WIGEON. 40 1 



Mr. P. L. Sclater only cites three instances of broods having 

 been hatched in the Zoological Gardens. Mr. Cecil Smith 

 has been rather more successful, his birds having bred 

 regularly since 1872 (Zool. 1881, p. 448). 



The male Wigeon has bred with a female Pintail, and in 

 other instances with the Common Duck. A preserved 

 specimen given to the Author by the late Kichard Dann, had 

 all the appearance of being a hybrid between the Wigeon 

 and Common Duck ; and the cross between the Wigeon and 

 the Teal has already been noticed (p. 389). 



In the adult male the bill is bluish lead-colour tipped 

 with black ; irides dark brown ; from the eye a green streak 

 passing backwards ; forehead and top of the head creamy- 

 white ; the cheeks and hind part of the neck rich chestnut 

 minutely spotted with bottle-green ; interscapulars, scapulars, 

 and all the back, greyish-white crossed with irregular zigzag 

 lines of black ; upper tail-coverts freckled with grey ; tail- 

 feathers elongated, pointed, and nearly black ; wing-coverts 

 white, tipped with black ; the primaries uniform dark brown ; 

 the outer webs of the secondaries form a green speculum 

 edged with black ; the black outer webs of the inner second- 

 aries broadly edged with white ; the inner webs hair-brown ; 

 chin and neck in front chestnut, turning to black in mature 

 birds ; lower part of the neck and the space before the wing 

 pale rufous ; under wing, sides, and flanks marked with dark 

 transverse zigzag lines on a ground of white ; breast, belly, 

 and vent white ; under tail-coverts velvet-black ; legs, toes, 

 and their membranes dark brown. 



The whole length is eighteen inches. From the carpal 

 joint or point of the wing to the end of the longest quill- 

 feather, ten inches and a half ; the length of the first and 

 second primary quill-feathers nearly equal. 



The adult male birds undergo considerable change in their 

 appearance towards the end of June or the beginning of 

 July ; at which time, says Mr. Cecil Smith, the head, neck, 

 breast and flanks, become a rich rusty-red, but always so 

 much brighter than the browner tints of the female, that the 

 sexes may easily be distinguished. By the end of September 



VOL. IV. 3 F 



