EUROPEAN AVIGEON. 85 



The nostrils are elliptical, patulous, a quarter of an inch 

 long. The eyes small, three-twelfths and a half across. The 

 aperture of the ear round, two-twelfths in Avidth. The legs 

 very short ; the bare part of the tibia five-twelfths long ; 

 the tarsus compressed, reticulate, with eighteen anterior scu- 

 tella ; the hind toe with eight, the inner with fourteen and 

 numerous basal scales ; the third with thirty in its whole 

 length ; the fourth with forty. The claws are small, well 

 arched, compressed, acute, that of the middle toe little 

 dilated, the hind toe more decurved. 



The plumage is dense, soft, and blended. The feathers 

 of the head and upper neck are slender, those on the upper 

 part of the head and nape considerably elongated. On the 

 other parts they are generally elliptical. The scapulars are 

 elongated, and taper to an obtuse point. The wings are 

 rather long, rather narrow, pointed, with twenty-six quills ; 

 the primaries tapering, but obtuse ; the outer secondaries 

 incurvate and rounded ; the inner elongated, narrow, taper- 

 ing, rather acute. The second quill is scarcely longer than 

 the first, of which the tips of the filaments are separated, capil- 

 lary, and curved outwards, as in all the Teals. The tail is 

 short, rounded, of fourteen feathers, of which the two medial 

 are more pointed, and project two-thirds of an inch beyond 

 the next. 



The bill is light gi'eyish-blue, with the tip, including the 

 unguis, black. The iris is hazel-brown. The feet light grey- 

 ish-blue, the membranes darker, the claws black. From the 

 base of the upper mandible to the occiput is an oblong, 

 reddish-white patch. The rest of the head and the upper- 

 neck brownish-red, most of the feathers with a small blackish- 

 green spot on the tip ; the tips of those on the throat are 

 black to a greater extent, forming a broad longitudinal band. 

 The feathers on the hind part of the neck, the whole of the 

 back, and the scapulars, are beautifully and delicately trans- 

 versely undulated with blackish-grey and white ; some of the 

 feathers on the rump margined with white. The anterior 

 Aving-coverts, secondary coverts, and tertiaries, are brownish- 

 grey, the former faintly undulated with greenish-white, but 

 many of the coverts are pure white, forming a large patch ; 



