Chapter XVII: Part 17

Bill light greyish-blue, with the extremity including the unguis, and a portion of the margins, black. Iris hazel. Feet light bluish-grey, the webs darker, the claws dusky. The upper part of the head is white, more or less mottled with dusky on its sides; the loral space and cheeks reddish-white, dotted with greenish-black; a broad band from the eye to behind the occiput deep green. The lower part 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 blackish-brown and greyish-white. The smaller wing-coverts are brownish-grey; the primary quills and coverts 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 outer webs black, margined with white, their inner webs brownish-grey. The tail-feathers are 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 tail-coverts black.

Length to end of tail 20-1/2 inches, to end of claws 21; extent of wings 34-1/2; bill to frontal processes 1-(7-1/2)/12, along the edge of lower mandible 1-7/12; wing from flexure 11; tail 4-1/2; tarsus 1-7/12; hind toe 4/12, its claw (2-1/2)/12, middle toe 1-8/12, its claw (4-1/2)/12. Weight 1 lb. 14 oz.

Adult Female. Plate CCCXLV. Fig. 2.

The female is considerably smaller. The bill, feet, and iris are coloured as in the male. The head and upper part of the neck all round, are white or reddish-white, longitudinally streaked with brownish-black, 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, the inner greyish-brown, all margined with white. The tail-feathers are greyish-brown, margined with white. All the lower parts are white, excepting the feathers of the sides, 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 19-1/2; extent of wings 30; bill along the ridge 1-6/12; wing from flexure 9-3/12; tail 3-9/12; tarsus 1-6/12; middle toe 1-9/12, its claw 3/12. 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-orange, 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-coverts light brownish-grey; the other parts as described above, but the upper tail-coverts black at the end. In some individuals the top of the head is reddish-white, in others light red, in others pure white; in some, most of the smaller wing-coverts are white, in others grey or brownish-grey; in some the throat is whitish, in others black. These differences, no doubt, depend upon age and season.

The American Widgeon has been considered distinct from the European; not on account of any difference in size or form, or texture of plumage, but because it has in certain stages a green band on the side of the head, which the European bird is said not to have. The mirror is the same in both; the wing-coverts are white or grey in both; the crown is white, or cream-coloured, or orange-brown, in both; but in the European the head and neck are described as reddish-chestnut, and in the American as yellowish-white. Now, in fact, American birds sometimes have the head and neck red, and European Birds sometimes have the green streak on the side of the head. In short, on comparing specimens from America, with others from India and Norway, I cannot perceive any essential difference. At the same time, not having traced our Widgeon through all its gradations, and being equally unacquainted with all those of the European and Asiatic Widgeon, I cannot _positively_ affirm that _Anas Americana_ is identical with _Anas Penelope_.

A male preserved in spirits presents the following characters.

The roof of the mouth is deeply concave, with a median prominent line, and numerous irregular small tubercles on the sides, with several larger ones at the fore part. Two large branches of the supra-maxillary nerve run in this ridge, as in other ducks. The tongue is 1 inch 5 twelfths long, with numerous straight, pointed papillæ at the base, a median longitudinal groove, and a thin broadly rounded point. The œsophagus, _a b c d_, is 10 inches long, narrow, dilating a little on the lower part of the neck, where its diameter is 1/2 inch. The proventriculus, _b c_, is 8 twelfths broad; its glands oblong, 2 twelfths in length, and occupying a belt 1 inch 4 twelfths in breadth. The gizzard, _e f g_, is extremely large, of a nearly regular elliptical form, placed obliquely, its length 1 inch 8 twelfths, its breadth 2-1/2 inches; its lateral muscles extremely large, the left, _e_, 1 inch 2 twelfths in thickness, the other, _f_, 1 inch and 1 twelfth; the inferior muscle, _g_, only 1 twelfth. In the œsophagus are contained slender leaves of grasses; in the gizzard some of these leaves and other vegetable matters, small seeds, and a great quantity of sand. The cuticular lining or epithelium is dense, slightly rugous, much thickened on the spaces opposite the middle of the lateral muscles. The duodenum, _g h i_, is 5-1/2 inches in its first curve, _g h_, and is then reflected for 7 inches, passes backwards under the kidneys and forms several convolutions. The intestine, _g h i j k l_, is 6 feet 2 inches long, 1/2 inch in diameter in its duodenal portion, gradually contracts to 4 twelfths at the distance of 18 inches from the pylorus, again enlarges to 5 twelfths, and near the rectum to 7 twelfths. The rectum is 4-1/2 inches long; the cœca 9 inches, their diameter for nearly 2 inches being 2 twelfths, after which they are enlarged, their greatest diameter being 4 twelfths. The liver is large, the right lobe being 3-1/2 inches long, the left 2-1/2.

The trachea, _m_, is 7-1/2 inches long, of moderate diameter, the rings roundish and ossified, about 140 in number, its breadth at the top 4-1/2 twelfths, gradually diminishing to 3 twelfths. At the lower part several of the rings are united so as to form an irregular dilatation, bulging out into a rounded sac, _n_, on the left side, its greatest diameter being 10 twelfths. The bronchi are of moderate length, wide, with about 25 half rings. The contractor muscles are rather strong; and besides the sterno-tracheals, _o_, _p_, there is a pair of cleido-tracheals.

In a female, the gizzard is 2 inches in its greatest diameter; the intestine is 5 feet 2 inches long. The contents of the œsophagus and stomach as in the male.

BLACK-THROATED DIVER.

_COLYMBUS ARCTICUS_, LINN.

PLATE CCCXLVI. MALE, FEMALE, AND YOUNG.

One of the most remarkable circumstances relative to this beautiful bird, which is intermediate between the Red-throated Diver and the Loon, is the extraordinary extent to which the wanderings of the young are carried in autumn and winter. It breeds in the remote regions of the north, from which many of the old birds, it would seem, do not remove far, while the young, as soon as they are able to travel, take to wing and disperse, spreading not only over the greater part of the United States, but beyond their south-western limits. In the Texas I saw individuals of this species as late as the middle of April 1837; and I find it enumerated in a list of the birds observed by my young friend Dr J. K. TOWNSEND on the Columbia River, where he also met with _Columbus glacialis_. Its ramblings over a considerable portion of northern and eastern Europe have equally been noted, and it has been found breeding in the extreme north of Scotland.

For many years I knew the young of this bird only by the name “Imber Diver,” applied by BEWICK to that of another species, and now have pleasure in looking upon a drawing of mine, made about thirty years ago, with that appellation attached to it. Very few old birds in full plumage have been procured within the limits of the United States, and none in as far as I know, farther south than the Capes of Delaware.

No sooner has the foliage of the trees that border our western waters begun to drop and float on the gentle current of the fair Ohio, than the Black-throated Diver makes its appearance there, moving slowly with the stream. The Mississippi, Missouri, and their tributaries, are at the same period supplied with these birds. Along our eastern and southern shores they are seen from the end of autumn until spring.

Whilst in Labrador, I saw a few pairs courting on wing, much in the manner of the Red-throated Diver; but all our exertions failed to procure any of the nests, which I therefore think must have been placed farther inland than those of the Loon or Red-throated Diver. I observed however, that in their general habits they greatly resemble those species, for on alighting on the water, they at once immerse their bills, as if for the purpose of ascertaining whether it yields a supply of suitable food, and afterwards raise themselves and beat their wings.

This species has almost as powerful a flight as the Great Northern Diver or Loon, and I think shoots through the air with even greater velocity. When flying it moves its wings rapidly and continuously, and has the neck and feet stretched out to their full length. I well recollect that while I was standing near the shore of a large inlet in South Carolina, one of these birds, being shot while passing over my head at full speed, did not, on account of the impetus, reach the ground until upwards of twenty yards beyond me. They are equally expert at diving, and fully as much so in eluding the pursuit of their enemies when wounded. I saw my friend Mr HARRIS bring down one from on wing, on which NAPOLEON COSTE, and WILLIAM TAYLOR, Captains of the Revenue Cutter and Tender of which we had the use, paddled in pursuit of it in a light canoe; but, although they advanced with all the address of Indians, they proved unsuccessful, for after following it both in the Bay of Cayo Island, and in the Bay of Mexico, for nearly an hour, they were obliged to return without it, having found it apparently not in the least fatigued, although it had dived sufficiently often to travel above two miles, shifting its course at each immersion. It is curious to observe how carefully these birds avoid the danger of sudden storms or heavy gales. On such occasions, I have seen Divers at once seek the lee of rocks, islands, or artificial embankments, where they could not only remain in security, but also procure their accustomed food. At other times, when striving against the tempest, they dive headlong from on wing, and are sure to reappear in the smooth parts which sailors term the trough.

I once caught one of these birds on the Ohio, it having been incapacitated from diving by having swallowed a large mussel, which stuck in its throat. It was kept for several days, but refused food of every kind, exhibited much bad humour, struck with its bill, and died of inanition. The food of this species consists of fish, aquatic reptiles, testaceous mollusca, and all sorts of small crustaceous animals. Its flesh resembles that of the Loon, and is equally unfit to be eaten.

The eggs, which are sometimes two, more frequently three, average three inches in length, by two in their greatest breadth, which is about a third of the whole length distant from the extremity. Their form is that of the Red-throated Diver, which however they exceed in size. The shell is rather thick, the surface roughish, the ground colour chocolate tinged with olive, sparingly spotted at the larger end with very dark umber and black, and sprinkled all over with very small dots of the same colour.

I have represented an adult male, a female, and a young bird.

COLYMBUS ARCTICUS, _Linn._ Syst. Nat. vol. i. p. 221.—_Lath._
Ind. Ornith. vol. ii. p. 800.—_Ch. Bonaparte_, Synopsis of
Birds of United States, p. 420.

COLYMBUS ARCTICUS, BLACK-THROATED DIVER, _Richards. and
Swains._ Fauna Boreali-Americana, vol. ii. p. 475.

BLACK-THROATED DIVER, _Nuttall_, Manual, vol. ii.

Adult Male. Plate CCCXLVI. Fig. 1.

Bill as long as the head, straight, stout, higher than broad at the base, much compressed toward the end, and tapering to a point. Upper mandible with the dorsal line descending and considerably convex toward the end, the ridge convex, narrowed toward the point, the sides convex beyond the nostrils, the edges involute for half their length in the middle, direct at the base and toward the end, the tip narrow and sharpish. Nasal groove rather long and narrowed; nostrils sub-basal, linear, direct, pervious. Lower mandible with the angle extremely narrow, and very long, the dorsal line ascending and very slightly convex, the ridge convex and narrow, the edges sharp and involute, the tip attenuated.

Head of moderate size, oblong, narrowed before. Neck rather long and thick. Eyes of moderate size. Body elongated, much depressed, of an elliptical form viewed from above. Wings small. Feet short, rather large, placed very far back; tibia almost entirely concealed; tarsus short, exceedingly compressed, sharp-edged before and behind, covered all over with reticulated angular scales, hind toe extremely small, externally marginate, connected with the second for half its length by a membrane, which extends, narrowing, to the end; the anterior toes connected by articulated membranes, the fourth or outer longest, the third a little shorter, the second considerably shorter than the third; all covered above with numerous narrow scutella; the second toe with a free two-lobed membrane, the claws very small, depressed, blunt.

Plumage short and dense, of the head and neck very short, soft and blended; of the lower parts short, blended, stiffish, considerably glossed; of the upper compact, glossy; the feathers on the lower part of the sides of the neck much incurved, oblong with the terminal barbs stiff; those of the fore part of the back and the scapulars straight, oblong, abrupt. Wings proportionally very small and narrow, curved; primaries strong, tapering, the first longest, the second slightly shorter, the rest rapidly graduated; secondaries very short, broad, and rounded. Tail extremely short, rounded, of eighteen feathers.

Bill black. Iris deep bright red. Feet greyish-blue, their inner sides tinged with yellow; claws black, that of the inner toe yellowish at the base. The upper part of the head and the hind neck are light grey or hoary, the fore part and sides of the head darker. The upper parts are glossy black tinged with green anteriorly, and shaded with brown behind. On the fore part of the back are two longitudinal bands of transverse white bars, the feathers being tipped with that colour; the scapulars, excepting the outer, are marked in the same manner with transverse rows of rather large square spots. Most of the wing-coverts have two roundish spots of white near the end. The quills are blackish-brown, tinged with grey externally, paler on the inner webs; the tail also blackish-brown. The fore neck, to the length of six and a half inches, is purplish-black, ending angularly below, and with a transverse interrupted band of linear white spots near the upper part; beyond which the sides of the neck are blackish-brown, with several longitudinal white streaks, formed by the edges of the feathers; on the lower part of the neck a broad space is occupied by these longitudinal, dusky, and white streaks the former of which gradually become narrower. The lower parts are pure white, excepting a longitudinal band on the sides under the wing, which is dusky.

Length to end of tail 29 inches, to end of wings 27-1/2, to end of claws 33; extent of wings 39-1/2; wing from flexure 12-3/4; tail 2-3/4; bill along the ridge 2-(5-1/2)/12, along the edge of lower mandible 3-(4-1/2)/12; tarsus 3-1/12; hind toe 8/12, its claw 2/12; second toe 3-2/12, its claw (5-1/2)/12; third toe 3-8/12, its claw 5-(5-1/2)/12; fourth toe 4-1/4, its claw (4-1/2)/12.

Adult Female. Plate CCCXLVI. Fig. 2.

The Female is smaller than the male, but is similarly coloured.

Young in Winter. Plate CCCXLVI. Fig. 3.

The texture of the plumage is less dense, the feathers on the neck being more downy, and those of the back oblong and rounded. The bill is light bluish-grey, dusky along the ridge; the iris brown; the feet more dusky. The upper part of the head and the hind neck are dark greyish-brown; the sides of the head greyish-white, minutely streaked with brown. The upper parts have a reticulated or scaly appearance, the feathers being brownish-black, with broad bluish-grey margins; the rump dull brownish-grey. The primaries and their coverts are brownish-black, the secondaries and tail-feathers dusky, margined with grey. The fore part of the neck is greyish-white, minutely and faintly dotted with brown, its sides below streaked with the same; the lower parts, including the under surface of the wing, pure white; the sides of the body and rump, with part of the lower tail-coverts, dusky, edged with bluish-grey.

When in their first downy plumage, the young are of a uniform brownish-black colour.

SMEW OR WHITE NUN.

_MERGUS ALBELLUS_, LINN.

PLATE CCCXLVIL. MALE AND FEMALE.

The Smew is a bird of extremely rare occurrence in the United States, insomuch that it must be considered merely as a transient or accidental visitor. Indeed I have felt strong misgivings on reading WILSON’s article on this species, and cannot but think that he is mistaken when he states that it “is much more common on the coast of New England than farther south,” and again “In the ponds of New England, and some of the lakes in the State of New York, where the Smew is frequently observed—.” Now, although I have made diligent inquiry, not only in New England, but in every part of our country where I thought it likely that the Smew might occur, I have not met with any person well acquainted with birds of this family, who has seen it. WILSON, in short, was in all probability misinformed, and it is my opinion that his figure was made from a stuffed European specimen which was then in Peale’s Museum in Philadelphia, and that he had taken the Buffel-headed Duck, seen at a distance, for this species, as I am aware has been the case with other individuals.

The only specimen procured by me was shot by myself on Lake Barataria, not far from New Orleans, in the winter of 1819. It was an adult female in fine plumage. How it had wandered so far south is an enigma to me; but having found it, and made a drawing of it on the spot, I have taken the liberty to add one of the other sex from an equally fine specimen. After all, the Smew can scarcely be considered as belonging to the American Fauna, any more than our Fork-tailed Hawk can with propriety be called a denizen of England; and in this I am supported by all the great navigators of our Arctic Seas, such as ROSS, PARRY, and FRANKLIN, none of whom, nor any of their companions, ever met with a single individual of this beautiful bird.

MERGUS ALBELLUS, _Linn._ Syst. Nat. vol. i. p. 209.—_Lath._
Ind. Ornith. vol. ii. p. 831.—_Ch. Bonaparte_, Synopsis of
Birds of United States, p. 398.

SMEW or WHITE NUN, MERGUS ALBELLUS, _Wils._ Amer. Ornith.
vol. viii. p. 126, pl. 71, fig. 4. Male.

The SMEW, or WHITE NUN, _Nuttall_, Manual, vol. ii. p. 467.

Adult Male Plate CCCXLVII. Fig. 1.

Bill rather shorter than the head, straight, rather slender, a little higher than broad at the base, tapering, somewhat cylindrical toward the end. Upper mandible with the dorsal outline sloping gently and slightly concave to the middle, then straight, at the tip declined, the ridge rather broad and flat at the base, then convex, the sides sloping at the base, convex toward the end, the edges serrate beneath, with about forty slightly reversed, compressed, tapering, tooth-like lamellæ, the unguis elliptical, much curved. Nasal groove oblong, sub-basal, filled by a soft membrane; nostrils oblong, submedial, direct, pervious. Lower mandible with the angle very narrow and extended to the obovate, very convex unguis, the sides rounded, with a long groove, the edges with about sixty perpendicular sharp lamellæ.

Head of moderate size, oblong, compressed. Neck of moderate length. Body full and depressed. Feet placed far behind, extremely short; tibia bare for a quarter of an inch; tarsus extremely short, much compressed, anteriorly covered with a series of very small scutella, and another row on the lower half externally, the sides reticulate. Hind toe very small, with an inferior free membrane; anterior toes double the length of the tarsus; the second shorter than the fourth, which is nearly as long as the third; all connected by reticulated webs, of which the outer is deeply emarginate. Claws short, considerably curved, compressed, acute, that of the middle toe with a thin inner edge.

Plumage full, soft, and blended; feathers of the head and upper part of the hind neck very slender, and elongated along the median line into a narrow decurved crest; those of the shoulders obovate and abrupt, of the rest of the upper parts ovate, of the lower elliptical. Wings very short, narrow, curved, and pointed; primaries narrow, tapering, the first scarcely longer than the second, the rest rapidly graduated; secondaries short, narrow, rounded, the inner tapering to an obtuse point. Tail short, graduated, of sixteen rather narrow, tapering feathers.

Bill dark greyish-blue. Iris bright red. Feet livid blue, claws dusky. The general colour of the plumage is pure white; a short band on each side of the hind neck bordering the crest, duck-green; a broad patch on the lore and below the eye, a narrow band across the lower part of the hind neck, formed by single bars near the tips of the feathers, the middle of the back in its whole length, a short transverse bar under the fore edge of the wing, the anterior margin of that organ to beyond the carpal joint, the outer edges of the scapulars, the primary coverts, the secondary coverts, and the outer secondary quills, excepting the tips of both, deep black. The quills are also black, but of a less deep tint; the hind part of the back becomes tinged with grey, and the rump and tail-feathers are dusky grey. The sides of the body and rump are white, finely undulated with blackish-grey.

Length to end of tail 17-1/2 inches, to end of claws 18-1/4, to end of wings 15-1/2; extent of wings 27; bill along the ridge 1-(3-1/2)/12, along the edge of lower mandible 1-(7-1/2)/12; wing from flexure 7-3/4; tail 3-1/2; tarsus 1-(1-1/2)/12; first toe 1/2, its claw 2/12; second toe 1-1/2, its claw 4/12, third toe 1-11/12, its claw (4-1/2)/12; fourth toe 1-10/12, its claw 5/12. Weight 1 lb. 8 oz.

Adult Female. Plate CCCXLVII. Fig. 2.

The Female is much smaller. The feathers of the hind part of the head and neck are also elongated so as to form a crest. The bill, iris, and feet, are coloured as in the male. All the lower parts are white, excepting a broad band of light grey across the middle of the neck, and a narrow portion of the sides, which are of a deeper tint. There is a patch of brownish-black on the lore and beneath the eye; the upper part of the head and half of the hind neck, are light reddish-brown; the rest of the hind neck, and all the upper parts, bluish-grey, darker behind, and in the middle of the back approaching to black. The wings as in the male, that is black, with a large patch of white, and two narrow transverse bands of the same; the tail dusky grey.

Length to end of tail 15-1/4 inches, to end of claws 16-1/2, to end of wings 14-1/2; extent of wings 25. Weight 1 lb. 4 oz.

GADWALL DUCK.

_ANAS STREPERA_, LINN.

PLATE CCCXLVIII. MALE AND FEMALE.

I have met with this species along the whole of our Atlantic coast, from Eastport in Maine to Texas. It is, however, more abundant in the interior than in most of our maritime districts, and is particularly so on the tributaries of the Ohio, Missouri, and Mississippi. In the early part of autumn and late in spring many are found on the margins of our great lakes. Yet the Gadwall has been represented as not plentiful in the United States, probably on account of its being generally dispersed, and not congregated in particular districts.

The Creoles of Louisiana name it “Violon,” on account of the whistling sound of its wings. It arrives in the neighbourhood of New Orleans and the mouths of the Mississippi along with the Widgeon, and is fond of the company of the Red-head, to which it is about equal as an article of food. The Gadwalls are usually seen in small flocks, and during winter resort to the larger lakes and the pools in the interior of the great marshes, adjoining the waters of the Gulf. In that part of the country they feed on small fish, insects, and aquatic grasses. Fewer of them are found in Massachusetts and the State of New York than elsewhere, and this probably on account of these districts being more elevated and less marshy than those farther south. My friend Dr BACHMAN informs me that they are rather plentiful in South Carolina, where they are considered good eating, and where they arrive in the beginning of October, but are more frequently met with at that season, and in early spring, than during winter, when a single individual may sometimes be seen in a flock of other ducks.

While we were in the Texas, in the latter part of April and the beginning of May, we found the Gadwall quite abundant on all the inland ponds and streams, as well as on the brackish pools and inlets of the islands and shores of Galveston Bay. Many of them had paired and separated from the other ducks; and I was assured that this species breeds there, as does the Dusky Duck, the Mallard, the Blue-winged Teal, the Widgeon, and the Shoveller, the young of all these species being plentiful in the end of June and beginning of July. I was satisfied as to the truth of the repeated assurances I had received on this subject, by observing the manners of individuals of all these species before my departure from that country. After a continuance of rainy weather, Gadwalls are found in great numbers on the vast prairies of Oppelousas and Attacapas, where I have been told they continue until very late in spring, and some remain to breed.

This species dives well on occasion, especially on being wounded. At the appearance of danger, it rises on wing—whether from the ground or from the water—at a single spring, in the manner of the Mallard, and, like it also, ascends almost perpendicularly for several yards, after which it moves off in a direct course with great celerity. I have never seen it dive on seeing the flash of the gun; but when approached it always swims to the opposite part of the pond, and, when the danger increases, flies off. On being wounded, it sometimes by diving makes its escape among the grass, where it squats and remains concealed. It walks with ease, and prettily, often making incursions upon the land, when the ponds are not surrounded by trees, for the purpose of searching for food. It nibbles the tender shoots and blades of grasses with apparent pleasure, and will feed on beech-nuts, acorns, and seeds of all kinds of gramineæ, as well as on tadpoles, small fishes, and leeches. After rain it alights in the corn-fields, like the Mallard, and picks up the scattered grains of maize. The common notes or cry of the female have a considerable resemblance to those of the female Mallard; but the cry of the male is weaker as in that species.

It is by no means shy in the Western Country, where I have often found it associating with other species, which would leave the pond before it. Near the sea, however, it is much more wary, and this no doubt on account of the greater number of persons who there follow shooting as a regular and profitable employment. From the following note of my friend Dr BACHMAN, you may judge how easily this fine species might be domesticated.

“In the year 1812 I saw in Dutchess County, in the State of New York, at the house of a miller, a fine flock of ducks, to the number of at least thirty, which, from their peculiar appearance, struck me as differing from any I had before seen among the different varieties of the tame Duck. On inquiry, I was informed that three years before, a pair of these ducks had been captured in the mill pond, whether in a trap, or by being wounded, I cannot recollect. They were kept in the poultry-yard, and, it was said, were easily tamed. One joint of the wing was taken off, to prevent their flying away. In the following spring they were suffered to go into the pond, and they returned daily to the house to be fed. They built their nest on the edge of the pond, and reared a large brood. The young were perfectly reconciled to domestication, and made no attempts, even at the migratory season, to fly away, although their wings were perfect. In the following season they produced large broods. The family of the miller used them occasionally as food, and considered them equal in flavour to the common duck, and more easily raised. The old males were more beautiful than any that I have examined since; and as yet domestication had produced no variety in their plumage.”

The migration of this species extends to the Fur Countries, where it is said to breed. The description of a male killed on the Saskatchewan River, on the 22d of May 1827, is given in the Fauna Boreali-Americana; and I have a fine male procured by Dr TOWNSEND on the Columbia River.

ANAS STREPERA, _Linn._ Syst. Nat. vol. i. p. 200.—_Lath._
Ind. Ornith. vol. ii. p. 859.—_Ch. Bonaparte_, Synopsis of
Birds of United States, p. 383.

GADWALL, ANAS STREPERA, _Wils._ Amer. Ornith. vol. viii.
p. 120, pl. 71, fig. 1.—_Richards._ and _Swains._ Fauna
Bor.-Amer. vol. ii. p. 440.

GADWALL or GREY, _Nuttall_, Manual, vol. ii. p. 383.

Adult Male. Plate CCCXLVIII. Fig. 1.

Bill nearly as long as the head, deeper than broad at the base, depressed towards the end, the sides parallel, the tip rounded. Upper mandible with the frontal angles short and obtuse, the dorsal line at first sloping, then slightly concave and direct, the ridge broad and flat at the base, then broadly convex, the edges soft, with about fifty internal lamellæ, the unguis roundish, curved abruptly at the end. Nostrils sub-basal, lateral, rather small, oblong, pervious. Lower mandible flattened, its angle very long and narrow, the dorsal line very short, slightly convex, the edges soft, with about sixty lamellæ.

Head of moderate size, oblong, compressed. Neck rather long, slender. Body elongated, slightly 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 scutellate 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 crenate; the second or inner toe with a membranous margin. Claws small, slightly arched, compressed, rather acute, the hind one very small and more curved, that of the middle toe with an inner sharp edge.

Plumage dense, soft, blended. Feathers of the head short, of the occiput and nape a little elongated, of the lower parts glossy with the extremities of the filaments stiffish. Wings rather long, little curved, pointed; the first quill longest, the rest rapidly graduated; secondaries very broad, but pointed, the inner much elongated, and tapering to a point. The tips of the filaments of the outer web of the first primary are separated and curved a little forwards. Tail short, rounded, of sixteen strong pointed feathers, of which the middle pair project considerably.

Bill bluish-black. Iris reddish hazel. Feet dull orange-yellow, claws brownish-black, webs dusky. Head light yellowish-red, the upper part and nape much darker and barred with dusky; the rest dotted with the same. The lower part of the neck, the sides of the body, the fore part of the back, and the outer scapulars, undulated with dusky, and yellowish-white, the bands much larger and semicircular on the fore part of the neck and breast; the latter white, the abdomen faintly and minutely undulated with brownish-grey; the elongated scapulars brownish-grey, broadly margined with brownish-red; the hind part of the back brownish-black; the rump all round, and the upper and lower tail-coverts, bluish-black. The anterior smaller wing-coverts are light grey, undulated with dusky, the middle coverts of a deep rich chestnut-red; primary coverts brownish-grey, outer secondary coverts darker and tinged with chestnut, the rest black, excepting the inner, which are grey. Primaries and inner elongated secondaries brownish-grey, of which colour also are the inner webs of the rest, part of the outer webs of five of the outer black, and their terminal margins white, of which colour are the whole outer webs of the three next to the inner elongated quills. Tail brownish-grey, the feathers margined with paler.

Length to end of tail 21-3/4 inches, to end of wings 19, to end of claws 23-1/4; extent of wings 35; bill along the ridge 1-3/4, along the edge of lower mandible 1-7/8; wing from flexure 11; tail 4-3/8; tarsus 1-1/2; hind toe and claw 1/2; second toe 1-5/8, its claw 4/12; third toe 1-7/8, its claw 4/12; outer toe 1-(7-1/2)/12, its claw 2/12. Weight 1 lb. 10 oz.

Adult Female. Plate CCCXLVIII. Fig. 2.

The female is considerably smaller. Bill dusky along the ridge, dull yellowish-orange on the sides. Iris hazel. Feet of a fainter tint than in the male. Upper part of head brownish-black, the feathers edged with light reddish-brown; a streak over the eye, the cheeks, the upper part of the neck all round, light yellowish-red tinged with grey, and marked with small longitudinal dusky streaks, which are fainter on the throat, that part being greyish-white; the rest of the neck, the sides, all the upper parts and the lower rump feathers brownish-black broadly margined with yellowish-red. Wing-coverts brownish-grey, edged with paler; the wing otherwise as in the male, but the speculum fainter. Tail-feathers, and their coverts dusky, laterally obliquely indented with pale brownish-red, and margined with reddish-white.

Length to end of tail 19-1/4 inches, to end of wings 18-3/4, to end of claws 19-1/2; extent of wings 31; wing from flexure 8-1/4; tail 3-3/4; tarsus 1-(4-1/2)/12; middle toe 1-(9-1/2)/12, its claw 4/12.

In a male, the roof of the mouth is deeply concave, with a prominent median ridge, and oblique grooves toward the end. The tongue is 1 inch 10 twelfths long, fleshy, with a deep longitudinal groove, two lateral series of filaments, and a thin broadly rounded tip, as in other ducks. The œsophagus, _a_, _b_, is 10-1/2 inches long, 5 twelfths in diameter for about four inches, then enlarged to 10 twelfths, and again contracted as it enters the thorax. The proventriculus, _b b_, is 1 inch and two twelfths long, its greatest diameter 8 twelfths. The stomach, _c d e_, is a very large and powerful gizzard, of an elliptical form, compressed, 1 inch and 9 twelfths long, 2 inches in its greatest breadth, or in the direction of the lateral muscles, of which the right, _c_, is 10 twelfths thick, the left, _d_, 9 twelfths. The epithelium is thick and rugous; much thickened and forming two roundish, flat or slightly concave grinding surfaces, opposite the muscles. The intestine, _e f g_, is 6 feet 10 inches long, wide, its diameter for 2 feet being 4-1/2 twelfths, towards the rectum enlarging to 6 twelfths. It forms first a very long duodenal curve, _c e f g_, and is then convoluted or coiled in numerous folds. The rectum is 5-1/4 inches long; the cœca 11 inches, their greatest diameter 6 twelfths, for 2 inches at the commencement 2 twelfths, towards the end 2-1/2 twelfths, their extremity rounded.

The trachea, _h_, is 7-1/2 inches long; its diameter at the upper part 4 twelfths, gradually diminishing to 3-1/2 twelfths; it then enlarges to 5 twelfths, and contracts to 3-1/2 twelfths at the commencement of the dilatation of the inferior larynx, which is extremely similar to that of the Widgeon, but larger; there being an enlargement, _i_, formed by a number of the lower rings united, and to the left side a rounded bony tympanum _j_; the greatest transverse diameter of this part, from _i_ to _j_, is 1 inch 1 twelfth. The bronchi, _k k_, are of moderate size, covered with a dense layer of adipose matter.

LEAST WATER RAIL.

_RALLUS JAMAICENSIS_, GMEL.

PLATE CCCXLIX. MALE AND YOUNG.

My knowledge of this pretty little species is altogether derived from TITIAN PEALE, Esq., of Philadelphia, by whom, in October 1836, I was favoured with the following letter:—

“I herewith send you the ‘Little Rail’ of which we were
speaking yesterday, and the letter of Dr ROWAN which relates
to it. The young died soon after I received them, but the old
one lived with me until the 26th of July (four days after
its capture), evincing considerable anxiety for the young,
as long as they lived. Both young and old partook sparingly
of Indian meal and water, or bread and water, and soon became
quite at home, and probably might have been domesticated, had
they been properly accommodated.

“The most remarkable part of the history of this individual
is, that after its death we should have discovered in
dissection that it was a male, rendering it singularly
curious that _he_ should have suffered himself to be captured
by hand while in defence of the young brood.

“There is now in the Museum a specimen of this species,
which has been in the collection for about thirty years, said
to have been caught in the vicinity of the city. It stands
labelled ‘Little Rail, _Rallus minutus_, Turton’s Linn;’ but
the authenticity of the specimen has always been disputed
by BONAPARTE and others, because none else had been found;
and the author just named expressed a belief that it was an
immature specimen of _Rallus (Crex) Porzana_ of Europe.

“I regret that I should have mislaid the measurements of
the specimen when recent, if any were taken, and cannot lay
my hands on them, or any thing more than the above notes.
Respectfully yours, &c.

TITIAN R. PEALE.”

Inclosed in Mr PEALE’s letter was the following note from Dr ROWAN “to the Messrs PEALES.”

“On Saturday last I wrote to you of the Rail Bird breeding
near this place. I then described one that I caught last
summer, which was unlike the Rail in the fall season, and
I presumed that all in the wet ground were the same, but
this day my men mowing around the pond started up two of the
usual kind. The hen flew a few rods, and then flew back to
her young in an instant, when they caught her together with
her four young, which I herewith send you. Many more can be
caught. I have seen them in our meadow every month of the
year, but they never make a great noise except when very fat
on the wild oat’s seed. From the above you will conclude
that they do not migrate to the south, but breed here.
Respectfully,

THOMAS ROWAN.”

RALLUS JAMAICENSIS, _Brisson_ Sup. p. 140.—_Gmel._ Syst. Nat.
vol. ii. p. 718.—_Lath._ Ind. Ornith. vol. ii. p. 761.

Adult Male. Plate CCCXLIX. Fig. 1.

Bill shorter than the head, rather stout, compressed, tapering. Upper mandible with the dorsal line nearly straight, being slightly convex toward the end, the ridge narrow and convex in its whole length, the sides convex towards the end, the edges sharp, the tip rather acute. Nasal groove extending to a little beyond the middle of the bill; nostrils linear, lateral, submedial, pervious. Lower mandible with the angle long and narrow, the sides erect, the dorsal line sloping upwards, the edges a little inflected, the tip narrowed, the gape line straight.

Head rather small, oblong, compressed. Neck shortish. Body compact, deeper than broad. Feet of moderate length, rather slender; tibia bare a short way above the joint; tarsus of ordinary length, compressed anteriorly covered with broad scutella, posteriorly with smaller, and on the sides reticulated. Hind toe small and very slender; middle toe longest, and longer than the tarsus; inner toe considerably shorter than the outer; toes free, with numerous scutella above. Claws of moderate length, compressed, slightly arched, acute.

Plumage blended, slightly glossy above. Wings short and broad; tapering, rounded, the first and second nearly equal and longest. Tail very short, much rounded, of twelve feeble rounded feathers; the upper and lower tail-coverts nearly as long as the tail-feathers.

Bill black. Iris red. Feet bright yellowish-green, claws dusky. The head and all the lower parts are very dark purplish-grey, on the upper part of the head approaching to black, on the fore part of the neck faintly undulated with paler, on the sides and hind parts barred with greyish-white; the lower wing-coverts barred with grey and white; the lower tail-coverts of the latter colour. The hind neck and fore part of the back dark chestnut; the rest of the back and tail-coverts greyish-black, transversely barred with white. Wing-coverts and inner secondaries reddish-brown, with white spots; the other quills more dusky. The tail-feathers also reddish-brown, barred with dusky and marked with white spots.

Length to end of tail 6 inches; wing from flexure 3-7/8; tail 1-1/16; bill along the ridge 1/2, along the edge of lower mandible (4-1/2)/8; bare part of tibia 1/4; tarsus 1; hind toe and claw 1/2; middle toe and claw 1, outer toe and claw 7/8; inner toe and claw 5/8.

Young a few days old. Plate CCCXLIX. Fig. 2.

While yet covered with down, the young is black all over; the bill bright yellow, with the point of the upper mandible, and a band across the middle of the lower, black; the feet dull yellowish-green, the claws dusky.

Since the above was written, I have received a letter from my friend J. TRUDEAU, M. D., in which he says that his father shot a considerable number of these Rails last winter in the vicinity of New Orleans.

ROCKY-MOUNTAIN PLOVER.

_CHARADRIUS MONTANUS_, TOWNSEND.

PLATE CCCL. FEMALE.

For the following brief account of this bird, I am indebted to my learned and obliging friend, THOMAS NUTTALL.

“This remarkable species, so much allied to the _Charadrius Wilsoni_, was scarcely seen by us for more than one or two days, and then on the central table-land of the Rocky Mountains, in the plains near the last of the streams of the Platte, pursued in our western and northern route. It being the month of July when we saw it, there is little doubt but that it was breeding in this subalpine region. The only individual shot, was seen skulking and running through the wormwood bushes which so generally clothe those arid and dry wastes. After running some time, it would remain perfectly still, as if conscious of the difficulty of distinguishing it from the colour of the grey soil on which it stood. All that we saw were similar to the present individual, and none, however flushed, took to the wing. We do not recollect hearing from it the slightest complaint or note of any kind, being intent probably on concealing its young or eggs by a perfect silence.”

The skin from which I made my drawing was that of a female; and it is my opinion, that the male, when found, will have as distinct markings as those exhibited by _Charadrius melodus_ or _Ch. semipalmatus_.

CHARADRIUS MONTANUS, ROCKY-MOUNTAIN PLOVER. _Townsend_,
Journ. Acad. of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, vol. vii.
p. 192.

Adult Female. Plate CCCL.

Bill shorter than the head, straight, somewhat cylindrical. Upper mandible with the dorsal line straight to beyond the middle, then bulging a little and curving to the rather acute tip, which projects beyond that of the lower mandible, the sides flat and sloping at the base, convex towards the end. Nasal groove extended to the middle of the bill; nostrils basal, linear, open and pervious. Lower mandible with the angle rather short, the sides at the base sloping outwards: the dorsal line ascending and slightly convex, the edges sharp, the tip rather acute.

Head of moderate size, oblong, the forehead rounded. Legs rather long and slender; tibia bare half an inch above the joint; tarsus slender, compressed, covered with angular scales, of which the anterior are much larger; toes short, slender, with numerous scutella above, marginate, the outer connected with the middle by a short membrane. Claws small, compressed, slightly arched, rather acute.

Plumage soft, the feathers rather distinct on the upper parts, blended on the lower. Wings long and pointed; primary quills tapering, the first longest by a quarter of an inch, the rest rapidly graduated; inner secondaries tapering and elongated, one of them nearly as long as the outer primary when the wing is closed. Tail of moderate length, even, of twelve feathers.

Bill black. Feet light dull brownish-yellow. Forehead, a band over the eye, fore part of neck, and all the rest of the lower surface, white; top of the head and nape dark yellowish-brown, sides and hind part of the neck dull ochre-yellow, which is the prevailing colour on the upper parts, the feathers being broadly margined with it while their central portion is greyish-brown. Wing-coverts lighter; primary coverts and quills dusky, their shafts and margins white, that colour becoming more extended on the inner and on some of the secondaries, so as to form a conspicuous patch on the wing; inner secondaries like the back. Tail yellowish-brown, tipped with yellowish-white, the two outer broadly margined with the same.

Length to end of tail about 8-1/4 inches, to end of wings the same, to end of claws 9-1/4; wing from flexure 6-1/8; tail 2-1/2; tarsus 1-(4-1/2)/8; middle toe 3/4, claw 1/4.

GREAT CINEREOUS OWL.

_STRIX CINEREA_, GMELIN.

PLATE CCCLI.

This fine Owl, which is the largest of the North American species, is nowhere common with us, although it ranges from the north-eastern coast of the United States to the sources of the Columbia River. It has been procured near Eastport in Maine, and at Marble Head in Massachusetts, where one of them was taken alive, perched on a wood pile, early in the morning, in February 1831. I went to Salem for the purpose of seeing it, but it had died, and I could not trace its remains. The gentleman, Mr IVES, in whose keeping it had been for several months, fed it on fish and small birds, of which it was very fond. Besides shewing me various marks of attention, he gave me a drawing of it made by his wife, which is still in my possession. It uttered at times a tremulous cry not unlike that of the Little Screech Owl, _Strix Asio_, and shewed a great antipathy to cats and dogs. In the winter of 1832, I saw one of these Owls flying over the harbour of Boston, Massachusetts, amid several Gulls, all of which continued teasing it until it disappeared. I have seen specimens procured on the Rocky Mountains by Dr TOWNSEND, and several brought to London by the medical officer who accompanied Captain BACK in his late Arctic journey. Among the individuals which I have examined I have found considerable differences as to size and markings, which may be attributed to age and sex. My drawing was taken from a remarkably fine specimen in the collection of the Zoological Society of London.

The comparatively small size of this bird’s eyes renders it probable that it hunts by day, and the remarkable smallness of its feet and claws induces me to think that it does not prey on large animals. Dr RICHARDSON says that “it is by no means a rare bird in the Fur Countries, being an inhabitant of all the woody districts, lying between Lake Superior and latitudes 67° or 68°, and between Hudson’s Bay and the Pacific. It is common on the borders of Great Bear Lake; and there, and in the higher parallels of latitude, it must pursue its prey, during the summer months, by day-light. It keeps however within the woods, and does not frequent the barren grounds, like the Snowy Owl, nor is it so often met with in broad day light as the Hawk Owl, but hunts principally when the sun is low; indeed, it is only at such times, when the recesses of the woods are deeply shadowed, that the American hare and the murine animals, on which the Cinereous Owl chiefly preys, come forth to feed. On the 23d of May I discovered a nest of this Owl, built on the top of a lofty balsam poplar, of sticks, and lined with feathers. It contained three young, which were covered with a whitish down. We got them by felling the tree, which was remarkably thick; and whilst this operation was going on, the two parent birds flew in circles round the objects of their cares, keeping, however, so high in the air as to be out of gunshot; they did not appear to be dazzled by the light. The young ones were kept alive for two months, when they made their escape. They had the habit, common also to other Owls, of throwing themselves back, and making a loud snapping noise with their bills, when any one entered the room in which they were kept.”

STRIX CINEREA, _Linn._ Syst. Nat. vol. i. p. 291.—_Lath._
Ind. Ornith. vol. i. p. 58—_Richards._ and _Swains._ Fauna
Bor.-Amer. vol. ii. p 77.

Adult Female. Plate CCCLI.

Bill short, stout, broader than high at the base, its dorsal outline convex to the end of the cere, which is covered with stiffish linear feathers having their barbs separated, the ridge very broad, the sides sloping and nearly flat, the tip compressed, decurved, acute; lower mandible small, with the angle long and wide, the dorsal line convex, the edges sharp, the tip narrow; the gape-line straight, at the end decurved. Nostrils large, elliptical; eyes large, but proportionally smaller than in most other Owls.

The body is slender, anteriorly broad, but seems large and full on account of the great mass of plumage; the neck short; the head extremely large. Feet rather short; the tarsi very short, and feathered; the toes very short and feathered, there being only two or three bare scutella at their extremity. Claws slightly curved, long, slender, compressed, tapering to an extremely narrow point.

Plumage very full, soft, and downy; the feathers generally oblong. Those on the face linear, stiffish, with loose barbs, and disposed in two large disks surrounding the eyes; besides which there is a ruff of softer linear, denser feathers from the forehead, behind the ears, to the chin. The conch of the ear is very large, although greatly exceeded by that of many other Owls, and furnished with an anterior semicircular operculum, beset with slender feathers. Wings very large, concave; primaries, decurved toward the end, the first with the tips of the filaments separated, and recurved in its whole length, the second in its terminal half; the first quill short, being of the same length as the sixth, the second 2-1/2 inches longer, the third 1-1/2 inch longer than the second, 1/4 inch shorter than the fourth, which is the longest, or equals the next. The first five have their outer webs more or less cut out towards the end, and the first seven have their inner webs sinuate. The tail is long, ample, rounded, of twelve broad rounded feathers.