INDIAN DUCKS AND THEIR ALLIES. 11 



My eggs and those I have records of, all come within Hume's measure- 

 ments, in length varying between 2"1" and 2*38" and in breadth 

 between 1-5" and 1*72". 



20. Anas tcecilorhyncha. 

 The Spot-bill or Grey Duck. 

 Anas pcecilorhynclia^ Jerdon, '* Birds of India," III, p. 799 ; Hume, 

 "Str. Feath." I, p. 261; Adam, /&/c?, p. 4U2 ; Hume and Davis, 

 ibidj IV, p. 489 ; Hume, Ihld, VII, p. 507 ; id., ibid, VIII, p. 115 ; 

 id.. Cat. No. 959; Hume and Marshall, " Game Birds of India," III, 

 p. 168 ; Legge, " Birds of Ceylon," p. 1073; Gates, " Birds of British 

 Burmah," II, p. 283; Barnes, «' Birds of Bombay," p. 403; Hume, 

 "Nests and Eggs" (Gates' ed.), Ill, p. 289; Salvadori, Cat. 

 " Birds of British Museum," XXVII, p. 209 ; Blanford, '' Birds of 

 India," IV, p. 436. 



Description : Adidt Male. — Crown from forehead to nape dark brown, 

 a streak of the same colour covering the lores and running through the 

 eye to the back of the ear; coverts the same colour ; remainder of head 

 and neck buffy-white or white, more or less centered dusky, with the 

 exception of the chin and throat ; upper parts brown to brownish -black: 

 the scapulars paler and edged wdth pale brown, as are some of the feathers 

 of the back ; rump and upper tail coverts deeper brown still ; tail the 

 same but darker and more glossy, the feathers edged pale ; lesser and 

 medium wing coverts grey, the greater ones dark grey, sub -tipped with 

 white and tipped black ; speculum glossy green, bordered on either 

 side with black ; secondaries tipped white, and inner secondaries with 

 the outer webs more or less broadly white, remainder of wings 

 brown ; upper breast fulvous- white, the feathers spotted with brown ; 

 abdomen yet darker and browner, and the under tail coverts almost 

 black. 



" Speculum a rich emerald-green in most lights, a lovely rich 



blue or purple in others " (Hume). The amount of white on the inner 

 secondaries varies a good deal and the depth of coloration on the lower 

 surface, which is sometimes nearly white on the breast. The^ spots seem 

 to increase in size with age. 



Legs and feet deep coral-red ; claws black ; irides light to dark brown : 

 bill black, terminal one-third or less of the bill varying from yellow to 

 reddish-yellow or orange; a spot at the base of the bill on either side nest 



