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.