Plate CCXXI. Male and Female.
Male with the feathers of the head and neck short, blended, and
splendent; tail much rounded, of sixteen acute feathers, of which the
four central are recurved; bill greenish-yellow, feet orange-red; head
and upper part of neck deep green; about the middle of the neck a
white ring; its lower part anteriorly, and the fore part of the
breast, dark brownish-chestnut; fore part of back light
yellowish-brown, rest of the back brownish-black, the rump black,
splendent with green and purplish-blue, as are the recurved
tail-feathers; upper surface of wings greyish-brown, scapulars
lighter, except their inner webs, and with the anterior dorsal
feathers, minutely undulated with brown, speculum on about ten of the
secondaries purple and green, edged with velvet-black and white, the
anterior bands of these colours being on the secondary coverts;
breast, sides, and abdomen very pale grey, minutely undulated with
darker; lower tail-coverts black. Female with the bill black in the
middle, dull orange at the extremities and along the edges; upper
parts pale yellowish, streaked and spotted with dusky; feathers of the
head narrowly streaked, of the back with the margins and a central
streak yellowish-brown, the rest dark, the scapulars similar, but with
the light streak on the outer web; speculum as in the male, but with
less green; lower parts dull ochre, deeper on the lower neck, faintly
streaked and spotted with brown.
_Male_, 24, 36. _Female_, 22.
Breeds from Texas sparingly throughout the United States. Columbia
River, and Fur Countries. Abundant during winter in all the Southern
Districts. Not found in Maine, or farther eastward.
Mallard, Anas Borchas, Wils. Amer. Orn. v. viii. p. 112.
Anas Borchas, Bonap. Syn. p. 383.
Anas (Borchas) domestica, Mallard, Swains. & Rich. F. Bor.
Amer. v. ii. p. 442.
Mallard Duck, Anas domestica, Nutt. Man. v. ii. p. 378.
Mallard, Anas Borchas, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. iii. p. 164.