This bird arrives in Kentucky and the neighbouring States, as far down the Mississippi as New Orleans, from the 20th of September to the middle of October, at which latter period it may be found in the whole extent of the Union, from Massachusetts to Louisiana, being more numerous in some districts than in others, according to the suitableness of the place. They commonly move while on wing in flocks of from fifteen to twenty individuals, keeping rather scattered, and thus rarely affording what is called a good shot. They fly with rapidity, keeping at a considerable height, and the motion of their wings produces a constant whistling as they pass over head. Before alighting, they wheel and perform various evolutions, although they do not occupy so much time with them as Teals are wont to do.
They swim rather lightly and with ease, and, unlike the Scaups, experience no difficulty in rising on wing, whether from the land or from the water, but generally spring up at once, especially if alarmed. They have an almost constant practice of raising the head in a curved manner, partially erecting the occipital feathers, and emitting a note resembling the sound produced by a person blowing through a tube. At the approach of spring the males are observed repeating this action every now and then, while near the females, none of which seem to pay the least attention to their civilities.
Whilst in ponds, they feed by diving and dabbling with their bills in the mud amongst the roots of grasses, of which they eat the seeds also, as well as snails and all kinds of aquatic insects. When on rivers, their usual food consists of small fish and crays, the latter of which they procure at the bottom. A male which I shot near Louisville, in the beginning of May, exhibited a protuberance of the neck so very remarkable as to induce me to cut the skin, when I found a frog, the body of which was nearly two inches long, and which had almost choked the bird, as it allowed me to go up within a dozen or fifteen paces before I took aim. This species remains with us in the Western country later than most others of its tribe, and not unfrequently as late as the Blue-winged Teal.
We are indebted for the discovery of this species to my friend the Prince of Musignano, who first pointed out the difference between it and the Tufted Duck of Europe. The distinctions that exist in the two species he ascertained about the time of my first acquaintance with him at Philadelphia in 1824, when he was much pleased on seeing my drawing of a male and a female, which I had made at Louisville in Kentucky previous to Wilson’s visit to me there. Wilson supposed it identical with the European species.
The summer haunts and habits of this Duck have not been ascertained; for although Dr Richardson mentions that he found it not rare in the fur countries, he says nothing of its eggs or nest. While with us it has no long crest, but I am inclined to think that at the commencement of the breeding season that appendage may be developed.
Fuligula rufitorques, Ch. Bonaparte, Synops. of Birds of the United States, p. 393.
Tufted Duck, Anas Fuligula, Wils. Amer. Ornith. vol. viii. p. 60. pl. 67, fig. 5.
Ring-necked Duck, Fuligula rufitorques, Swains. and Richards. Fauna Bor. Amer. part ii. p. 453.—Nuttall, Manual, vol. ii. p. 439.
Adult Male. Plate CCXXXIV. Fig. 1.
Bill about the same length as the head, rather deeper than broad at the base, depressed and enlarged towards the end, the frontal angles acute. Upper mandible with the dorsal line at first sloping, then concave, along the unguis decurved, the ridge broad and flat at the base, then broadly convex, the sides nearly flat and perpendicular at the base, convex and sloping towards the end, the edges soft, with about forty-five internal lamellæ, unguis obovate, curved. Nostrils subbasal, lateral, rather small, oval, pervious. Lower mandible flat, with the angle very long and rather narrow, the dorsal line very short, slightly convex, the edges with about sixty-five lamellæ and smaller intermediate ones above.