The Comb-Ducks. 109 



glossy blue-black. The primaries are 

 plain black; the secondaries are dark 

 brown on the inner web, metallic bronze- 

 green on the outer. The greater wing- 

 coverts are entirely bronze-green. The 

 lower part of the back is grey ; the rump, 

 upper tail-coverts and tail black. The 

 black of the upper part of the back is 

 produced as a broad crescentic band on 

 either side of the upper breast. 



The female bears a close general re- 

 semblance to the male, but is much 

 smaller, and differs also in having the 

 metallic black portions of the plumage 

 less glossy ; the rump of the same grey 

 colour as the lower back; the mantle 

 brown with whitish margins ; the under 

 wing-coverts entirely black ; and the sides 

 of the body brown. 



Many birds have the white lower 

 plumage suffused with ferruginous. 



Young birds, after the first moult, are 

 brownish above and dingy white below. 



Male : length about 30 ; wing 15 ; tail 

 nearly 6. Female : length about 27 ; 

 wing about ii|; tail rather more than 4. 

 In both sexes, the bill is black ; the irides 

 dark brown; the legs and feet dark 

 plumbeous. The comb of the male is 

 black. Weight up to 5 J lb. 



