292 



ANATIN^. 



Anas bOSCas, Linn.; P. E. 776, 777; Oonkl. B. Eur. -pi. 361; 

 Jerd. B. Ind. iii. p. 798; 8tr. F. i. 261 ; iv. 199; Murray, Edbk., Zool., 

 ^c, 8ind, p. 235; Hume and Marsh. Game Birds Ind. p. 151. Vern, 

 Niroji, Sind. — The Mallard. 



Male. — Head and upper half of neck ricli dark metallic glossy green, 

 succeeded by a white ring ; lower down on the back of the neck grey- 

 ish chestnut brown, with fine transverse greyish waved lines ; back 

 above or mantle chestnut brown, the feathers margined slightly paler ; 

 scapulars greyish white, the feathers finely marked with transverse 

 wavy brown lines, the outermost ones chestnut ; rump and upper tail- 

 coverts blackish green, the sides of the former greyish white, finely 

 vermiculated with brownish ; primaries greyish brown, also the secon- 

 daries, the outer webs of which are rich shining purple, margined 

 by a velvetty black baud and tipped with white ; the speculum formed 

 by the shining metallic purple patch is bounded on each side with a bar 

 of black and white ; tail with the four middle feathers velvetty black, 

 glossed with greenish, and curled upwards? the rest greyish brown, 

 bordered with white ; lower neck and breast deep chestnut ; rest of 

 lower parts greyish white, tinged in some specimens with dull yellowish, 

 and marked with close-set transverse undulating brown lines, indistinct 

 in many, and in others strongly marked ; under tail-coverts velvetty 

 black ; bill dingy olive, greenish at the tip ; nail at the tip black ; irides 

 brown; legs and feet reddish orange to vermilion. 



Length. — 22*5 to 24*5 inches, wing 10'75 to 11, tail 4*2 to 4-8, tarsus 

 1'6 to 1*9. The Female is smaller, averaging 21 inches in length. 



Hah. — Sind, Beloochistan, Persia, Afghanistan, Punjab, N. W. and 

 Central Provinces, Oudh, Bengal, Rajputana, Kutch, Guzerat, the 

 Concans, and a straggler in the Deccan. 



Anas pcekilorhyncha, Gm. ; Graij, III. Ind.Zool.,px. 67; Jerdon, 

 B. Ind. iii. p. 799, No. 959. [Hunj, Sind.) — The Spotted Billed Duck. 



Top of head to the nape behind dark sepia brown, also a line from 

 the base of the upper mandible through the eye, ending in a point 

 behind; supercilium, sides of the face and neck dingy fulvous, minutely 

 speckled with brown ; lower neck, breast and abdomen the same, the 

 brown spots larger than on the upper neck, and increasing in size on 

 the breast, abdomen and flanks ; chin and throat unspotted fulvous ; 

 upper back, scapulars and lesser and median wing-coverts hair brown ; 

 lower back and rum.p black ; primaries deep brown ; secondaries brown 

 on their inner webs ; speculum on their outer webs, rich emerald glossy 

 green, tipped with black, the black tips of the innermost narrow- 

 ly edged with white ; greater wing-coverts sepia brown at base, with a 

 subterminal white band and tipped with black ; tertiaries white on 

 their outer webs and hair brown on their inner ; tail deep brown, the 

 central feathers darker ; vent and under tail-coverts nearly black ; 

 under wing-coverts white ; bill black, with a spot of red at the base, 

 and yellow at the tip ; legs and feet vermilion red ; irides deep brown. 



icn^f/i.— 23-5 to 25-9, wing 10'5 to 11, tail 4-75 to 5'75, tarsus 1-85 

 to 1-93, bill from gape 2-5 to 2-75. Females are slightly smaller. 



