, I have thought that, when travelling, it passes
through the air with a speed equal to that of the Passenger Pigeon.
When flying in flocks in clear sunny weather, the blue óf their wings
glistens like polished steel, so as to give: them the most lively appearance';
and while they are wheeling over tki "places in which they in-'
tend to alight, their wings being alternately thrown !|à the shade and
exposed to 'Jie bright light, the glowing and varied lustre thus produced,
at whatever distancé they may be, draws your eyes involuntarily
towards them. When advancing against'a stiff breeze, they alternately
shew their upper and lower surfaces, and you are struck by
the vivid steel-blue of their mantle, which resembles the dancing light
of a piece of glass suddenly reflected on a,distant object. During theirflight,
they almost constantly emit their soft lisping note,, which they
also utter when alighted and under apprehension of danger. I have
, : never observed them travelling in company with other ducks, but have
seen them at tifljes passing over the sea at a considerable distance from
land. Before alighting,1 and almost under any circumstances, and in
any locality, these Teals pass and repass several times over-the place,,
VOL, IV. H