A Synopsis of the Birds of North America

Clangula Barrovii, Rocky-mountain Garrot, Swains. & Rich. F. Bor. Amer. v. ii. p. 453.

Common Golden-eye, Nutt. Man. v. ii. p. 441.

Golden-eye Duck, Fuligula Clangula, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. iv. p. 318; v. v. p. 105.

408. 13. Fuligula dispar, Gmel. Western Duck

Plate CCCCXXX. Male.

Bill shorter than the head, greyish-blue; tail rather short, pointed, of fourteen feathers; upper part of head and broad band surrounding the neck, white; throat and some feathers around the eye black; a light green patch in the loral space, and a transverse patch of the same on the nape, margined behind and laterally with black; a broad band on the neck and the whole of the back velvet-black, with green reflections; smaller wing-coverts white; secondary coverts bluish-black, terminating in a broad white band; elongated secondaries and scapulars with the inner web white, the outer black, with blue reflections; primaries and coverts brownish-black; tail black, as are the lower tail-coverts and abdomen; the breast and sides reddish-buff, fading towards the shoulders and neck into pure white; a bluish-black spot on each side of the lower part of the neck anterior to the wing.

Male, 16; wing, 83/4.

North-west coast.

Anas dispar and Anas Stelleri, Gmel. Syst. Nat. v. i. p. 535, 518.

Fuligula Stelleri, Bonap. Syn. p. 394.

Western Duck, Fuligula dispar, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. v. p. 253.

409. 14. Fuligula Albeola, Linn. Buffel-headed Duck. – Spirit Duck. Butter-box. Dipper. Die-dipper. Marrionette

Plate CCCXXV. Male and Female.

Bill much shorter than the head, light greyish-blue; feet pale flesh-colour; feathers of head and upper part of neck elongated; tail short, graduated, of sixteen feathers; fore part of head of a deep rich green, upper part rich purplish-blue, as are the elongated feathers on the fore part and sides of the neck; the hind part of the latter deep green; a broad band of pure white from one cheek to the other over the occiput; rest of the neck, lower parts, outer scapulars, and a large patch on the wing, including the greater part of the small coverts, and some of the secondary coverts and quills, pure white, the scapulars narrowly margined with black, as are the inner lateral feathers; axillars brownish-black, some of them white on the margin and towards the end; lower wing-coverts brownish-black, the smaller tipped with white; back, inner scapulars, and secondary quills velvet-black; alula, primary coverts, and primary quills deep black; rump gradually fading to greyish-white; tail-feathers brownish-grey, with the tips whitish. Female much smaller, with the feathers of the head not elongated, unless in the median line; bill darker, feet greyish-blue; head, upper part of neck, hind neck, back, and wings, greyish-brown; a short transverse white band from beneath the eye, and a slight speck of the same on the lower eyelid; six of the secondary quills white on the outer web; lower parts white, shaded into light greyish-brown on the sides.

Male, 141/2, 23. Female, 13, 221/4.

Distributed throughout the country and along the Atlantic shores during autumn, winter, and spring. Texas, Upper California, Columbia River. Breeds very far north.

Buffel-headed Duck, Anas albeola, Wils. Amer. Orn. v. viii. p. 51.

Fuligula albeola, Bonap. Syn. p. 394.

Clangula albeola, Spirit Duck, Swains. & Rich. F. Bor. Amer. v. ii. p. 458.

Spirit Duck, Nutt. Man. v. ii. p. 445.

Buffel-headed Duck, Fuligula albeola, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. iv. p. 217.

410. 15. Fuligula histrionica, Linn. Harlequin Duck

Plate CCXCVII. Male, Female, and Young.

Bill much shorter than the head, comparatively narrow, light yellowish-olive; feet light greyish-blue, the webs dusky; a broad median band from the base of the bill to the occiput bluish-black, margined behind with light yellowish-red, before with white, that colour forming a broad triangular spot on the cheek anterior to the eye; sides of the head and neck all round purplish-blue; a spot of white behind the ear, a curved line on the side of the neck, and a complete ring below the middle of the neck, with a curved band of the same anterior to the wing, all broadly edged with black; fore part of back light purplish-blue, hind part gradually deepening in tint, so as to become almost black, of which colour is the rump all round; scapulars chiefly white; wing-coverts purplish-blue, as are the alula and primary coverts; the quills dark greyish-brown; tail greyish-black; a band of white across the wing, formed by the tips of the secondaries, of which the inner have their outer webs principally of the same colour; fore part of breast purplish-blue, hind part and abdomen greyish-brown, sides light red, generally undulated with dusky; a lateral spot of white near the root of the tail. Female greyish-brown, deeper on the head and rump, lighter on the fore neck, and mottled with greyish-white on the breast; quills dark brown, edged with lighter, tail blackish-grey; a large whitish spot mottled with grey before the eye, and another of a purer white behind the ear; bill and feet dull bluish-grey.

Harlequin Duck, Anas histrionica, Wils. Amer. Orn. v. viii. p. 139.

Fuligula histrionica, Bonap. Syn. p. 394.

Clangula histrionica, Harlequin Duck, Swains. & Rich. F. Bor. Amer. v. ii. p. 459.

Harlequin Duck, Fuligula histrionica, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. iii. p. 612; v. v. p. 617.

411. 16. Fuligula glacialis, Linn. Long-tailed Duck

Plate CCCXII. Male, Female, and Young.

Male with the bill black in its basal half, orange-yellow towards the end; the scapulars much elongated and tapering, the tail very long, acuminate, of fourteen feathers; a large oblong greyish-white patch on each side of the head from the bill to behind the ear; the upper part of the head and nape black, that colour being narrowed in front by the encroachment of the white patches; neck all round, and anterior half of the breast, dark chocolate; back and wing-coverts brownish-black; scapulars broadly margined with light reddish-brown; quills chocolate, secondaries externally margined with lighter, primaries internally; middle four feathers of the tail brownish-black, the outer two of these margined with white, all the rest white, but the inner with a longitudinal patch of dusky on the outer webs. Male in winter with the head, neck, fore part of back, and scapulars, white; space about the eye pale greyish-red, and a large oblong patch of chocolate-brown on the side of the neck; upper parts including the middle four tail-feathers, brownish-black, but the secondary quills tinged with reddish-brown, and having paler margins; anterior half of breast chocolate-brown, the rest of lower parts and the four lateral tail-feathers white. Female considerably smaller, with the scapulars not elongated, and the tail short and rounded; bill dusky green; head dark greyish-brown, with a patch of greyish-white surrounding the eye, but not extending to the bill; a large patch of the same colour on the side of the neck, the hind part of which is dusky brown, the fore part greyish-brown, the feathers broadly margined with whitish; the upper parts dark greyish-brown, the two lateral tail-feathers edged with white; lower parts white, the feathers under the wings slightly tinged with grey.

Male, 23, 291/2. Female, 153/4, 26.

Breeds from Labrador northward to the Arctic Seas. Abundant during winter along the coasts of the Atlantic Districts to the mouth of the Mississippi. Never in the interior.

Long-tailed Duck, Anas glacialis, Wils. Amer. Orn. v. viii. p. 93.

Fuligula glacialis, Bonap. Syn. p. 395.

Long-tailed Duck, Harelda glacialis, Swains. & Rich. F. Bor. Amer. v. ii. p. 460.

Long-tailed Duck, Nutt. Man. v. ii. p. 453.

Long tailed Duck, Fuligula glacialis, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. iv. p. 103.

FAMILY XL. MERGINÆ. MERGANSERS

Bill rather long, straight, rather slender but strong, tapering, higher than broad at the base, nearly cylindrical toward the end; upper mandible with the dorsal outline sloping gently to the middle, then straight, along the unguis suddenly decurved; the ridge broad and flattened at the base, then convex, the sides sloping, toward the end convex, the edges serrate internally with oblique dentiform lamellæ, the unguis oblong, much curved, abruptly rounded at the end; nasal groove elongated, covered by the soft skin of the bill; lower mandible with the angle very narrow and extended to the unguis, which is obovate, the sides nearly erect, with a long narrow groove, the edges internally serrate, the unguis convex, thick-edged. Head rather large, compressed, oblong; neck of moderate length; body full, depressed, rather elongated. Feet placed far behind, stout; tibia bare for a short space; tarsus very short, compressed, anteriorly covered with small scutella, and another series on the lower half externally. Hind toe very small, with an inferior free membrane; anterior toes half as long again as the tarsus, second shorter than the fourth, which is almost as long as the third, all scutellate, and connected by anteriorly concave webs. Claws rather small, moderately arched, compressed, acute. Plumage moderately full, dense, soft, glossy, blended beneath. Wings of moderate breadth, convex, acute; inner secondaries elongated and tapering. Tail short, much rounded, of more than twelve feathers. Upper mandible with an internal series of small papillæ or laminæ on each side, besides those on the margin. Tongue long, fleshy, emarginate and papillate at the base, tapering, with a double row of slender reversed papillæ along the upper surface, and two lateral series of filaments on each side, the tip lacerated; œsophagus very wide, of nearly uniform diameter; stomach a strong gizzard of moderate or small size, with the lateral muscles thick; epithelium dense and longitudinally rugous; intestine long, rather narrow; cœca rather long; cloaca globular. Trachea with one or two extensive dilatations, besides the enormously developed tympanum at the bifurcation; no inferior laryngeal muscles. Nest on the ground, or in hollow trees. Eggs numerous.

GENUS I. MERGUS, Linn. MERGANSER

Character as above.

412. 1. Mergus Merganser, Linn. Buff-breasted Merganser or Goosander

Plate CCCXXXI. Male and Female.

Male with a short longitudinal crest, eighteen tail-feathers, the bill and feet of bright vermilion; the head and upper part of neck greenish-black, splendent, with bright green reflections; lower part of neck all round, and all the under parts of a delicate reddish-buff; sides of rump and part of abdomen greyish-white, finely undulated and dotted with dark grey; some of the lower wing-coverts dusky, the larger coverts grey; fore part of back and inner scapulars glossy black; hind part ash-grey, becoming lighter, and finally undulated on the rump; upper tail-coverts and tail-feathers deep grey; outer scapulars white; a transverse band of black at the base of the wing concealed by the scapulars; wing-coverts white; alula, primary coverts and quills, and a band formed by the base of the first row of large coverts black; secondaries white, six of them margined externally with a black line. Female much smaller, with the crest much longer; the head and upper part of neck brownish-red; throat and lower parts white, the breast and abdomen tinged with buff; upper parts and sides ash-grey; smaller wing-coverts and inner secondaries grey; bases and tips of secondary coverts black, the intermediate part white; middle secondaries white, outer and primaries greyish-black.

Male, 27, 36. Female, 24, 34.

In winter dispersed over the United States, and westward as far as Texas. Breeds from Massachusetts northward, and along the Great Lakes.

Goosander, Mergus Merganser, Wils. Amer. Orn. v. viii. p. 68.

Mergus Merganser, Bonap. Syn. p. 397.

Mergus Merganser, Goosander, Swains. & Rich. F. Bor. Amer. v. ii. p. 461.

Goosander, Mergus Merganser, Nutt. Man. v. ii. p. 460.

Goosander, Mergus Merganser, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. iv. p. 261.

413. 2. Mergus Serrator, Linn. Red-breasted Merganser

Plate CCCCI. Male and Female.

Male with an elongated longitudinal double crest, eighteen tail-feathers, bill and feet deep carmine; head and upper part of neck glossy greenish-black, with bright green reflections along the sides, and purplish on the crest; a broad collar of white, succeeded by another of light brownish-red, longitudinally streaked with dusky; lower parts white, except the sides of the body and rump, which are transversely undulated with greyish-black, and the larger wing-coverts, which are ash-grey; fore part of back, and inner scapulars deep black; feathers anterior to the wing white, with a broad margin of black; some of the anterior wing-coverts ash-grey, the rest, the outer scapulars, and the terminal half of the secondary coverts, pure white; basal portion of the latter, primary coverts, and primary quills, black, the latter tinged with brownish-grey; secondaries white, with the base and the outer margin of most black, which colour predominates on the inner; middle and hind part of back ash-grey, undulated with white and dusky; tail brownish-grey. Female with crest shorter, the bill and feet paler; head and fore part of neck light reddish-brown; throat and under part white, excepting the sides and larger wing-coverts, which are brownish-grey; hind neck, back, tail-coverts, tail, scapulars, and wing-coverts brownish-grey; wings greyish-black, with a large white patch, formed by the terminal portions of the secondary coverts, and the greater part of some of the outer secondaries. Young, when fledged, resemble the female. Young, in down, with the head and hind neck reddish-brown, the back greyish-brown, with three white spots on each side, the lower parts greyish-white; a white band from the bill to the eye, a reddish-brown band under the eye, and along the side of the neck; the lower parts greyish-white.

Male, 241/2, 33. Female, 24, 341/2.

From Texas westward to the Columbia River and northward. Common during autumn and spring. Also throughout the United States, and along the Atlantic shores. Breeds from New York to Labrador and the Fur Countries, as well as along the Great Lakes, and on the Rocky Mountains.

Red-breasted Merganser, Mergus Serrator, Wils. Amer. Orn. v. viii. p. 91.

Mergus Serrator, Bonap. Syn. p. 397.

Mergus Serrator, Red-breasted Merganser, Swains. & Rich. F. Bor. Amer. v. ii. p. 462.

Red-breasted Merganser, Nutt. Man. v. ii. p. 463.

Red-breasted Merganser, Mergus Serrator, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. v. p. 92.

414. 3. Mergus cucullatus, Linn. Hooded Merganser

Plate CCXXXIII. Male and Female.

Male with an elongated, compressed, rounded crest, the tail with eighteen feathers; bill black, feet yellowish-brown; upper part of the head, back, smaller wing-coverts, quills, and tail brownish-black; sides of the head, upper half of neck all round, the broad extremities of the large feathers on the shoulders, the scapulars, inner secondaries, and larger wing-coverts, greenish-black; a broad patch of white behind the eye, very conspicuous in the erected crest; lower part of neck and breast also white, as are the speculum and the central part of the inner secondaries; sides beautifully marked with undulated transverse lines of yellowish-brown and brownish-black; lower tail-coverts whitish, similarly undulated. Female much smaller, with the crest less elongated, and of looser texture; bill brownish-black, towards the base orange; upper part of head, including the crest, yellowish-brown; chin whitish; upper part of neck all round, and sides of head greyish-brown; general colour of the back, upper surface of wings, tail, and sides, blackish-brown, the feathers edged with paler. Young, when fledged, like the female, but with the crest shorter.

Male, 19, 26. Female, 171/2, 24.

Breeds sparingly in South Carolina, along the Mississippi, Ohio, and the Great Lakes, as well as further northward. Abundant, during autumn and winter, on all the western and southern waters; rarer in the Middle Atlantic Districts.

Mergus cucullatus, Bonap. Syn. p. 397.

Hooded Merganser, Mergus cucullatus, Wils. Amer. Orn. v. viii. p. 79.

Mergus cucullatus, Hooded Merganser, Swains. & Rich. F. Bor. Amer. v. ii. p. 463.

Hooded Merganser, Nutt. Man. v. ii. p. 465.

Hooded Merganser, Mergus cucullatus, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. iii. p. 246; v. v. p. 619.

415. 4. Mergus Albellus, Linn. White Merganser. – Smew. White Nun

Plate CCCXLVII. Male and Female.

Male with a longitudinal crest; tail graduated, of sixteen feathers; bill black, feet livid blue; head, neck, lower parts, scapulars, and a patch on the wing, 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 nearly its whole length, a short transverse bar under the fore edge of the wing, the anterior margin to beyond the carpal joint, the outer edge of the scapulars, the primary coverts, secondary coverts, and outer secondary quills, excepting the tip of both, deep black; quills also black, of a less deep tint; hind part of back tinged with grey; rump and tail-feathers dusky grey; sides of body and rump white, finely undulated with blackish-grey. Female much smaller, similarly crested; all the lower parts white, excepting a belt across the lower fore part of the neck, and a narrow portion of the sides, which are pale grey; a patch of brownish-black on the lore and beneath the eye; upper part of head and half of hind neck light reddish-brown; the rest of hind neck and all the upper parts bluish-grey, darker behind, and in the middle of the back approaching to black; tail dusky grey; wings, bill, and feet as in the male.

Male, 171/2, 27. Female, 151/2, 25.

Exceedingly rare in America, one specimen only having been procured at New Orleans.

Smew or White Nun, Mergus Albellus, Wils. Amer. Orn. v. viii. p. 126.

Mergus Albellus, Bonap. Syn. p. 398.

Smew or White Nun, Nutt. Man. v. ii. p. 467.

Smew or White Nun, Mergus Albellus, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. iv. p. 350.

FAMILY XLI. PELECANINÆ. PELICANS

Bill longer than the head, rather slender, straight, upper mandible with the ridge separated from the side by a groove, and terminated by a narrow, generally decurved, pointed unguis; lower mandible with the crura elastic and extensile, the angle very long and narrow. Nostrils basal, lateral, linear, small, or obsolete. Space around and before the eye generally bare, as is a portion of the gular sac. Head generally of moderate size, but various; neck long; body elongated, rather slender. Feet short and stout; tibia bare at its lower part; tarsus short, very stout, compressed, scaly or scutellate in front; toes four, all connected by webs, and scutellate; first small, fourth longest. Claws short, strong, curved, rather blunt, that of the third toe generally pectinate. Plumage soft, blended, on the back compact and imbricated. Wings long; tail of moderate length, narrow, rounded or tapering. Tongue extremely small, triangular, fleshy; œsophagus excessively wide; a gular sac, sometimes of enormous capacity; proventricular belt generally discontinuous; stomach very small, slightly muscular, epithelium smooth; a globular pyloric lobe; intestine very long and slender; cœca small, cylindrical; cloaca globular. Trachea simple, flattened; no inferior laryngeal muscles.

GENUS I. PHALACROCORAX, Briss. CORMORANT

Bill about the length of the head, rather slender, nearly straight, compressed toward the end; upper mandible with the dorsal line concave, until on the unguis, where it is decurved, the ridge convex, flattened toward the end, separated from the sides by a narrow groove, the sides convex, the edge sharp and nearly straight as far as the unguis, which is decurved, convex above, acute, its tip ascending far beyond that of the lower; lower mandible with the angle long and very narrow towards the end, filled up by an extensile membrane, which extends to the level of the angle of the mouth; the outline of the crura very slightly convex, that of the terminal part descending and very slightly convex, the sides convex, the edges sharp and inflected, the tip compressed, with its marginal outline decurved. Nostrils obliterated (in youth open). Head rather small, oblong; neck long and rather thick; body full, elongated, depressed. Feet short, stout, placed far behind; tibia feathered in its whole length; tarsus very short, strong, much depressed, covered all round with angular scales; a series on part of the inner side anteriorly, and another on the lower part of the outer, scutelliform. Toes all placed in the same plane, connected by webs, and covered above by very numerous oblique scutella; first the smallest, fourth the longest. Claws rather small, strong, compressed, acute, convex above, arched, that of the third toe pectinated on its inner edge. Plumage soft, generally blended, compact on the back and wings; the small gular sac, and the space before and beneath the eye, with the eyelids, bare. Wings of moderate size, broad; primaries curved, pointed, the second longest. Tail of moderate length, very narrow, much rounded, of twelve or more narrow strong-shafted feathers. Gular sac small; tongue extremely small; œsophagus very wide; proventricular glands disposed in two large roundish masses; stomach small, slightly muscular, inner coat smooth and soft; a globular or triangular pyloric lobe; duodenum at first curving upwards; intestine very long, and of moderate width; cœca small; rectum narrow; cloaca globular. Trachea considerably flattened; bronchi of moderate width.

416. 1. Phalacrocorax Carbo, Linn. Great Cormorant

Plate CCLXVI. Male, Female, and Young.

Tail of fourteen feathers. In summer, a small longitudinal occipital black crest, and numerous linear elongated white feathers on the head and upper part of neck; bill dusky, with the lower mandible whitish toward the base; gular sac yellow; plumage black, glossed with deep greenish-blue; at the base of the gular sac a broad gorgelet of white; a patch of white on the side over the thigh; feathers of wings and part of the back dull bluish-grey, glossed with bronze, their fringe-like margins greenish-black; primary quills greyish-black, secondary like the other wing-feathers; tail greyish-black; shafts of all the feathers black at the end, leaden-grey towards the base. Female similar. After the breeding season the white feathers on the head and sides fall off. Young, before being fledged, with the skin dull livid, the bill dusky, at the base flesh-coloured, the feet purplish-dusky, the webs yellowish-brown.

Male, 37, 62.

Ranges during winter southward to New York. Abundant from Massachusetts eastward. Breeds on high precipitous rocks, in Newfoundland, Labrador, and Baffin's Bay. Migratory.

Phalacrocorax Carbo, Bonap. Syn. p. 402.

Cormorant, Nutt. Man. v. ii. p. 479.

Common Cormorant. Phalacrocorax Carbo, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. iii. p. 458.

417. 2. Phalacrocorax dilophus, Swains. Double-crested Cormorant

Plate CCLVII. Male.

Tail of twelve feathers. In summer an elongated tuft of about forty long, slender, loose, recurved feathers, from behind the eye to the length of an inch and a half on each side; upper mandible dusky, along the edges greenish-yellow, lower yellow, irregularly marked with dusky toward the edges; bare space on the head, and gular sac rich orange; plumage greenish-black, strongly glossed with green; imbricated feathers on the back and wings greyish-brown, their fringe-like margins greenish-black; primary quills brownish-black, secondary like the other wing-feathers; tail black; the shafts of all the feathers black. Female similar to the male. After the breeding season the tufts disappear. Young after the first moult have the head and neck mottled with greenish-black and greyish-brown, the other parts as in the adult, but the tufts on the head wanting.