THE GOLDEN-EYED DUCKS. 2T 



axillaries and under wing coverts black, the quill-lining some- 

 what more ashy; ''bill bluish- or greenish-black, in rare in- 

 stances with an orange spot or bar near the tip of the upper 

 mandible ; feet intense orange-yellow, the webs dusky ; iris 

 reddish or orange-yellow ; eyelids reddish-dusky " (A. O. 

 Hume). Total length, i8'o inches; culmen, 1*55 ; wing, 8*9 ; 

 tail, 37; tarsus, 1-55. 



Adult Female. — Different from the male. Upper surface of 

 body slaty-grey, the feathers with dusky bases ; lower back and 

 rump dusky-black, becoming more slaty on the upper tail- 

 coverts ; the wing-coverts slaty-grey like the back, with an 

 irregular white patch caused by the outer lesser coverts being 

 white ; median coverts with white spots at the ends and the 

 central greater coverts white with black tips ; bastard-wing, 

 primary- coverts, and quills blackish, the primaries browner on 

 the inner webs ; secondaries white, the inner secondaries half 

 black and half white and the innermost ones entirely black ; 

 head and throat all round chocolate-brown, followed by a 

 white collar across the lower throat ; breast and abdomen pure 

 white ; fore-neck, chest, and sides of the body slaty-grey, 

 mottled with dusky centres to the feathers; under wing-coverts, 

 axillaries, and quill-lining dull slaty ; "bill brownish-black, more 

 dusky than in the males, and generally showing a yellowish- 

 red or orange spot or bar near the tip of the upper mandible, 

 which in some forms a terminal band at the tips of both 

 mandibles, never, however, including the nail, which remains 

 black or dusky" {A. O. Hjcnie). Total length, 17-5 inches; 

 culmen, 1-3; wing, 7-6; tail, 3*2; tarsus, 1*4. 



Young Birds. — According to Count Salvadori, resemble the 

 old females, but are duller in colour; the pale collar round 

 the neck is less distinct, and the grey feathers on the breast 

 have white margins. In his first breeding-dress, the young 

 male has less white on the scapulars, the white on the hinder 

 lower neck is mottled with brown, as also is the white spot at 

 the base of the bill. The latter, in the young birds, resembles 

 that of the old females, and, according to Mr. Hume, in quite 

 young birds, the iris is white or very pale yellow. 



Jfestlings. — Dark brown on the upper-parts, and paler brown 



