. The animal kingdom, arranged after its organization, forming a natural history of animals, and an introduction to comparative anatomy. Zoology. 26G AVES. Some have the tail pointed. The Pintail Duck {A. acuta).—[A common winter visitant in Britain, highly esteemed for the table; the male with a white mark down each side of the neck, meeting behind. It forms, with another, the needless division Dafila of Leach.] In others, the middle tail-feathers are more or less curled upwards; as, The Common or Mallard Duck (A. boschas, Lin.); known by its orange feet, greenish-yellow bill, the fine change
. The animal kingdom, arranged after its organization, forming a natural history of animals, and an introduction to comparative anatomy. Zoology. 26G AVES. Some have the tail pointed. The Pintail Duck {A. acuta).—[A common winter visitant in Britain, highly esteemed for the table; the male with a white mark down each side of the neck, meeting behind. It forms, with another, the needless division Dafila of Leach.] In others, the middle tail-feathers are more or less curled upwards; as, The Common or Mallard Duck (A. boschas, Lin.); known by its orange feet, greenish-yellow bill, the fine changeable green of its neck, separated from the dark maronne colour of its breast by a white ring, &c. In our poultry-yards, it varies like other domestic animals. The wild bird, common in our marshes, nestles among the rushes, in old trunks of willows, rind sometimes upon trees. Its trachea terminates below with a great osseous capsule. Some of them have a crested head, and a bill rather narrower anteriorly, and which, though foreign, are now raised in all our aviaries. [They have smaller feet, perch readily on trees, and surpass all the rest of the tribe in the splendour of their colours. They constitute the Dmdronessa, Swainson]. Such is the Mandarin Duck (A. galericulata) of China, and the Summer Duck (A, sponsa) of North America. Their capsules are rounded, and of moderate size. Other exotic species conjoin to the bill of the Ducks, legs which are even longer than those of the Geese : they perch and nestle upon trees. [These are the long-legged Whistling Ducks of the West Indies, which pertain to the major division of Shiel- drakes, nnd form the subgenus Dendrocygnus.~\ One of the number has even semipalmated toes. Lastly, among those which have no particular characteristic, the following visit our shores during the winter. The Gadwall Duck (A. strepera, Lin.), mostly of a lineated grey colour, with some rufous on the wings; the Widgeon (A. penclope, Lin.); grey, with a v
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1850, booksubjectzoology, bookyear1854
