GENUS V. FULIGULA. SEA-DUCK
Bill about the length of the head or shorter, higher than broad at the base, depressed toward the end, the margins parallel, slightly dilated towards the end, which is rounded, the frontal angles rather pointed; upper mandible with the dorsal line generally declinate, but various at the base, being often prominent, the ridge broad at the base, narrowed at the middle, enlarged and convex at the end, the sides nearly erect at the base, gradually more declinate, the edges soft and internally lamellate, the unguis oblong and decurved; lower mandible flattened, being but slightly convex, with the angle very long and rather narrow, the dorsal line very short and straight, the edges internally lamellate, the unguis flat, obovato-elliptical. Nostrils submedial, linear-oblong, rather large, near the ridge, in an oblong depression covered with the soft membrane of the bill. Head rather large, compressed, convex above; neck of moderate length, rather thick; body full, depressed. Feet very short, strong, placed rather far behind; tarsus very short, compressed, anteriorly with narrow scutella continuous with those of the middle toe, and having another series commencing half-way down and continuous with those of the outer toe; hind toe small, with an inner expanded margin; middle toe nearly double the length of the tarsus, outer a little shorter, all scutellate. Claws small, compressed, that of the first toe very small and curved. Plumage dense, firm, blended. Wings shortish, narrow, pointed, first and second quills longest; inner secondaries elongated and tapering. Tail very short, rounded or cuneate, of fourteen or more feathers. Œsophagus rather wide, considerably dilated at the lower part of the neck; stomach an extremely muscular, roundish gizzard; intestine long and wide; cœca long. Trachea of the males with a transverse, bony, unsymmetrical dilatation at the inferior larynx.
* Bill of ordinary length, broad, without enlargements at the base, unguis small, decurved.
396. 1. Fuligula Valisneriana, Wils. Canvass Back Duck
Plate CCCI. Male and Female.
Bill as long as the head; tail much rounded, of fourteen feathers. Male with the bill black; upper part of head and a space along the base of the bill dusky, a small transverse band of white on the chin; the rest of the head and the neck all round for more than half its length, rich brownish-red; a broad belt of brownish-black occupying the lower part of the neck and the fore part of the body; upper parts white, minutely undulated with dark grey or blackish; primary quills brownish-black, tinged with grey towards the base; secondaries ash-grey, toward the end whitish and undulated, five of them also having a narrow strip of black along their outer margin; rump and tail-coverts above and below brownish-black; tail brownish-grey; lower parts white, the sides and abdomen marked with five undulating grey lines. Female with the upper parts greyish-brown, the top of the head darker, the chin whitish, the neck greyish-brown, as are the sides and abdomen; breast white; wing-coverts brownish-grey; primary quills greyish-brown, dusky at the end, secondaries ash-grey, five of the inner with an external black margin; the innermost greyish-brown, like the back, and with some of the scapulars faintly undulated with darker; tail greyish-brown, paler at the end; axillars and smaller under wing-coverts white.
Male, 22, 33. Female, 201/4, 303/4.
Abundant during winter from the mouth of the Delaware to New Orleans, in all the estuaries. Columbia River. Breeds on the Rocky Mountains and northward.
Canvass-backed Duck, Anas valisneria, Wils. Amer. Orn. v. viii. p. 103.
Fuligula valisneria, Bonap. Syn. p. 392.
Fuligula valisneria, Canvass-back Duck, Swains. &. Rich. F. Bor. Amer. v. ii. p. 450.
Canvass-backed Duck, Nutt. Man. v. ii. p. 430.
Canvass-back Duck, Fuligula valisneriana, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. iv. p. 1.
397. 2. Fuligula Ferina, Linn. Red-headed Duck. – Dos-gris
Plate CCCXXII. Male and Female.
Bill as long as the head, tail much rounded, of fourteen feathers. Male with the bill light greyish-blue, with a broad band of black at the end, and a dusky patch anterior to the nostrils; head and neck all round, for more than half its length, of a rich brownish-red, glossed with carmine above; a broad belt of brownish-black occupying the lower part of the neck and the fore part of the body; back and scapulars pale greyish-white, being minutely traversed by dark brownish-grey lines; sides and abdomen similar, the undulations gradually fading away into the greyish-white of the middle of the breast; upper wing-coverts brownish-grey, the feathers faintly undulated with whitish toward the end; primary quills brownish-grey, dusky along the outer web and at the end; secondaries ash-grey, narrowly tipped with white, four or five of the inner of a purer tint tinged with blue, and having a narrow brownish-black line along the margin; the innermost like the scapulars, but more dusky; tail brownish-grey; axillar feathers and lower wing-coverts white; rump above and below brownish-black. Female with the head and upper part of the neck dull reddish-brown, darker above; the rest of the neck all round, and the upper parts in general, dull greyish-brown, the feathers paler at their tips; flanks and fore part of the neck dull reddish-brown, the feathers broadly tipped with pale greyish-brown; wings as in the male, but of a darker tint, and without undulations; tail as in the male; lower wing-coverts light grey, those in the middle white; middle of breast greyish-white, hind part of abdomen light brownish-grey.
Male, 20, 33. Female, 21, 321/2.
Breeds throughout the Fur Countries, from which it migrates southward in early autumn. Abundant on the Chesapeake, New York Bay, Ohio, and Mississippi, with their tributaries. None seen westward of the Mississippi.
Red-headed Duck, Anas Ferina, Wils. Amer. Orn. v. viii. p. 110.
Fuligula Ferina, Bonap. Syn. p. 392.
Fuligula Ferina, Swains. & Rich. F. Bor. Amer. v. ii. p. 452.
Red-headed Duck or Pochard, Nutt. Man. v. ii. p. 434.
Red-headed Duck, Fuligula Ferina, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. iv. p. 198.
398. 3. Fuligula Marila, Linn. Scaup Duck. – Flocking Fowl
Plate CCXXIX. Male and Female.
Bill as long as the head, enlarged toward the end; tail much rounded, of fourteen feathers. Male with the bill light greyish-blue, the unguis blackish; head, neck, and fore part of the back and breast black, the head and neck glossed with purple and green, the rest tinged with brown; hind part of back, rump, abdomen, and upper and lower tail-coverts brownish-black; middle of back, scapulars, inner secondaries, anterior part of abdomen, and sides greyish-white, beautifully marked with undulating black lines; wings light brownish-grey; alula, primaries, at the base and end, brownish-black; speculum white, as are the middle of the breast, the axillars, and some of the lower wing-coverts. Female with the head, neck, and fore part of the back and breast, umber-brown; a broad patch of white along the fore part of the forehead; upper parts in general blackish-brown, the middle of the back and the scapulars faintly undulated with whitish dots and lines; primary quills greyish in the middle; speculum dull white; the greater part of the breast and abdomen white, the sides and parts under the tail umber-brown.
Male, 161/2, 29. Female, 161/2, 28.
Abundant during autumn on the Ohio and its tributaries, as well as those of the Missouri and the Mississippi. Rather common also along the Middle Atlantic Districts. Breeds far north.
Scaup Duck, Anas Marila, Wils. Amer. Orn. v. viii. p. 84.
Fuligula Marila, Scaup Duck, Swains. & Rich. F. Bor. Amer. v. ii. p. 456.
Scaup Duck, Nutt. Man. v. ii. p. 437.
Scaup Duck, Fuligula Marila, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. iii. p. 226; v. v. p. 614.
399. 4. Fuligula rufitorques, Bonap. Ring-necked Duck
Plate CCXXXIV. Male and Female.
Bill about the same length as the head, a little enlarged toward the end; tail much rounded, of sixteen feathers; occiput slightly crested. Male with the bill black, with a basal and subterminal line bluish-white; head and upper part of neck greenish-black, with purple reflections; a very narrow brownish-red collar; lower part of neck all round, as well as the back, scapulars, smaller wing-coverts, and rump above and below, brownish-black; inner secondaries of the same colour, outer bluish-grey on the outer web, light brown on the inner, as are the primaries, of which the outer webs and tips are dark brown; tail brownish-grey; chin white; breast greyish-white; sides and abdomen greyish-white, minutely undulated with grey. Female with the bill dusky, the neck umber-brown, upper part of head darker, back blackish-brown, speculum bluish-grey as in the male; breast brownish-white; loral space and chin pale brown; sides and abdomen dark umber-brown.
Male, 18, 28. Female, 16.
Abundant on the Ohio during autumn, winter, and early spring; rather rare along the coasts of the Middle Atlantic Districts. Breeds far north.
Fuligula rufitorques, Bonap. Syn. p. 393.
Tufted Duck, Anas Fuligula, Wils. Amer. Orn. v. viii. p. 60.
Ring-necked Duck, Anas (Fuligula) rufitorques, Swains. & Rich. F. Bor. Amer. v. ii. p. 453.
Ring-necked Duck, Fuligula rufitorques, Nutt. Man. v. ii. p. 439.
Ring-necked Duck, Fuligula rufitorques, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. iii. p. 259.
** Bill very broad, much flattened, the unguis abruptly curved backwards.
400. 5. Fuligula rubida, Wils. Ruddy Duck
Plate CCCXLIII. Male, Female, and Young.
Tail short, much graduated, of eighteen stiff, narrow feathers; plumage of lower parts stiff and glossy. Male with the bill light greyish-blue; upper part of head and nape deep bluish-black; a large white patch on each side of the head, from the bill to behind the ear; neck all round, all the upper parts, and sides glossy chestnut-red; lower parts greyish-white, tinged with brown, and marked with transverse interrupted bands of dusky; wing-coverts, quills, and tail-feathers blackish-brown. Female with the bill darker, the crown, and all the upper parts dark reddish-brown, minutely dotted and undulated with dusky; lower parts duller, but similarly marked; throat, and a band from the base of the upper mandible to beneath the eye, brownish-white. Young, in second plumage, reddish-brown above, barred with dusky; wings and tail dark greyish-brown; cheeks, fore part and sides of neck, and all the lower parts dull yellowish-white, undulated with dusky, as in the rump above; lower tail-coverts white.
Male, 143/4, 211/2.
Ruddy Duck, Anas rubida, Wils. Amer. Orn. v. viii. p. 137.
Fuligula rubida, Bonap. Syn. p. 390.
Fuligula rubida, Ruddy Duck, Swains. & Rich. F. Bor. Amer. v. ii. p. 455.
Ruddy Duck, Nutt. Man. v. ii. p. 426.
Ruddy Duck, Fuligula rubida, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. iv. p. 326.
*** Bill semicylindrical, at the end enlarged by soft membranous expansions, the unguis broadly obovate and incurved.
401. 6. Fuligula Labradora, Lath. Pied Duck
Plate CCCXXXII. Male and Female.
Bill nearly as long as the head; tail much rounded, of fourteen tapering feathers. Male with the bill pale greyish-blue at the base above, dull orange on the sides, black toward the end; head and upper half of neck white, except an elongated patch of black on the crown and nape; below the middle of the neck a black ring, from the hind part of which proceeds a longitudinal band of the same colour, gradually becoming wider on the back and rump; below the black ring anteriorly, a broad band of white, including the scapulars; all the under parts black, excepting the axillaries and lower wing-coverts, which are white, as are the upper wing-coverts and secondary quills, some of the inner secondaries having a narrow external black margin; alula, primary coverts, and primary quills brownish-black; tail brownish-black, tinged with grey; upper tail-coverts dusky, minutely dotted with reddish-brown. Female brownish-grey, darker on the head, cheeks, back, rump, and abdomen, lighter on the throat, breast, wing-coverts, and inner secondaries, which latter are margined externally with black; seven or eight of the secondaries white, as are the sides of the forehead.
Male, 20, 30. Female, 181/4, 29.
Along the shores of the Atlantic from Nova Scotia to New Jersey, rather rare, in winter. Breeds from Labrador northward. Never seen in the interior.
Pied Duck, Anas labradora, Wils. Amer. Orn. v. viii. p. 91.
Fuligula labradora, Bonap. Syn. p. 391.
Pied Duck, Nutt. Man. v. ii. p. 428.
Pied Duck, Fuligula labradora, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. iv. p. 271.
**** Bill about the length of the head, very broad; upper mandible with a prominence at the base above, and two lateral protuberances; unguis very large, slightly arched.
402. 7. Fuligula fusca, Linn. Velvet Duck
Bill with an abrupt prominence in front, the lateral protuberances covered with feathers; tail wedge-shaped, of fourteen stiff, narrow feathers. Male with the basal prominence and sides at the base black, toward the end bright red; unguis flesh-coloured, with a black line on each side; feet carmine on the outer, orange-red on the inner side, webs greyish-black; plumage brownish-black, glossed with blue above, lighter beneath; outer secondary quills and a spot beneath the eye white. Female with the bill dusky, its basal prominence slight; plumage sooty-brown, breast and abdomen lighter; two whitish spots on each side of the head; outer secondary quills white, as in the male.
Male, 22, 39. Female, 22, 38.
From the coast of Georgia eastward to Nova Scotia, during winter, when it is extremely abundant in all the estuaries and bays. Breeds from Labrador northward.
Velvet Duck, Anas fusca, Wils. Amer. Orn. v. viii. p. 137.
Fuligula fusca, Bonap. Syn. p. 390.
Oidemia fusca, Velvet Duck, Swains. & Rich. F. Bor. Amer. v. ii. p. 449.
Velvet Duck, Nutt. Man. v. ii. p. 419.
Velvet Duck, Fuligula fusca, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. iii. p. 354.
403. 8. Fuligula perspicillata, Linn. Surf Duck
Plate CCCXVII. Male and Female.
Bill with a gently sloping prominence in front, the lateral protuberances bare; tail wedge-shaped, of fourteen stiff narrow feathers. Male with the bill deep reddish-orange, bluish-white on the sides, with a black patch, the unguis greyish-yellow; tarsi and toes orange-red, webs dusky; plumage deep black, glossed with blue; a white patch on the top of the head, and another on the nape. Female with the bill greenish-black; the plumage brownish-black, darker on the top of the head, back, wings, and tail.
Male, 20, 331/2. Female, 19, 311/2.
Abundant from Nova Scotia to Maryland during winter, and removing southward to the mouth of the Mississippi in severe weather. Never seen in the interior. Breeds from Labrador northwards.
Black or Surf Duck, Anas perspicillata, Wils. Amer. Orn. v. viii. p. 49.
Fuligula perspicillata, Bonap. Syn. p. 389.
Oidemia perspicillata, Surf Duck, Swains. & Rich. F. Bor. Amer. v. ii. p. 449.
Black or Surf Duck, Nutt. Man. v. ii. p. 416.
Surf Duck, Fuligula perspicillata, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. iv. p. 161.
404. 9. Fuligula Americana, Swains. American Scoter Duck
Plate CCCCVIII. Male and Female.
Bill a little shorter than the head, with an obtuse prominence at the base of the upper mandible; tail graduated, acuminate, of sixteen pointed feathers; first quill with the inner web extremely attenuated. Male with the bill black, the basal prominence rich orange; feet brownish-black; the general colour of the plumage black, on the lower parts tinged with brown, the inner webs of the quills brownish-grey. Female with the bill brownish-black, and having scarcely any protuberance at the base; the upper parts light sooty-brown, the lower light brownish-grey.
This species differs very little from Fuligula nigra, being nearly of the same size, proportions, and colours. The male differs from that of the other species in having the sides of the unguis narrowed, and the orange patch on the upper mandible less extended beyond the nostrils, and destitute of the median black line and lateral streak.
Male, 19, 331/2. Female, 17, 291/2.
In winter abundant in the Bays of Boston, New York, and Chesapeake, and as far south as the mouth of the Mississippi. Never inland. Breeds from Labrador to the Arctic seas.
Scoter Duck, Anas nigra, Wils. Amer. Orn. v. viii. p. 135.
Fuligula nigra, Bonap. Syn. p. 390.
Oidemia americana, Swains. American Scoter, Swains. & Rich. F. Bor. Amer. v. ii. p. 450.
American Scoter Duck, Fuligula americana, Nutt. Man. v. ii. p. 422.
American Scoter Duck, Fuligula americana, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. v. p. 117.
***** Bill shorter than the head, with a basal protuberance above, the inner secondaries curved outwards.
405. 10. Fuligula spectabilis, Linn. King Duck
Plate CCLXXVI. Male and Female.
Upper mandible with a soft tumid compressed substance at the base, extending perpendicularly upon the forehead, and by a medial band of feathers divided into two broad lobes; tail much rounded, of fourteen stiff feathers. Male with the bill flesh-coloured. The sides of the upper mandible and soft frontal lobes bright orange; band of feathers separating the frontal lobes and margining their upper and posterior edges, lower eyelid, and a forked patch on the throat, black; upper part of head ash-grey; hair-like feathers on the sides of the head pale bluish-green; fore neck cream-coloured; sides and hind part of neck, a patch on the wings, and another on each side of the rump, white; hind part of back, scapulars, large wing-coverts, and secondary quills, brownish-black, the latter glossed with green; primary quills and tail blackish-brown; breast and abdomen blackish-brown; lower wing-coverts white, the outer brown. Female with the bill shorter, pale greenish-grey, with the tumid basal lobes scarcely apparent, so that the forehead is low; head and neck pale greyish-yellow, with small lines of brownish-black; feathers of the back brownish-black towards the end, with yellowish-grey edges; the scapulars brownish-red on the margins; quills and tail-feathers deep greyish-brown; fore part of neck, breast, sides, and lower tail-coverts, with a central mark and submarginal band of brownish-black, the middle of the breast scarcely spotted, being of the general colour of the lower parts, which is pale yellowish-brown.
Male, 25; wing, 111/4. Female, 20; wing, 101/2.
Rare in Massachusetts during winter. Breeds from Labrador to the Arctic Seas.
Fuligula spectabilis, Bonap. Syn. p. 389.
Somateria spectabilis, King Duck, Swains. & Rich. F. Bor. Amer. v. ii. p. 447.
King Duck, Fuligula spectabilis, Nutt. Man. v. ii. p. 414.
King Duck, Fuligula spectabilis, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. iii. p. 523.
406. 11. Fuligula mollissima, Linn. Eider Duck
Plate CCXLVI. Male and Female.
Male with the bill nearly as long as the head, greyish-yellow, the upper mandible with a soft tumid substance at the base, extending upon the forehead, and deeply divided into two narrow rounded lobes, its whole surface marked with divergent oblique lines; tail much rounded, of sixteen narrow feathers; the upper part of the head bluish-black, with the central part white; the hair-like feathers on the upper part and sides of the neck of a delicate pale green; sides of the head, throat, and neck white; fore neck at its lower part cream-coloured; the rest of the lower surface brownish-black, as are the upper tail-coverts, and the central part of the rump; the rest of the back, scapulars, smaller wing-coverts, and inner curved secondary quills white, the scapulars tinged with yellow; secondary coverts and outer secondaries brownish-black; primaries and tail-coverts greyish-brown. Female with the bill shorter, pale greyish-green, its tumid basal part much less and narrower; head and neck all round light brownish-red, with small lines of brownish-black; lower part of neck all round, the whole upper surface, the sides and lower tail-coverts light brownish-red, with transverse brownish-black markings; secondary quills and coverts greyish-brown, tipped with white; primaries brownish-black; tail-feathers greyish-brown; breast and abdomen greyish-brown, obscurely mottled.
Male, 25, 42. Female, 24, 39.
Breeds in Maine, on the Bay of Fundy, in Labrador, Newfoundland, as far northward as travellers have proceeded. Common in winter from Nova Scotia to Massachusetts; rarely seen in New York.
Eider Duck, Anas mollissima, Wils. Amer. Orn. v. viii. p. 122.
Fuligula mollissima, Bonap. Syn. p. 389.
Somateria mollissima, Eider, Swains. &. Rich. F. Bor. Amer. v. ii. p. 448.
Eider Duck, Nutt. Man. v. ii. p. 406.
Eider Duck, Fuligula mollissima, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. iii. p. 344; v. v. p. 611.
****** Bill much shorter than the head, higher than broad at the base, narrowed toward the end.