The Marbled Ducks. 279 



part of the marismas near the Goto del 

 Rey, called Las Carnecerias, so termed 

 because in former years the wolves used 

 to kill the sheep there. The nests were 

 formed of small broken bits of dried 

 rushes mixed with a large quantity of 

 down. One nest was taken on the 30th 

 of May, and contained ten fresh eggs, 

 and in the female was another ready for 

 exclusion, which was broken in the fall 

 of the bird. The other nest contained 

 eleven fresh eggs, and was taken on the 

 7th of June. All these eggs are exactly 

 similar in size and colour. In shape they 

 are inclined to be elliptical, and are in 

 colour yellowish white or buff." 



Eleven eggs of this Duck in the British 

 Museum, of which seven were taken 

 by Colonel Irby on the 30th May, as 

 above related, are uniformly of a deep 

 cream-colour. They are as nearly as 

 possible elliptical, very smooth and rather 

 glossy. They measure from 1*65 to 1*95 

 in length, and from t"25 to 1*4 in breadth. 



In the adult male the forehead and 

 the front part of the crown are dull white, 

 cross-barred with black ; the hinder part 

 of the crown and the hindneck pale buff, 

 cross-barred with black. There is a 

 blackish patch round the eye extending 



