114 BLUE-WINGED TEAL.
as if to assure themselves of the absence of danger, pr„ should there be .
cause of apprehension, to watch until it is over. They swim buoyantly,
and generally in a close body, at times nearly toncM^ each
other. Indeed, daring their first appearance in autumn, when you
are apt'to meet with,, a flock entirely" composed of young birds, you
may, by using a little care, kill a considerable number at one s h o t . ^
was; assured by a gunner residing at. New Orleans, that as many as one
hundred and twenty had been kille^l.y himself at a single discharge;
and X » p e l f saw a friend.of mine kill eighty-four by pulling together
the triggers .'of his double-barrelled gun!
The Blue-winged Teal is easily kept in captivity, anil soon becomes
very docile/ In this state it feeds freety on eoarse com meal, and I
hayf no doubt that it could readily be domesticated, in which case, so
tender and savoury ^ its fle^h that it. would quickly p,.t t)»VmoritS of
the widely celebrated Capvass-backe^Duck in the s h ^ -
In the course of W stay i n ^ a s t Florida, at G e ^ HEMAW^ ,
and Mr I have observed this Teal in company with the ltedbroasted
Snipe, the Tell-tale Godwit, » d the Velio«-shank |nipc. I
observed the same circumstance<,in Te^xas. ,,, , JtiSu -avt^Si 4» h
During the time of their resid.mco on. ^De l awa r e River, they
feed principally on the • of the wUd oats, which j a l s o fcwd them
to do whilst at. Green Bay, I have bpen assured by^erso^s, reading .
o n th(! island of Cuba,, tlmtythc Hlue-wingcd Teal isabumhmt, and
breeds there.. , ., • . ' ' .
The old Males lose the spring plumage of pie head almost entirely
during a great portion«!' the autumn and winter, but it i s _
sometimes as early as tip. begmnmg of January. The young of both
sexes in their first plumage r i s i b l e the females, h u t ^ma l e s acquire
their full beauty before they axe a year old.
H mscORS Linn. M U L p. '206. - • • Or„. vol. | p. BM.
B,.™-w,x-«ki> X«, „ n.jcous, Wft tor.. Ornith. vol. vin. p. 74.pl. 68.
fig 4 -Xvtta'i, Manual, vol. ii. ]>. 897-
i B B Bc^f. S B of Bird» of the Cmiod Stato», p. 38*.
AKAS liiacoRS, BLI:E-wis«KO MM* Fauna Bpr. A m » vol.u.
p. 44 ».
Adult Male.' Plate CCCXIIL Fig. 1.
BLUE-WINGED TEAL. 115
Bill almost as long as the head, deeper than broad at the base, depressed
towards the end, its breadth nearly equal in its whole length,
being however a little enlarged towards theírounded tip- Upper mandible
with the dorsal line at first sloping, then nearly straight, on the
unguis decurved, the<Vidgc broad and flat at the base, suddenly narrowi^
jloverthe nostrils, broader and convex towards the end; the sides
erect at the base, afterwards sloping and convex ; the narrow membranous
margins a little broader towards the end. Nostrils sub-basal,
near'the ridge, rather small, elliptical, pervious. Lower mandible
flattened, straight, with the angle very long and rather narrow, the
dorsal line very short, and sEghtly convex, the sides internally erect,
with about' a hundred arid tweilty lamellae.
Head of moderate si/.e, oblong, compressed. Neck of moderate
length, rather slender. Body full, depressed. Feet short, placed rather
far back ; tarsus short, eompresséd, at; its lower part anteriorly
with two series of scut'ella, the rest covered with reticulated angular
scales.'v- ÉBés with numerous scutella above; first toe very small and
with a narrow membrane beneath; third longest, fourth about a quarter
of an inch shorter; the! anterior toes united1 by reticulated webs, of
Which the outer is-deeply sinuate ; 'Claws sinall; curved) compressed,
acutf'j-' the hind one smaller and more curved, that of the third toe
largest, and with the inner margin sharp.
Plumage dense, soft, and blended. Feathers of the head and heck,
very small and skmd«¡r, of the back and lower parts in general broad
and roundels Wings of modérate- length, rather narrow and acute;
primaries, strong, slightly curved, tapering, the first scarcely longer
than the'iíécond, the rest rapidly decreasing; secondaries broad, the
outer obliquely rounded, the inner elongated arid acuminate, as are
the scapulars. Tail short, rounded and acuminate, of fourteen rather
narrow, acuminate feathers.
Hill bluish-black. Iris dark hazel. Feet dull yellow, Webs dusky,
claws brownish-black, with the tips greyish-yellow. Upper part of the
head black; a semilunar patch of pure whit0 on the side of the head
before* the eye, margined before and behind with black. The rest of
the head, and the anterior parts of the neck Of á deep purplish-blue,
with purplish-red reflections; the lower hind neck and fore part of
back, brownish-black, glossed with green, each feather with a curved
band of pale reddish-buff, arid a line or band of the same in the centre ;
h 2