194 ANATID.E. 



Genoa on their passage in spring ; and from Italy are said to 

 go as far south as Egypt. Mr. Strickland saw Wigeon at 

 Smyrna during winter. It was observed in the vicinity of 

 the Caucasus, and is found in India and Japan. 



In the adult male the bill is brownish-black, tinged with 

 lead colour ; irides dark brown ; from the eye a green streak 

 passing backwards ; forehead and top of the head cream 

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

 chestnut ; interscapulars, scapulars, and all the back greyish- 

 white, crossed with irregular zigzag lines of black ; upper 

 tail-coverts freckled with grey ; tail-feathers elongated, point- 

 ed, 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 tertials broadly edged with white ; 

 the inner webs hair-broAvn ; chin and neck in front almost 

 black ; lower part of 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 ; vuider tail-coverts velvet black ; legs, 

 toes, and their membranes dark brown. 



The whole length 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 July or the beginning of 

 August, becoming much more uniform in their general co- 

 lour, losing some of the most conspicuous external differences 

 which distinguish males from females, and which are to be 

 considered as secondary sexual characters. 



The female Wigeon has the bill bluish-black ; the irides 

 brown ; head and neck brown, tinged with rufous, and 

 speckled with dark brown ; the back varied with two shades 



