LONG-TAILED DUCK. 457 



white, and the 2 central ones are not lengthened. A spot on the 

 throat and the eye bands whitish-ash. Nape, the fore and lower 

 part of the neck, vent and abdomen, pure white. Summit of the 

 head and a large space on the sides of the neck blackish-ash. 

 Breast varied with ash and brown. Feathers of the back, scapulars, 

 and wing coverts black in the middle, bordered and tipt with ashy- 

 rufous ; the rest of the upper plumage sooty brown. The bluish of 

 the bill crossed by a yellowish band. Iris pale brown. Feet lead 

 color. Length about 17 inches. — In winter the middle of the crown, 

 and a spot on the side of the neck is blackish ; a narrow dusky line 

 runs along the throat for 2 inches : the rest of the head, and upper 

 half of the neck white, the lower half pale cinereous bay, blended 

 with white. All the rest of the lower parts of the body, pure white. 

 Back, scapulars, and lesser wing coverts, bright ferruginous, the 

 feathers centred with black, and interspersed with tints of whitish. 

 Shoulders of the wings and quills black ; lower part of the back the 

 same, tinged with brown. Tail pale brown ash ; inner vanes of all 

 but the two middle feathers, white. Legs and feet dusky -slate. 



Summer dress of the male, with the whole upper plumage, the 2 

 central pairs of tail feathers, and the under plumage to the fore part 

 of the belly, brownish-black ; the lesser quills paler. A triangular 

 patch of feathers between the shoulders and the scapulars broadly 

 bordered with rufous. Sides of the head from the bill to the ears 

 ash-grey. Eye stripe, and posterior under plumage pure white. 

 Flanks, sides of the rump, and lateral tail feathers, white, stained 

 with brown. Axillaries and inner wing coverts clove-brown. Bill 

 as in winter. 



In the trachea of the male, besides the labyrinth, there is an ex- 

 pansion immediately above it of about two diameters, this is flat- 

 tened externally and covered with an oblong, thin membrane ; 

 another similar fenestrate appearance exists on the external side of 

 the labyrinth. 



39 



