296 



ANATIDE. 



legs and toes orange-red, the webs rather darker ; the whole 

 length of the bird twenty-six inches and a half; from the 

 point of the wing to the end of the longest quill-feather 

 eleven inches. 



In the female the bill and irides like those of the male, 

 but not so bright in colour ; head and upper part of the 

 neck reddish-brown ; the occipital feathers elongated ; the 

 back, scapulars, tertials, wing-coverts, rump, upper tail- 

 coverts and tail-feathers ash-grey ; wing-primaries lead-grey ; 

 the secondaries white ; chin and lower part of the neck in 

 front Avhite ; breast, and under surface of the body tinged 

 with buff; sides and flanks ash-grey ; legs and feet orange- 

 red. The female is rather smaller than the male. 



The young birds in their plumage resemble the female, 

 but young males in this state may be readily ascertained by 

 feeling down the neck in the line of the windpipe with the 

 finger and thumb ; males have two enlargements on the 

 tube, which females do not possess, their windpipe being 

 uniform in size throughout its length. Young males do 

 not assume the plumage by which that sex is distinguished 

 till their second year. 



The trachea of the male is twelve inches in length. The 

 vignette below represents that surface of the labyrinth and 

 tympanum which is nearest the back of the bird. 



