i.- THE LONG TAILED DUCKS. 27 



grey and elongated into narrow white plumes, forming a 

 band on each side of the back ; wing-coverts black, the 

 greater series slightly inclining to bronzy-brown ; bastard- 

 wing, primary-coverts, and primaries black, the latter inclin- 

 ing to ashy-brown on the inner webs ; the secondaries bronzy- 

 brown, the innermost black ; long centre tail-feathers black, 

 the outer ones white ; crown of head white, the hind-neck 

 greyish-white, and also the sides of the neck ; lores, feathers 

 round the eye, and sides of face lavender-grey, separated 

 from the bill by a line of white, and followed on the ear- 

 coverts by a large patch of black, extending to the sides of 

 the neck ; throat white, joining the sides of the neck ; fore- 

 neck, chest, and breast black, glossed with bronzy-brown ; 

 remainder of under surface of body white, extending over the 

 sides of the breast ; the sides of the body washed with delicate 

 lavender ; under wing-coverts and axillaries smoky-brown ; 

 quill-lining grey ; bill blackish lead-colour, as well as the nail, 

 with the intervening portion pinkish-orange ; feet leaden-blue, 

 the webs and joints blackish; iris reddish-brown. Total 

 length, 2i"o inches; culmen, i-i ; wing, 8-8; tail, 3*2; long 

 centre feathers, 8-5 ; tarsus, 1-4. 



The pied plumage described above is also that of the 

 breeding-dress, but the post-nuptial or summer plumage is 

 very different, the general tone of the upper surface being 

 black ; the feathers of the upper mantle and scapulars have 

 broad, rusty-brown edges ; the wings are blackish-brown, with 

 an obscure bronzy-brown speculum ; the whole of the head 

 and neck, as well as the entire breast, are blackish-brown, some- 

 what paler and more chocolate-brown on the latter ; lores and 

 fore-part of cheeks white, extending in a patch behind the 

 eye ; abdomen and under surface white, as in the breeding- 

 plumage. 



Adult Female — Somewhat resembles the post-nuptial plumage 

 of the male, but has not the long tail-feathers of the latter. 

 The general colour is brown, the feathers of the upper sur- 

 face being edged with olive-grey or sandy-rufous, the scapu- 

 lars and rump especially showing the olive-grey tinge ; wings 

 brown, the feathers edged with grey, but showing no distinct 

 speculum ; crown of head blackish-brown, sharply defined 



