ANATIDS., 504 
of ared head. The bill is pale blue, the nail black ; 
irides yellow; the head and neck are black, glossed 
with green; the breast and collar at the back of the 
neck black; the back and scapulars white, pencilled 
with black (rather more boldly so than the Pochard) ; 
the lesser wing-coverts are black, minutely pencilled 
with white; the greater wing-coverts and tertials are 
black, sparingly speckled with white; rump and 
upper tail-coverts black; primary quills black, 
tinged with brown; secondaries white, tipped with 
black, forming a white speculum; tail dark greyish 
dusky, flanks and belly white; under tail-coverts 
black; legs and toes bluish black ; webs still darker. 
The female differs considerably: there is a white 
patch surrounding the bill, broadest on the upper 
parts (Yarrell seems to say that this is only the case 
in old birds); the head and neck are dusky brown; 
breast and a collar at the back of the neck brown— 
the feathers on the lower part of the breast are 
margined with white; back and scapulars dark 
dusky, freckled with white; lesser wing-coverts the 
same, but with less white; the greater coverts dark 
lead-colour; there is a white speculum on the 
secondaries, the tips of the feathers lead-colour; 
primary quills and tail dark dusky, tinged with 
brown; belly and flanks white, hinder part of flanks 
and under tail-coverts dark dusky, some of the 
feathers freckled with white. The young birds: are 
much like the females. 
2X2 
