. Handbook of birds of the western United States including the great plains, great basin, Pacific slope, and lower Rio Grande valley . sky streak from corner of mouth to back of Fig. 80. ear ; under parts gray, washed with silvery white or rustv. Length : , wing , bill Distribution. — North America and south to Colombia, breeding overmuch of its North American range. iS/est. — A bulky mass of plant stems on the water anaong tules, reeds,or cat-tails. Eggs : 9 to 14, creamy or light huffy. The ruddy duck is common over much of the western UnitedStates, and breeds
. Handbook of birds of the western United States including the great plains, great basin, Pacific slope, and lower Rio Grande valley . sky streak from corner of mouth to back of Fig. 80. ear ; under parts gray, washed with silvery white or rustv. Length : , wing , bill Distribution. — North America and south to Colombia, breeding overmuch of its North American range. iS/est. — A bulky mass of plant stems on the water anaong tules, reeds,or cat-tails. Eggs : 9 to 14, creamy or light huffy. The ruddy duck is common over much of the western UnitedStates, and breeds abundantly in places that suit its taste, especiallyin the grass-fringed lakes of tlie northern plains and the big shallowtule lakes of the Great Basin country. It is a duck of much indi-viduality. It sits jauntily on the water, its spike tail tilted up, andwith bold audacity holds its ground till you are at close quarters,then as you think it is going to fly, and raise your gun for a wingshot, it suddenly dives. Its skill at hiding under water till it hasgained the other side of a point or island would do credit to a grebe,. DUCKS, GEESE, AND SWANS 65 and has doubtless come from its habit of feeding at the bottom of thelake. Goss gives its food as seeds, roots, and plant stems, shellfishand various forms of life found in both deep and shallow adds that when fat it is a good table duck. My own experienceis that, roasted Indian fashion in the fire with the feathers on, itsmeat is juicy, tender, and of delicious flavor, particularly if you arehungry! Vernon Bailey GENUS NOMONYX. [168.] Nomonyx dominicus (Linn.). Masked Duck. Similar to the ruddy duck, but tail with 20 instead of 18 feathers, andbill smaller with wider nail — nail over .25 wide instead of .10 as in theruddy. Adult male: front of head black ; neck, sides, and back brightchestnut, streaked on back with black ; wings black, with a large whitepatch. Adult female : crown blackish ; side of head with two
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