their spring dress before they return to us in autumn, is founded
on the occurrence of multitudes of males at that season destitute of
the garb in question, and my examination of many for the purpose of
determining their sex and ascertaining that they were old birds. In
February 1832, I saw immense flocks of Ruddy Ducks about an hundred
miles up the St John’s in Florida. They would start from the water,
as our schooner advanced under sail, patting it with their feet, so as
to make a curious and rather loud noise, somewhat resembling the fall
of hail-stones on the shingles. Their notes are uttered in a rather
low tone and very closely resemble those of the female Mallard. They
afford good eating when fat and young, and especially when they have
been feeding for some weeks on fresh waters, where their food generally
consists of the roots and blades of such grasses as spring from the
bottom of rivers and ponds, as well as of the seeds of many gramineæ.
When on salt marshes, they eat small univalve shells, fiddlers, and
young crabs, and on the sea-coast, they devour fry of various sorts.
Along with their food, they swallow great quantities of sand or gravel.
At St Augustine, in Florida, I shot a young bird of this species
immediately under the walls of the fort. Although wounded severely and
with one of its legs broken close to the body, it dived at once. My
Newfoundland dog leaped into the water, and on reaching the spot where
the bird had disappeared, dived also, and in a few moments came up with
the poor thing in his mouth. When the dog approached I observed that
the duck had seized his nose with its bill; and when I laid hold of it,
it tried to bite me also. I have found this species hard to kill, and
when wounded very tenacious of life, swimming and diving at times to
the last gasp.
In the Fauna Boreali-Americana, the tail of the Ruddy Duck is said to
be composed of sixteen feathers, and in NUTTALL’s Manual of twenty; but
the number is eighteen.
RUDDY DUCK, ANAS RUBIDA, _Wils._ Amer. Ornith. vol. viii. p.
137, pl. 71, fig. 5. male; pl. 130, fig. 6. young male.
FULIGULA RUBIDA, _Ch. Bonaparte_, Synopsis of Birds of United
States, p. 390.
FULIGULA RUBIDA, RUDDY DUCK, _Richards. and Swains._ Fauna
Bor.-Amer. vol. ii. p. 455.
RUDDY DUCK, _Nuttall_, Manual, vol. ii. p. 426.
Adult Male in summer. Plate CCCXLIII. Fig. 1.
Bill as long as the head, a little higher than broad at the base,
depressed and widened toward the end, which is rounded. Dorsal outline
straight and declinate to the nostrils, then direct and slightly
concave, the sides sloping and concave at the base, broadly convex
toward the end, the edges soft, with about forty short erect lamellæ
internally on each side, the unguis linear-oblong, suddenly decurved
and directed backwards, its lower part transversely expanded and
serrulate. Nostrils in an oblong depression covered with skin, medial,
rather small, linear oblong, pervious. Lower mandible flattened, a
little recurved, its angle very long and narrow, the laminæ about a
hundred and forty and extremely small, the unguis oblong.
Head rather large, oblong. Eyes of moderate size. Neck short and
thick. Body full, much depressed. Legs short and placed rather far
behind; tibia bare for a short space; tarsus very short, compressed,
with an anterior series of small scutella, an outer short series going
to the fourth toe, the rest reticulated. Hind toe very small, with
a free inferior web; anterior toes very long, slender, the middle
toe double the length of the tarsus, the outer almost as long, the
inner considerably shorter, and having a broad lobed margin; the webs
reticulated. Claws rather small, slender, compressed, slightly arched,
acute.
Plumage dense, blended, on the upper parts very soft; on the fore part
of the head stiffish; on the lower parts with a silky gloss, and stiff,
having the extremities broad, and the barbs strong and pointed. Wings
very short, of moderate breadth, concave, pointed; primaries tapering,
the first longest, obliquely rounded. Tail short, much graduated, of
_eighteen_ stiff, narrow feathers, of which the shaft is very strong,
and runs out in a flattened concave point.
Bill and edges of eyelids greyish-blue. Iris hazel. Feet dull
greyish-blue; webs inclining to dusky; claws greyish-brown. Upper part
of the head and nape deep bluish-black, that colour running to a point
about the middle of the neck; a large white patch on each side of the
head, from the bill to behind the ear, narrowed on the throat. Neck all
round, and all the upper parts, as well as the sides of the rump, rich
glossy brownish-red or chestnut; the lower parts greyish-white, tinged
with brown, and marked with transverse interrupted bands of dusky.
Wing-coverts, quills, and tail-feathers, blackish-brown.
Length to end of tail 14-3/4 inches, to end of wings 12-1/2, to end
of claws 15, to carpal joint 7-3/4; extent of wings 21-1/2; wing from
flexure 6-1/4; tail 3-1/2; bill along the ridge 1-5/8, along the edge
of lower mandible 1-5/8; tarsus 1-1/4; hind toe and claw (4-1/2)/8;
inner toe 1-3/4, its claw 1/4; middle toe 2-3/8, its claw 3/8; outer
toe 2-3/8, its claw 1/4. Weight 1-3/4 lb. Average measurements of six
individuals.
The black on the head of the male is sometimes marked with a few white
feathers.
Adult Female in summer. Plate CCCXLIII. Fig. 2.
The plumage presents the same characters as in the male. The bill is of
a darker greyish-blue; iris as in the male; feet darker. The top of the
head, and all the upper parts, are dark reddish-brown, minutely dotted
and undulated with dusky; wings and tail as in the male; lower parts
duller than in the male, but similarly marked; the throat, and a band
from the base of the upper mandible to beneath the eye, brownish-white.
Male one year old. Plate CCCXLIII. Fig. 3.
Bill, eyes, and feet as in the adult. A similar white patch on the side
of the head; upper part of head and hind neck dull blackish-brown;
throat and sides of the neck greyish-brown; lower part of neck, dull
reddish-brown, waved with dusky; upper parts as in the adult, but of a
duller tint; lower parts greyish-white.
Young in December. Plate CCCXLIII. Fig. 4.
Bill dusky; iris hazel; feet yellowish-green, webs dusky. All the upper
parts dull reddish-brown tinged with grey, and 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 is
the rump above; the lower tail-coverts white.
The tongue of a male is 1 inch 8 twelfths long, and of the same general
form as that of the Fuligulæ, but a little more dilated at the end.
The œsophagus is 1/2 inch in diameter until its entrance into the
thorax, when it contracts, and again expands to 6 twelfths, to form
the proventriculus, of which the glandules are oblong, small, and very
numerous, occupying a space of 2-1/4 inches in length. The stomach is
a strong gizzard, of a roundish form, 1 inch 5 twelfths long, 1-1/2
inch broad; its lateral muscles very large, and about 8 twelfths thick;
the epithelium confined to two round spaces 1/2 inch in diameter,
opposite the lateral muscles. The intestine is 5 feet 1-1/2 inch long,
its diameter varying from 5 twelfths to 3-1/2 twelfths. The rectum is
2 inches 10 twelfths long; the cœca 4 inches 2 twelfths their greatest
diameter 2-1/2 twelfths.
In another male, the œsophagus is 7-1/2 inches long; the stomach 1
inch 5 twelfths long, 1 inch 6 twelfths broad; the intestine 5 feet
11 inches long; the rectum 2-3/4 inches; the cœca 4-1/8 inches, their
greatest diameter 2-1/2 twelfths.
The trachea is 5-3/4 inches long. The thyroid bone is comparatively
large, forming an expansion 7 twelfths long, 5 twelfths broad. At its
upper part the trachea has a diameter of 3 twelfths, about the middle
enlarges to 4 twelfths, and so continues nearly to the end, when it
contracts to 2 twelfths. The last ring is very large, being formed of
five or six united rings, of which the last two or three are split;
but there is no expansion or tympanum as in other ducks. The muscles
are as in the other species of this family. The bronchi are of moderate
length, with about 15 half rings.
LONG-LEGGED SANDPIPER.
_TRINGA HIMANTOPUS_, BONAP.
PLATE CCCXLIV.
I have often spoken of the great differences as to size and colour
that are observed in birds of the same species, and which have
frequently given rise to mistakes, insomuch that the male, the female,
and the young, have been considered as so many distinct species.
The Long-legged Sandpiper has been treated in this manner, and has
latterly reappeared under the name of _Tringa Douglassii_, in the Fauna
Boreali-Americana of my friends RICHARDSON and SWAINSON. BONAPARTE
was, in truth, the first who described this bird; and although some
differences might be found between his specimen and the _one_ described
in the work just mentioned, they are trifling compared with those which
I have observed between seven or eight individuals all procured from
the same flock at a single shot. It is strange that neither BONAPARTE
nor SWAINSON have mentioned the sex of their specimen.
On the morning of the 4th of April 1837, while seated among the drift
wood that had accumulated on the southern shore of the island of
Barataria, forty miles from the south-west pass of the Mississippi,
and occupied in observing some Pelicans, I saw a flock of about thirty
Long-legged Sandpipers alight within ten steps of me, near the water.
They immediately scattered, following the margin of the retiring and
advancing waves, in search of food, which I could see them procure by
probing the wet sand in the manner of Curlews, that is, to the full
length of their bill, holding it for a short time in the sand, as if
engaged in sucking up what they found. In this way they continued
feeding on an extended line of shore of about thirty yards, and
it was pleasing to see the alacrity with which they simultaneously
advanced and retreated, according to the motions of the water. In
about three quarters of an hour, during all which time I had watched
them with attention, they removed a few yards beyond the highest wash
of the waves, huddled close together, and began to plume and cleanse
themselves. All of a sudden they ceased their occupation, stood still,
and several of them emitted a sharp _tweet-tweet_, somewhat resembling
the notes of _Totanus solitarius_; immediately after which seven birds
of the same species passed close to me, and alighted near those which I
had already watched. They at once began to feed, and as I thought that
the first flock might join them, and that I might lose the opportunity
of procuring specimens, in sufficient number, I fired and killed
eleven. The rest flew off, and were joined by the second group, the
whole flying to windward in a compact body, and emitting every now and
then their sharp _tweet_, _tweet_, until out of sight and hearing.
My son JOHN obtained several of these birds on the same island while
they were feeding on the margins of a fresh-water pond; and we saw them
on almost every island and bay on our way to the Texas, where we also
procured some on Galveston Island.
The flight of these Sandpipers is rapid and regular. They move
compactly, and often when about to alight, or after being disturbed,
incline their bodies to either side, shewing alternately the upper and
lower parts. On foot they move more like Curlews than Tringas, they
being as it were more sedate in their deportment. At times, on the
approach of a person, they squat on the ground, very much in the manner
of the Esquimaux Curlew, _Numenius borealis_; and their flesh is as
delicate as that of the species just named. In the stomach of several
individuals I found small worms, minute shell-fish, and vegetable
substances, among which were the hard seeds of plants unknown to me.
I suspect that in summer and autumn they feed on small fruits and
berries, though of this I have no proof.
Among those which we procured, I found the differences in the colour
of the plumage quite as great as in _Scolopax noveboracensis_, some
of the younger birds being yet in their winter dress, while the older
had already assumed a reddish colour on the cheeks, the top of the
head, and the breast. The females were all larger than the males, and
differed from each other not only in the markings of the plumage, but
also in the length of the bill, to the extent of a quarter of an inch,
and of the legs, to a still greater extent. Whether or not this species
assumes a uniform reddish tint in the breeding season, such as is
observed in the Pigmy Curlew, _Tringa subarquata_, I am unable to say,
although I am much inclined to think that it does.
Their passage through the United States is very rapid, both in spring
and autumn, Some few spend the winter in Lower Louisiana, but nearly
all proceed southward beyond the Texas.
TRINGA HIMANTOPUS, _Ch. Bonaparte_, Synopsis of Birds of
United States, p. 316.
TRINGA DOUGLASSII, _Swainson_, DOUGLAS’S SANDPIPER,
_Richards. and Swains._ Fauna Bor.-Amer. vol. ii. 379.
TRINGA HIMANTOPUS, SLENDER-SHANKS SANDPIPER, _Richards. and
Swains._ Fauna Bor.-Amer. vol. ii. 380.
LONG-LEGGED SANDPIPER, AUDUBON’S STILT SANDPIPER, and
DOUGLASS’ STILT SANDPIPER, _Nuttall_, Manual, vol. ii. p.
138, 140, 141.
Male in Spring. Plate CCCXLIV. Fig. 1.
Bill much longer than the head, very slender, subcylindrical, very
slightly decurved, compressed at the base, the end rather depressed,
considerably enlarged. Upper mandible with the dorsal line almost
straight, being very slightly decurved towards the end, the ridge
narrow, convex, flattened towards the tip, the sides sloping, with
a narrow groove extending nearly to the end, the edges rather blunt
and soft, the tip decurved. Nostrils basal, linear, pervious. Lower
mandible with the angle long and very narrow, the dorsal line straight,
towards the end slightly deflected, the sides sloping outwards, with a
long narrow groove, the tip a little broader.
Head small, oblong, compressed. Eyes small. Neck rather long. Body
slender. Feet long, very slender; tibia bare for an inch; tarsus long,
slender, compressed, covered before and behind with numerous small
scutella; hind toe very small, the rest of moderate length, slender,
the second very slightly longer than the fourth, the third very little
longer; short basal webs, running out along the margins, that between
the third and fourth toes larger. Claws rather long, very slender,
slightly arched, tapering, compressed.
Plumage very soft, blended; the feathers somewhat distinct on the back.
Wings very long, pointed; primaries tapering, the first longest, the
second slightly shorter, the rest rapidly graduated; outer secondaries
slightly incurved, obliquely sinuate on the outer web towards the
end, the inner web rounded; inner secondaries very narrow, tapering,
reaching to three-fourths of an inch of the longest primary when the
wing is closed. Tail of moderate length, nearly even, but with the two
middle feathers exceeding the rest by two and a half twelfths of an
inch, of twelve narrow, rounded feathers.
Bill black. Iris brown. Feet dull yellowish-green, claws black.
The upper parts are brownish-black, the feathers margined with
reddish-white, the edges of the scapulars with serriform markings of
the same; rump and upper tail-coverts white, transversely barred with
dusky; tail light grey, the feathers white at the base and along the
middle. Primary quills and their coverts brownish-black, the inner
tinged with grey, the shaft of the outer primary white, secondaries
brownish-grey, margined with reddish-white, the inner dusky. A
broad whitish line over the eye; loral band dusky; auriculars pale
brownish-red; fore part and sides of neck, greyish-white, tinged with
red, and longitudinally streaked with dusky; the rest of the lower
parts pale reddish-brown, transversely barred with dusky; the middle
of the breast and the abdomen without markings. Dimensions of five
individuals.
Length to end of tail, 8-3/4 8-1/4 7-3/4 8 7-1/2
wings, 9-1/4 8-3/8 8-1/2 8-3/4 8-3/4
claws, 11-1/4 10-5/8 10 10-1/2 10-7/8
Extent of wings, 16-3/4 16 15-1/2 17 16
Weight of an individual, 2-3/4 oz.
Female. Plate CCCXLIV. Fig. 2.
The female is considerably larger, but otherwise resembles the male.
Dimensions of five individuals.
Length to end of tail, 10-1/2 11 9-1/4 10-3/4 8-1/2
wings, 11 10-3/4 11-3/4 11-1/2 10-1/8
claws, 13-1/4 12-1/2 11-1/2 12-3/4 11-3/4
Extent of wings, 18 16-1/2 16-7/8 16-1/2 17-3/4
Weight of two individuals, 4 oz., 3-3/4 oz.
The winter plumage differs considerably; the bill, iris, and feet, are
as above. The upper parts are brownish-grey, the head narrowly streaked
with dusky; the rump as in summer; the scapulars plainly margined with
whitish; the quills as in summer. The band over the eye lighter, the
loral space grey; the fore part and sides of the neck greyish-white,
longitudinally streaked with grey, the sides similar, and with the
lower tail-coverts barred with grey, the rest of the lower parts white.
Length to end of tail in a male 9 inches; extent of wings 16-1/2;
wing from flexure 5-1/4; tail 2-4/12; bill along the ridge 1-6/12,
along the edge of lower mandible 1-7/12; bare part of tibia 1; tarsus
1-7/12; hind toe and claw (4-1/2)/12; middle toe (9-1/12)/12, its claw
(2-1/2)/12.
The roof of the mouth is flat, with three rows of papillæ. The tongue
is 1 inch 5 twelfths long, emarginate and papillate at the base, very
slender, concave above, tapering to a point. The œsophagus is 4 inches
long, very narrow, its diameter 2 twelfths. The proventriculus is
oblong, 7 twelfths in length, 3-1/2 twelfths in diameter. The stomach
is a strong gizzard of a roundish form, compressed, 8 twelfths long,
7-1/12 twelfths broad; its lateral muscles large, its epithelium very
dense, thick, longitudinally rugous, and of a reddish-brown colour. The
intestine is 12-1/2 inches long, its anterior part 2-3/4 twelfths in
diameter, the hind part 1-1/2 twelfth. The rectum is 1-1/2 inch long;
the cœca 11 twelfths long, 1 twelfth in diameter, obtuse.
The trachea is 3 inches long, slender, its diameter at the upper part
1-3/4 twelfths, gradually diminishing to the lower part, where it is 1
twelfth. The rings, about 110 in number, are slender and unossified,
the two last divided. The bronchi have about 15 half rings. The
contractor muscles are thin, the sterno-tracheal slender; and there
is a pair of inferior laryngeal muscles going to the first bronchial
rings.
In another individual, the intestine was 13-1/4 inches long, the rectum
1-1/2 inch, the cœca 1 inch.
The contents of the gizzard in both were fragments of shells, small
black seeds, and much sand and gravel.
AMERICAN WIDGEON.
_ANAS AMERICANA_, GMEL.
PLATE CCCXLV. MALE AND FEMALE.
This lively and very handsome Duck is abundant during winter at New
Orleans, where it is much esteemed on account of the juiciness of
its flesh, and is best known by the name of _Zinzin_. In the Western
Country, and in most parts of the Eastern and Middle States, it is
called the _Bald Pate_. Early in September it enters the United States
by their northern extremities, as well as from the Texas; and in both
these regions it is now well known to breed in nearly equal numbers.
Those which retreat south-westward remain along the coast and in the
interior of the Floridas, as well as all that portion of the Gulf of
Mexico extending to the mouths of the Mississippi, where they remain
until the latter part of April, sometimes even until the middle of May,
as they have but a comparatively short journey to perform in order to
arrive in Mexico in time to breed. On the coast of the Atlantic they
keep in the marshes in company with various species of the same family,
being in a manner indifferent as to their associates. During early
spring, in Louisiana, they are often seen alighted on extensive plains
that have very little water on them.
While advancing along the shores of the Bay of Mexico, in April 1837, I
and my party observed this species in considerable numbers; and during
the whole of our stay in the Texas, we daily saw and very frequently
procured Widgeons. There they were found in ponds of brackish water,
as well as in the fresh-water streams. Before we left that country
they were all paired, and I was informed by the Honourable M. FISHER,
Secretary to the Texian Navy, that a good number of them breed in
the maritime districts, along with several other Ducks, and that he
annually received many of the young birds. Their manners at this time
fully proved the correctness of the statements of all those who spoke
to me on this subject. Indeed my opinion is that some of these birds
also propagate in certain portions of the most southern districts of
the Floridas, and in the Island of Cuba, as I have seen Widgeons in the
peninsula in single pairs, in the beginning of May.
Their retrograde movements in spring, like those of other species,
depend much upon the temperature or the advance of the season; and
those which proceed northward set out on their journey much earlier
than those which move in the opposite direction, the former departing
from the middle of March to the 20th of April. Their first appearance
on the waters of the Ohio takes place late in September or early
in October, when they at once throw themselves into the ponds of
the interior, and there remain until the waters are closed by ice,
scarcely any betaking themselves to the rivers, unless to repose on
the sand-bars. They are there, however, less abundant than nearer the
sea-coast, and usually associate with Pintails and Teals, but rarely
with Mallards or Dusky Ducks. Whilst in those retired ponds of the
forest, from one to another of which they roam in quest of food, they
are less noisy than most other species, even than the Pintails, and in
this respect resemble the Blue-winged Teals, whose notes are feeble and
delicate. Those of the Widgeon are a soft whistle somewhat similar to
the word _Sweet_, enunciated as if produced by a flute or a hautboy,
and in my judgment not at all like the _hew hew_ spoken off by WILSON.
They are less shy in those retired places than most species, or are
to appearance less aware of the danger of allowing the sportsman to
approach them.
In feeding they immerse their neck and the anterior part of the body,
generally swimming closer together than other Ducks, in consequence of
which habits they are easily neared and often shot in great numbers at
a single discharge. During their stay in those districts they feed on
the roots and seeds of grasses, water-insects, beech-nuts, small fry,
and leeches, and are not so delicate as an article of food as those
procured in the rice-fields of South Carolina, or in the plantations of
Louisiana and Florida. On their return in spring (for in mild winters
they remain all the season in Kentucky), they generally continue until
the end of April, and usually pair before they depart; which induces me
to believe that numbers of them breed within the northern limits of the
United States, although I have not heard of any having actually been
seen doing so.
On the lakes near New Orleans, as well as on the Chesapeake, they are
not unfrequently found in company with the Canvass-back Ducks. WILSON
mentions their being partially supplied with food by the industry
of the latter; but they manage very well in most parts without such
assistance. When in full security, the Bald-pates feed at all hours of
the day; but in thickly inhabited parts of the country, they usually
seek for food at night or early in the morning.
The flight of this species is rather swift, well sustained, and
accompanied by the whistling sound of the wings usual in birds of this
family. They move in flocks of moderate size, and without much care
as to the disposition of their ranks, being sometimes extended into a
front line, sometimes in single file, frequently mingled confusedly,
and flying at a moderate height, whether over the land or over the
water. When they are first started, they fly almost perpendicularly,
in a hurried and rather irregular manner. They walk prettily and with
ease. After heavy falls of rain in our Southern States, they often
alight in the corn fields, in company with other Ducks, where the
ploughed earth, being quite moist and soft, yields them an abundant
supply of worms and insects, as well as grains of corn, pease, and
other equally nutritious substances.