140 HKITISII HIllDS. 1vol. ix. 



the central pair of tail-feathers. My remarks on these 

 particular feathers must be read in conjunction a\ ith 

 jMiss Jackson's {antea, pp. .39-42). 



Pintail. — I cannot call these feathers " mouse-grej^ " : 

 when they are first grown they are of a metallic greenish- 

 brown colour with faint A\hite edges ; as stated the}' only 

 extend one and a half inches or less beyond the rest of the 

 tail. Before these feathers are cast they become " mouse- 

 grey " and are considerably abraded. 



WiGEON. — The " eclipse " central pair of feathers are 

 broader and less pointed as stated. But they are brown in 

 colour as compared with the peculiar silvery-grey, narrow, 

 more pointed central pair of feathers in winter. In my 

 collection No. 702 has not yet moulted either primaries or 

 tail on August 26th. No. 26S8 has moulted the rest of its 

 tail-feathers, retaining the " eclipse " central pair on 

 September 26th, and No. 993 has remoulted the " echpse " 

 central pair of feathers and grown the silvery-tinted winter 

 pair on October 22nd. 



Teal. — I can, from material at my disposal, see no difference 

 between the '' eclipse " pair of central tail-feathers and 

 those held in winter. 



Shoveler. — Eclipse pair brown with indistinct ^^•hite 

 edgings. Winter metallic-bronze feathers (exactly like the 

 primaries in colour), with a clean, well-defined broad white 

 edging. 



Diving Ducks. 



Pochard. — Eclipse, brown feathers, edged white, with 

 traces of a brown bar. Winter, grej'-black uuedged feathei's. 

 possessing a distinct silvery sheen. 



Long-tailed Duck. — The four central tail-feathers are 

 moulted twice in the twelve months, the central pair are 

 quite two inches longer during the period from the moult 

 in April to being cast in July than they are after being 

 grown again in the autuum-moult from October to April. 



Resemblance of Adult Male in '' Eclipse " to 

 Adult Female. 



Teal. — This depends on which adult female i)liiiuage the 

 male is compared with. The male eclipse most resembles 

 the adult female winter as regards under-parts ; certainly 

 not the adult female summer, and moreover the male differs 

 from the adult female whitei- in lia\iiiu the feathers on and 



