22(1 INDIAN DUCKS 



Description. Adult Male. — Crown and nai^e deep-lnown, lieliter on the 

 forehead, where it is uioL-e or less strealted with wliite, and sometimes witii 

 a faint gloss at the sides. A broad 'superciliary stripe from in front of the 

 eye, down tlie sides of the nape, white ; chin black ; remainder of the head 

 and neck rich bright chocolate, streaked with white ; back, rump, upper 

 tail-coverts and tail brown, the feathers all edged paler or greyish-brown ; 

 inner scapulars black, glossed green, with broad wide central streaks and 

 narrow white margins ; outer scapulais the same, l)ut with tiie outer webs 

 broadly l)luc-grey ; wing-coverts liright pale Frencli grey, the greater ones 

 liroadly edged white, forming a wing-bar ; outer secondaries brown-grey, 

 glossed green and tipped white ; quills brown ; the inner primaries greyish, 

 broadly edged greyish-white; breast brown, with l)hick or dark brown 

 markings, concentric on the upper breast, in the form of bars on the lower 

 breast, gradually changing one into the other ; abdomen white, more or less 

 speckled with brown towards the vent ; thigh-coverts brown and white : 

 flanks white, finely barred with black, the feathers nearest the tail with two 

 broad bars of white and grey divided by a narrower black line ; under tail- 

 coverts white or bufl'y-white, the sliorter with brown drops ; under wing- 

 coverts mainly dark grey, the central ones and axillaries white. 



Colours of soft parts.— Indes dark-brown ; bill brownisli-black, nail 

 black, margins of maxilla and lower mandible paler ; legs and feet dark- 

 gi-ey. 



I have a liird whicli had the feet bright orange ; this must be some- 

 tliing very unusual. 



" In tiie adult male the bill is normally blackish above, brownish on the 

 lower mandiijle, except at the tip, often reddish-brown at tlie gape. 



" The legs and feet are grey, pale greenisii-brown, grey with an olive 

 shade, grey slate- colour, purplish slate-colour, bluisli ... in all cases the 

 webs being more i>r less dusky, and the claws darker still." {Hunir.) 



Measurements.— Length 15 to 17 inches, tail about 2'.S, wing 7'G to 8'0, 

 tarsus 1 to I'i, bill from gape I'lS. 



"Length 15'9 to 16'25 inches, expanse 25 to 27'25, wing 74 to 81, 

 tail from vent 3'3 to 3'H, tarsus 1 to 1'3, bill from gape 175 to 1'92. 

 Weight 10 ozs. to 1 lb. (commonly about 13 ozs.)." (Htuiir.) 



Width of bill at gape 0'52, at tip 0'62 inches. 



Female. — Above dark - brown, all the featliers witli pale margins, 

 except the crown, wliich is ratlier richer than elsewhere and centred 

 darker; chin and throat wdiite ; neck greyish or buffy-wliite, with all the 

 feathers minutely streaked with dark-lirown ; a superciliary stripe from 

 above the eye and a spot on the front of the lores white or buffy-white ; 

 wings greyish-brown, in old females more grey, especially on the smaller 

 coverts ; speculum as in the male, but very blurred and indistinct ; fore-neck 

 and upper breast dark brown, with broad pale edges to the feathers ; lower 

 breast, abdomen, and vent white, buffy-white or buff ; the flanks, sides, and 

 under tail-coverts the same, blotched, barred, and spotted with brown. 



