.SI 2 



DUCK GROUP 



upper and lower tail-coverts are black or blackish, as are the breast and 

 the rest of the under-parts, while the barred portion of the back is 

 pale lavender finely laced with wavy black lines in the " vermiculated " 

 fashion. In immature males the eye is orange-yellow, but in fully adult 

 drakes it turns deep ruby-red : a type of change paralleled among 

 cockatoos. When in non-breeding plumage (the duration of which 

 appears to be unknown), the drake is generally similar in colouring 

 to his mate, but has the abdomen and under tail-coverts somewhat 

 darker. In the duck the eyes arc brown, as arc also the neck and 



breast, while the grey wing-bar is wanting. Dull olivc-grc>' is the 

 prevalent colour of the down on the upper-parts of the duckling, but 

 there are buff spots in front of the wings, and ej-ebrow-stripes of the 

 same hue, as well as a dark streak below each c\'e, divided into two 

 portions, one before and the other behind the line of the e\-e itself; the 

 under-parts are buff It may be added, as a curious fact, that, apart 

 from its change of colour with age, the c\'c of the adult tlrakc will 

 likewise show a similar transformation under the influence of strong 

 excitement. ICighteen inches is the ordinary length of the adult 

 male bird, the weight of which ma)- \ar\' between a couple of pounds 

 and two pounds six ounces. 



The pochard is exclusive!)' an Old World species, its range extending 



