ANAS. 



183 



Anas boscas. The Mallard. 



224. Anas boscas {Linn.),Bodd. P. E. pp. 776, 777 ; Gould, B. Eur. 

 pi. 361 ; Jerd., B. Iml. iii. p. 798/ Str. F. i. p. 261; iv.^p. igg; Murray, 

 IIadbLZooL,&c.,Sind,p.22S;!d., Verf. Zool. Sind, pp. 291, 2g2; Hume 

 and Marsh., Game Birds hid. p. 151 ; Murray, Avif. Brit. Ind. ii. p. 684, 

 No. 1387. {\^er7i. Niroji, Sind). — The Mallard. 



J/fl/^.— Head and upper half of neck rich dark metallic glossy green, suc- 

 ceeded by a white ring ; lower down on the back of the neck greyish chestnut 

 brown, with fine transverse greyish waved lines ; back above or mantle chest- 

 nut brown, the feathers margined slightly paler ; scapulars greyish white, the 

 feathers finely marked with transverse wavy brown lines, the outermost ones 

 chestnut ; rump and upper tail coverts blackish green, the sides of the former 

 greyish white, finely vermiculated with brownish; primaries greyish brown, 

 also the secondaries, the outer webs of which are rich shining purple, mar- 

 gined by a velvetty black band and tipped with white, the speculum formed by 

 the shining metallic purple patch is bounded on each side with a bar of black 

 and w^hite ; tail with the four middle feathers velvetty black, glossed with 

 greenish, and curled upwards, the rest greyish brown, bordered with white ; 

 lower neck and breast deep chestnut ; rest of lower parts greyish white, tinged 

 in some specimens with dull yellowish, and marked with close-set transverse 

 undulating brown lines, indistinct in many, and in others strongly marked ; 

 under tail coverts velvetty black ; bill dingy olive, greenish at the tip ; nail 

 at the tip black ; irides brown ; legs and feet reddish orange to vermilion. 



Length.— 22-S to 24-5 inches; wing 107S to ii ; tail 4-2 to 4-8; tarsus r6 

 to 1-9. ThQ female is smaller, averaging 21 inches in length. 



Hab.—?>mA, Beloochistan, Persia, Afghanistan, Punjab, N.-W. and Central 

 Provinces, Oudh, Bengal, Rajputana, Kutch, Guzerat, the Concans, and a 

 straggler in the Deccan. 



225. Anas psecilorhyncha, Forst., Ind. Zooi. p. 23, pi. 13; 



Jerd., B. Ind. iii. p. 799 ; Eume, Nests and Eggs Ind. B. p. 643 ; Blyth, B. 



