Part 134

Breeds from North California northward. Fur Countries. Abundant during winter on the Missouri, Mississippi, Ohio, and in Texas. Never seen eastward of South Carolina.

Cygnus Buccinator, Richardson's Trumpeter Swan, F. Bor. Amer. v. ii. p. 464.

Trumpeter Swan, Cygnus Buccinator, Nutt. Man. v. ii. p. 370.

Trumpeter Swan, Cygnus Buccinator, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. iv. p. 536; v. v. p. 114.

385. 2. Cygnus Americanus, Sharpless. American Swan.

Plate CCCCXI. Male.

Tail feathers twenty; bill and feet black, the former with a small orange spot on each side at the base; plumage pure white. Young grey.

Male, 53, 84.

Common during winter in the Middle Atlantic Districts, especially on Chesapeake Bay. Not seen south of Carolina. Columbia River. Breeds in the Fur Countries.

American Wild Swan, Cygnus americanus, Sharpless, Amer. Journ. of Sc. and Arts, v. xxii.

American Swan, Cygnus americanus, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. v. p. 133.

GENUS IV. ANAS, Linn. DUCK.

Bill about the length of the head, somewhat higher than broad at the base, depressed and widened towards the end, rounded at the tip; upper mandible with the dorsal line sloping, and a little concave, the ridge at the base broad and flat, towards the end broadly convex, as are the sides, the edges soft and rather obtuse, the marginal lamellæ numerous, oblique; unguis decurved, obovate; nasal groove elliptical, subbasal, filled by the soft membrane of the bill; lower mandible flattened, slightly recurvate, with the angle very long and narrow, the unguis roundish, the lamellæ numerous. Nostrils subbasal, elliptical, near the ridge. Head of moderate size, oblong, compressed; neck rather long and slender; body full, depressed. Feet short, stout, placed a little behind the centre of the body; tibia bare a little above the joint; tarsus short, somewhat compressed, anteriorly with small scutella, laterally and behind with angular scales; hind toe extremely small, with a very narrow membrane; third toe longest, fourth a little shorter, but longer than second; all covered with numerous oblique scutella; anterior connected by reticulated membranes. Claws small, arched, compressed, rather acute. Plumage dense, soft. Wings of moderate length, acute; second quill longest, first very little shorter; inner secondaries elongated and tapering; tail short, much rounded, of sixteen feathers. Œsophagus rather narrow, dilated on the lower part of the neck; stomach an extremely muscular, transversely elliptical gizzard; intestine long and rather wide; cœca long. Trachea of the males, with a transverse bony unsymmetrical dilatation at the inferior larynx.

386. 1. Anas Borchas, Linn. Mallard.

Plate CCXXI. Male and Female.

Male with the feathers of the head and neck short, blended, and splendent; tail much rounded, of sixteen acute feathers, of which the four central are recurved; bill greenish-yellow, feet orange-red; head and upper part of neck deep green; about the middle of the neck a white ring; its lower part anteriorly, and the fore part of the breast, dark brownish-chestnut; fore part of back light yellowish-brown, rest of the back brownish-black, the rump black, splendent with green and purplish-blue, as are the recurved tail-feathers; upper surface of wings greyish-brown, scapulars lighter, except their inner webs, and with the anterior dorsal feathers, minutely undulated with brown, speculum on about ten of the secondaries purple and green, edged with velvet-black and white, the anterior bands of these colours being on the secondary coverts; breast, sides, and abdomen very pale grey, minutely undulated with darker; lower tail-coverts black. Female with the bill black in the middle, dull orange at the extremities and along the edges; upper parts pale yellowish, streaked and spotted with dusky; feathers of the head narrowly streaked, of the back with the margins and a central streak yellowish-brown, the rest dark, the scapulars similar, but with the light streak on the outer web; speculum as in the male, but with less green; lower parts dull ochre, deeper on the lower neck, faintly streaked and spotted with brown.

Male, 24, 36. Female, 22.

Breeds from Texas sparingly throughout the United States. Columbia River, and Fur Countries. Abundant during winter in all the Southern Districts. Not found in Maine, or farther eastward.

Mallard, Anas Borchas, Wils. Amer. Orn. v. viii. p. 112.

Anas Borchas, Bonap. Syn. p. 383.

Anas (Borchas) domestica, Mallard, Swains. & Rich. F. Bor. Amer. v. ii. p. 442.

Mallard Duck, Anas domestica, Nutt. Man. v. ii. p. 378.

Mallard, Anas Borchas, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. iii. p. 164.

387. 2. Anas obscura, Gmel. Dusky Duck.

Plate CCCII. Male and Female.

Tail much rounded, of eighteen acute feathers, none of which are recurved; bill yellowish-green; feet orange-red, the webs dusky; upper part of head glossy brownish-black, the feathers margined with light brown; sides of head and a band over the eye light greyish-brown, with longitudinal dusky streaks; general colour blackish-brown, a little paler beneath, all the feathers margined with pale reddish-brown; wing-coverts greyish-dusky, with a faint tinge of green; ends of secondary coverts velvet black; primaries and their coverts blackish-brown; secondaries darker; speculum green, blue, violet, or amethyst-purple, bounded by velvet-black, the feathers also tipped with a narrow line of white; under surface of wing and axillaries white. Female more brown, with the speculum similar, but without the white terminal line.

Male, 24-1/2, 38-1/2. Female, 22, 34-1/4.

Breeds in Texas, westward, and throughout the United States, British Provinces, and Labrador. Columbia River. Common in autumn and spring along the Middle Atlantic Districts. Abundant in the Southern and Western States, in winter.